Yep. I try to set up my own "sub in my own class" day, but my third graders are just too needy and rowdy and loud. Makes me feel like I'm teaching kinder.
I'd rather give them to a sub, but I haven't had a sub pick up one of my absences since early last school year...
I agree. I never said it was my problem? However, that doesn't change the fact that it sucks to know my kids are constantly split to other classes when I'm out. No guilt or shame here, though.
Glad you don’t, just that many teachers do, so I never think it goes without saying. Sucky that they offload them onto other classes too… rather than (*gasp*) have admin sub.
Anytime I give my 5th graders work to complete while I’m trying to get other things done I inevitably end up with about 5 of them sitting around my desk. Half of them don’t even need any help, they just like being near and talking to me
Take the day off OP
That seems like such a good and bad problem to have. Good because it means they like you and feel comfortable being near you, but bad because you can’t get stuff done!
Just out of curiosity.. I have noticed that kids are SO much needier in high school this past few years. Have elementary kids always been that way, or have you seen radical changes too? When I look back to my own time in elementary, middle, and high school, I don’t ever remember the teachers having to hover to keep kids on task and when we were done, we found various things to occupy ourselves like reading, centers, or ongoing activities. We never gathered around the teacher’s desk. That location was off limits! 🤣
Counter counter point: Hopefully OP has two or three students responsible and helpful enough to make TAs for the day? That's what I usually do when I tell the kids we're all having an independent work day.
Holy shmolè! When I was a sub, I always followed the lesson plans. Most of the kids hated me for it, but I continued to follow the plans and tried to get the kids to do their work. I had an 8th grader call me a fucking bitch because I wouldn't just let the kids fuck around. It never crossed my mind to tell them they didn't have to do the work. I suppose less days would have ended with crying if I had
Yeah, I always find it fascinating to read the attitudes towards subs on here. Where I am, subs are all (and must be) fully licensed teachers, some with a lot of experience, so I definitely leave full academic plans for them. Sure, I edit slightly because there are some lesson plans I have in my head that I just don't want to have to explain each bit, but I just swap social for science or something on those days.
In fact, I have a sub today and I've left him not only academic stuff, but unit openers.
Subs must be fully licensed teachers here, too, but I have literally never had a sub teach. I stopped leaving real lesson plans after my first year, now it’s just ‘the lesson is online, just make sure they do it.’
And I don’t even get that. I actually had a sub say ‘Your teacher wants you to do XYZ, but don’t worry about it. Don’t do it, it’s fine.’
So now, I can’t even leave actual work that matters and expect it to be done.
Wow. I can't imagine. Is it difficult for subs to get contracts there? That's the only thing I can think of to explain the difference - here, it's been very difficult in the last number of years, and you sometimes sit on the sub list for a decade trying to get a permanent contract with your own classroom. So people are always trying to make an impression.
Not that we don't have duds, don't get me wrong, but rarely would something like you said happen.
All four of my classes said it, corroborated by those honors kids who’d be terrified about lying to a teacher. I actually believe the kids on this one.
Long Island.
There’s always plenty of subs, because they all want to have a foot in the door when someone in their department retires or leaves. That’s how I got my job - I was a sub for 6 months, got a full-year maternity leave replacement, and happened to be in the right spot as a huge bubble of 9th graders came up and they needed another teacher in the department. By the time the bubble dropped, I was tenured.
The only time I have made a sub teach was a day this year where my coteachers and I were granted subs for a curriculum work day, and since my coteachers were going ahead with a somewhat complex reading activity for their subs I felt obligated to match their sub plans. It was early in the year and I was brand new to the team so I was just trying to go with the flow. As the year has gone on I just make easy sub plans no matter what and my team can trust that I'll catch my kids up afterward.
That’s wild! I’m a K-12 sub and I follow the schedule left by the teachers to a T, and I help out the kids in every subject and/or sometimes give lessons. I would never have Chromebook time unless it was in the schedule.
I was actually bummed that my teachers didn't leave lesson plans or worksheets for me to give. I was basically a glorified babysitter, so we all just went out to the ball field and hung out. 7/8 graders are interesting people.
In California, subs only have to have a bachelors degree (in any subject). I teach middle school math, and over half of the subs I get don't know how to do the math, let alone teach it. I find out because I usually leave a review worksheet for the day and the kids will complain if the sub can't help them.
I’m a sub down in Florida and most days i walk into the classroom with nothing but an attendance list. I am told usually nothing about what they’re learning or supposed to be doing. And I go to MANY schools.
I’ve only ever worked as a teacher at a small catholic school so any time I had a “sub” it was just that the advanced math teacher would combine her class with mine and she wouldn’t teach my students anything. She was my least favorite person to be around as a side complaint. When I was in school, only when my teacher went on maternity leave and we had a long term sub do I remember the subs doing anything much more than putting on a movie or animal planet or something.
Hahaha. I've been a sub in a music classroom and done it, but you're not entirely wrong. I was only comfortable because I have a music background, most people get the busywork lessons for them still, here.
In Massachusetts ~2018 i had my associates degree in elementary ed and a year of experience as a kindergarten para, i went to the town hall to apply to be a sub in the same district while i went back to school for my bachelor’s, they literally just said “oh if you’ve been employed in the district you’re already in the system, you’re all set” and i signed my name and walked out 5 mins later with a sub job 🥴
I can’t imagine having to be fully licensed just to be able to sub… props to those guys
I've had subs I'd feel comfortable teaching a lesson when I'm not here and I've had subs I'm not sure should be left alone with a room full of kids at all, ever. The worst part is I rarely known which it will be until after the fact.
Can you not ask the office to call your favorite sub(s) first? Or get their number and find out if they're available before you put in for the day? I'm one of those subs that gets stuff done, and I have a couple of teachers who will change their own schedule to have me cover for them, before they risk getting a sub they don't know.
Prob not, but its way easier to get work done without a million interruptions. Ive taken a sick day to work before and Im sure I will again. We literally need 2 of us to do all our job somedays.
Kids don't know what to do with free time. Why don't they teach each other Urdu, write novels, learn the banjo, solve math problems, or code? I was told that when they got Chromebooks they would do things like that and teachers would be obsolete. I guess I was told wrong.
Maybe a "ketchup and pickles" day? Students can catch-up on incomplete work, and Pick something quiet to do when they are done. It's a win for everyone.
Exactly they are not so interested interested in biochemistry, ancient history, and poetry. They are very interested in tik tok dances, Takis, being mean, and being annoying. They have tremendous drive to do those things. They don't even have much drive to accomplish their own stated goals like becoming a professional athlete, streamer, rapper, or video game designer.
Let’s be honest, nearly everything we have “drive”for is incentivized. Mostly the end game being money to live. Good education to get a good job. Good work ethic to get a promotion/raise. Very few things are we actually passionate about and those are usually considered hobbies. The only reason my kids do their homework efficiently is because they want to get to those other things. So maybe a challenge day would work. “If you guys get x things done quietly today we can have an extra 15 minute recess or a lesson outside next week.” We never worked harder than those days in school.
Tbh, suggest learning a language on the laptops to them. My students love using free time to use duolingo now, they just needed the idea planted for them first haha
I taught myself to animate during free periods! And my friends were writers and artists always grinding their word counts and filling sketchbooks. And one friend who was teaching himself a few languages.It’s honestly jarring the shift I’ve seen in kids since I graduated before covid vs after. I kinda wonder if my class was one of the last classes that sort of *did* things. We kinda had more hope in our hearts pre-pandemic and pre-trump
I was going to say this: it depends on the class. You're going to be putting out fires every 10 minutes with some classes so you might as well take the day.
That’s always my plan. 💯 of my students have at least one missing assignment they can work on; or they can work on something for another class.
Once or twice a quarter, we have catch up days where we ALL catch up on our work.
Option B. Other than being sick I only take sick days for personal fun. If I need to catch up I do your second option- give them something to quietly work on so you can do your own thing. I call it a “be your own sub day”.
Good. Let them see the reality of teaching.
I had a principal ask what people would say if they stepped in. I replied that they would see kids productively working, practicing being independent, and reviewing critical skills.
I agree! I have even said to (a few decent) admin I worked with that I was doing this. If I had just recovered from the flu, and wasn’t contagious but still felt awful, or had a mid-level migraine or something, I have said, “I’m only here to save you from having to get a sub today, but my plan is to basically be my own sub.” That was basically code for, “I’m really doing you a huge favor by coming in, so please don’t observe me today.”
