my innocent question became drama????

jtbmommy · January 2009

I posted earlier asking how teachers get all their work done. All I wanted was to see how others got everything maybe there were some organizational tips to help. Sometimes I feel behind at school (planing copying, grading,etc) and behind in housework but torn because I want to spend time with ds. I did vent that teachers do work a lot at home and after hours (not that other jobs don't). But more because I feel there is ALWAYS something I should be doing for class/school.

I said others don't realize how many hours teachers work because so mnay people thta I know stress how easy teaching must be. If I hear "Oh you've taught 10 yeras you must have all your ;plans done" one more time... Each year is a new year, new class, and in my district some sort of new program, curriculum, expectation,

I know other professions work hard. There have been weeks dh works 80-90 hours or worked late till 2 in the am everynight becasue he had to have conference calls with offshore teams on the otherside of the world.

oparcm · January 2009

Well as a fellow teacher I thought your post had some reasonable questions. It didn't seem like you were complaining but more of how to organize it all. I've been teaching for 17 years and I hear so many comments about having summers and vacations off. Blah, blah, blah. At first I felt like I had to defend myself. Now, I'm not so nice in my response. But if anyone thinks that teaching is a breeze, I'll step aside and let them wear my shoes for a week or so. Then see what they say. BTW, I'm a special education teacher. To those who don't think we work hard, try it. TRY IT.

jtbmommy · January 2009

oparcm-

That's exactly what I wanted- organizational tips- I feel behind and wnat to pick up ds asap after school without feeling like I have a ton of things on my to do list!

mags2041 · January 2009

Trust me, I know how hard it must be for teachers to organize their time. MH is a teacher, head basketball coach, JV baseball coach and sponsors a club. He manages to get most of his lesson plans & grading done during his planning hour, but still is at some sort of practice, game or meeting until late in the evening and has practice on Sat mornings too. Doesn't help that I work tons and travel for work a lot. Its a struggle sometimes.

oparcm · January 2009

I can tell what I do to help cut down some time at home (although I still usually work at home every night after dd goes to bed). I go in an hour early because dd is better in the morning and more tired in the afternoon. I changed schools in my district to be less than a mile from dd's preschool. That alone cut out an hour of travel per day. I don't take a break during the day and I work while I eat. We get 1 1/2 hrs of planning time per week and I use every minute. I also bought my own laptop so that I can pull it out at any point and work on it (we have to share 1 computer at school for 4 teachers). I also try to keep on top of everything and not let it pile up. But it is still hard.

JOEBunny · January 2009

My hat is off to you. No way would I be a teacher. Other peoples annoying kids, annoying parents, and not enough pay to afford the assistance at home that I would want if I worked.

I didn't read the orginal post, but I can imagine how people feel the need to tell you how slighted they feel because you think you work hard :-)

oparcm · January 2009

Thanks Joebunny

The other post was about working 6 hrs per day. I'd love to work in the district that works 6 per day. We are required to work way longer than 6 hrs per day. Lol. 6 hours.

BrainySmurfette · January 2009

I let the housework slide, and I prioritize the work for school. Usually this is #1 planning, #2 copying, #3 grading. Some stuff doesn't get done as well as it could (mostly the grading and housework). I usually stay an extra hour after school, too.

luckyluvr · January 2009

I'm fortunate to work in a district where our contract mandates we are there 10 minutes before the start of the day (so by 7:50), and though many teachers don't realize it b/c they don't bother to read the union docs., we are only required to be there until students leave (2:36). Our principal is entitled to 1 staff meeting after school per month. We do have morning duty every 6 weeks, where we have to be there by 7:30, but our mandated work day is just over 6 hours. At the hs level, I've found it quite easy to get out of there with the kids and not take work home. For me it's a matter of efficiency. Rather than glare at every kid during a test, I'll grade essays in front of the room or use a clip board and walk. This works only after you've established that you'll catch them if they cheat. I have TA's I can assign easy grading (mult. choice or easy to grade work). They do all of my grade recording. I use my prep. to enter grades on the computer, copies, etc. I do my lesson plans during any free time (prep., lunch...) over a few weeks, so I end up w/ my next quarter's lessons finished in advance. I still have to create docs. at home or prep. PP occasionally, but teaching the same subject w/ the same text for several years has its perks. I also teach a subject that doesn't usually call for a lot of extra help, like math or sci. does, so I don't have kids in after school often, if ever. It's not to say that my day is easier b/c of this, it's just that I tend to take care of the "extra" stuff during the day and in advance so I don't have to take it home.

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