Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Original poster

DD's bloody teacher is now into her 3rd week off sick with a farking cold!!!!!!

81 replies

suwoo · 22/09/2008 14:59

DD in year 2 so SATS year. Her teacher is now into her 3rd week off, she supposedly has a cold. Methinks either she is suffering with something far more serious and possibly private ie depression/stress or she is a fucking lazy bitch. I am not one of the mums wailing about in the playground as DD is fine, but its just a bit . How much will the supply teacher be getting about £200 per day- bet he's loving it!

OP posts:
OrmIrian · 22/09/2008 16:22

Why should she tell you what is wrong with her? Perhaps she's depressed, under stress, maybe she's had a miscarriage, maybe her marriage is breaking down. Maybe 'cold' is just the simplest thing she he can think of saying. I am sure that her employers knows what is what - at my company three weeks sick leave would prbably require some kind of verification. She is too ill to work and that is all you need to know.

expatinscotland · 22/09/2008 16:22

oh, yes, supply teaching is awesome - unsteady income, no holiday/sick time and the like.

OrmIrian · 22/09/2008 16:24

btw - i do sympathise. It's frustrating for you. However to yr 2 sats! They are not important to your child.

Original poster
suwoo · 22/09/2008 16:24

Don't mention sick time expat, its a can of worms .

OP posts:
TheProvincialLady · 22/09/2008 16:25

Contrary to unpopular belief, supply teachers earn exactly the same rate as any other teacher, per day. Not that it is anyone else's business. Agencies often take a large fee - I don't see anyone starting a thread because there is a temp at their office.

foxytocin · 22/09/2008 16:26

it is quite reasonable that other teachers told the kids that the teacher has 'a cold' and this is what they have told the parents.

it is no one's business why she is off sick. end of. a colleague of mine was off for the best part of 2 yrs with bipolar disorder. The kids never ever knew why he was off.

a colleague's wife went to work at her school with 'a cold', by the end of the week she was rushed to hospital and died within hours of pneumonia.

iamdingdong · 22/09/2008 16:26

can't believe that a few weeks at the start of a year are going to make any difference - to tests that don't even matter anyway, jsut let her get well fgs

Mercy · 22/09/2008 16:30

Agree with your first sentence foxy.

I've known teachers who have been off sick for anything from a hysterectomy to injuries sustained in a car crash. The children only need a simple explanation.

FioFio · 22/09/2008 16:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

smugmumofboys · 22/09/2008 16:40

DS1's YR1 teacher was away for quite a few weeks last year and I was at some of the tittle-tattle and judginess in the playground. The lack of sympathy from many parents who'd consider themselves 'nice' people was appalling.

As a secondary teacher, I felt like telling them to just wait until their dcs get to high school and they've had 4 different maths supply teachers by October half-term!

It might be annoying but you have no right to know what is wrong with her.

Anchovy · 22/09/2008 16:42

You see, I don't actually think it is quite reasonable to tell the children that the teacher has a cold when (I'm guessing) she patently hasn't.

I would prefer my Y2 child (I have one) to be given a simple explanation that was borderline true and be told she was "poorly" or was "ill" or "poor old Miss X is not well at all and isn't going to be in for a while".

And I don't think it is unreasonable or un-empathetic to want proper supply arrangements put in place when there is extended illness.

Peachy · 22/09/2008 16:42

'she supposedly has a cold. Methinks either she is suffering with something far more serious and possibly private ie depression/stress or she is a fucking lazy bitch.'

well if the first is a possibility why on earth wuld you post this? bizarre

Peachy · 22/09/2008 16:42

OOps just saw apology- sorry

Original poster
suwoo · 22/09/2008 16:44

Yeah I know I've got no right to know what is wrong with her, I think it is the whole 'cold' thing. I realise it is nobodys business, but if the school were to say 'personal reasons' I would be very sympathetic. As anchovy has said, it has done her a disservice as all the judgey tittle tattlers like me are thinking she's a lazy bitch. As I have said a couple of times, I would be horrified if she is suffering with something terrible and then would wait for my judginess to come back and bite me on the bum!

OP posts:
FioFio · 22/09/2008 16:55

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

foxytocin · 22/09/2008 16:59

Anchovy, it is no one's business why she is off sick though. and saying she has a cold is not much different from saying she is 'poorly' or 'ill'. Try swapping those words for 'cold' on the OP and see if it makes any difference to the impression the OP may have had.

Once a sick note is brought into the workplace, and teachers have to provide one once they are off sick for 5 working days, then the school has to provide suitable long term cover arrangement, which for secondary means a teacher to provide continuity for the students' learning.

foxytocin · 22/09/2008 17:01

... but 'a cold' is a personal thing. that is why it is between she, her boss and her gp.

nevermind. no longer interested in this thread.

Original poster
suwoo · 22/09/2008 17:02

Me neither...........

OP posts:
slayerette · 22/09/2008 17:22

Got distracted from the original purpose of the thread by the fact that while some posters can't wait to brandish the pitchforks and oh so self-righteously judge, suwoo has come out of it by far the best - v. good-humoured and gracious acceptance of all the flak, not to mention apologising!

Those of you who still want to criticise her aren't doing yourself any favours now...

AuntieMaggie · 22/09/2008 17:48

Maybe she originally called in and said it was a cold as she wasn't expecting to be off quite so long, and that's why the school said that's what it was.

An old work colleague of mine was off for a miscarriage (but we weren't told why she was off), and because of the way it went there were several weeks of "she'll be back next week" and then her not coming back for a couple of months. Sometimes it depends on the way these things go.

It might not be that, there are loads of things that could cause this turn of events, like pneumonia.

IME i left work early on a friday with pains, ended up having an ultrasound for a common condition but it ended up picking up something much more serious and I didn't go back to work for a week because I was in shock at what had been found. After that I had a couple of months of tests but worked through all this, with only my direct manager knowing why i was off so often, until I had a major operation. But all the way through I was being offered time off by GP and work to cope with what was happeneing, but for me working helped me deal with it. Some other people would take the time off (which with hindsight I should have done).

AuntieMaggie · 22/09/2008 17:51

People should think before judging other people.

If we were all in a room together and I hadn't told you that I had a serious condition you wouldn't know it to look at me. You'd probably think I was fat amongst other things, but what I have wouldn't enter your head.

hatrick · 22/09/2008 17:52

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

SaintRiven · 22/09/2008 17:55

whats wrong with a teacher being off? They supply another one don't they? The kids are still getting taught?

cory · 22/09/2008 19:08

As for envying the supply teacher's money- have you ever worked in supply teaching? I have and you'd have to be paid a lot to make up for the stress of the job they're doing. Plus no pension, no national insurance contribution and no guarantee of work coming in every day or even every week.

Blandmum · 22/09/2008 19:16

Fucking shoot the bitch

How dare she be ill.

In fact, why don't you tar and feather her first, and whip her till the blood runs. Then shoot her

You do realise that if you lose your voice, you can't teach????

Glad I don't teach people with parents this unsympathetic.

Swipe left for the next trending thread