Really irritated by people using their condition...

We have been in classes for two weeks now. I have a student who has already missed two classes, out of 6. Each time she has emailed me that she is having a flare of Crohns, and cannot come to class. She has told me each time her disability paperwork is still being processed.

There was an assignment due this morning at 8 am. I do not accept late assignments OR electronic assignments, and this is stated in the syllabus. She was in class this am, but just now emailed me her assignment, with the cryptic subject line "I DO NOT have access to a printer."

Now I have several chronic conditions. I get that sometimes, it is hard to do everything you want to do. Sometimes, you feel awful. Sometimes you want to curl up and go to bed, take a painkiller, anything but be active. I was just diagnosed with Crohns, I have Ulcerative Colitis and Fibromyalgia. Yeah, I get it. I am in an active flare.

It is pointless to make comparisons. BUT--I come to work when I am ill, flaring, tired, and I have my work done. The only time I don't is when either end of the ole bod is random-ejecting things (either vomiting or diarrhea). I work very hard to manage my conditions and my schedule so that neither is compromised. I owe it to my employers, my colleagues, and my students, to the people who schedule meetings and expect their work back in a reasonable amount of time.

I really feel that people need to understand their body and their limits. If you need help, you need to ask for it, and follow the right channels. If you can't do something you need to be in charge of making that decision, and own it. NO ONE can do MORE than they are able to do. It's really not wise. But when the condition becomes an excuse as to why exceptions need to be made, and then those exceptions become the rule, then I lose my patience.

Every so often I run into this. More often than not, people who pull their disability paperwork out for me are conscientious and hard-working, and enormously communicative when there is a problem. But every once in a while, someone is gaming the system.

Great post, Myself 09, and excellent points. I think we all know people like that and can relate. It also gets old when it becomes a constant comparison game with those who don't have fibro who can do more than we fibromites are capable of.

For example, I have a relative who has some issues, but of course, she is always, always 'much worse' than me, and I get to hear how heroic she is to be carrying on. I don't believe for an instant that she's 'that bad'; she gets around much better than me and is older. She drives all over the place and gets around a lot (I would be flat in bed if I tried that!!). She also has some emotional issues, and I suspect that's where most of her health problems are originating. Maybe your student is similar?

And you're also right about people needing to understand their bodies and their limits. It's just too easy to bite off more than you can chew, sometimes. I've learned that the hard way, and I suspect most of us here have.

Hang in there, and kudos for going the extra mile--even when it hurts. As fellow sufferers, we know how hard that is.

I think it is possible for some people to develop behavior based on how they think about their condition. If they think of themself as helpless they are going to want others to take care of them. If they feel they might overdo and end up in a flare, they might avoid physical activity trying to protect themself. For some, it just may be a way of avoiding things they don't want to do.

If I walked around all day saying...oh my aching body, I'd be miserable. We all have symptoms...how we react to them is a choice.

Hugs, Robin

Myself, when I would flare, I not only had cramping but also diarrhea.  I would have to use the bathroom about 25 times a day.  I could use the bathroom, walk out and down the hall, and have to hurry back to the bathroom. 

 

Perhaps this is what this student is going through.  But if she has a problem that severe, she should at least have a printer or send her work to  your work email so it's on time. 

 

Sherrine 

I would email her a copy of the syllabus again. I bet she didn't read it. Maybe highlight the no emailed work.

Could someone please tell me what the heck Kinkos is????? I keep hearing that name but have no clue what it is by friends saying they went to kinkos for this and that. Meg, I object to everywhere has a kinkos as I never heard of it and I'm really tempted to google it right now too. I live in a small town approx 600 population, you walk everywhere literately in in two miles (for real). A perfect example of my down town, is take a Walmart (Nearest is 30 miles) parking lot and seriously add a few buildings in it and there is my down town. I just googled the entire area of my town and it came out according to the maps at 1.9 square miles (almost 2 miles). I gotta love good ole Monmouth, Oregon hehe. Our life consists of : Work, Computer, 2 bars, 4 fast foods, 1 police dept, 1 library, 1 college, 1 military acedemy (which takes up an entire section of our town seriously), 2 gas stations, trees, lots rain, gardens, houses, roads. Note, we Do Not have a Fire Dept, Kinkos, Walmart, Grocery Store (We Go into the next town for that), Mall of any sorts, Jewelry place, Clothing store, Oriental store, so on. We have for kids : 5 parks, pets, toys, and good ole' fashioned out doors including those tents in yard, Netflix, Satellite, TV.

