I'm proud to say that during the 2025-2026 school year, I successfully failed to accrue any leave...in fact, in addition to the 77 hours of sick leave that I "earned" during the year, I used a few hours of sick leave I had banked from previous years as well! Obviously I used every moment of my personal leave, too!
As I've shared before, I have zero interest in having a balance of unused leave when I retire. I know how little it's worth if it's cashed out compared to what it's worth when used as intended!
In my post about using my leave last year, I acknowledged that not every other teacher is in the same position that I am and I'm also well aware that when I was a classroom teacher, it was easier to drag myself into school feeling awful than it was to write sub plans and hope that not only would a sub pick up the job, but also that they would follow those plans that took me so long to create!
In my opinion, that mentality is very pre-pandemic. I'm happy to see my teacher friends refusing to feel guilty about taking sick leave because they know they have to take care of themselves if they are going to be at their best for their students. Bravo! The idea that we all have to run ourselves ragged for our jobs is changing for the better, and as the saying goes, if you die, your job will be posted before your obituary is, so please, use that leave as needed!
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Happy Tails to you!
