a teacher's hours

[Deleted]

Today at lunch I talked with an acquaintance of mine that is a teacher. She has the summer off.  < GASP >

During the school year, her hours are normally 7:30 to 4:00.  < GASP >

I thought they worked 52 weeks a year and 12 hour days.

[Green Eyed Lady]

I have a close friend who is a teacher.  She works way more than 7:30 to 4:00.  Those hours are just the hours she has kids. She does her lesson planning, grading, etc., AFTER the kids are gone.  In addition, she is often on the phone with parents, attending extra-curricular meetings/practices/activities.  On a few days a year, she starts at 7:30 and ends her day when the last parent/teacher conference is over.  Those are scheduled in the evenings so that the parent doesn't have to miss work.  Her last conference day was over at 8:45, so I guess that was a 12 hour + day.

No.  She doesn't work in the summer.  But she doesn't get paid for working in the summer, either.  She opted to have her salary spread out over 12 months, but she is only paid to work 9 months (actually, it is a specified number of days but I don't know the exact amount).

[Deleted]

I guess the school district we live in gives the teachers a free hour each day to do grading, lesson planning, etc.

[Opti]

I thought they worked 52 weeks a year and 12 hour days.

Depends on the teacher, depends on the subject, but most teachers do some grading

and other work while not on the clock or physically at school. Some teach summer

school as well.

[Bob Ross]

Your acquaintance must teach at one of them thar public schools, where all they do is fingerpaint and everyone comes out Demmycrat.

[vonna]

People choose their careers for all kinds of reasons. For some, summers/time off that matches their kid's schedule is a huge draw.

Overall the teachers in my life have been good -- meaning, those that I had, and those that (so far) my kids have had -- I'm glad that many capable people choose teaching as a profession, and summers off just comes with the territory!

[Green Eyed Lady]

Jul 7, 2014 15:30:19 GMT -5 @bluester said:

I guess the school district we live in gives the teachers a free hour each day to do grading, lesson planning, etc.

I "think" they do for her, too.  Can't say for a certainty, but I'm guessing that is what she refers to as her work period.  However, she is an elementary school teacher and her work periods are basically when the kids are at recess.  In any event, one free hour isn't enough for her to get it all done.  She, oftentimes, schedules conferences for the parents who work 2nd or 3rd shift in that period.  In addition, she tells me that is the only time she can actually be out of her room for any length of time to copy worksheets, etc.  I'm getting the impression that she doesn't get an entire free hour each day to do her paperwork, but I could be wrong.  I'll have to question her more thoroughly.  I just know i wouldn't want her job.  The pay is crappy and the parents who always seems to know more than she does are crappier.

[Green Eyed Lady]

Jul 7, 2014 15:33:09 GMT -5 Bob Ross said:

Your acquaintance must teach at one of them thar public schools, where all they do is fingerpaint and everyone comes out Demmycrat.

Oh hell no.  They come out all crazy liberal - she did something seriously wrong.

[Nazgul Girl]

   Oh, I thought that we had covered how lazy teachers are in real life in many another thread.   Why start up anther one ?   My DD is teaching a summer class to a split of 2nd and 3rd graders this summer.   So much for her summer off.

[midjd]

I just know i wouldn't want her job. The pay is crappy and the parents who always seems to more than she does are crappier.

Not to mention the people who start sarcastic, bitter threads about how teachers don't really work 12-hour-days... 

It's not a job I would want, either, nor would I be good at it. I'm glad others are willing to do it.

[Phoenix84]

Jul 7, 2014 15:35:55 GMT -5 Green Eyed Lady said:

Jul 7, 2014 15:30:19 GMT -5 @bluester said:

I guess the school district we live in gives the teachers a free hour each day to do grading, lesson planning, etc.

