The Breakfast Club – #BFC530 – is a 15 minute, 1 question Twitter chat every weekday. We chat in 4 timezones Mon-Fri – 5:30am Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific Times. The mission of BFC is to empower participants to make a difference in education by engaging in consistent reflective practice in a supportive community that inspires and challenges one another.
Good morning friends, Oona from NJ looking forward to finishing writing my college recommendation letters before the holiday weekend! I start next Tuesday! #bfc530
Yes, our new teachers come 2 weeks early to explore content and all teachers come one week early. Room prep is only a very small part of the week. PD, meetings, and planning take place. #bfc530
Good morning #BFC530 family. Check out how my school @IndianLakesES prepared to welcome our Ss. We’re determined to make 2018-2019 school year AMAZING! We challenge you! Indian Lakes Elementary Lip Sync Challenge https://t.co/JfHXa2Y5bA via @YouTube#ilessoars
It depends on the sickness LOL. I teach high school, so students are much more aware and considerate about spreading germs. If I've got a cough and cold, etc., but I can still manage, I'm not taking the day off. My kids need my days when they're sick 1/2 #bfc530
I’m thankful that getting sick tends to be pretty rare for me at this point. If I have a fever or other symptoms that might be contagious, I stay home. No one wants germs! #bfc530
Happy Friday #bfc530!
Brin, HS principal from Massachusetts...
Finessing first week of school and #1st3days ends with an all-school student rally this afternoon!
I have to be "not able to get out of bed sick" or "stuck in the bathroom sick" to not make it in. I only have 180 days with these students and every day matters. #bfc530
I have to be "not able to get out of bed sick" or "stuck in the bathroom sick" to not make it in. I only have 180 days with these students and every day matters. #bfc530
When I was teaching I rarely got sick. I guess getting exposed to middle school germs all year built up my immune system. But coming in sick was easier than planning for a sub, so... #bfc530
Also, when you teach high school, you can often re-arrange lesson plans and students are far more understanding and cooperative because of their age. You can't be all, "let's just read or work quietly ALL day" with, like, first grade. LOL #BFC530
I’m an insulin dependent diabetic, so a respiratory flu or stomach virus can hit me pretty hard. I prevent as much as I can by washing hands, getting the flu shot, etc. but I really appreciate when colleagues and students can stay home with vomiting, diarrhea, or a fever. #bfc530
Same here. This year out teacher work week included a 3 day orientation for 9th graders and I'm exhausted! Using today to finish up some things for Tuesday. #bfc530. #miched
Believe it or not, over my 28 years as a professional educator, I was forced to take one week of time off due to chicken pox in my second year. Other than that, I have probably used 3-4 sick days my entire career. I feel blessed! #bfc530#gratefuledu
Today is the first day I’m using a sick day - for myself - in awhile (minor surgery). BUT if I had an awesome LMS I could’ve taken more that I needed *earlier* on in my career! I HATED going in early to get class ready for me not to be there. 🤷♀️ #bfc530
Good Morning #bfc530 In 15 years, I’ve probably taken less than 5 days for me actually being sick. Most have been for sick children or parents. It’s much harder to absent than it is to push through when your not feeling well. Exception if contagious.
Vitamins and probiotics for my whole family are a must, as well as flu shots. We live in a densely populated area, and during the winter months, school is like a petri dish. I side hug and kiss my children on the top of their heads from November through May. ;-) #BFC530
It depends on how sick I am! If I’m very sick, or if my youngest child is sick, I stay home. Otherwise, it’s far too much work and the disruption isn’t worth it. #bfc530
This is my 4th yr, and I’ve taken two sick days-both were after crawling out of bed and making it in for a couple of days before giving in and visiting urgent care & realizing I wasnt helping anyone by the martyrdom 🙄😂. Time is so tight & a good sub day takes thought... #bfc530
It’s sad to say that it’s sometimes more work to take a sick day than if you just went in. I have often gone in when I wasn’t feeling 100%. I have to do better of putting myself 1st and no one wants or needs whatever you have when you’re sick #BFC530
It depends on the sickness. If I’m throwing up I do not go in but if it’s a cold I will. It’s hard because of sub plans and just losing days w kids so I try to miss as little as possible. #bfc530
#BFC530 Not well? Ask. Can you work through it? Will you spread it? Will society improve it? Allow support, avoid unwelcome contamination. Remember: Smiles are contagiously good. 😀
Getting pulled for some kind of school Improvement plan or new vendor training takes me out of the classroom more than being sick (and I have to create sub plans for that too). #bfc530
#bfc530 I have gone to work with a migraine, which was really hard. I have also gone in on little to no sleep. We have a very structured curriculum. Falling behind is so hard.