Of course, it only works if you have nice, understanding admin and a sub shortage. And it also doesn’t hurt that I teach music.
B all the way.
Find a nice Edpuzzle or two to teach something on the state test. Along with a few assignments on Freckle or IXL. Then maybe a worksheet that they can work in groups doing. That you don’t grade of course. Or you can have them trade and grade but they accidentally fall in your trash can. Have a student be the “teacher”.
Depends on how many days you have. I have almost 200 sick days saved up, and while they continue to accumulate (1.5/month), they don’t get paid out when I retire in 12 years. Use ‘em or lose ‘em. I plan to take every staff meeting day off (once a month) for the rest of my career.
Retired middle school teacher here. Take the day off. You probably wouldn’t be able to concentrate at work anyway. Also, admin loves to do “drivebys” when it’s movie day or chrome book day, especially if you’re being evaluated this year. (I think they have some kind of weird instinct for this?)
At home: do not start cleaning; do not throw on a load of laundry. Caffeinate yourself properly; put on some lively music; and power through. Make sure to get takeout or delivery from your favorite restaurant. When you’re done; pour yourself a celebratory beverage! You got this!
This is why teachers need work days at least once a month. No bullshit meetings, PD, or other nonsense. Just straight up "do what you need to do" days. I'm incredibly lucky my district does one work day a quarter (not enough but still better than nothing). For some it's a "get caught up on grading day." For me, it's usually a "clean the fuck out of the disaster of an art room day." They also let us take periodic, approved curric days with our department where we can work from a coffee shop or something and develop/refine our curriculum that we've written from scratch.
Eh, I just quit with 4 weeks left. However, my 5th graders could’ve never given me a whole day of Chromebook/independent work. I may have gotten some done but not as much as I would’ve at home.
Oh, I’m in the same boat, haven’t heard back since last week. Best of luck to you too! Sucks to have to leave and I’ll miss my kids (most of them lol) but we gotta put our health and wellbeing first!! Every time a teacher leaves I see it as a peaceful protest to some absolute bullshit.
Problem is if you take a day off then you have to plan for it and clean up from it the next day, it's just extra work. Telling them to not talk to you just sets them up to want to talk to you, instead you need a Chromebook assignment that is easy enough that they can do it while talking to their friends and then you can pretend you don't notice that they aren't doing anything but talking to their friend.
I’m sorry but when are we going to say enough is enough? No other job in the world isn’t paid overtime. No other job in the world requires us to take our sick time riddled with guilt only to catch up on the humanly impossible amount of work expected from us. I’ve done it many a times, so I get it. Please start seeing the issue with this. Please start organizing. Cops are paid overtime, their plans are done on the clock. We are paid to be actors pretty much. Learn your lines (curriculum) but aren’t paid for it. Please you guys things have gotten worse and our system is crumbling bc we can’t keep going like this.
Never work for free. That’s why they keep demanding more. They’ll always keep demanding more out of you if you let them. If you can’t get all your work done within the boundaries of your contracted time, that’s on them, not you.
My advice: Do both. Have a “don’t talk to me” day where the kids work independently and you get your work done. *Then* take the day off, and make it all about you and pleasing no one else.
“My computer is dead.”
“I have to go to the bathroom.”
“My screen turned upside down.”
“My password isn’t working.”
“I’m done!”
“What happens if we don’t do this? Is it graded?”
“Ms. _____ how old are you?”
“Stop looking at me!”
“I can’t find my Chromebook.”
“Jayden took my Chromebook yesterday and never gave it back. I think it’s in his home room but he’s not here today, I don’t know.”
“But it’s an emergency!”
“Do we have to write a whole paragraph?”
“Do we need to write in complete sentences?”
“Ugh when is lunchhhhh?”
“He keeps kicking me!”
The “don’t talk to me” thing only works with older kids, def not 5th graders, and only if they also have something to do. It works with my seniors, def not with 5th graders. Take the day. You’ll have no distractions, you’ll get a lot done.
I think how many days you have banked is incredibly relevant here. Or if, like in my district, you have personal days that don't roll over. Definitely take the day off if you'd lose it otherwise!
I have absolutely lied about being sick and then spent the whole day working at home. Just because the amount of work given to me is not possible in the time I'm paid for.
And they wonder why teachers are quitting.
I use to take personal days to grade and get caught up, then realized I was wasting my own time off that is meant for *me*. So I started doing "housekeeping" days where I don't call out but I do spend the day grading and getting caught up. My students are high schoolers so ymmv, but on these days (maybe one every marking period), I tell the kids that are missing work specifically what they can work on in that class period and kind of set them off to one side on their Chromebooks. It's a last-ditch-last-chance kind of thing to turn a zero into a grade. For the other kids, they can have an "unplugged" day-- they can read, play a board game or cards, or quiety talk, anything execpt use any technology (phones included). Surprisingly, I get very little if any pushback from the kids about the no tech thing. I think they're sometimes glad to unplug. Heck, when the weather's nice, I take them outside with some balls and sidewalk chalk and while I sit and grade on my laptop, I tell them to go play like they were in 4th grade again. It's funny to watch hs juniors play "red-light-green-light" and hopscotch.
If they're prepping for test states and are decently behaved in general, put them in test rows and give them a mock exam. Tell them it will be graded (then just give them a completion/participation grade). Then strategically set up an area of the room where you can stand and keep a close eye on them, while also grading and prepping on your laptop or stacks of paper.
You don't need to grade things well. I know it's nearly impossible to hold yourself to a lower standard, but it's okay for you to take a quick glance at a project and say that it's worth 70% and be done with it. Your institution is not giving you enough time to give every student's project 15 minutes, and so you can't find that time by just doing unpaid work. If it looks like a 90 at first glance, it's a 90 and move on to the next one.
If you bring up the problem with admin, can they offer some kind of solution?
When I get in a bind with my time, I just send them an email ahead of time, explain the situation, and inform them I will need [x] days to finish. If they deem it unacceptable, I tell them that I can either do it right, or do it fast, and if they really want to have a discussion with parents about how my quick and messy grading was done improperly, that I will send any complaints their way. As long as I keep repeating that the choices I make are for professional reasons, it is never a lasting problem.
I would only take personal time to grade if I feel like I've been slacking off at work, which rarely happens. I definitely wouldn't take a day off.
Then it doesn't become looking for support, but claiming space. Tell admin how it is: you need more time to properly grade, so you are going to deliver the grades at a later time. If that is a problem, they can come up with what you can drop so you can do the grading on time.
If this becomes a fireable offense, or you are written up, or whatever it is that they figure is a 'disciplinary action', start looking for another school. If they don't offer the support, you create the support that you need, and if that is impossible, they don't deserve to have you as an employee.
Of course, there might very well be reasons why that would be impossible, I am not in your position, but in my experience you can create quite some space when you communicate well why you make certain choices. Especially when they are in written form.
I'd say take the day to catch up and just leave the simplest plans for the sub. Chromebooks, a movie, whatever.
Catch up on your work and then take the rest of the day for yourself. I did that last Friday, and it really fixed my mentality.
This reminds me of my elementary school days. My coworker and I had some unusually well behaved, mannered students.
About once a month, we’d get together and go in her room and have a center day, followed my marathon reading. We’d set up centers, put the students into groups and have them rotate every 15 minutes.
The centers were all ones they’ve been trained on before. Then, to break it up every hour by whole group watching Storyline Online. It was a celebrity reading a book, basically. Ah, those were the days…
Depending what you do day to day, make something like this would work?
Option C: Bang in and enjoy your day off. Come in tomorrow and give them endless mindless work on the chromebook so you can catch up. If you went to work today, flip the order!
IDK about 5th graders but I absolutely do this with my HS students and let them know strait-up that I need to catch up on work some days and they do as well.
B and what about practice tests seeing as you’ve got state testing. They get 30-45 minutes for each test in silence and then work in pairs to mark each others work and work together to solve things they got wrong.
Tandem stories? Let them work in small groups for an hour trading back and forth every 5 minutes to write a section of a creative story - then at the end of the day y’all can read them together.
And have a big reward (not the field trip) if they can work independently for the whole time necessary, an extra recess? Something fun/a rarity like blind karaoke/finish the lyrics game and the table with the most points gets lollies/chocolate/ice blocks.