I "think" they do for her, too.  Can't say for a certainty, but I'm guessing that is what she refers to as her work period.  However, she is an elementary school teacher and her work periods are basically when the kids are at recess.  In any event, one free hour isn't enough for her to get it all done.  She, oftentimes, schedules conferences for the parents who work 2nd or 3rd shift in that period.  In addition, she tells me that is the only time she can actually be out of her room for any length of time to copy worksheets, etc.  I'm getting the impression that she doesn't get an entire free hour each day to do her paperwork, but I could be wrong.  I'll have to question her more thoroughly.  I just know i wouldn't want her job.  The pay is crappy and the parents who always seems to know more than she does are crappier.

To be fair, I imagine the parents do know their kids better than the teach does.

[Deleted]

Jul 7, 2014 15:30:19 GMT -5 @bluester said:

I guess the school district we live in gives the teachers a free hour each day to do grading, lesson planning, etc.

And to attend IEP meetings, grade-level meetings, parent conferences, professional development, etc.

It's never enough time. That's why I agree to do Saturday School when it is available. I get paid to do four hours of supervision and grade/do lesson planning.

However, this is my last post in this thread. I'll be honest. This horse has been beaten to death so all I can conclude is that you enjoy beating dead horses. I'm reporting you to PETA immediately.

[vonna]

Jul 7, 2014 15:59:32 GMT -5 Phoenix84 said:

Jul 7, 2014 15:35:55 GMT -5 Green Eyed Lady said:

I "think" they do for her, too.  Can't say for a certainty, but I'm guessing that is what she refers to as her work period.  However, she is an elementary school teacher and her work periods are basically when the kids are at recess.  In any event, one free hour isn't enough for her to get it all done.  She, oftentimes, schedules conferences for the parents who work 2nd or 3rd shift in that period.  In addition, she tells me that is the only time she can actually be out of her room for any length of time to copy worksheets, etc.  I'm getting the impression that she doesn't get an entire free hour each day to do her paperwork, but I could be wrong.  I'll have to question her more thoroughly.  I just know i wouldn't want her job.  The pay is crappy and the parents who always seems to know more than she does are crappier.

To be fair, I imagine the parents do know their kids better than the teach does.

Parents don't know their kids in the context of the classroom, unless they are there!  Kids can act quite differently at home and at school.

[Phoenix84]

Some of it depends on the grade level, I'm sure. Some of it depends on the subject. I imagine doing lesson plans is time consuming, but once they're done they only need be updated. There's also grading, which can be time consuming as well. Many teachers are also coaches, which can add quite a bit of additional time during the seasons they coach.  Having to teach a full day of classes and then a couple hours of practice or having to attend a sporting event then going home to do all the paperwork makes for a pretty long day.  Also, many teachers host clubs and after school meetings, at least at the junior high/high school level.

On the other hand, I never understood the martyr attitude some teachers have. Overtime and long hours are common to a lot of professions. I have to work overtime, occasionally lots of it. It just comes with the territory of being a professional, and teachers are professionals.

[Chocolate Lover]

Jul 7, 2014 16:01:34 GMT -5 @southernsusana said:

Jul 7, 2014 15:30:19 GMT -5 @bluester said:

I guess the school district we live in gives the teachers a free hour each day to do grading, lesson planning, etc.

And to attend IEP meetings, grade-level meetings, parent conferences, professional development, etc.

It's never enough time. That's why I agree to do Saturday School when it is available. I get paid to do four hours of supervision and grade/do lesson planning.

However, this is my last post in this thread. I'll be honest. This horse has been beaten to death so all I can conclude is that you enjoy beating dead horses. I'm reporting you to PETA immediately.

Nothing at all to do with topic, but nice avatar!

[Green Eyed Lady]

Oh man.  I would suck so bad at that job.  First would be my total lack of ability to be tactful when someone is being stupid. 

Me:    Mrs. S?  We are having an issue with little Sally blurting out whatever comes into her head during class.
Her:    Well!  We ENCOURAGE little Sally to be creative and to think outside the box.
Me:    That is a good thing!  However, in the classroom setting where 22 other kids are trying to learn, her behavior is a distraction.
           Would it be possible to have a talk with little Sally about maybe seeing me after class with her very important suggestions?
Her:    I demand that you not attempt to QUASH little Sally's creative juices!  Your other children are mental midgets and Sally is an
          exceptional child and should be treated as such!
Me:    FOAD.
Boss:    You are fired.

