You know what really burns my cookie? When people say that teachers
are just whining about wanting more money. We get Summer's off right?
And "random" holidays?
First of all. My contract hours (which is
hours I'm paid for) are from 6:50-2:01. Cake right? Well. Except today
when I went in at 6am and left at 4:30 (no overtime). Oh and tomorrow on those "random
days off" where I am going in to practice with my speech & debate
team. Oh and shoot. Speaking of speech & debate we have 2
tournaments this month, in a row. So I am spending from 2:30-9pm on
Friday and 7am to 9pm on Saturday at a high school with my students
while they compete.
Darn it, I forgot to mention lesson
planning. While my contract has me there from 6:50 to 2:01, school
actually runs from 7:00-1:25. So that 45 minutes of no class I'm
supposed to plan not just any lesson! But meaningful lessons filled with
metacognition, mastery of content, pre/post assessments, life skills
such as collaboration, honesty, punctuality. I'm supposed to never ask
recall questions (when did the Civil War happen), so I need to ask questions that really get my students
thinking and analyzing (Why did the Civil War happen?). And forget powerpoints/notes. That's what some
people call lazy teaching. Technology! Its the new way! Embrace the cell phone! Incorporate technology into your already beautiful lesson plans! Use the internet! Have them research! Oh no. The wifi and network went down. Sorry guys.
Oh and just in case you wanted to have a lazy
day, don't worry. An administrator will come in randomly and out of the
blue, sit in your class, ask students what they are learning, why they
are learning, and how will they know if they mastered it (yes, that
happened to me today in fact).
Remember those pre/post
assessments? I don't just put those in the gradebook, I have to run data
analysis. Did my students learn? Which questions did 160 students miss.
Why didn't they learn? Was it my lesson, or their attitude, or assembly
day? Data analysis? Easy! No wait. Use the data. Did they learn? No? They missed #3? Reteach it!
All of that "easy" stuff I just mentioned I also need to put in a folder/binder to turn in as "evidence" of my teaching as apart of my 3 formal evaluations that happen each year.
Oh that 45 minutes of no class freedom I mentioned? I also have 160 students
needing attention, asking questions, clarifying assignments, needing
extra help, and/or needing a person to talk to. Not to mention parent
teacher conferences, IEP/504 meetings, and going to the bathroom.
Calling in sick? Good luck! Talk about a crap shoot. Will the sub even
do the lesson plan? Maybe, maybe not. So all those "sick days" that
teachers have, more often than not don't get used because it's actually
harder to use a sick day and come back to who knows what in your
classroom then actually take a day off.
By the way. I still haven't graded papers yet.
Am I the only teacher who spends this much time at work or working at home evenings and weekends?? I am one of
many. To all my teachers out there who never became a teacher for the
money but would like to actually get paid, I raise my glass of water
(I'm off diet coke) to you in salute. We are all in this together
#HighSchoolMusical
So yes. Maybe we get 2 weeks for Christmas, a week in March, and 3
months in the summer. But unless you have a time turner circa Harry
Potter book 3... most summers are filled with lesson planning,
professional development, or working a 2nd job because we whine too much
about needing more money. And even if heaven forbid we take a vacation
that just furthers your opinion that we are spoiled. Furthermore, if you want to get really real, the only vacation I have taken in the 3 years I have been teaching is back home to Oregon to visit my family. Because I can't afford anything else that would cost a hotel room or food.
But yes. Let's raise minimum wage for McDonalds workers. They deserve it.
#MicDrop
In case you don't believe me: http://www.upworthy.com/the-real-number-of-hours-teachers-work-in-one-eye-opening-graphic-3
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