Parents, please don’t ask me to stay after school and tutor your child.
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Anonymous
| Years ago I stayed after for 1-1.5 hours 3-4 days each week. Now I stay after school 1 hour once per week. A huge change is also how the school day is structured. Years ago students took classes all day long. Now they have a daily block built into the school day where they can go see teachers for help. This occurs every day and I am always available then. Many students come for help during the day. Barely any come after school. I’ve never met a teacher who does not want to help students. Now with my own family I’m no longer willing to stay after school frequently when they have other options. |
Anonymous
DP: The poster says that the teachers are available then. Many public teachers' contracts involve designated hours in which to offer out-of-class support--this teacher has 1 lunch and one afterschool for that purpose. It's not "personal" time--it's scheduled out of class help time. Many schools give flexibility on when to offer this --before school, during lunch, after school--usually two different times on two different days in order to reach a wider range of students. But it's part of the contract. In my own experience: some teachers offer more because they don't mind it. Other teachers communicate their available contracted times clearly and stick to them. Some teachers wish this wasn't part of their contract , don't establish regular times, and then feel put out when people want to use it because they forgot that was really a part of their jobs. It may or may not be the case for OP and others chiming in that this is part of their contracts. I've taught in multiple schools in two different districts in this area and it was always part of mine. And there were always teachers at the same school who didn't remember it was part of theirs. |
Anonymous
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I think it is clear from this thread that there are vastly different expectations for teacher availability out of class. Schools have different policies and parents remember the policy from when they were in school.
OP, the way to correct this is to figure out what your school requires and/or what you are willing to do and communicate that to parents and students. For next year, I suggest you include that information in your Back-to-school presentation so it is clear from the beginning of the year. Then if you get requests outside of that, you can simply refer the parent or student to the times that you are available. |
Anonymous
I’m well aware of my obligations and my contract hours. They are exactly what I said they are. I am not required to stay after school nor are most public school teachers. |
Anonymous
Most parents on this board view teachers as paid personal help for them and their child. I get parents asking will I tutor 1 hour a day after school for their kid with a B. The answer is NO. If you want that, you need Kumon or Khan academy. If *your kid* comes to me during study hall and asks for help, I help gladly. *A parent* trying to get free personal tutoring after school that cuts into my family time and personal life - no. Never. I’m a professional; if I wanted to tutor, I could do it off campus after school for $75 an hour. I do not choose to. Why on earth would I stay and do it for free when the kid doesn’t even want it but the parent does? Kids who want and need help manage to find us and contact us during the day at school. Their schedule literally builds in time to do this. Parents who want free tutoring expect an hour of individual after school help. Big difference. |
Anonymous
In part of every contract in FCPS is a clause that the school can add additional responsibilities to meet the needs of as safe and successful school. Teachers also have designated co-curricular responsibilities. Many, many schools encourage teachers to transfer one of your daily Professional Instructional Responsibility Periods (not your planning period) to a once a week out of school hours for student help. This is particularly true if your school doesn't have block scheduling and therefore sufficient times for students to seek help. They usually do not specify whether it has to be before or after and there is flexibility if you do not have the ability to offer this, but to pretend that staying after school is a ridiculous parent demand is disingenuous. If the parent said "tutor my child daily" sure--that's beyond acceptable. But OP revised it to be that they were just seeking after school help not actual tutoring. This is fairly normal and you should have a set and clear policy for when you offer out of class help. |
Anonymous
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Every FCPS middle school I've taught in has required teachers to stay after once per week for a length of time (one school was 90 minutes, one was 45, my current one is 75). They cannot require us to give up our lunch--we are given a duty free 30 minutes to eat and use the restroom.
I have zero problem helping kids who are trying and need help. I've stayed after school extra days or let them eat in my room or written them a late pass to PE to give them extra help. What drives me batty are the kids who screw around and refuse to pay attention in class, and then show up during lunch or on a different after school day requesting private tutoring. Sorry--tutoring/remediation is supposed to be in addition to class time, not a replacement for it. |
Anonymous
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When I taught high school my contract hours were 7-3. School was from 7:50-2:50. So providing after school tutoring would not be part of my contract hours/I would not be paid for it. I did, however, stay late one afternoon per week, sometimes more toward the end of the semester w exams coming up, to offer free (unpaid) after school tutoring. I also worked at least 3 hours each day at home w planning, grading, professional development, ongoing education to make myself a better teacher etc. that time I worked from home was also unpaid.
I understand lots of people work outside their contracted hours. But no one should be expected to work that much without pay. Just because it happens in many jobs doesn’t make it ok. |
Anonymous
| I haven't read through all the posts but I think the best compromise is to have ONE DAY before or after school when you offer help. Period. You can come that one day. If no one comes, you get work done. If they do, you have gone above and beyond. If they ask for another day, refer them back to the one day you can do it. This way you satisfy your urge to help without losing control over your time. |
Anonymous
Ok. Will you be picking up my kids or dropping them off at some before care for me so I can get to school early enough or stay late enough for the pare- I mean kids? Why do people think teachers have to be selfless martyrs? It’s a job. We are allowed to leave when it’s done and show up when it begins. Doesn’t make us bad either- makes us normal humans who won’t burn out in 4 years. |
Anonymous
Yes you are.. your contract say stay until 4:15. |
Anonymous
Where? Our HS ends at 3. |
Anonymous
| It’s possible that it’s part of the culture at your school or maybe the parent got this from a previous teacher and now expects it. I did this only once for a few months when a student requested it. I don’t think I will do it again because I have a hard enough time leaving by 5 (contract time ends at 4). I’m trying to better balance work and family now that I have kids, and that means saying no to additional commitments. |
Anonymous
Wow, did you know different districts have different bell schedules? |
Anonymous
And the last bell rings at 4:05. Meaning there is no requirement to say 1 hour after. That’s “let the buses clear out before you leave” contract hours. Hate to break it to you, we are not required to tutor after school no matter how badly you may wish we were. |