Teacher bringing baby to class b/c no babysitter!

amother

Wed, Apr 29 2009, 7:46 pm

What do you think of this? My dd's teacher brought her baby to class because her babysitter canceled on her. This is not the 1st time this has happened. How can a teacher be teaching if she is watching her tbaby, changing diapers, feeding? I don't send my kids to school to play with the teacher's baby! I could keep them home to play with their baby sister if that's what I wanted. I'd rather a substitute be called and some lesson be taught. Of course, the teacher does not want to lose pay. However, technically through our hard-earned tution money, we are paying her salary! I'd rather pay for a substitute instead! What do you think? Just curious! This would never be allowed in a public school! (BTW, I used to teach in a dayschool. When babysitting was an issue, dh would have to miss a seder or I would have to miss work. I never would have thought to bring my baby to work, nor would it have been tolerated by the administration.)

ChutzPAh

Wed, Apr 29 2009, 7:50 pm

That is completely inappropriate and unprofessional. Did the school sanction this? She should have made other arrangements or stayed home and have the school get a substitute.

I wonder how that would work in my line of work. Maybe I should just tell my patients, "you wouldn't mind if my baby played around in the OR during your surgery, would you?"

amother

Wed, Apr 29 2009, 8:04 pm

when I was teaching, I had problems w/ babysitting and the school had problems getting subs b/c we don't live in a big area. I brought my baby for almost 2 months. I fed him during breaks, kept him in his car seat behind the desk and made his nap time then. I rocked the seat with my foot and kept on teaching the students. I always changed before class and after so his diaper was clean. if I could get someone, I left him, if not he came. when I couldn't leave him in car seat I used the snuggly. it wasn't ideal, but I am a good teacher, and my school is flexible. I had more to offer than they had to gain by not working it out with me. my next baby wouldn't have been able to do that, but I was lucky to have better babysitting and iwth this baby I am taking a break from teaching. I think maybe it was good chinuch for my students in some ways to see how to balance different things and to keep good on my professional commitment and still not turn my babies over to secular day care, etc. I would find out more before making a big deal. did you dd still learn? is this all the time? did the teacher feed or change the baby during class? check your details before going off on the teacher or principal. maybe call and say, I was curious about this arangement...

ChavieK

Wed, Apr 29 2009, 8:15 pm

I would first call the teacher. Don't go over her head. You wouldn't want someone going to your boss without coming to you first. Find out how the class went. Was the baby quiet or need lots of attention? See last amother's post. I would rather my dd have a good teacher with a quiet newborn than a random, or inexperienced sub who may have no control over the class & limited knowledge of the subject matter. Obviously I would rather not to have to make such a choice at all.

amother

Wed, Apr 29 2009, 9:12 pm

I know first hand from one of my sisters who is a teacher that she had to bring her 5 month old baby to school- with the principal knowing she was going to, as her babysitter canceled on her with an hours notice. Things happen. She did the best she could, fed him in between and even taught holding him- yes the first few minutes were distracting but you know what? This is not a daily occurence, as obviously no principal in his/her right mind would tolerate it- but this is life.

bbmom

Wed, Apr 29 2009, 9:24 pm

Let's just say the babysitter only canceled that morning. Let's just say that no substitute could be found (trying to find a sub last minute is a nightmare). Let's just say that the teacher had no sub-worthy lesson prepared (most subs can't teach "just anything").

So, would you rather your child have NO teacher? A secretary filling in? An assistant alone? A Principal walking in and out?

I was never yet in a situation where I had to bring DD to school with me, but if I ever was, getting in a days pay would be the last thing on my mind. The only reason I would come to school with my child would be because I care about my students and I don't like to disrupt their routine (I teach young children). If I knew she would be sleeping or quiet and that I could feed and change her during recess, and if I had no other option then I would bring her.

I'm sorry but some amother's here are acting like their babysitter system has worked like clockwork for the past 20 years with hardly a glich. I find that hard to believe. Yet another example of "Teachers should be subhuman" syndrom.

BrachaVHatzlocha

Wed, Apr 29 2009, 9:33 pm

First of all, you didn't mention how old your kid is. Also, good chance that the principal knows what's going on.
At one school I worked in, they didn't mind if you brought your baby once in a while, which I did just a couple of times when my babysitter cancelled. HOWEVER, it was kindergarten, which is diff than if the teacher is teaching an older grade.

mo5

Wed, Apr 29 2009, 9:49 pm

Same thing happenned to me as a teacher. I lost my babysitter with pretty much no notice and the school preferred that I bring my baby for part of a lesson period until my husband could come and take him, or he could go to my MIL who works in the admin for part of a lesson.