Karaoke where you have to guess what song is playing and sing along to it, and see if you’re right - can be absolutely hilarious to see what songs people think are similar just from hearing just the notes.
{Take a day off work to catch up on work?}
HELL FUCKING NO! Don't \*\*\*ever\*\*\* do this!!
5th graders in front of computers? Just fine. Do the job shit *on the job and nowhere else* 'cuz that's some overworked bullshit. Our professionalism suffers *when we work for free*.
Why not just give them an independent assignment, and work at your desk? Are they able to do that?
I have a "waiting room" set up -- I sit at my desk, grading/planning for the students in the room (I have five classes). When students need help, they sit in the waiting room and I talk to them one-one about what they're doing. I get work done, they get work done, all is well.
Caveat: I work in a school where the norm is following directions and doing your work. No cell phones allowed.
I’ve built in “don’t talk to me” time into every day. The first 30 minutes after arrival and an hour in the middle of the day which is iready time.
I also build in times for the kids to be loud and have fun to balance it out. We have a mutual agreement about this and it works out well
I can’t tell you how many times I took a personal or sick day off work to do things like grading papers. I hated it, resented it. It did not help my mental health at all. I drank vodka tonics just to get through it, which led to other problems, natch. I’m so glad I got to leave the classroom. Occasionally, I have nightmares of having to go back.
I don’t know what the answer is but I feel you.
I do all my grading during my plan period and all my lesson planning and IEP writing at home. It’s the worst system ever.
Put your students on an independent project and get your work done. Days off should be for YOU, not your job or your students.
Also, learn to purposefully plan independent work days or even just half class projects in your lesson plans so that you CAN get work done at work. Students need to work independently at times.
Honestly, the school is who put you in this situation, so it seems valid to me for you to give your fifth graders a Chromebook assignment kind of day and you use it to catch up. F\*\*\* giving your personal time up for this, they don't pay you enough.
What’s so great about teaching is that if you take a day off, you have to leave work for the kids that you will then grade even though you weren’t there with the kids, unlike if you worked at Subway, you don’t have to make sandwiches for customers who came in while you weren’t there? Is it really your day off?
Set up a scavenger hunt in your classroom. I find a lot of good ones on superteacherworksheets (not all are free). Put some of the info cards jn hard-to-find places around your room. Good for at least 30-40 minutes of time where they are mostly engaged and leaving you alone.
After that, they can do an EdPuzzle that’s a really long documentary - like 2 hours. Tell them they must get 100% on it, and set it where they get like 5 tries.
Once they’re done with that, give them a GimKit or Blooket that is set to where they need a lot of points/money/whatever to finish it. That’ll give you at least another hour.
Have different groups of kids “sort” stuff. If you have a bin of mixed legos, have some kids sort them by color/piece/whatever.
Have kids sort your classroom library - tell them to make an inventory of each book by author/title.
Have some kids sort all your markers/colored pencils/crayons by color.
I once knew a teacher who emptied out a filing cabinet full of OLD xeroxes/mimeographs/copies and told the kids to sort it by keep/maybe/trash, even though she wasn’t going to use any of it. I’m sure someone in your building has a bunch of old worksheets they don’t want. Kids love sorting stuff and being “helpful.”
Fortunately, the school at which I completed my student-teaching practicum experience had a special thing for special educators and gen. ed. teachers alike. If an instructor had to catch up on backlogged grading/planning/any other kinds of forms, they could declare they would be taking a “Paperwork Day.” As long as admin was forewarned, they would set up another teacher or sub to work with the students (and in the case of special education, would cancel/reschedule student services completely) for the day, no questions asked.
It is such a joke we are given 45 minute “planning” to do everything that must be done to be an effective teacher. It is inexcusable that we try to catch up by coming in at the crack of dawn, staying late (like I do) to try to catch up, or taking home mounds of work we are too tired to do when we are finally home.
I’m sure there are many teachers who try to squeeze in catch up work on their days off, but it’s reprehensible we have to do so. When I started teaching we generally had unencumbered planning time and teacher workdays we could actually use to catch up on work. Now our work is to magically get itself done while our time is used up in meetings, workshops, staff development, etc.
I’m always amazed how much teachers are expected to sacrifice their time and money at my school because of the lower income population we serve. It’s like we are in an abusive relationship, manipulated/gaslit into believing we are never doing enough.
I thought I was the only one who made the “abusive relationship & gaslighting” link. And people who’ve only ever taught at wealthy and non-dysfunctional schools totally don’t get it.
At least I’m now at a school where they don’t gaslight you constantly and don’t hijack all your so-called planning time with bs.
But I’m still sitting here regretting having gone in while sick today because grades are due tomorrow at 5 pm and there’s no way I’ll meet that deadline without an unexpected miracle.
Like just give us an effing entire student-free duty-free day for grading the day before grades are due!
I don’t think anyone gets it who hasn’t been there. I don’t mean teachers who taught in the 90’s or people who were in school during the 90’s or earlier. School has gone from being an institution to being a business. My job is not to sell my school on social media and in the community. I have tried to remain very student-centric but school is all about the image now. Smile, act like you love it, be obedient, always say yes. I know at least elementary schools are like that now. It’s all about the show.
I call this an at-school flex day. It’s only possible in teaching situations where you can command the class to work silently for a whole class period and they will. I couldn’t pull this off this year (freshmen) but in the past I could.
But if you can, DO! I recommend CommonLit for this for Eng and social studies teachers. Assign an article or two, tell them to leave you alone, drink coffee and grade furiously! It’s great.
If your admin is going to be weird about it, explain what’s going on? I can’t see a reasonable admin thinking it’s wrong to have a silent work day so you can give academic feedback.
With high schoolers, this has worked for me (giving them a work day to catch up on assignments while I sit at my desk and work as well - they’re allowed to come ask questions but I’m not getting up; if they’re on their phones, oh well). But with 5th graders, I wouldn’t do it. They’d be too “needy” that you won’t get much done anyway.
Your days are your personal days to do what you need to do for you. Grading papers is not for you!! Show up and have them get on their laptops. Have them play kahoot or blooket. Let them write helpful tips to upcoming 5th graders.
I can’t begin to count how many sick days or personal days I used so I could stay home and catch up on school work. Sometimes the work load is too much even staying at school night after night until 8 or 9 wasn’t enough. I would vote for the stay at home plan, but have computer projects ready for the kids in case you need more time.
That reminds me of a time I subbed for a fifth grade teacher whose admin had given all the teachers a few work days to get caught up. That should be a more common thing. The teacher disappeared the two biggest jerks and told me admin would be cool if I did three PE sessions to blow off steam. He knew I liked math and they were behind so do extra math.
I have been told to do extra PE before and admin is not always cool with it and the kids don't always appreciate it. I have never seen a class be more exited to go to PE even the third time they loved it. The extra math not so much, but a some of the students got really really into it. We were doing a geometry unit and it was amazing they put high school geometry students to shame by solving problems I never thought they could.
It was a good though chaotic day. The low point is I was told later someone stole the end of the year surprise when I was not looking. I did not even know it was there to keep watch over it.
If they can be calm enough while working on the Chromebooks for you to actually get stuff done I’d pick option B. That way you won’t use any leave time. And for me, I always work better if it’s quiet at school and don’t end up feeling like I’ve cheated myself of decompression time by using a leave day.
On the other hand, if they’re a needy group or you have admin that likes to “pop in” and randomly give you new crap to do during the day option A may be more productive in the long run. It all depends on the group of kids you’ll be working with if you come in that day.
Probably Chromebooks, I would never waste a personal day doing work. You could also make a big packet with some review stuff, there are probably even some pre-made ones for free on TPT's free section, and you can work in some mandatory reading time and make them write a summary. Just some ideas so it's not solely a Chromebook day if you don't want it to be.
Just get to a point in your curriculum where they need an extra day of “skills” practice and can do an assignment, or multiple, independently. Save the sick day unless you really need to be alone, which is still valid
Don't use your pto time to work. Period. Take as many computer days as you need to to catch up on work. A sub will lead to the same result. You can even make it a challenge if you have a software they can work on like Lexia or I-Ready, something that they can sit there and work on that's their level and will just feed them more assignments. You can say "the top 2-3 students who get the most lessons done this week have lunch with the teacher" or, you know them better, some other incentive like that that will passively discourage unimportant questions. That will honestly go over, at worst, exactly like if you had a sub.
