2 weeks off

So the latest around here is that C's math teacher has apparently taken two weeks off to have elective surgery, possibly on her foot.

The 10 days off closely coincide with the final 10 days of actual classroom instruction. When she returns the kids will be doing final assessments - or about to be doing final assessments - which means they only come to school for a test or two, then leave.

In other words: not a real school day, but counts as real under the contract.

I hadn't realized this kind of thing was possible until Math Dad filled me in. C's teacher had been absent most of the week before Christmas, but had come to school quite ill on the last day before break, thoughtfully exposing her students to the flu going into the holidays.

I thought the whole thing was weird. The day before break was a half day and nothing gets done on a half day. Why would you drag yourself into school sick as a dog for half a day of school?

Math Dad explained to me that the reason you drag yourself into school sick as a dog for half a day of school is that you don't have to work but you also don't lose a day of sick leave.

oh

So now we've got a 10-day stretch of math class with no math teacher.

The principal signed off on this plan without bothering to inform anyone else in the district. That's too bad because, as it turns out, when you're looking at an absence as long as two weeks the superintendent can hire a real math teacher to fill in.

But no one knew, so no one was hired.

Instead the Home and Health teacher has taken one class; a succession of other subs has appeared (including the beloved Ms. M - always a silver lining); the kids do worksheets in class but the sub doesn't provide the answers so they can't check their work.

My favorite day so far was the one where the sub gave the kids a sheet of "hard" word problems. Some of you will recall that the kids have never been taught how to do word problems and have seldom been assigned word problems so they could teach themselves or their parents and tutors could step into the breach.

So the sub distributes a worksheet of "hard" word problems and the kids can't do them. Surprise.

The sub takes a look and discovers she can't do them, either. So she gives the kids the answers and tells them to try to figure out how to do the problems based on the answers. (Work backwards!)

That was a revelation: the subs have the answers. I had been by then been emailing futilely for days requesting that the subs give the kids the answers so they could check their work. The math chair and principal had steadfastly refused to respond and the subs had steadfastly not given the kids the answers.

Nor had the subs sent the worksheets home so I could work the problems and give C. the answers. That has been my fallback position. If they weren't going to give the kids the answers, could they just send the worksheets home so I could do the problems and give C. the answers and make him re-do the problems he missed.

Or....if that was too much, how about just telling me what the nature of the problems on that day's worksheet was?

Nope. Radio silence.

$21,000 per pupil spending.

I will add that we finally met the new assistant superintendent for curriculum, who was great, and who was more scandalized than we were by this latest turn of events. In fact, she was aghast.

That was a first.

Pretty great.


update

I just checked the dates.

Ms. K's first day of absence was Thursday, May 31.

We're told she will be out for 2 weeks.

I assume she will be returning on Thursday, June 14, which is the first day of assessments.

Christopher will be taking his math assessment that day.

The middle school principal approved this.


update update 6-12-2007

the return of Ms. K


2 weeks off
the return of Ms. K
getting better all the time

all the answers are belong to us
email to the math chair
second request
teacher's manual
it would be unusual
more stuff only teachers can buy
inflammatory