Today's activity for this family: Walking around the entire town, visiting one fast food, doing blood work at one of the two clinics in our town, going the park near home, netflix
We leave our houses unlocked, we the four bark alarm and two meow system (they all go nuts when anyone comes over) We walk around barefoot when we want too.

Myself, I was going to post nearly the exact same rant!!
And Namian, I was also going to have a ***** about what you mentioned, lol.

One of the women at work has recently been diagnosed with CFS. (This issue popped up literally the day after I caught her reading my private employee file where I’ve said I’ve got CFS… But that’s another rant.)
She won’t come to work if she has a headache. She won’t come to work if she’s been queasy. She won’t come to work if she’s tired. She won’t come to work if she sneezed that morning.
We’re only open 40 weeks out of the year. Last year she worked 27 weeks. Her 13 weeks of sick leave included 5 weeks off before the end of year when we get 5 weeks off.
We go back to work on Tuesday, and she’s already called in sick for the “first few weeks.”
We cancelled the first aid training so we could do it when she comes back to work, and then we get an SMS from her asking when it is because she “supposes she could struggle through it, IF it was important.”
After we cancelled it because she said she wouldn’t be there.

I have CFS, Fibro, chronic asthma that will see me at 45% lung capacity for the entire Winter, IBS, arthritis and chronic migraines. Not to mention a whole heap of messed up family stuff going on.
I missed 4 days of work last year. Two of those where to care for my partner when he’d been in hospital.

But then, it must just be that she’s SO much sicker than me. To say anything else just leaves me open to claims of bullying and discrimination.

Myself thanks for answering what Kinkos is. I've been fighting the stomach flu so I haven't been online much since I got home from work yesterday.

Smurfy your hometown sounds lovely. I was born and raised in the SF Bay Area, I'm kind of over people for miles and miles.

CT- we get to set our own policies re attenance. You get 3 excused/unexcused absences, period. After that, final grade starts going down.

I know, I ought to let it go. But I'm passionate about what I do and trying to help other people jump that hurdle. It's a burden. That's a wee joke.

Myself, I admire your " hard nose stance"! If more were like you in secondary education our system wouldn't be in the huge mess it's in. This student never learned responsibility from kindergarten on. And now she is wasting your time and her parents money.

Keep on keepin on!!!!

Rereading my post I hope I didn’t come across as implying my new found enthusiasm should guide you’re judgement, or was somehow pooping on being tough on students. I’m just a bit over excited about this new found passion for the year ahead.

We’re about to start our second year with our new regulations. These regs have us questioning and justifying EVERYTHING we do.
While my pedagogy will be different than yours (I work with 5-12 year olds, not people who are meant to be grownups), but I think that questioning is the same for all educators.
Our guiding question is “Who is this choice benefiting?”
The benefit for us is a balance of long and short term, but the older the students get the longer term the view would be.

So have a look at your practices. Are you doing what you know is right? Are you sticking to your ways because they are right for you, or because they are right for the students? Are that areas you could improve? Can you articulate the reason behind your pedagogical choices? Once those reasons are articulated, are they, in the long term, best for your students?

If your happy with your practice then stand by them, and explain them (and the reasons behind them) to your students.
If the student can explain, and document, why she can’t reach certain expectations but is still able to show an overall competency in the subject* find a way to work with her.
If she can’t show that competency’s, then she fairly fails.

*For example, one of my courses required me to do 200 hours placement. The course syllabus insisted that this was done in a 5 week block, working 40 hours a week. I am physically unable to work a 40 hour week. One teacher insisted that I “Just push through it,” and prove I could. The other asked me what I was able to do. I ended up doing my placement over 7 weeks, 30 hours a week.
Both took credit when I passed with flying colours.

Can't type much now, but there is huge difference between younger kids and adults. I see what you mean- we all see ourselves and others through our own specific lens.

What a responsibility you teachers have. You can only try to do your best.

I think it begins at home. My children weren't perfect and I was far from perfect as a parent but I did read to them a lot from newborn on. We went for many walks and experienced the beauty of nature. We ate together and I always provided them with a good meal. We discussed whatever was on their impressionable minds. And we (myself and my ex) taught them the importance of school and the importance of having respect for teachers and also the benefits of a good education.

I take my hat off to you teachers and thank you for all that you do.