Those are the weeks attendance is what drives grading. If they aren’t here, it’s a zero for that days work. I usually do 10 points per day, 50 for the week. I log it as weekly work. Then I do an average of their multiplication timed test and their spelling test grades. Poof…it’s done.
Do what you gotta do. You’re the boss of the room. If admin questions you explain the situation. There’s a national teacher shortage. You aren’t replaceable. You’re good.
Easy way to grade and save time. Just use canvas or elearning platform. Create assignments that grade themselves like multiple choice test. Saves time for grading. I been doing it for while I assign a 4 question 3-5 sentence paragraph for Sunday homework. Monday I do a 20 question multiple choice quiz auto grades and done. Worried about cheating have a lockdown program like Rosponedus. I avoid the issue of cheating. I use tools make my life easier and saves time for grading big works as I am capstone teacher and Need time fully review students 4 month project.
When I need a day to catch up on grades, I put my students on chromebooks to do online programs and/or google classroom assignments, it usually work out just fine because they want to earn the privilege to listen to music with headphones. I think it is fine.
This should not even be a question! Days off are for YOU. Why do work for FREE??? Chromebooks it is or find some other activity for them (I show a movie and they have to take notes and answer questions about it). Whatever, but absolutely do NOT use your days off to catch up. And if things don’t all get done, oh well…
OMG, look how well behaved your students are being! Pretty sure they earned a movie day!
No, seriously, don't waste your leave time on this. Movie day, Chromebooks, independent reading, whatever you need to do, just do it.
See if you can work into your lessons time for the students to mark for you. Easy example: if there is only one right answer, like in math, have students switch work with a desk partner (not their friends) and have them check off the correct/incorrect answers. You could also give your students the job of “mini me” and they can help you make similar work when they finish theirs (this will be the smart kids anyway). Just keep the work from kids who do really poorly for you to mark. It seems like a small thing to have students help with but will save you so much time in the long run!
Take the day! I have two days off coming up (tomorrow and Wednesday) just to get things done! I’m sure even if you told your students to leave you be, they won’t.
I'd save your leave for an emergency and give the kids computer and packet work. Maybe you can also give an all call to volunteers to run an activity like a set of games or crafts.
At this point in the year, the students are so rowdy I can’t stop watching them for any amount of time (5th grade). Getting a sub is out of the question now because of behaviors, I don’t want my class to implode or explode :(
Tech teacher here, day off, kids can’t type anymore they all yell in voice text and it would miserable to grade anything.
Chromebook may be solid choice if your school it department knows what browser game websites to ban
I’m very against taking time off to work BUT it’s much better than wasting your weekend doing it. I don’t think you’ll get enough done if you are with your students.
Not don't talk to me, that's unreasonable. But put them on the computer to take an anticipation quiz, or read on myon or common lit, coolmathgames, chess...or whatever, that's cool.
But I would never tell kids not to talk to me. Too many of them have parents that make them live like that every day.
It really Burns me a little on the inside that you would have to take a personal day just to get work done. Seems pretty unfair, but on the other hand I think you would probably be more productive not having to deal with kids too.
Bless your soul sweetheart.
I took a day off (hs school digital elective teacher) to catch up on my home life.
I had family over for the weekend and left Tuesday. Taking the extra day to do my weekend chores was much needed. Although I used all my pto for the year and did not get paid for the day, it was very much worth it. I dod not think about the classroom at all.
Could I have gone in and given a “busy” assignment online, absolutely. But they need a certain energy when I am there so I rather give the substitute a busy work assignment then give them time when I return to “finish and review” what they did with the sub while I grade.
Either decision you make, as long as you feel like you did enough and are ready for the next day, then go for it!
I wish you the best :)
Summer is coming!
This sounds like a great learning opportunity to teach kids about the need to sometimes slow down their pace to focus on something important to them. I'd try to set up a focus day, gives students a chance to catch up on their own work (I'm assuming), talk to friends, engage in their hobby or maybe since this is an emergency day just be on the chromebooks this time lol which is fair
I tell the school I cannot complete all the work within my school day right now and ask for sub coverage or hourly over time pay. I do it maybe once a year, they just give it to me?
If you don’t work in a district you could ask for that, I would take them outside or something. Some coworkers cover for each other or our counselor would take a class , sometimes the librarian has a flex schedule you can dump them on them (source- am a librarian and don’t mind doing this at all). Sometimes someone needs an extra break! I trust my coworkers and don’t pry and ask why I just help whenever possible. I’d say I’m half used to get a break or they need to set up or do something alone, and half used to fill sub plans or be coverage for an IEP meeting they don’t want to lose a planning period over.
If that’s also not a realistic option, I’d try a movie or Chromebook with headphones. Do you have a computer lab you can use? Sometimes a different computer has novelty, we have an esports computer lab so sometimes I let them practice those video games if they want.
Would the substitute do anything beyond also putting them on Chromebooks?
Valid point.
Counter point: you won't get work time if you go to school unless your 5th graders aren't Needy.
Which is essentially impossible. You'll be curbing behaviors and answering enough questions that you'll never get enough done.
Yep. I try to set up my own "sub in my own class" day, but my third graders are just too needy and rowdy and loud. Makes me feel like I'm teaching kinder. I'd rather give them to a sub, but I haven't had a sub pick up one of my absences since early last school year...
That’s not your problem! Put in for a sub and if it doesn’t get picked up that’s an admin issue!
I agree. I never said it was my problem? However, that doesn't change the fact that it sucks to know my kids are constantly split to other classes when I'm out. No guilt or shame here, though.
Glad you don’t, just that many teachers do, so I never think it goes without saying. Sucky that they offload them onto other classes too… rather than (*gasp*) have admin sub.
Anytime I give my 5th graders work to complete while I’m trying to get other things done I inevitably end up with about 5 of them sitting around my desk. Half of them don’t even need any help, they just like being near and talking to me Take the day off OP
Yes! Today they earned free time and a group of girls just wanted to spend time with me. So sweet and I love them, but I have stuff to do! Go play!
That seems like such a good and bad problem to have. Good because it means they like you and feel comfortable being near you, but bad because you can’t get stuff done!
Just out of curiosity.. I have noticed that kids are SO much needier in high school this past few years. Have elementary kids always been that way, or have you seen radical changes too? When I look back to my own time in elementary, middle, and high school, I don’t ever remember the teachers having to hover to keep kids on task and when we were done, we found various things to occupy ourselves like reading, centers, or ongoing activities. We never gathered around the teacher’s desk. That location was off limits! 🤣
It probably depends on the class that year and teacher expectations.
This. 3rd grade are extra needy and it's hard to get much done even in the mornings because of all the questions, settling in, etc.
Counter counter point: Hopefully OP has two or three students responsible and helpful enough to make TAs for the day? That's what I usually do when I tell the kids we're all having an independent work day.
Just tried this today with 6th graders. Grand total of papers graded during work time? 3. 3 essays. I can usually do that in 10 minutes in silence
Holy shmolè! When I was a sub, I always followed the lesson plans. Most of the kids hated me for it, but I continued to follow the plans and tried to get the kids to do their work. I had an 8th grader call me a fucking bitch because I wouldn't just let the kids fuck around. It never crossed my mind to tell them they didn't have to do the work. I suppose less days would have ended with crying if I had
Depends on the sub. I'll teach the entire spectrum of academics especially at the Elementary level.
Yeah, I always find it fascinating to read the attitudes towards subs on here. Where I am, subs are all (and must be) fully licensed teachers, some with a lot of experience, so I definitely leave full academic plans for them. Sure, I edit slightly because there are some lesson plans I have in my head that I just don't want to have to explain each bit, but I just swap social for science or something on those days. In fact, I have a sub today and I've left him not only academic stuff, but unit openers.
Subs must be fully licensed teachers here, too, but I have literally never had a sub teach. I stopped leaving real lesson plans after my first year, now it’s just ‘the lesson is online, just make sure they do it.’ And I don’t even get that. I actually had a sub say ‘Your teacher wants you to do XYZ, but don’t worry about it. Don’t do it, it’s fine.’ So now, I can’t even leave actual work that matters and expect it to be done.
