<p>This is getting weirder. The chem teacher at the school is also going out on maternity leave in November! (Cue the music from the Twilight Zone!)</p>
<p>I will say, however, that maternity leave is easier to replace than last minute surgery. They’re already interviewing out here.</p>
<p>Agree. I think the chem teacher should have gone on leave for the whole first semester. Replacing a horse in midstream…</p>
<p>Okay dmd77, fess up – “the great state of Washington” is just a cover for your witness protection program, right? You’re obviously living anonymously in a sleepy Delaware town. </p>
<p>Marite, don’t know what to tell you. I really liked the Chem teacher tonight, she was really sharp. So I guess having her for at least a few months may work out. She did say that she was planning on coming in to meet with the replacement at least once a week during free period, starting in February. In her words, she’ll just “schlep the baby with her” . Nothing wrong with bringing a 3-month old to a chem lab, right? LOL. I admire the dedication, though. </p>
<p>S of course knew about the pregnancy, and unbenownst to us considered transferring to the other section, taught by his favorite teacher from last year (whom I also think is a dynamite teacher). But he decided against it. Oy Vez (and I’m not even Jewish).</p>
<p>Marite, unfortunately, the way public schools work, it’s very difficult for a teacher to go on maternity leave pre-emptively and still keep her job. You can’t just ask for the year on maternity leave, even if it would make more sense for the students.</p>
<p>Dmd:
How many months of maternity leave do teachers have? Three? Six?
I know people who stopped work a good 2-3 months before their due date.
If the teacher is due in November, would it not make sense for her to request leave beginning in September?<br>
But there is still the question of finding an appropriate replacement. Wheels are set in motion very slowly.</p>
<p>Chem teacher made it clear to us parents that, because of what happened the last time, she gave the administration notice far in advance, i.e. last April. She did say that the school is working with a 3-person list, and each person on the list is somebody she would be happy with, so it probably won’t become an issue.</p>
<p>Marite: The details of maternity leave for teachers in public schools would vary with the union contract. I’m sure there are better unions than ours that specify that the teacher can go out in advance; however, most teachers can’t leave–unless there are medical reasons–until they actually have the child (which is when you are considered ‘disabled’) and then can use their sick leave before going on unpaid leave. I do know one teacher who actually graded papers while she was in labor, and then came back after left than a week off.</p>
<p>Dmd:</p>
<p>Thanks. I’m not familiar with the teachers’contract here, but I believe our rules are more flexible. </p>
<p>lderochi: the chem teacher seems to have things under control. So the class ought to focus on the English. If it cannot be done collectively, just suggest to your S that he read and read. That is the best preparation for the AP exam. You might help him out by assigning a paper on specific topics as he goes along.</p>
<p>AP quality teachers don’t grow on trees (and are hard to find on the sub list). Maybe the school can convince a recently retired AP English teacher to step in for a short while?</p>
<p>At our local hs, when one of the AP Euro teachers went down with a stroke, the admin yanked a non-AP class from the other AP Euro teacher and gave him another AP class. He wasn’t happy, but it was the best solution.</p>