how many days were you out your first year teaching??

i'm a speech therapist in a public school- in a new district this year. so far, i've taken 4 days... and i'm thinking about taking another one tomorrow. march is such a long month, and i just feel like i need a break!! do you think this is too much for my first year in the district?? i get 10 sick days, and 3 personal days. the 3 personal days don't carry over, i was gonna use them anyway...

Re: how many days were you out your first year teaching??

I don't blame you for needing a day -- March definitely is a cruel month -- but that does seem like a lot to me (especially in a first year)... at least tomorrow's Thursday! Only two more days this week, right? I'd try to hold out if I were you...

To answer your question, I think I might've taken two days that first year? Something very minimal, I know that.

Re: how many days were you out your first year teaching??

i took a total of my 10 but then again I was mentally sick of my school the last month I was there...panic/aniexty attcks kept occurring so I had take quite a few days for that.

I would'nt take more than needed, everyones reasons for calling out are different.

This year first year at a new school Ive taken 3 sick days and 2 personal requested days (planned a trip before I got the job). I'm only planning on taking one more day if i can help it.

Re: how many days were you out your first year teaching??

This is my first year and I haven't taken any days yet.

I keep thinking I will take one, but then end up going in. I was going to take today off, for example, but I dragged myself in.

It's a tough job, I stay late most days and spend a few hours at night planning- but I just like that I have all those days saved so when I do decide to use it, I know that the school won't think it's suspicious since it's clear that I never take off!

I'm going to try and hold off till the weather is gorgeous so I can really take advantage of playing hooky.

Re: how many days were you out your first year teaching??

thanks girls! yeah... it does seem like a lot. but i guess for me, its a little bit different than being a classroom teacher. the school doesn't have to pay for a sub for me when i'm out. i also don't have a set curriculum to follow or things i have to cover with the kids, where i fall behind if a miss a day. its so tough to decide

Re: how many days were you out your first year teaching??

I took a day and a half my very first year because I had to have an emergency tooth extraction.

At my next school, I took one personsal day, one real sick day, and then like 3 dayus for interviews.

This year - one personal day.

Re: how many days were you out your first year teaching??

I took one when the roads were horrible. I got sent to a conference in March, on a Friday no less, it was a Godsend!!

Hang in there- spring break is just around the corner

Just to add I took one my 2nd year for a wedding dress fitting

Re: how many days were you out your first year teaching??

Zero, I never took a sick day I think until my 3rd or 4th year, I 'm there for 10 years now.

Re: how many days were you out your first year teaching??

Every year I get 15 sick days and 3 personal days

My first year I took 1 full week ( 5 days) unpaid/approved by human resources for my honeymoon
and then used 3 sick days in May for a family vacation. Mightve used 2 days actually for being sick.... My feeling is if they give them to me, I'm gonna use them!

Re: how many days were you out your first year teaching??

I only took one day and it was for a funeral my first year.

I would be careful about taking too many days. Some districts will call you on it if you take too many days.

Re: how many days were you out your first year teaching??

1 sick day because i should have taken some before and ended up in the hospital-- i worked myself into a frenzy and my body just freaked!

any other days i was out, maybe 3-4, were for district approved things like conferences or a funeral.

Re: how many days were you out your first year teaching??

i took them all- first year you are always sick whether its a mental sick day or physically!!!

Re: how many days were you out your first year teaching??

Re: how many days were you out your first year teaching??

My first year? 2. One was a snow day and the school across the street was closed and my commute without snow was 45 minutes so I called in. The other was for a dentist appointment.

Re: how many days were you out your first year teaching??

my first year i took of no days not even my three personal that did not carry over

Re: how many days were you out your first year teaching??

I have not taken any days and unless I am VERY sick, I don't think I will, especially with everything going on with budget cuts.

Re: how many days were you out your first year teaching??

1 my district doesn't tenure people that take a lot of days off. Hence the reason I had over a 100 days banked when I got PG with my first

Re: how many days were you out your first year teaching??

Two half days, I was sent home sick. And one personal day.

Re: how many days were you out your first year teaching??

My first year two. I hurt my back for one and the second i had to get a lung catscan which showed terrible pnumonia in both lungs....didnt take off to recover which was a mistake.

Re: how many days were you out your first year teaching??

I took 3 my first year...I remember it was Nov. March. and June

Re: how many days were you out your first year teaching??

2 - when my bf's (now DH) gradmother died, then his uncle passed a week later.

Re: how many days were you out your first year teaching??

only when i was sick. when i was untenured i NEVER took "mental health" days or days off when i wasn't sick. i had to take one day because i was MOH in my best friend's wedding and it was on a friday. i told my principal the truth though.

even now that i'm tenured, i don't take those kind of days. IMO, we get enough days off during the year.

Re: how many days were you out your first year teaching??

I didn't take any my first year.

Re: how many days were you out your first year teaching??

I took 2, and they were very much spaced out. IMO a lot of districts (BOE or LI) don't look favorably on taking a lot of days.

Re: how many days were you out your first year teaching??

I never took a mental health day - I think I took 2.5 days off - I was really sick with bronchitis - but never took a mental health day - wouldn't have dared!