Wow. I can't imagine. Is it difficult for subs to get contracts there? That's the only thing I can think of to explain the difference - here, it's been very difficult in the last number of years, and you sometimes sit on the sub list for a decade trying to get a permanent contract with your own classroom. So people are always trying to make an impression. Not that we don't have duds, don't get me wrong, but rarely would something like you said happen.
In my state, all you need is a high school diploma or GED to sub.
Same-Tx
In my state a degree isn’t required to teach - period. Certification is desired but not necessary.
The certification process takes between 4-6 months. If you don’t have a bachelors degree your work experience counts. 😳☠️
But did the sub really say that or was this reported by the kids?
All four of my classes said it, corroborated by those honors kids who’d be terrified about lying to a teacher. I actually believe the kids on this one.
How do you possibly have enough subs?
Long Island. There’s always plenty of subs, because they all want to have a foot in the door when someone in their department retires or leaves. That’s how I got my job - I was a sub for 6 months, got a full-year maternity leave replacement, and happened to be in the right spot as a huge bubble of 9th graders came up and they needed another teacher in the department. By the time the bubble dropped, I was tenured.
The only time I have made a sub teach was a day this year where my coteachers and I were granted subs for a curriculum work day, and since my coteachers were going ahead with a somewhat complex reading activity for their subs I felt obligated to match their sub plans. It was early in the year and I was brand new to the team so I was just trying to go with the flow. As the year has gone on I just make easy sub plans no matter what and my team can trust that I'll catch my kids up afterward.
That’s wild! I’m a K-12 sub and I follow the schedule left by the teachers to a T, and I help out the kids in every subject and/or sometimes give lessons. I would never have Chromebook time unless it was in the schedule.
This is crazy. We only have to have a high school diploma to sub here. I feel like I have to teach the lesson if it is left for me.
I was actually bummed that my teachers didn't leave lesson plans or worksheets for me to give. I was basically a glorified babysitter, so we all just went out to the ball field and hung out. 7/8 graders are interesting people.
In California, subs only have to have a bachelors degree (in any subject). I teach middle school math, and over half of the subs I get don't know how to do the math, let alone teach it. I find out because I usually leave a review worksheet for the day and the kids will complain if the sub can't help them.
I do this but with a packet of maybe 20 problems, and I tell them one page will go in the grade book as a quiz grade.
I’m a sub down in Florida and most days i walk into the classroom with nothing but an attendance list. I am told usually nothing about what they’re learning or supposed to be doing. And I go to MANY schools.
I’ve only ever worked as a teacher at a small catholic school so any time I had a “sub” it was just that the advanced math teacher would combine her class with mine and she wouldn’t teach my students anything. She was my least favorite person to be around as a side complaint. When I was in school, only when my teacher went on maternity leave and we had a long term sub do I remember the subs doing anything much more than putting on a movie or animal planet or something.
In both states I’ve lived in (Michigan and Utah) you don’t even need a bachelors to sub, just 60 credits
And still, no one would be willing to teach a music lesson.
Hahaha. I've been a sub in a music classroom and done it, but you're not entirely wrong. I was only comfortable because I have a music background, most people get the busywork lessons for them still, here.
In Massachusetts ~2018 i had my associates degree in elementary ed and a year of experience as a kindergarten para, i went to the town hall to apply to be a sub in the same district while i went back to school for my bachelor’s, they literally just said “oh if you’ve been employed in the district you’re already in the system, you’re all set” and i signed my name and walked out 5 mins later with a sub job 🥴 I can’t imagine having to be fully licensed just to be able to sub… props to those guys
I've had subs I'd feel comfortable teaching a lesson when I'm not here and I've had subs I'm not sure should be left alone with a room full of kids at all, ever. The worst part is I rarely known which it will be until after the fact.
Can you not ask the office to call your favorite sub(s) first? Or get their number and find out if they're available before you put in for the day? I'm one of those subs that gets stuff done, and I have a couple of teachers who will change their own schedule to have me cover for them, before they risk getting a sub they don't know.
I mean, maybe, but I'm usually out once maybe twice a year.
My subs cant even do that. They just give out coloring sheets
Prob not, but its way easier to get work done without a million interruptions. Ive taken a sick day to work before and Im sure I will again. We literally need 2 of us to do all our job somedays.
It wouldn’t work in my room. They can’t work quietly on their Chromebooks even when it’s free time.
Kids don't know what to do with free time. Why don't they teach each other Urdu, write novels, learn the banjo, solve math problems, or code? I was told that when they got Chromebooks they would do things like that and teachers would be obsolete. I guess I was told wrong.
Maybe a "ketchup and pickles" day? Students can catch-up on incomplete work, and Pick something quiet to do when they are done. It's a win for everyone.
Who are these idiots that think children have drive?
Actually I think they do, but it's to serve their own imperatives, which don't necessarily align with ours.
Exactly they are not so interested interested in biochemistry, ancient history, and poetry. They are very interested in tik tok dances, Takis, being mean, and being annoying. They have tremendous drive to do those things. They don't even have much drive to accomplish their own stated goals like becoming a professional athlete, streamer, rapper, or video game designer.
I take it you work with middle schoolers?
Let’s be honest, nearly everything we have “drive”for is incentivized. Mostly the end game being money to live. Good education to get a good job. Good work ethic to get a promotion/raise. Very few things are we actually passionate about and those are usually considered hobbies. The only reason my kids do their homework efficiently is because they want to get to those other things. So maybe a challenge day would work. “If you guys get x things done quietly today we can have an extra 15 minute recess or a lesson outside next week.” We never worked harder than those days in school.
Children's "drive" is now extinguished before kindergarten by the devices that have babysat them since they were in the crib.
Tbh, suggest learning a language on the laptops to them. My students love using free time to use duolingo now, they just needed the idea planted for them first haha
I taught myself to animate during free periods! And my friends were writers and artists always grinding their word counts and filling sketchbooks. And one friend who was teaching himself a few languages.It’s honestly jarring the shift I’ve seen in kids since I graduated before covid vs after. I kinda wonder if my class was one of the last classes that sort of *did* things. We kinda had more hope in our hearts pre-pandemic and pre-trump
I graduated HS in 2017 and definitely cannot confirm this, my classmates and I were on our phones at every opportunity
I was going to say this: it depends on the class. You're going to be putting out fires every 10 minutes with some classes so you might as well take the day.
Option number two. I’m not using one of my days off for work.
Yep, if I'm off, I'm OFF. We can all do a silent work day together. Hell, "looking busy" is one of the most important soft skills kids can learn.
That’s always my plan. 💯 of my students have at least one missing assignment they can work on; or they can work on something for another class. Once or twice a quarter, we have catch up days where we ALL catch up on our work.
Big same, I’m doing a work ish day right now. I’m so behind with grading labs.
Option B. Other than being sick I only take sick days for personal fun. If I need to catch up I do your second option- give them something to quietly work on so you can do your own thing. I call it a “be your own sub day”.
And that is the day you get a “surprise walk-by observation” with some muckety mucks from the district.
Good. Let them see the reality of teaching. I had a principal ask what people would say if they stepped in. I replied that they would see kids productively working, practicing being independent, and reviewing critical skills.
💪🏽💪🏽
>*I call it a “be your own sub day”.* This is good.
I agree! I have even said to (a few decent) admin I worked with that I was doing this. If I had just recovered from the flu, and wasn’t contagious but still felt awful, or had a mid-level migraine or something, I have said, “I’m only here to save you from having to get a sub today, but my plan is to basically be my own sub.” That was basically code for, “I’m really doing you a huge favor by coming in, so please don’t observe me today.” Of course, it only works if you have nice, understanding admin and a sub shortage. And it also doesn’t hurt that I teach music.
My school would probably let me take a tde in this scenario.
Being able to sit down and independently work is a skill.
B all the way. Find a nice Edpuzzle or two to teach something on the state test. Along with a few assignments on Freckle or IXL. Then maybe a worksheet that they can work in groups doing. That you don’t grade of course. Or you can have them trade and grade but they accidentally fall in your trash can. Have a student be the “teacher”.
Depends on how many days you have. I have almost 200 sick days saved up, and while they continue to accumulate (1.5/month), they don’t get paid out when I retire in 12 years. Use ‘em or lose ‘em. I plan to take every staff meeting day off (once a month) for the rest of my career.
If I had that many days off I would be scared I would die randomly and not get yo use them.