I arranged for those lessons to be 'work' the girls were doing where I could walk around and help them rather than a 'frontal' lesson where seeing him would be a fun distraction.

I guess you can't be as flexible in all jobs (lab, Operating theatre) but if it ok with employer and the employee gets their job done effectively, why not?

OTOH, school once hired a sub for younger class who brought her crawling, distracting baby every day and the little boys learned 0.

Guess it depends on how much they're learning.

Mitzvahmom

Wed, Apr 29 2009, 9:54 pm

The school that I used to send my children to, had a similar problem with their teachers.

Teachers kept having babies, and no subs in the area. so they hired a couple of college students with varying (so one worked at a time), they baby sat the babies.. After a while they hired a mom to work, to have more consistency with the babies. I thought that was a wonderful compromise.

ChutzPAh

Wed, Apr 29 2009, 10:17 pm

ok, maybe I was being harsh. It is very possible that the sitter canceled last minute, they couldn't get a sub, and the school preferred that the teacher come in with her baby. As long as it was a one time thing, I guess it's ok, as long as the teachers don't use this method as a sitter crunch. I would still be very peeved and not tolerate a teacher bringing her baby in for 2 straight months as one amother did. We've all BTDT- sitters are hard to find and keep but that is extreme.

amother

Wed, Apr 29 2009, 11:58 pm

I'm the amother who brought her baby for 2 months, and boy am I glad I stayed amother. in my school, the principal had the idea in the first place, no parents complained, and my middle school students scored their highest on their exams. I was organized, on top of things, and they learned. what you think is extreme might work for someone else. I still think you should put your judging aside, call up the teacher or principal and say, hey I'm just wondering how this works, could you explain it to me better. you might be surprised. and btw, getting to play with the baby once in while was a very big incentive for the students, one I wouldn't have had otherwise.

Mama Bear

Thu, Apr 30 2009, 12:17 am

yikes! 11 months old? I'd be chasing my baby around the room, taking out of his mouth everything he thinks is food... an 11 month old cant be trusted to sit still for 3 seconds, nevrmnd 3 hours! this is weird!

One of my teachers in 9th grade did bring in her four year old with her, and took turns with her MIL who also taught in my school. she colored on paper, wrote on the board, read books, and kept quiet.

greentiger

Thu, Apr 30 2009, 4:09 am

Growing up, I've had teachers bring their kids on a very rare occasion. From what I recall, it didn't disrupt the lesson if the teacher didn't let it. If anything it was a welcome change and a treat since before and after class we could play with the kid. It also helps you see your strict, nasty teacher in a different light.

As a working mother, I would definitely understand if a last minute situation happened and a backup babysitter couldn't be found, and I am grateful to work with understanding people if such a situation would ever arise*. I would definitely not hold it against a teacher if she came with her kid one day. I think the posters here are being way too harsh.

*I mean imagine your babysitter calls you one morning as you are stepping out the door, that she woke up with a high fever and doesn't know if its contagious. Things happen.. Ya gotta be flexible...

shalhevet

Thu, Apr 30 2009, 5:19 am

I definitely think the OP should call up the teacher, and not the principal.

I really can't understand why some posters are so harsh on the teacher. It is not even difficult to dan l'chaf zechus here. I doubt very much the teacher decided to bring her baby so as not to lose the money - it probably would have been easier for her to stay at home - more likely because she had a responsibility to the class.

IME, both as a teacher and a parent, a good sub can maybe teach 50% as well as the teacher - they don't know the class, don't know where they've reached in the material etc. A mediocre sub is probably just a glorified babysitter and the kids learn 0. In many schools that's all they expect of the sub - keep the kids busy. Even if teacher + baby are only teaching 70-80% of a normal lesson, that's still much better.

What's a teacher supposed to do when she gets a call ten minutes before she's about to leave that the sitter's child is sick, or the sitter is sick, or the sitter had to leave town for an emergency etc? In most of the schools I taught they would practically kill you if you called in that you weren't coming, especially if it was in the morning - they didn't really care if you had a 110 temperature (and certainly not if your child did) because now they were stuck with the unenviable task of finding a sub, who, as I said, would probably teach nothing anyway.

In my dds' school, the teacher themselves has to find a sub (they have a list) - often an impossible task.

Of course, maybe the teacher's babysitter told her two weeks ago she had an appointment, and the teacher didn't bother finding another babysitter because she thought there was no harm bringing her baby occasionally.

Which means speak to her. And if she brought her baby because she didn't want the class to miss lessons, and she had unavoidable circumstances, don't forget to thank her.