…and I know that if today was a school day, I would have had to call in to the substitute service before 6:00 or the call would go out to all available substitutes (it’s an automated phone system that dials the numbers in the substitute database until someone accepts the job). The worst part of calling in for a substitute teacher isn’t the phone call, though it’s a pain to have to wake up at that hour in the morning to dial. It isn’t even the sub selection, though that can be pretty horrendous. The worst part is knowing that, even though you are sick, even though you may not have slept all night, even though you may be hallucinating, even though you may be throwing up, even though you may be too nauseous to stand for longer than 10 seconds, even though it might feel like your head will explode if you open your eyes, you’ll need to create a plan and somehow deliver it to your classroom.
If I work at an ad agency, I may happen to be sick on the day of a deadline and when content is due, content is due. So, on such a day, I’d likely have to work anyhow, virtually no matter how sick I am, though I’d probably be able to arrive late and/or leave early. But that’s only the rare time that my sickness and a deadline are both the same day. Most other days, I simply pick up the phone around 9:00 and call in to work to let everyone know that I won’t be coming in today. I can roll back over and go to sleep or get dressed for my doctor’s appointment, whatever I want. I may have to do some work later in the day, but I can take care of myself from the beginning of my sick day. Teachers do not have this luxury.
Just about every job has a set of circumstances where sickness will not mean relief from work. Teachers experience that every single time they are sick, without exception.
1. Ben says:
[1/16/2006 - 6:21 pm]
Sorry to hear you were sick. Hope you’re over it by now, especially with the long weekend. Although, there is no better excuse to catch up on your daytime T.V. :) I empathize with you on everyday being important. Not to put down any other person’s vocation, but it seems there are always far more things that could go wrong, and far large consequences for missing a day of school than missing a day of writing copy for a publication or laying brick on a construction site.