I'm a terrible sick person.
First of all, I hate admitting I am sick. Second, as much as I enjoy random pampering any other time in my life, I am sheepish about accepting the loving gestures of friends & family when I actually need it most. I even get a little grouchy about continued queries into my well-being; I like to believe that's part of the being sick and not that I am simply bitchy. Whatever.
But last week our principal kindly admonished the staff to TAKE THE SICK DAY if we start to feel crummy. You might think educators would be on top of the whole "Don't spread illness" and "You can't do your best when you don't feel your best" thing, and I'd like to say it's because we're so committed to our jobs that we keep showing up (it mostly is, really). However, part of our unmotivation to call a sub is the need to write sub plans; sometimes it is just easier to tough out the day rather than try remembering to tell our replacement about all the weird little nuances of each class and/or student. As a former substitute who has delighted in brilliant notes and experienced mild anxiety over nonexistent ones, I am vigilant about writing detailed plans. And that takes a bit of time & energy, a couple of things I tend to be lacking when calling in sick.
Today, though, I had a moment during 2nd period when I felt the familiar symptoms of passing out, which would be Not Good with capital letters. After having some lunch & hydrating, I felt less like fainting but then my head started hurting. By the end of the day, every part of me was throbbing and I had lost all connection with sensible teaching skills. I drove home, fell into an alarmingly deep sleep for 20 minutes, felt okay enough to have dinner with my best friend across the street, then rallied to arrange for a sub & write up lessons.
I'll spend tomorrow dozing, trying not to worry about what I left out of my plans, in hopes of feeling better for Friday. And not just because there might be a Happy Hour gathering after school.