[Tiny]

Jul 7, 2014 15:30:19 GMT -5 @bluester said:

I guess the school district we live in gives the teachers a free hour each day to do grading, lesson planning, etc.

Yep, but if you've got a class room with 25 to 30 kids - let's assume 25 kids.  Let's also assume that 10 minutes of that 60 minutes is "get settled/get stuff put away time.  So, the teacher can spend 2 minutes per paperwork per kid during that 50 minutes.   Not a whole lot of time. 

 

[hoops902]

::I thought they worked 52 weeks a year and 12 hour days. ::

They're just teachers, not SAHMs who work 54 different jobs and deserve an annual salary of $383 million if they were paid for each of them.

If we're gonna have a thread go up in flames, might as well fuel the fire.

[Deleted]

Jul 7, 2014 16:02:49 GMT -5 Phoenix84 said:

Some of it depends on the grade level, I'm sure. Some of it depends on the subject. I imagine doing lesson plans is time consuming, but once they're done they only need be updated. There's also grading, which can be time consuming as well. Many teachers are also coaches, which can add quite a bit of additional time during the seasons they coach.  Having to teach a full day of classes and then a couple hours of practice or having to attend a sporting event then going home to do all the paperwork makes for a pretty long day.  Also, many teachers host clubs and after school meetings, at least at the junior high/high school level.

On the other hand, I never understood the martyr attitude some teachers have. Overtime and long hours are common to a lot of professions. I have to work overtime, occasionally lots of it. It just comes with the territory of being a professional, and teachers are professionals.

Are teachers required to do extra-curricular activities such as coaching or clubs?

Where I live there are a maximum of 15 students per classroom. That is a requirement to get some sort of funding. That's good.

[Tennesseer]

Some teachers take summer jobs unrelated to teaching.

I do not begrudge teachers any time off. Dealing with other people's children 7-8 hours a day, 5 days a week for 9 months out of the year is quite a challenge, let alone dealing with the children's parents who believe their kids can do no wrong..

[greeniis10]

Jul 7, 2014 16:40:32 GMT -5 @bluester said:

Jul 7, 2014 16:02:49 GMT -5 Phoenix84 said:

Some of it depends on the grade level, I'm sure. Some of it depends on the subject. I imagine doing lesson plans is time consuming, but once they're done they only need be updated. There's also grading, which can be time consuming as well. Many teachers are also coaches, which can add quite a bit of additional time during the seasons they coach.  Having to teach a full day of classes and then a couple hours of practice or having to attend a sporting event then going home to do all the paperwork makes for a pretty long day.  Also, many teachers host clubs and after school meetings, at least at the junior high/high school level.

On the other hand, I never understood the martyr attitude some teachers have. Overtime and long hours are common to a lot of professions. I have to work overtime, occasionally lots of it. It just comes with the territory of being a professional, and teachers are professionals.

Are teachers required to do extra-curricular activities such as coaching or clubs?No, I don't think so, but thankfully some of them volunteer or else a lot of the programs would be eliminated since the schools can't afford to pay additional employees.

Where I live there are a maximum of 15 students per classroom. That is a requirement to get some sort of funding. That's good.Yeah, that IS good.  We have classrooms here with 30+ kids each.

[Tiny]

Jul 7, 2014 16:40:32 GMT -5 @bluester said:

Jul 7, 2014 16:02:49 GMT -5 Phoenix84 said:

Some of it depends on the grade level, I'm sure. Some of it depends on the subject. I imagine doing lesson plans is time consuming, but once they're done they only need be updated. There's also grading, which can be time consuming as well. Many teachers are also coaches, which can add quite a bit of additional time during the seasons they coach.  Having to teach a full day of classes and then a couple hours of practice or having to attend a sporting event then going home to do all the paperwork makes for a pretty long day.  Also, many teachers host clubs and after school meetings, at least at the junior high/high school level.

