What to do with sick kid

amother

Buttercup

Fri, Oct 20 2023, 9:57 am

amother DarkOrange wrote:

Yes I understand that if I worked in public school I would not be able to take off for sick kids!! That is why I DON'T work in public school!! Anyone I know who works in PS has husbands with extremely flexible jobs and the husband stays home with sick kids.
I make a lot less money in private school than public but I give up the higher salary so I can have flexibility for sick kids. My husband is not flexible so I have a flexible job and I stay home with the sick kids

If you worked in public school, you’d be working whenever your kids have off.

It’s okay to take off occasionally to care for a sick kid. Not okay to take off a week at a time.

amother

Buttercup

Fri, Oct 20 2023, 10:00 am

honey36 wrote:

If this is the case, there are bigger issues going on. School therapist don't "handle things" single handedly. It is a partnership between the therapist and the parents. 1/2 hour of speech or OT once a week is not gonna fix anything anyways. Parents need to follow up at home. This is made clear to parents at beginning of therapy. I leave clear and detailed homework at the end of every session for parents to practice with kids 5 minutes a night.

Love it when parents think I will just wave my magic wand and fix their kids issues with one session a week. That's not how it works.

when I take my kids to an agency it’s also one day a week. Why would you need more than that just because you’re in school?

Of course follow up at home is important. But if you’re not there to assign homework then there is literally no progress.

amother

DarkOrange

Fri, Oct 20 2023, 10:00 am

amother Buttercup wrote:

If you worked in public school, you’d be working whenever your kids have off.

It’s okay to take off occasionally to care for a sick kid. Not okay to take off a week at a time.

Yes I am well aware that I would work when my kids have off when I am in public school!! I don't get your point. I am well aware of what is involved in a PS job. That is why I did NOT take such a job and instead chose a flexible agency job.

Anyway I have never taken off a full week (expect one time years ago when I was in middle of high risk pregnancy and had an emergency in the middle and needed to take off more than usual)

amother

Lemon

Fri, Oct 20 2023, 10:06 am

Wow so much resentmentment towards school based therapists. If you don't like your kids therapist or feel like she takes off too much, feel free to find another one. She has no obligation to pay someone tons of extra money to stay home with her sick kid...that's her advantage of being a per diem worker. You don't like it, that's the breaks, find someone you think is better and someone else will happily take your child's slot. And most therapists need to make a living and if they take off for a sick kid, they aren't too thrilled about it either.

amother

Milk

Fri, Oct 20 2023, 10:08 am

I used to split with my husband. We'd usually do half days so nobody missed a whole day of work, though we have alternated whole days too.

My job is way more flexible than my husband's (I have a decent amount of sick leave that can be used for family members), but one year we had kids getting sick one after another and were out most of a month. I couldn't always take off, it didn't look good.

BH we both work from home now, so it's less of an issue.

Not necessarily easier when they are older either.....

I remember once when I was in 12th grade, my parents were going to israel and I was going to stay at my grandmother's house. I got the flu the day before they left. They couldn't cancel the trip, and my grandmother didn't want me staying by her sick (she was older). So I stayed home alone during the day. My brother was in a local beis medresh and came home to sleep, so I wouldn't be alone. He had a date one night out of town, so my mother arranged a post seminary girl (whom I knew well) to sleep in a spare bedroom so I wouldn't be alone in the house while running a fever. It was a tough week. I was too weak to get out of bed to make a tea, get drinks or eat and there was nobody home to help me. When my brother found out I wasn't getting out of bed, he left some stuff next to my bed. He also made sure to call home during the day to check on me.

Funny thing it wasn't the only time I was home sick when my parents were out of town. It happened 2-3 times. Once they went on vacation and my older sister (in her 20s) was still home and watching the rest of us. My teen sister and I both came down with the flu the day after they left.

amother

Buttercup

Fri, Oct 20 2023, 10:12 am

amother DarkOrange wrote:

Okay, but OP *is* taking off a week at a time, and that’s what I take issue with.

amother

Lemon

Fri, Oct 20 2023, 10:15 am

amother Buttercup wrote:

Okay, but OP *is* taking off a week at a time, and that’s what I take issue with.

So find a different therapist. Too bad on you that she has to stay home with a sick kid.

I work for ps and had a parent yell at me that I took maternity leave...I told her next time I'll check in with her for approval before I have a baby. Honestly you sound just as ridiculous. Nobody chooses for their kid to be sick. And you have no clue what her circumstances are to decide that her dh should help or she should find a backup.

amother

Dustypink

Fri, Oct 20 2023, 10:17 am

I am a school based therapist who works in public school and I have an abundance of sick leave BH. I have been out for a week at a time if needed. I have 15 days per year that are cumulative. Occasionally, I will have dh stay home because I do actually have work I need to do.

amother

Buttercup

Fri, Oct 20 2023, 10:32 am

amother Lemon wrote:

Did I say that her dh should help? No. Did I say she should find backup? No. Did I say she’s not entitled to maternity leave? No.

What I said is that if you’re going to be out for several days at a time for an entire season, you’re not doing your clients any good and should probably find a new career.

amother

Lemon

Fri, Oct 20 2023, 10:33 am

amother Buttercup wrote:

Great advice. Banging head

amother

Buttercup

Fri, Oct 20 2023, 10:35 am

amother Dustypink wrote:

OP apparently never has work she needs to do.

amother

DarkOrange

Fri, Oct 20 2023, 10:37 am

amother Buttercup wrote:

Well that's a privileged way of talking. You cannot just find a new career in a grocery. I work in school all day plus extra sessions in the evening. I have zero free time (or money) to learn a new profession

amother

Magenta

Fri, Oct 20 2023, 10:38 am

amother Lemon wrote:

In my kids school, the school assigns therapists. Parents can't choose.

honey36

Fri, Oct 20 2023, 10:56 am

amother Buttercup wrote:

My point was that parents who follow up with the homework etc. Will know if the therapist is absent more often them not and will not be disillusioned into thinking their kid is getting the help they need and they don't have to worry about it.

Either way, when I have to take of for more than a few sessions, I usually email the parents extra homework, or if needed do a quick zoom session from home to let them know what to continue practicing etc. No, I don't get paid for this.

doodlesmom

Fri, Oct 20 2023, 11:04 am

Op you probably really end up losing money if this happens often.
So for your sake and to keep your career maybe we need to think of alternatives.
Ie can you make up these sessions sunday or Friday?
Early morning or evening?
Is there someone in your children’s life that would be willing to build a relationship with them, and come watch them if they are only semi sick?

amother

Pewter

Fri, Oct 20 2023, 11:19 am

As a babysitter I applaud you for takeing off when needed. What I do is send to my parents or yes I need to take off. Unless I have a group whose parents send when their kids have fever.
Had that one year a stomach virus was going around and the parents sent anyway cause everyone will get it eventually so when my daughter got sick I brought her with me.

amother

Magenta

Fri, Oct 20 2023, 11:26 am

amother Lemon wrote:

You can give up your slot and take your kid to a clinic after school if you don't like the therapist assigned to you

For sure.
But I've had already that a teacher insisted that my kid needs therapy, I took her for an evaluation to afew places & she was not approved. They all said that she doesn't need therapy. So she got therapy in school because the teacher decided she needs it....
She never needed therapy before or after.