Any teachers out there with asthma?

I have a problem and I wonder if anyone is in the same position? I am a school teacher who has asthma. Unfortunately sometimes my asthma gets so bad I find it difficult going into school and especially trying to teach children. This has meant that I have had to take more than an average amount of days off school. As a result of this I am given grief by my head and I feel really guilty letting the children down. I am constantly reminded too that I am costing the school money as they have to find a supply teacher. Is there anybody else who has this problem? Is there anything I can do? Please help.

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Hi !

Im a teacher too, luckily my situation sounds a bit different from yours.

I work in secondary and have the most amazing support from my collegues. I think the fact my HOD and assistant HOD all have severe asthma too helps.

I often go into work during a bad attack and find get sent home, later that night HOD will call round and often tell me not to come in the next day.

don't know what i would have done withouht them !

You sound a very concious teacher and the school should be lucky about that, if you need time off you need time off-im sure it's a lot better not to be there than subject the pupils to watching you have an attack, which could be scarey for them.

Have you contacted your union? Im sure they would have some advice.

Not all schools are like this

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Hello, LovelyMissC -

I, too, am a teacher (in a boys' boarding school) but am in the lucky position (to date) of never having had to miss work due to asthma.( I'm hoping it will never happen, as we always cover internally, so colleagues miss their free lessons if one of us is absent.)

Presumably, your contract states clearly your rights & responsibilities re. illness/time off and you will have this in your favour. My first step would be to check my contract then see whether your union has any advice to offer.

While I can empathise with your desire not to let your children down, you won't be of much use to them unless you're feeling close to 100%, particularly given the exhausting nature of our job, so please don't feel pressurized by an unsympathetic headteacher.

I wonder whether any of the AUK material you can get sent from this site might help him/her understand a little about what you're dealing with?