On the other hand, I never understood the martyr attitude some teachers have. Overtime and long hours are common to a lot of professions. I have to work overtime, occasionally lots of it. It just comes with the territory of being a professional, and teachers are professionals.

Are teachers required to do extra-curricular activities such as coaching or clubs?

Where I live there are a maximum of 15 students per classroom. That is a requirement to get some sort of funding. That's good.

I think it depends on the School District.   In my area, teachers get extra pay when they take on an extra curricular activity (coaching, clubs, or handling some in school program like dealing with Box Tops for education/Soup label stuff. )         

I think it may also depend on the how "political" things are within a school district (my local school district seems to have a very clique driven/Junior High Mentality amoung the teachers/administrators) - I know of other school districts where it's much more buisness like.  

Many of the teachers I know generally work thru the summer for extra money - teaching summer school, or some other school/teaching  related thing that earns money (one Math HS teacher spent 2 summers working with a group of teachers editing/reviewing a math text book/workbooks/etc that was to be published.)   
 

[kittensaver]

25 kids per class? That would have been heaven. When I worked/taught in a pretty hard-core inner city middle school in the early 80's, my smallest class was about 65; the largest was 90. It was physical education and the numbers were astronomical because of all the mandates about small class sizes in the "fundamentals." The district compensated for the mandates by laying off "non-core" teachers and allowing class sizes to blow up beyond ridiculous because no mandate on size existed for them. The art/theatre teacher had about 90 kids in her theatre class; the home ec teacher had 4-5 students working at every station instead of the space planned-for 2. The woodshop teacher had about 50 kids and for safety reasons only let one kid at a time work with only one tool at a time - while everyone else watched.

And then there were the endless meetings: IEP's, teacher conferences, parent conferences, teacher trainings, etc. And I was actually upset when the waves of layoffs came through! In retrospect I'm really glad I got out - - but I too have nothing but respect for teachers who tough it out. I don't know how they do it - I used to go home regularly with headaches. And I used to get stomach aches on Sunday night.

[Miss Tequila]

Jul 7, 2014 15:49:01 GMT -5 Nazgul Girl said:

   Oh, I thought that we had covered how lazy teachers are in real life in many another thread.   Why start up anther one ?   My DD is teaching a summer class to a split of 2nd and 3rd graders this summer.   So much for her summer off.

Is that her choice (extra money) or is she required to work the summer? We have summer school but is optional for teachers and they get paid extra to do it.

[Miss Tequila]

Jul 7, 2014 17:16:54 GMT -5 kittensaver said:

25 kids per class? That would have been heaven. When I worked/taught in a pretty hard-core inner city middle school in the early 80's, my smallest class was about 65; the largest was 90. It was physical education and the numbers were astronomical because of all the mandates about small class sizes in the "fundamentals." The district compensated for the mandates by laying off "non-core" teachers and allowing class sizes to blow up beyond ridiculous because no mandate on size existed for them. The art/theatre teacher had about 90 kids in her theatre class; the home ec teacher had 4-5 students working at every station instead of the space planned-for 2. The woodshop teacher had about 50 kids and for safety reasons only let one kid at a time work with only one tool at a time - while everyone else watched.

And then there were the endless meetings: IEP's, teacher conferences, parent conferences, teacher trainings, etc. And I was actually upset when the waves of layoffs came through! In retrospect I'm really glad I got out - - but I too have nothing but respect for teachers who tough it out. I don't know how they do it - I used to go home regularly with headaches. And I used to get stomach aches on Sunday night.

Our IEP meetings are held during class time with coverage in the room. I've never had an IEP meeting at night even though I've requested it (it isn't easy for me to leave work when I'm in the middle of deadlines).