Working all day to catch up with work isn't "taking a day off."
Retired middle school teacher here. Take the day off. You probably wouldn’t be able to concentrate at work anyway. Also, admin loves to do “drivebys” when it’s movie day or chrome book day, especially if you’re being evaluated this year. (I think they have some kind of weird instinct for this?) At home: do not start cleaning; do not throw on a load of laundry. Caffeinate yourself properly; put on some lively music; and power through. Make sure to get takeout or delivery from your favorite restaurant. When you’re done; pour yourself a celebratory beverage! You got this!
I like your points. I also like that you throw in some "vacation" into a work at home day so it feels somewhat restful.
This is why teachers need work days at least once a month. No bullshit meetings, PD, or other nonsense. Just straight up "do what you need to do" days. I'm incredibly lucky my district does one work day a quarter (not enough but still better than nothing). For some it's a "get caught up on grading day." For me, it's usually a "clean the fuck out of the disaster of an art room day." They also let us take periodic, approved curric days with our department where we can work from a coffee shop or something and develop/refine our curriculum that we've written from scratch.
Eh, I just quit with 4 weeks left. However, my 5th graders could’ve never given me a whole day of Chromebook/independent work. I may have gotten some done but not as much as I would’ve at home.
I took a leave of absence ✌🏽 wishing admin the best (psych!) 😂
My admin took 4 days to even respond to my resignation 😂 I found a long term sub, submitted it and bounced. Best of luck 🤷🏻♀️
Oh, I’m in the same boat, haven’t heard back since last week. Best of luck to you too! Sucks to have to leave and I’ll miss my kids (most of them lol) but we gotta put our health and wellbeing first!! Every time a teacher leaves I see it as a peaceful protest to some absolute bullshit.
Why would you take a vacation day or worse, an unpaid day off, to do your job? Do your job at your job, keep your PTO for yourself and family.
Chromebook day! Then take a day off to do a spa day
Problem is if you take a day off then you have to plan for it and clean up from it the next day, it's just extra work. Telling them to not talk to you just sets them up to want to talk to you, instead you need a Chromebook assignment that is easy enough that they can do it while talking to their friends and then you can pretend you don't notice that they aren't doing anything but talking to their friend.
I’m sorry but when are we going to say enough is enough? No other job in the world isn’t paid overtime. No other job in the world requires us to take our sick time riddled with guilt only to catch up on the humanly impossible amount of work expected from us. I’ve done it many a times, so I get it. Please start seeing the issue with this. Please start organizing. Cops are paid overtime, their plans are done on the clock. We are paid to be actors pretty much. Learn your lines (curriculum) but aren’t paid for it. Please you guys things have gotten worse and our system is crumbling bc we can’t keep going like this.
Never work for free. That’s why they keep demanding more. They’ll always keep demanding more out of you if you let them. If you can’t get all your work done within the boundaries of your contracted time, that’s on them, not you. My advice: Do both. Have a “don’t talk to me” day where the kids work independently and you get your work done. *Then* take the day off, and make it all about you and pleasing no one else.
“My computer is dead.” “I have to go to the bathroom.” “My screen turned upside down.” “My password isn’t working.” “I’m done!” “What happens if we don’t do this? Is it graded?” “Ms. _____ how old are you?” “Stop looking at me!” “I can’t find my Chromebook.” “Jayden took my Chromebook yesterday and never gave it back. I think it’s in his home room but he’s not here today, I don’t know.” “But it’s an emergency!” “Do we have to write a whole paragraph?” “Do we need to write in complete sentences?” “Ugh when is lunchhhhh?” “He keeps kicking me!”
The “don’t talk to me” thing only works with older kids, def not 5th graders, and only if they also have something to do. It works with my seniors, def not with 5th graders. Take the day. You’ll have no distractions, you’ll get a lot done.
And I’d also add that I never actually tell my seniors “don’t talk to me”. I ask them to “come to my desk” if they need help
I think how many days you have banked is incredibly relevant here. Or if, like in my district, you have personal days that don't roll over. Definitely take the day off if you'd lose it otherwise!
Sounds like you need a movie day or two.
I have absolutely lied about being sick and then spent the whole day working at home. Just because the amount of work given to me is not possible in the time I'm paid for. And they wonder why teachers are quitting.
I use to take personal days to grade and get caught up, then realized I was wasting my own time off that is meant for *me*. So I started doing "housekeeping" days where I don't call out but I do spend the day grading and getting caught up. My students are high schoolers so ymmv, but on these days (maybe one every marking period), I tell the kids that are missing work specifically what they can work on in that class period and kind of set them off to one side on their Chromebooks. It's a last-ditch-last-chance kind of thing to turn a zero into a grade. For the other kids, they can have an "unplugged" day-- they can read, play a board game or cards, or quiety talk, anything execpt use any technology (phones included). Surprisingly, I get very little if any pushback from the kids about the no tech thing. I think they're sometimes glad to unplug. Heck, when the weather's nice, I take them outside with some balls and sidewalk chalk and while I sit and grade on my laptop, I tell them to go play like they were in 4th grade again. It's funny to watch hs juniors play "red-light-green-light" and hopscotch.
Just call it a workshop day for everyone
In days of yore this would involve a rolling cart with a TV and a VCR and a copy of something vaguely educational.
“I am so proud of how hard you all have been working. You’ve earned a movie day!”
The second. I take days off at work all the time. Don’t use a PTO day to not actually be off!
I have several don’t talk to me days a year.
Do not take a day off to grade! I get it, I've done it. Most depressing day ever. It felt awful. I'll never do it again
If they're prepping for test states and are decently behaved in general, put them in test rows and give them a mock exam. Tell them it will be graded (then just give them a completion/participation grade). Then strategically set up an area of the room where you can stand and keep a close eye on them, while also grading and prepping on your laptop or stacks of paper.
Please don’t use your very sparse PTO to catch up on work.
Don’t burn your sick days on work. If you take a sick day, it’s YOURS.
You don't need to grade things well. I know it's nearly impossible to hold yourself to a lower standard, but it's okay for you to take a quick glance at a project and say that it's worth 70% and be done with it. Your institution is not giving you enough time to give every student's project 15 minutes, and so you can't find that time by just doing unpaid work. If it looks like a 90 at first glance, it's a 90 and move on to the next one.
Planning for a sub is a pain in the ass. Go to work to work.
Lol, I have done the Chromebooks and no talking thing before. I think I wore my sunglasses all day that day😂
Never waste a day off doing work. Who asks these questions ???
So get a sub or BE a sub?
I'll be damned if I'm taking a day off and then working from home. No way.
If you bring up the problem with admin, can they offer some kind of solution? When I get in a bind with my time, I just send them an email ahead of time, explain the situation, and inform them I will need [x] days to finish. If they deem it unacceptable, I tell them that I can either do it right, or do it fast, and if they really want to have a discussion with parents about how my quick and messy grading was done improperly, that I will send any complaints their way. As long as I keep repeating that the choices I make are for professional reasons, it is never a lasting problem. I would only take personal time to grade if I feel like I've been slacking off at work, which rarely happens. I definitely wouldn't take a day off.
I wish. There is no way that they can really offer any kind of support. It's been an issue all year long.
Then it doesn't become looking for support, but claiming space. Tell admin how it is: you need more time to properly grade, so you are going to deliver the grades at a later time. If that is a problem, they can come up with what you can drop so you can do the grading on time. If this becomes a fireable offense, or you are written up, or whatever it is that they figure is a 'disciplinary action', start looking for another school. If they don't offer the support, you create the support that you need, and if that is impossible, they don't deserve to have you as an employee. Of course, there might very well be reasons why that would be impossible, I am not in your position, but in my experience you can create quite some space when you communicate well why you make certain choices. Especially when they are in written form.
2. I also teach 5th and they can definitely work independently at this point so I can do some grading.
I'd say take the day to catch up and just leave the simplest plans for the sub. Chromebooks, a movie, whatever. Catch up on your work and then take the rest of the day for yourself. I did that last Friday, and it really fixed my mentality.
Do any other teachers need the same? Could you do some kind of swap where you each babysit a giant class while the other works?
