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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think that if I call in sick and have been sick for a few days now I shouldn't still be expected to work from home?

58 replies

Gotosleepeveryeffingone · 03/02/2025 21:45

I'm still baffled as to why this past week when I have felt so utterly miserable from this cough/cold/phlegm/bodyache/sore throat combination (yes I know many people will refer to it as just a cold but I felt it was more than that) and to add an extra challenge my DS (just turned 1) and DH are also sick I was expected to be up and call in and email work to colleagues by 7am each morning.
For the first day off, I get it, no one was expecting me to be off, neither was I to be fair, so I send work in for cover lessons, as I had already more than half planned work for these lessons anyway but in order for me to have relevant lessons to send in by day 4 of me being sick than I would have to be working whilst sick. I could barely get out of bed and baby was super unsettled and DH despite having gotten sick over a week ago was still 'recovering' so late in the evening once baby is finally asleep I'm working on lessons.
I bet most people reading this thread title would have thought that is unreasonable but as soon society realise it's a teacher than who cares right.

And ofcourse when you get back into work you can have a week's worth of marking just waiting for you.
In my younger days, pre motherhood I would just go in sick and sneezing because sending in cover work was a ball ache but I have had the painful realisation now that I don't get better after just one day off anymore.
I know I sound pissed off but this morning when I needed to get to GP before 8am to make an appointment I had hoped that I could ask a colleague who was teaching the exact same lesson to a class similar to mine that morning might be able to help by sharing her lesson ...no such luck, instead I was advised to send work through. Lovely.

OP posts:
Original poster
Gotosleepeveryeffingone · 03/02/2025 22:06

So here's a few more reasons why this is so shitty.

  1. The school have employed cover supervisors who can print off work etc
  2. One of those teachers works within my department so is familiar with the schemes of work and after a bit of asking around I'm sure would be able to find work to print off
  3. It's secondary school, there's are schemes of work for each year group but when I started the head teacher actively discouraged sharing of any lessons, a rule which he's stopped enforcing but has a bit of a hangover.

This morning I was dressed and ready to head into work, despite still feeling pretty crap but thought with a free period in the morning I'd be able to finish planning lessons I had started the night before, then my baby wakes and he's burning up, has a temp of 39.1 and as a new mum I'm worried. This fever has been on and off since Friday so I text my line manager telling her I don't know what to do - it's past 7am and I haven't informed anyone I'll be off - and I don't think it's a good idea to drop him off to nursery, instead I literally want to head out the door to GP right then. And I don't have finished cover work to send her anyway.
Reply: Please let cover know you'll require cover for x,y and z and is there anything I can send her as she has a full teaching day herself.

Is it any surprise that the largest group exiting the teaching profession is new mums, who are experienced teachers, mid-late 30s?

OP posts:
Bearbookagainandagain · 03/02/2025 22:06

It's a cold. A shit cold yes but still.
Anyone who's in a job that can be done remotely does some work when sick, at least monitoring inbox and answering urgent queries.

Teachers are in no way an exception, despite what they like to believe.

HPandthelastwish · 03/02/2025 22:02

Ours was 06:30, I didn't need to be up that early as I lived close to school. If feeling rubbish the night before I had to set my alarm for 6am to work out if I was feeling too ill for work. We had to set work for the first 3 days then the HoD would take over

ClearHoldBuild · 03/02/2025 22:02

What would they do if you were incapacitated? You’re either unwell or you’re not which your employer should understand. It becomes an issue because of the members of staff that muddy the water by being ill but offer to work from home so they don’t have any sick days. The managers are the problem because they don’t deal with it.

DorothyStorm · 03/02/2025 21:59

Dont do it. Say you are too sick to set work. Why isnt the supply teacher marking? Oh yes because schools wont pay for supply anymore…

NotEnoughRoom · 03/02/2025 21:54

i don’t think that would happen at our school (primary), the year group teachers do weekly lesson planning together, and then each teacher makes any further adaptations for their class. So the core lesson planning would already be covered, and the year or subject lead would be able to help with any adaptions.
sorry that you are having to do so much while you are poorly.

Bushmillsbabe · 03/02/2025 21:54

That is ridiculous, I really feel for teachers.
If there is more than 1 class in a year surely the other teacher can share a lesson plan? Or the lesson plans from the same topic the year before - I know that doesn't always work when schools change phonics or maths schemes. But especially if it's infants level, they can wing it.
My daughters infants school very rarely uses external supply for this reason, they have an extra teacher on staff who covers for sickness who is familiar with curriculum,so only an issue if more than 1 of the 6 class teachers sick at same time. This an other reasons means they have excellent staff retention, 1 teacher left for a promotion, next year she was back even though meant a pay cut, as staff are well looked after.

RoastDinnerSmellsNice · 03/02/2025 21:48

That's outrageous! Couldn't you just say 'Sorry, I simply can't do any prep, I'm too ill for that' OP? After all, if you'd been rushed to hospital, you wouldn't have even been able to send the work in that you'd already prepared, would you? Stop being a martyr to the job, sadly it really isn't appreciated these days!!