[Deleted]

Jul 7, 2014 16:02:49 GMT -5 Phoenix84 said:

On the other hand, I never understood the martyr attitude some teachers have. Overtime and long hours are common to a lot of professions. I have to work overtime, occasionally lots of it. It just comes with the territory of being a professional, and teachers are professionals.

I wasn't going to comment but will.

Thank you for that comment, Phoenix. Because the subtext of Bluester's post was, "OMG! Do you know how few hours teachers work? And they get summers off as well!"

I am indeed a professional. By the way, summer is two months off in my district. So it isn't quite summers off these days.  It is hard to cram all the instructional days and professional development days into 9 months.

If you have the time, feel sorry for a new teacher.  I start July 31. They start three days earlier. Their first paycheck will be Sept. 30. Sure, they will get paid for 3 months after they leave the profession, but those are a tough first two months.  Many acquire credit card debt while they try to make it to their first paycheck.

It was only six weeks when I started 40 years ago.

[Tennesseer]

I wonder if bluester would allow her non-working during the summer months acquaintance to be in the same check-out line as her at the grocery store.

[tractor]

If you are not a teacher, or married to a teacher, you have no idea. It's 7:00 pm here, my wife arrived at work at 7:30 am and is still not home. When she does get home, she will be grading papers and working on IEPs until 1-2am. She does this every day.

Her official hours are 8-3:30pm. If you think they only work those hours, you live in a fantasy world.

[Miss Tequila]

Jul 7, 2014 17:43:49 GMT -5 @southernsusana said:

Jul 7, 2014 16:02:49 GMT -5 Phoenix84 said:

On the other hand, I never understood the martyr attitude some teachers have. Overtime and long hours are common to a lot of professions. I have to work overtime, occasionally lots of it. It just comes with the territory of being a professional, and teachers are professionals.

I wasn't going to comment but will.

Thank you for that comment, Phoenix. Because the subtext of Bluester's post was, "OMG! Do you know how few hours teachers work? And they get summers off as well!"

I am indeed a professional. By the way, summer is two months off in my district. So it isn't quite summers off these days.  It is hard to cram all the instructional days and professional development days into 9 months.

If you have the time, feel sorry for a new teacher.  I start July 31. They start three days earlier. Their first paycheck will be Sept. 30. Sure, they will get paid for 3 months after they leave the profession, but those are a tough first two months.  Many acquire credit card debt while they try to make it to their first paycheck.

It was only six weeks when I started 40 years ago.

I would take two months off a year...that isn't a knock towards teachers but honest. I work a minimum of 50 hour weeks and usually a lot more. I get 3 weeks vacation (though I have been so busy some years that I haven't been able to take them) and I think 7 or 8 holidays (this place is more generous as I get Christmas Eve and the day after thanksgiving off). I don't get spring break, Christmas break, etx.

I would respect teachers if they just owned how much time they actually get off compared to most professionals. I appreciate my real life friends who admit they spend their summers at the pool and don't feel guilt about it. But those that claim that they work more than me (mainly only on here) make me shake my head because I just don't believe it. Unless the teachers on my Facebook are the only ones who don't work 12 hour days and all summer long.

I never said teachers don't work hard. But own the awesome time off you all get instead of complaining about grading papers, making calls etc. I get stuck traveling internationally and blow entire weekends traveling...I'm salaried so I don't get paid extra. It is part of being a professional

[Miss Tequila]

Jul 7, 2014 18:14:48 GMT -5 tractor said:

If you are not a teacher, or married to a teacher, you have no idea. It's 7:00 pm here, my wife arrived at work at 7:30 am and is still not home. When she does get home, she will be grading papers and working on IEPs until 1-2am. She does this every day.

Her official hours are 8-3:30pm. If you think they only work those hours, you live in a fantasy world.

I mean this sincerely, if your wife works those kind if hours she is an exception. I have several teachers for neighbors and they are home by 3:30. I have Facebook friends that are teachers and none of them work the kind of hours your wife works. I get so annoyed by the "I hope we have a two hour delay because it counts as a full day" posts during the winter....