When that hits, there is no mercy! Last winter, two of my kids had the flu when my husband was away for two weeks on business, my kids had the week of President's Day off, and I didn't. I found a sitter who would watch sick kids. That was an expensive week. #BFC530
It’s sad to say that it’s sometimes more work to take a sick day than if you just went in. I have often gone in when I wasn’t feeling 100%. I have to do better of putting myself 1st and no one wants or needs whatever you have when you’re sick #BFC530
When sick, I stay home. The goal is taking good care of myself- balancing work with fun, eating right, exercising, feeding my faith, and maintaining an overall healthy lifestyle to prevent getting sick as much as possible. #bfc530
Honestly...I try to go to work no matter what. Learning pauses if I’m out, and it is a lot of extra work to create plans and go back to school with piles of paper that need to be graded. #bfc530
True. It feels like more work to be off. It helps to make generic emergency supply plans that you can leave in your room or mailbox. I also started doing week at a glance dayplans that are on google docs, to make it easier to quickly share with a sub. #bfc530
Met my new JK students and their parents during our open house yesterday morning! Such a wonderful experience meeting these 3 and 4 year olds who are about to begin their (formal) educational career! 😊 Classes begin next Tuesday! #bfc530
I've been known to pop into students' Google Docs while they're in digital writing workshop if I am home with a sick child and they're working in school. STILL HERE! :-) #BFC530
Agreed - I’ve planned fantastic guest teacher days when out for a training to keep us on track-but when I’m sick that finesse goes out of the window. A day wasted is huge #bfc530
When I first started teaching, the phone system we had to use to arrange for a sub was so complicated, that alone was motivation to get out of bed and go in to work. #bfc530
I don’t have to make sub plans, that is a big difference than for classroom teachers who are feeling sick, but better one day out than get sicker and lose more days...rest is best for me 🤒#bfc530
Have a great day everyone! We have our Outdoor Ed teacher coming to run teambuilding activities with our students- it'll be a wonderful way to wrap up our first week #bfc530
I feel the same! I’m rarely sick and often find if I have a headache or feel “ugh” that if I go about my normal workout routine in the morning I often feel significantly better! I think I’ve had maybe 4(?) sick days in 20 years! #bfc530
The last weekend before classes begin here! Helping my daughter move today...from one apartment to another n Toronto...then day plans and testing! 😊 Happy long weekend, all! Be safe and happy! #bfc530
Morning ☀️ I’m not often sick, but sometimes I pull the “nah I can go to work I’m fine” when feeling not the best & end up needing more time off than 1 day. I’ve gotta watch that. Self care is important. #BFC530
A—When you are sick, you deserve to get well. The only way to do that and keep others healthy is to rest and heal. Too often we treat ourselves as though we’re super human...and that’s just not realistic. #bfc530
TAKE ACTION this week to #StopTAMUDogTests!
Texas A&M is experimenting on dogs right now — post a pic of YOUR dog on social media with the hashtag & tag @TAMU to remind everyone that NO dogs should be tormented and killed in labs!
In some of my early yrs of teaching, there was one secretary we had to call when sick who deterred us from taking a day; one stretch when she was out, we had to call the principal instead, and sick days dropped even more. #bfc530
Good morning #bfc530! I have been fortunate over my career to not be sick enough to miss. If I can walk I will be there. I feel I owe it to my students and staff.
I do feel that makes a difference! If I have a child with a fever at home who can't go to school, I can still participate with my students in Schoology discussions or confer digitally in Google Docs. I'd rather be there in person, but accountability is still there! #bfc530
I used to pride myself by not taking any days but the last few years. I have been slammed by pneumonia twice. I am not really a position this year to take any days. I wrote this question last year when I had kidney stones (3 times in 8 years) last year. #bfc530
Lunch in my class or office... because I am typically still doing work: grading, checking email, completing a report while in the middle of making copies.
My goal this year is to actually sit down, relax, and eat during my lunch period.
#bfc530#TakeBreaks
Well here it is the last weekend of August, #LaborDay weekend, the leaves are falling....Hold on! Does anyone else notice leaves turning color and falling? I saw 2 squirrels fighting over a nut too. It's still August!!! #bfc530
Most of the time yes. It's less work to go in sick & give my Ss an independent work period to practice whatever we're working on than to make up good lesson plans for a sub. I have to be REALLY sick to stay home.
#bfc530
Yes. It is a lot of work to prep for a supply. Go in sick and you can come home fast and rest up. In addition, the current supply teacher shortage means that I am most likely not being replaced. I don’t like imposing on my colleagues like that. #bfc530
Our incoming 6th grade scholars are prepared and ready to start their Middle School career! We met Ss at the end of their elementary experience, we had a pizza party/meet and greet with Ss and families in June, a 2 day "411 of MS this week"! #WelcomeToMiddleSchool#bfc530#tlap
