Technolandy

Day 174 (of 2025/26) The Work Will Wait

June always feels packed. And this article on ‘increases in teacher absences and sick days’ made me think of how busy we can get and how hard it can be to take a day…even if we really need it… https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/education/article-teacher-absences-ontario-sick-days-violence-burnout/

There are graduations, camps, celebrations, year-end meetings, Indigenous Peoples Day activities, PRIDE events, club wrap-ups, and all the little things that somehow become big things before the school year closes.

At our school, I’m glad we moved Comic Con to May. Even then, June still feels like trying to fit ten pounds of learning into a five-pound calendar.

And then there are sick days.

There has definitely been a trend post-COVID toward people actually using the sick days they have available. I support that completely. Whether the reason is physical illness, exhaustion, burnout, or simply recognizing the need for recovery, people should take the time they need.

In an online school, replacement can be complicated. A substitute can monitor a course, answer questions, or mark assignments. But relationships are harder to replace.

The teacher who knows a student’s IEP.

The teacher who recognizes when a learner has quietly disappeared.

The teacher who understands a student’s strengths, struggles, and idiosyncrasies.

Those relationships matter in every learning environment, including online ones.

At the same time, there is a flu bug making the rounds, calendars remain full, and everyone is working toward year-end deadlines and summative assessments. It is not surprising that people are feeling stretched thin.

I will encourage staff to call in sick when they need to. Unless something is emergent (or genuinely funny), I won’t text, email, or call. The work will wait.

A day spent recovering is often worth far more than three days spent struggling through.

Perhaps that’s the real lesson of June. There is always more work to do, another meeting to attend, another task to complete. The list never truly ends.

But sometimes the most productive thing we can do is rest.

The work will wait. Even with a mere fortnight+ to go…

But I am curious…

How are others seeing teacher absences in their schools or districts? Is the trend changing, or are we simply becoming better at recognizing when recovery matters?