Last weekend, I caught a bit of a cold and after my extremely long day at work on Wednesday, where I literally taught from 7:45am - 4:15pm with only a 20min lunch break, my cold escalated. I have terrible sinus pressure, a nasty cough, a fever, and I'm taking a nap every few hours. I planned on just taking off yesterday, Thursday, to recover, but throughout the day it became very clear to me that there was no way I could survive the day at work today.
One thing about teaching that I don't think a lot of people realize is that it takes WAY more planning to be out of school for a day than it is to just go in. Usually if I'm not feeling well, I will just push through and go in, because it is just easier for me to be there. However, this cold is pretty bad, so (1) I'd hate to pass it around & (2) I need the rest. Thus, I spent a good part of the day yesterday, replanning what my students were going to do today.
Just to get an idea of how the work level compares for going to school and being out: Today, I need to cover the Combined Gas Law and the Ideal Gas Law with my students and give them an opportunity to practice. Had I gone in, we were going take some notes and then do a lab where they gather real data to practice the calculations. However, I am not comfortable having them work in the lab area, because I'm not there to answer questions and clarify directions and I do not know if my sub would understand the Chemistry concepts well enough to ensure that the lab activity is productive. To plan the notes, lab, and activities it usually takes me about 2-3 hours plan, set up and make copies. But because I am out today, I needed to come up with replacement notes & activities that have very detailed directions, so my students can basically lead themselves through everything. This takes a bit of extra time and creativity, which equated to about 6 hours of planning between naps yesterday. Now, that time does not include the extra time I will spend grading everything that they do today, because I'm not there to check things as they go. Oh, joy.
Okay, time for another nap... :)
