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Working with ?MS
Has anyone got any pearls of wisdom on how to cope with working and probable MS? I cut my hours at the beginning of the year but now pressure is being put on me to up my hours again. I work as a teacher so have to do a lot of talking and standing. If I refuse to up my hours, I'm really scared they'll just find someone to replace me for all my hours - because of my contract my employer is within their rights to do this.
Thanks
Poppy
Thanks
Poppy
Best Answer
supermum, thank you for your fantastic suggestions. There are definitely some things I can use.
sllowe, yes unfortunately my employer is within their rights. I work on a contract basis and have a new contract each semester.
I have now managed to get all my teaching sessions booked for the mornings next semester so I can go home to bed if I need to. By lunch time, it's like the gas tank is running on E and there's only just enough to drive home. Evenings are a total write off. I get dinner cooked and then the kids have to clean up while I have a nap in the chair.
I'll just have to hope I don't have a flare up next semester like the one I'm still battling at the moment. The gorilla that got hold of my chest a couple of weeks ago has got worse and I'm back to about 20 trips to the toilet day and night. At least walking to the toilet is exercise LOL.
Poppy
Poppy
sllowe, yes unfortunately my employer is within their rights. I work on a contract basis and have a new contract each semester.
I have now managed to get all my teaching sessions booked for the mornings next semester so I can go home to bed if I need to. By lunch time, it's like the gas tank is running on E and there's only just enough to drive home. Evenings are a total write off. I get dinner cooked and then the kids have to clean up while I have a nap in the chair.
I'll just have to hope I don't have a flare up next semester like the one I'm still battling at the moment. The gorilla that got hold of my chest a couple of weeks ago has got worse and I'm back to about 20 trips to the toilet day and night. At least walking to the toilet is exercise LOL.
Poppy
Poppy
Hi Poppy -
Are they within their rights because you are not officially dx'd? And, just probable? Still so, reasonable accommodations should provide you with anything you need - i.e., class hours (i.e., morning, afternoon, evening), etc.
Do you have any flexibility where class hours are concerned, or are they set each day? Asking this because if it were me, I'd prefer morning, though some do better mid day.
It's so personal, and only you know what you can handle. I find adjusting things at home prepares me better to work all day. And, I'm much better in the morning - evenings I run out of steam. Exercise has helped me alot too - builds strength and helps with endurance. Even walking can up your metabolism and stamina.
Hope you can find that balance somehow to maintain your postition as a teacher, and your physical and mental strength :)
-shell .
Are they within their rights because you are not officially dx'd? And, just probable? Still so, reasonable accommodations should provide you with anything you need - i.e., class hours (i.e., morning, afternoon, evening), etc.
Do you have any flexibility where class hours are concerned, or are they set each day? Asking this because if it were me, I'd prefer morning, though some do better mid day.
It's so personal, and only you know what you can handle. I find adjusting things at home prepares me better to work all day. And, I'm much better in the morning - evenings I run out of steam. Exercise has helped me alot too - builds strength and helps with endurance. Even walking can up your metabolism and stamina.
Hope you can find that balance somehow to maintain your postition as a teacher, and your physical and mental strength :)
-shell .
COMMUNITY LEADER
Hi Poppy,
I have a few ideas but depending on what year level you teach could make a lot of them unworkable, would you mind saying what you teach, so i can give you ideas that are more suited to your needs?
Cheers........JJ
I have a few ideas but depending on what year level you teach could make a lot of them unworkable, would you mind saying what you teach, so i can give you ideas that are more suited to your needs?
Cheers........JJ
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Ideas I've had that might get you thinking......
Firstly, I think its important for you to sit down and bullet point 'exactly' what problems you need to find a solution for or at least find aids for those problems that have no solution.
EG. If 'standing' in front of the class is a major part of your teaching method, then consider placing a tall stool where you predominantly stand, something that allows you can sit, have access to the white board and still be highly visible to the students. Being able to sit and conserve energy where ever possible, can help you last a lot longer.
Consider how much of the lesion could be transferred to paper or if available accessible to students electronically instead, it may require more lesson planning and organisation but it can dramatically cut down on what you need to do during the lesson. Again conserving physical and mental energy whilst allowing you to focus on the more pertinent sections of the lesson and it would also give you a cheat sheet if your having a cog fog day.
Consider if your subject, requires you to move from student to student or if you can encourage the students to come to you. One of the teachers i worked with broke his leg so he couldn't get around very well. He created a relaxed less formal environment in the classroom, where any student if they were needing help, could seek his attention in a comfortable and encouraging spot. It worked so well, the students preferring to go to him when they needed, that he didn't go back to what he use to do when he got back on two legs again.
Other things to consider is how much energy sustaining foods you eat, could high energy meals and snack foods between each lesson help? How much are you doing out side of work, if your not conserving energy before or after work it may have an add on effect and it maybe more of a problem for you than you are accounting for.
Food for thought..........JJ