Teacher Absences

There seem to be an inordinate number of teacher absences in the school where I work. Why? It seems to me that some of the most fundamental, deep-rooted issues in Israeli society and in the Israeli educational system have far flung consequences. For example...

1. Teachers are not paid very well. Therefore...

• ... a number of teachers participate in a variety of "השתלמויות" (professional development) for a variety of reasons: a) to improve their practice, b) to be paid a higher salary in general (someone who attends a certain number of PD courses ina career or a school year gets paid in a higher bracket), or c) to be paid for for attending the courses. These are wonderful things... but they often come at the cost of teaching time.
• ... a teacher often needs to hold down more than one job. Different schedules in other schools (trips, meetng, etc.) often come at the cost of teaching time in our school.
• ... children (i.e. sick children, or giving birth to them!) are often the cause of teacher absences in any school. Teachers here - at least in our school - are on the younger end and seem to have these excuses more often.
• ... most teachers have only one car. A missed bus or tremp (hitch-hike) can mean coming late to classes.
• I also sense a little lack of professionalism (I imagine it's worse in other schools; in my school, it's only a little) and therefore willingness to miss a class here and there. This may be due to the salary as well.

2. The Army (מילואים)

• Teachers (usually male) teachers are out for an extended period of time at least once a year. And that's in peace time.

3. Misrad Hachinuch

• All of the paperwork and bureacracy that I have mentioned in an earlier post, has its toll on absences as well. Our teachers needed to go to Tel Aviv in the beginning of the year for something or other. Some had to go to the local police station for some kind of form. Others went to an office in Jerusalem for this or that. And on and on and on. All at the expense of class time.

4. Kupat Cholim

• Not a major reason but important enough to mention: their hours are not incredibly convenient. Emergencies are understandable but appointments are sometimes hard to get and often come at the expense of class time.

(There may be other reasons, but, so far this is what I've seen. I'll fill in more details as time allows.)