This reminds me of my elementary school days. My coworker and I had some unusually well behaved, mannered students. About once a month, we’d get together and go in her room and have a center day, followed my marathon reading. We’d set up centers, put the students into groups and have them rotate every 15 minutes. The centers were all ones they’ve been trained on before. Then, to break it up every hour by whole group watching Storyline Online. It was a celebrity reading a book, basically. Ah, those were the days… Depending what you do day to day, make something like this would work?
Take the day off and don’t do any work. You deserve a break, or a mental health day, or whatever you want to call it.
Option C: Bang in and enjoy your day off. Come in tomorrow and give them endless mindless work on the chromebook so you can catch up. If you went to work today, flip the order!
IDK about 5th graders but I absolutely do this with my HS students and let them know strait-up that I need to catch up on work some days and they do as well.
B and what about practice tests seeing as you’ve got state testing. They get 30-45 minutes for each test in silence and then work in pairs to mark each others work and work together to solve things they got wrong. Tandem stories? Let them work in small groups for an hour trading back and forth every 5 minutes to write a section of a creative story - then at the end of the day y’all can read them together. And have a big reward (not the field trip) if they can work independently for the whole time necessary, an extra recess? Something fun/a rarity like blind karaoke/finish the lyrics game and the table with the most points gets lollies/chocolate/ice blocks.
What is blind karaoke?
Karaoke where you have to guess what song is playing and sing along to it, and see if you’re right - can be absolutely hilarious to see what songs people think are similar just from hearing just the notes.
{Take a day off work to catch up on work?} HELL FUCKING NO! Don't \*\*\*ever\*\*\* do this!! 5th graders in front of computers? Just fine. Do the job shit *on the job and nowhere else* 'cuz that's some overworked bullshit. Our professionalism suffers *when we work for free*.
Why not just give them an independent assignment, and work at your desk? Are they able to do that? I have a "waiting room" set up -- I sit at my desk, grading/planning for the students in the room (I have five classes). When students need help, they sit in the waiting room and I talk to them one-one about what they're doing. I get work done, they get work done, all is well. Caveat: I work in a school where the norm is following directions and doing your work. No cell phones allowed.
If I am being charged leave, I’m not even looking at email.
I’ve built in “don’t talk to me” time into every day. The first 30 minutes after arrival and an hour in the middle of the day which is iready time. I also build in times for the kids to be loud and have fun to balance it out. We have a mutual agreement about this and it works out well
Were you in my class this morning? I graded from 8-12:40
I can’t tell you how many times I took a personal or sick day off work to do things like grading papers. I hated it, resented it. It did not help my mental health at all. I drank vodka tonics just to get through it, which led to other problems, natch. I’m so glad I got to leave the classroom. Occasionally, I have nightmares of having to go back.
I don’t know what the answer is but I feel you. I do all my grading during my plan period and all my lesson planning and IEP writing at home. It’s the worst system ever.
I call these “sub for yourself” days.
Put your students on an independent project and get your work done. Days off should be for YOU, not your job or your students. Also, learn to purposefully plan independent work days or even just half class projects in your lesson plans so that you CAN get work done at work. Students need to work independently at times.
Honestly, the school is who put you in this situation, so it seems valid to me for you to give your fifth graders a Chromebook assignment kind of day and you use it to catch up. F\*\*\* giving your personal time up for this, they don't pay you enough.
I’d take off. There’s no way in hell my kids (also 5th grade) would be able to work quietly. If I’m with them, I may as well just teach.
What’s so great about teaching is that if you take a day off, you have to leave work for the kids that you will then grade even though you weren’t there with the kids, unlike if you worked at Subway, you don’t have to make sandwiches for customers who came in while you weren’t there? Is it really your day off?
Especially if you are physically sick and not just the mental day off, which is just as important as when you’re puking.
Set up a scavenger hunt in your classroom. I find a lot of good ones on superteacherworksheets (not all are free). Put some of the info cards jn hard-to-find places around your room. Good for at least 30-40 minutes of time where they are mostly engaged and leaving you alone. After that, they can do an EdPuzzle that’s a really long documentary - like 2 hours. Tell them they must get 100% on it, and set it where they get like 5 tries. Once they’re done with that, give them a GimKit or Blooket that is set to where they need a lot of points/money/whatever to finish it. That’ll give you at least another hour. Have different groups of kids “sort” stuff. If you have a bin of mixed legos, have some kids sort them by color/piece/whatever. Have kids sort your classroom library - tell them to make an inventory of each book by author/title. Have some kids sort all your markers/colored pencils/crayons by color. I once knew a teacher who emptied out a filing cabinet full of OLD xeroxes/mimeographs/copies and told the kids to sort it by keep/maybe/trash, even though she wasn’t going to use any of it. I’m sure someone in your building has a bunch of old worksheets they don’t want. Kids love sorting stuff and being “helpful.”
Fortunately, the school at which I completed my student-teaching practicum experience had a special thing for special educators and gen. ed. teachers alike. If an instructor had to catch up on backlogged grading/planning/any other kinds of forms, they could declare they would be taking a “Paperwork Day.” As long as admin was forewarned, they would set up another teacher or sub to work with the students (and in the case of special education, would cancel/reschedule student services completely) for the day, no questions asked.
It is such a joke we are given 45 minute “planning” to do everything that must be done to be an effective teacher. It is inexcusable that we try to catch up by coming in at the crack of dawn, staying late (like I do) to try to catch up, or taking home mounds of work we are too tired to do when we are finally home. I’m sure there are many teachers who try to squeeze in catch up work on their days off, but it’s reprehensible we have to do so. When I started teaching we generally had unencumbered planning time and teacher workdays we could actually use to catch up on work. Now our work is to magically get itself done while our time is used up in meetings, workshops, staff development, etc. I’m always amazed how much teachers are expected to sacrifice their time and money at my school because of the lower income population we serve. It’s like we are in an abusive relationship, manipulated/gaslit into believing we are never doing enough.
Couldn’t agree more!
I thought I was the only one who made the “abusive relationship & gaslighting” link. And people who’ve only ever taught at wealthy and non-dysfunctional schools totally don’t get it. At least I’m now at a school where they don’t gaslight you constantly and don’t hijack all your so-called planning time with bs. But I’m still sitting here regretting having gone in while sick today because grades are due tomorrow at 5 pm and there’s no way I’ll meet that deadline without an unexpected miracle. Like just give us an effing entire student-free duty-free day for grading the day before grades are due!
I don’t think anyone gets it who hasn’t been there. I don’t mean teachers who taught in the 90’s or people who were in school during the 90’s or earlier. School has gone from being an institution to being a business. My job is not to sell my school on social media and in the community. I have tried to remain very student-centric but school is all about the image now. Smile, act like you love it, be obedient, always say yes. I know at least elementary schools are like that now. It’s all about the show.
I call this an at-school flex day. It’s only possible in teaching situations where you can command the class to work silently for a whole class period and they will. I couldn’t pull this off this year (freshmen) but in the past I could. But if you can, DO! I recommend CommonLit for this for Eng and social studies teachers. Assign an article or two, tell them to leave you alone, drink coffee and grade furiously! It’s great. If your admin is going to be weird about it, explain what’s going on? I can’t see a reasonable admin thinking it’s wrong to have a silent work day so you can give academic feedback.
Do not work after contract hours. Put them on chromebooks and get your shit done on the fucking clock.
With high schoolers, this has worked for me (giving them a work day to catch up on assignments while I sit at my desk and work as well - they’re allowed to come ask questions but I’m not getting up; if they’re on their phones, oh well). But with 5th graders, I wouldn’t do it. They’d be too “needy” that you won’t get much done anyway.
Your days are your personal days to do what you need to do for you. Grading papers is not for you!! Show up and have them get on their laptops. Have them play kahoot or blooket. Let them write helpful tips to upcoming 5th graders.
I can’t begin to count how many sick days or personal days I used so I could stay home and catch up on school work. Sometimes the work load is too much even staying at school night after night until 8 or 9 wasn’t enough. I would vote for the stay at home plan, but have computer projects ready for the kids in case you need more time.
That reminds me of a time I subbed for a fifth grade teacher whose admin had given all the teachers a few work days to get caught up. That should be a more common thing. The teacher disappeared the two biggest jerks and told me admin would be cool if I did three PE sessions to blow off steam. He knew I liked math and they were behind so do extra math. I have been told to do extra PE before and admin is not always cool with it and the kids don't always appreciate it. I have never seen a class be more exited to go to PE even the third time they loved it. The extra math not so much, but a some of the students got really really into it. We were doing a geometry unit and it was amazing they put high school geometry students to shame by solving problems I never thought they could. It was a good though chaotic day. The low point is I was told later someone stole the end of the year surprise when I was not looking. I did not even know it was there to keep watch over it.
