Wild horses in Heber
Spring Break – the week of extra naps, family time, adventures, and lesson planning. Wait, what?? Lesson planning? Grading papers? On Spring Break? Unfortunately, yes, this is the fate of many of us. One of my coworkers even joked with me as we walked out to our cars last week that she didn’t want to see me grading papers or lesson planning during our week off! Well, I can honestly report that I have at least waited until the end of the week to touch anything related to the classroom!
I love this latest trend push of teachers only grading papers and planning during contract hours. It sounds like such a great idea. I’ve been in the education world of one role or another for almost 20 years, but I have yet to figure out how to balance the contract hours with all the extra duties I am responsible for as well. As a mom, it adds an extra layer of responsibility to my already full plate. This push for teachers to only work during their contracted hours is a way to help administrators, legislators, and the public truly understand just how important a teacher’s time and value really is. Teachers have gotten the short end of the stick for far too long. They are required to hold multiple degrees, take on extra responsibilities, handle those “extra duties as assigned” without complaint, and have in-depth awareness of every student’s needs in addition to their daily classroom duties. Most people outside of the education world do not understand the stress that teachers truly have. I have people in my own family circle who do not understand why I have to work at home in the evenings so much!
In an ideal world of public education, we would focus on academics and curriculum for the sake of learning instead of state and district benchmark scores, classrooms of all grade levels would be capped at a reasonable and manageable size, each teacher would have their very own paraprofessional aide (woah – that’s a big dream!), each teacher would have a large budget to use for supplemental resources and field trips, and every classroom would be fully stocked (and restocked) with essential supplies. Wouldn’t that be a fabulous environment for all involved? That might actually help me balance my time better. I know you are wondering how supplemental resources would help me manage my time – it would mean less time I spend scrounging around trying to make concepts more engaging and interesting than what the assigned curriculum allows. Hands-on learning is just as important in social studies and reading or writing as it is in math and science. Trying to create engaging, hands-on activities for social studies takes a lot of time!! Sure, there are several sources online that I could purchase pre-made activities from, but that’s just more money out of my pocket. Granted, it would save me time, allowing me more time to focus on my personal family needs. See what I mean about this constant cycle of time balance?
So how did I spend my spring break? Prom dress shopping and a senior picture photo shoot with my daughter, a trip to the mountains with my mom where I promptly got my dad’s jeep full of mud (that I need to power-wash before sending it back to him), and staring out the cabin window at the wild horses wandering by. And, yes, I did some work towards the end of the week. Oh well. It’s what I do. Maybe one day I will find that dream position where I can utilize my skills in the education field without having to bring work home all week long. And maybe, just maybe, it will pay really well!!
Lynna Schiller
Lynna Schiller is currently teaching 7th grade Science at Cheatham Elementary in Laveen, Az. She has held many various roles in almost 20 years of education and has been in the LESD district for the last 8 years. While literacy has always been her priority, she has taken on several other grades and content areas including math and science. She began her secondary teaching adventure in the Phoenix Union High School District teaching 11th grade American Literature. She spent 6 years in a charter school in Avondale where she taught Sophomore English and Reading Skills and then joined the admin team as Instructional Coach and student advisor, testing coordinator, and part-time Assistant Principal (All at the same time! Ambitious? Exhausting!). After taking some time off to be Mom to her two daughters, she began working part-time in the Laveen District as an Instructional Associate using her knowledge and skills in literacy to work with students who fell far below grade level in reading; she enjoys working closely with other teachers to help struggling students find their own success. In leisurely times, she can be found curled up in her recliner with her stack of books, a cup of coffee, and her dog.
Comments 2
The school I student taught at gave English teachers two days a semester to “take off” to grade. I love the idea of being able to get all my grading done during my school day, but 140 essays take time, and holding me to the getting grade returned in a week makes only grading during my prep impossible. I try not to grade anything else outside of my contract hours, but those essays go home with me forever.
I so agree with you! I’m trying so hard to find that balance and not take work home on the weekends. I want to be present with my family since so many of my weeknights are taken up by required meetings, events, and writing lessons. I reach a point though where my grading has no other time to be done than on the weekends and I have to break my rule and work. I would love to have a day to just prep, plan, and grade!