Teachers have been taking a pounding lately, as states across the country continue to make difficult budget decisions in the face of serious financial shortfalls.
In these discussions, we see a number of myths about teachers being propagated. Over the next few days, we’d like to explore some of these myths.
Today’s Myth:
Teachers work less than eight hours a day.
At a gathering of parents recently, I was stunned to hear a parent say, “It’s not like teachers have it that hard. They get to leave by 3 every day and they have time during the day when they aren’t even TEACHING. And they have summers off. How hard can it really be?”
But when you look at the average teacher’s official work assignment, you see that they are scheduled to be at work for at least eight hours a day, usually arriving at least 30 to 45 minutes before school starts and staying at least 30 to 45 minutes after students have departed.
Most teachers do, indeed, have a planning period of at least 45 minutes to an hour. But that time is often spent communicating with parents through face-to-face meetings, phone calls, emails and other avenues. Teachers also have a tremendous amount of paperwork to handle, and that amount of paperwork is continuing to grow as the federal government gets more and more involved in public education through No Child Left Behind.
With all of these responsibilities, little time is left to do things like handle grades, plan for the next day, organize their rooms or get together needed materials, such as photocopies of assignments, readings, tests, etc.
For this reason, it is not uncommon for many teachers to get to school at 7 a.m. and then stay at school until at least 4:30 or 5 p.m. – and that is generally with little or no time to truly relax and eat lunch.
The reality is, most teachers work at least 10 hours a day, including many hours at home at night, on the weekends and yes, even during those summer months.
It is true that some cuts to education are likely inevitable during such difficult economic times.
But at the same time, we should be careful not to fall into the trap of demonizing teachers, simply so we can salve our collective consciences as those cuts are made.
Teachers work – just as hard, and probably harder than most of us. Their work is important and should never be minimalized.
Dr. Gilmore,
ReplyDeleteAs one of your former students and also a current teacher, I thank you for bringing truth to the myth that "teachers have it easy." In my current teaching position I am with the students almost 100% of the day. I act as yard duty and supervise students during all recesses and even during lunch. I do not have a separate lunch like many teachers may have. I eat my lunch with my students and supervise them at the same time. I am often at school until 4:30 pm or 5:00 pm preparing for the next day and then I go home to prepare dinner, help my child with homework, and then grade papers and plan lessons until about 10:00 pm or later. I really appreciate your understanding and support for speaking on behalf of all teachers and educators. This job is not easy, it is time consuming, requires a great deal of thought, preparation and personal sacrifice, but for many of us it is our passion and we remain dedicated. Thank you.
Wow! Thanks for stopping by and sharing your story. We need to hear more voices from the field. Teaching is an incredibly difficult and rewarding profession... Keep pursuing your passion. :)
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