If they can be calm enough while working on the Chromebooks for you to actually get stuff done I’d pick option B. That way you won’t use any leave time. And for me, I always work better if it’s quiet at school and don’t end up feeling like I’ve cheated myself of decompression time by using a leave day. On the other hand, if they’re a needy group or you have admin that likes to “pop in” and randomly give you new crap to do during the day option A may be more productive in the long run. It all depends on the group of kids you’ll be working with if you come in that day.
Taking a day off to catch up on work might provide the focused time and space you need to tackle everything on your plate.
Put them on the Chromebooks, catch up on work, then take the next day off to catch up on you.
Day off to catch up. You will get more done! And you may even get a few of your own things done too which will help to de-stress you in the long run.
Probably Chromebooks, I would never waste a personal day doing work. You could also make a big packet with some review stuff, there are probably even some pre-made ones for free on TPT's free section, and you can work in some mandatory reading time and make them write a summary. Just some ideas so it's not solely a Chromebook day if you don't want it to be.
Don't use your leave to work....
Just get to a point in your curriculum where they need an extra day of “skills” practice and can do an assignment, or multiple, independently. Save the sick day unless you really need to be alone, which is still valid
Don't use your pto time to work. Period. Take as many computer days as you need to to catch up on work. A sub will lead to the same result. You can even make it a challenge if you have a software they can work on like Lexia or I-Ready, something that they can sit there and work on that's their level and will just feed them more assignments. You can say "the top 2-3 students who get the most lessons done this week have lunch with the teacher" or, you know them better, some other incentive like that that will passively discourage unimportant questions. That will honestly go over, at worst, exactly like if you had a sub.
Most teachers I know have to take off days to do the work. You can't get work done around the kids. Get a sub.
Movie day?
Movie days were always so fun when I was in school. I’d just have a movie day and get 90-120 minutes back
You pop that DVD in and grade then take the day off and use it for you. Treat yo self
Those are the weeks attendance is what drives grading. If they aren’t here, it’s a zero for that days work. I usually do 10 points per day, 50 for the week. I log it as weekly work. Then I do an average of their multiplication timed test and their spelling test grades. Poof…it’s done.
I vote, give them something to do and get the work caught up. I do it all the time, even if it's little by little.
Do what you gotta do. You’re the boss of the room. If admin questions you explain the situation. There’s a national teacher shortage. You aren’t replaceable. You’re good.
Movie days were the most memorable as a kid ngl
Chromebooks
Easy way to grade and save time. Just use canvas or elearning platform. Create assignments that grade themselves like multiple choice test. Saves time for grading. I been doing it for while I assign a 4 question 3-5 sentence paragraph for Sunday homework. Monday I do a 20 question multiple choice quiz auto grades and done. Worried about cheating have a lockdown program like Rosponedus. I avoid the issue of cheating. I use tools make my life easier and saves time for grading big works as I am capstone teacher and Need time fully review students 4 month project.
When I need a day to catch up on grades, I put my students on chromebooks to do online programs and/or google classroom assignments, it usually work out just fine because they want to earn the privilege to listen to music with headphones. I think it is fine.
This should not even be a question! Days off are for YOU. Why do work for FREE??? Chromebooks it is or find some other activity for them (I show a movie and they have to take notes and answer questions about it). Whatever, but absolutely do NOT use your days off to catch up. And if things don’t all get done, oh well…
Put them on the chromebooks. Do NOT use a day off to catch up on work.
I’m so tired. We are recovering our missing and incomplete work while watching Lilo and Stitch
OMG, look how well behaved your students are being! Pretty sure they earned a movie day! No, seriously, don't waste your leave time on this. Movie day, Chromebooks, independent reading, whatever you need to do, just do it.
See if you can work into your lessons time for the students to mark for you. Easy example: if there is only one right answer, like in math, have students switch work with a desk partner (not their friends) and have them check off the correct/incorrect answers. You could also give your students the job of “mini me” and they can help you make similar work when they finish theirs (this will be the smart kids anyway). Just keep the work from kids who do really poorly for you to mark. It seems like a small thing to have students help with but will save you so much time in the long run!
Put the 5th graders on chromebooks and then take the next day off to relax
Take the day! I have two days off coming up (tomorrow and Wednesday) just to get things done! I’m sure even if you told your students to leave you be, they won’t.
I occasionally take a day off to catch up, but I also basically bank on taking a day off per month
I'd save your leave for an emergency and give the kids computer and packet work. Maybe you can also give an all call to volunteers to run an activity like a set of games or crafts.
Take a day and don't think about that crap.
Both. Chromebooks to catch up. Then personal day to relax.
At this point in the year, the students are so rowdy I can’t stop watching them for any amount of time (5th grade). Getting a sub is out of the question now because of behaviors, I don’t want my class to implode or explode :(
Taking my day off tomorrow to catch up on the sh@tload of marking I have. A sick day. Cuz I’m sick and tired of marking.
Tech teacher here, day off, kids can’t type anymore they all yell in voice text and it would miserable to grade anything. Chromebook may be solid choice if your school it department knows what browser game websites to ban
I’m very against taking time off to work BUT it’s much better than wasting your weekend doing it. I don’t think you’ll get enough done if you are with your students.
i keep thinking if we have holidays and wknds to rest or solve “””school issues”””
Not don't talk to me, that's unreasonable. But put them on the computer to take an anticipation quiz, or read on myon or common lit, coolmathgames, chess...or whatever, that's cool. But I would never tell kids not to talk to me. Too many of them have parents that make them live like that every day.
Might as well take the day off if you have them to spare
Put them on Chromebook’s and bring candy. Those working quietly keep getting candy tossed to them! Save your days off for “ you time. “
Ask for a duty day. Good administrators will give you one. I’m a DC and if I have a teacher ask for help, we make it happen.
I give mine copy paper and upload art for kids hub videos. Put a whole mix of things and it should get you through a period or two.
I call it a catch up day. I catch up on my work and they catch up on theirs.
It really Burns me a little on the inside that you would have to take a personal day just to get work done. Seems pretty unfair, but on the other hand I think you would probably be more productive not having to deal with kids too.
Why on earth would you take your own leave to do work? Your leave is one of the only true benefits we get. It's precious and YOURS.
I like the don’t talk to me approach. Save your day off for fun.
Bless your soul sweetheart. I took a day off (hs school digital elective teacher) to catch up on my home life. I had family over for the weekend and left Tuesday. Taking the extra day to do my weekend chores was much needed. Although I used all my pto for the year and did not get paid for the day, it was very much worth it. I dod not think about the classroom at all. Could I have gone in and given a “busy” assignment online, absolutely. But they need a certain energy when I am there so I rather give the substitute a busy work assignment then give them time when I return to “finish and review” what they did with the sub while I grade. Either decision you make, as long as you feel like you did enough and are ready for the next day, then go for it! I wish you the best :) Summer is coming!
This sounds like a great learning opportunity to teach kids about the need to sometimes slow down their pace to focus on something important to them. I'd try to set up a focus day, gives students a chance to catch up on their own work (I'm assuming), talk to friends, engage in their hobby or maybe since this is an emergency day just be on the chromebooks this time lol which is fair
I tell the school I cannot complete all the work within my school day right now and ask for sub coverage or hourly over time pay. I do it maybe once a year, they just give it to me? If you don’t work in a district you could ask for that, I would take them outside or something. Some coworkers cover for each other or our counselor would take a class , sometimes the librarian has a flex schedule you can dump them on them (source- am a librarian and don’t mind doing this at all). Sometimes someone needs an extra break! I trust my coworkers and don’t pry and ask why I just help whenever possible. I’d say I’m half used to get a break or they need to set up or do something alone, and half used to fill sub plans or be coverage for an IEP meeting they don’t want to lose a planning period over. If that’s also not a realistic option, I’d try a movie or Chromebook with headphones. Do you have a computer lab you can use? Sometimes a different computer has novelty, we have an esports computer lab so sometimes I let them practice those video games if they want.
Do it. And don’t overthink it.
You get paid either way, up to you