Community Forum

Any other teachers out there?  Today was our first day back - not even a day of class just book day! - and I was (as predicted) totally sick all day!  I have not been able to find a way to balance my nerves and although I LOVE my job after 6 years teaching (now I even work part-time because I just couldn't get well) I still always get sick!  It's like I'm still in school, haha!  Just wondering if anyone else has had similar experiences.  

 Reply posted for betsamia.

I'm a teacher's assistant & I have uc. It's very hard to deal with when I'm flaring. I wear pads daily at work and when I'm away from home. My co- workers know about my condition and I know they are willing to help when I need them. However, I still get nervous when I'm alone with the kids, because if I have to go to the bathroom, I can't leave them. I just try to come up with different plans if that happens: try to flag down another teacher, send a student to get another teacher, call the office for someone to sit in for me, or if all else fails, line up the kids and we all take a bathroom break. You just do what you have to do. Wearing the pads as a back up helps because it gives me security knowing if I don't make it, I'm covered. I also keep an extra pair of pants, underwear, and baby wipes so I can get myself together should something happen. It did happen once, thankfully the kids were in one of their special classes at the time, and I wasn't subbing that day. I went home that day. Now I feel more prepared should that ever happen again. It's a hassle, but I just try to be as prepared as possible.

 Reply posted for hsmarshall.

Gotta love administration and their last-minute changes!  I hope this year works out for you.  I know you'll be busy and won't have much time for posts, but I'll keep an eye out for you & how you're doing.  Good luck!

 Reply posted for hsmarshall.

I actually turned to on line education, and my UC was one of the reasons.

 Reply posted for betsamia.

I am also a High School teacher (now I teach Spanish 2, 3H, 4H, 5AP and run the club and am department chair... and get paid part time because I have one less class a semester than other teachers...)

This is actually also the first time since I've begun teaching that I will be teaching the same courses (i.e. nothing new, like last year right before school started they completely changed my schedule and gave me the Spanish IVH and AP class just 5 days before the start of school).  I was hoping that not having anything new this year would make a difference but it has not really been so different so far.  I also so not work in the public school system and in my area it is really hard to get in to it and I also don't know if with what I teach I even could switch to a lower grade level.  Then I start to think that making such a huge change alone would cause me stress and therefore Crohn's issues!  I am considering becoming a private Spanish tutor but I just hate that I have to give something up just because of Crohn's.  Maybe the year won't be so bad though.  Here's hoping!

 Reply posted for hsmarshall.

I am also a teacher. Sadly in my area they are not hiring many teachers and i just to be a sub. So on the days when my chrons is really acting up i can just not take a job. Even though i try and work most days. At this time i am looking forward to having my own classroom. I know when i did my student teaching my meds were not working to control my chrons and i was in a flare the whole time. I was so tired when i would get home from school i would go straight to bed. I just wanted to sleep. I knew i had lots of work to do and still got it done. I am lucky enough that i life at home with my parents and they helped me when i needed it. Sorry to hear that this may be your last year teaching.

 Reply posted for hsmarshall.

Hi there...I'm an Ed. Tech. with UC 28+years!  It is always hard, but I find it easier and with less stress and mobilitly than being a teacher.  My degree is in Psych. and I started out working 1 on 1 with kids in the community(that didn't work with UC!) and gradually fell into a school system.  I'm not sure if you could adjust to doing that, but the stress is much less and usually you can work in a classroom with another teacher/s or in the regular classroom.  If you work with older kids, that makes it even easier(I'm in a prek-8 school and work with special ed. kids in and out of classroom-resource/composite room).  The other great parts is much less stress, no real paperwork,  leave at 3, don't have to deal too much with parents, and get to work 100% of the time with kids!  (And health benefits where I am)  My coworkers all know and are very understanding-I missed a month and half this winter...we are exposed to EVERYTHING and then some so it makes it hard for our immune systems to keep up!  Hope this helps or gives you some other options.       2 more weeks of vacation for us!  But I do love my job and school...Good luck!

 Reply posted for hsmarshall.

I was a HS science teacher for three years.  Well, two years really since I was out on maternity complicated by UC for most of the second year.  Before I went out on maternity, I was flaring so badly that I often had to literally run for the bathroom without being able to wait for someone to cover my absence (legally a no-no).  I also had to wear Depends at work, fearing that the kids would discover it & the brutality of teenager gossiping & slandering would begin. 

My return back was very difficult being a new teacher, having a new baby, still having UC issues, stressing about not having tenure yet.  I decided it just was too much.  I couldn't be both a good teacher and a good mother/wife and decided not to continue past my third year.  As it turned out, the school had a population decrease and I got RIFfed along with several other teachers. 

Now I teach in a museum setting and have more flexibility and less stress (and no take-home work!).  Maybe you can still work with kids or teach in a different setting, something less formal.  I wish you luck!

 Reply posted for Jessi Messy.

Thank you so much for responding!  I'm so sorry you had to resign but I totally understand the decision as I am getting very close to making the same one :(

It is so hard when you just love the kids so much and love what you do but at the same time I can't sustain this level of living/quality of life for myself or my family.  And although I am so empathetic to your situation I must admit it is comforting to know that there is someone else out there like me who is experiencing the same issue.  I am not in a portable (this year - five years ago I was) but I was on the second floor of an old building without an elevator (I have had surgery and have a lot of joint issues so lack of elevator is an issue from time to time) and the building is actually an old apartment complex so the bathroom was actually inside of the classroom if you can picture that and how terrible and uncomfortable that would be.  Now I am in a new building with a private faculty bathroom right next to my room but still, how do you just run out of a room full of kids that are otherwise unsupervised???   And during tests?  Standardized tests even!  I feel like this will have to be my last year and it is heartbreaking but if my gut can't even tolerate book day... I shutter to think what Wednesday hold for me.  And this year I have been promoted to department chair... Stress stress stress, crohn;s crohn's crohn's! 

Thank you for sharing your story with me and I hope you are able to involved in what you love and even more that you are healthy!

 Reply posted for hsmarshall.

I just resigned this last school year from teaching Special Education. I tried and tried to keep up with my job, because I love working with children, too! It was one of the most disheartening things I have ever had to do. It didn't help that my classroom was in a portable this last year, and I had to RUN so often!

I left over a hundred sweeties in tears, and walked out with armfuls of cards and gifts, and a very broken heart. I intend to go back as a volunteer as often as possible, but refuse to get paid for doing my job at less than 50%.

Hopefully, you're not having to face this decision. Good luck and hang in there!