Why don't teachers demand more planning time?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People are afraid of retribution from admin.

Even in some Right To Work districts such as those in VA [b]there may be school board policies that are meant to protect teacher planning time, but admin doesn't always adhere to them.[i] Look at FCPS for example. There are SB policies that specify how much planning time (collaborative vs. individual teacher directed) there should be each week but many administrators either don't know about them or choose to ignore. Ask HR and you'll get some vague response that leaves the policies open to interpretation.

This exactly. And teachers are justifiably worried about getting on their administrator's bad side if they do say something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How would that happen? There is a shortage of teachers and subs. The choice would be to lengthen the school day or shorten classes. The obvious solution would be to stop all meetings. Just yesterday I was told I could not say no to parent meeting requests. More come in than you can imagine just to touch base for students with no concerns and most are from freshman parents. There simply is not time to meet with parents during the day.

Teachers should use the teaching shortage as leverage for better work conditions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have you not been aware of all the teaching strikes around the country for this very thing? Do you expect to be held personally responsible for not single handedly changing everything that isn’t great about YOUR job?

I'm in Virginia. That doesn't happen here.

It could.

There are strength in numbers. Join your local of FEA or AFT. Email the school board. Inpmagine if every teacher and other staff collectively belonged to their local. You might not have collective bargaining but you could still be a force. Look at West Virginia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How would that happen? There is a shortage of teachers and subs. The choice would be to lengthen the school day or shorten classes. The obvious solution would be to stop all meetings. Just yesterday I was told I could not say no to parent meeting requests. More come in than you can imagine just to touch base for students with no concerns and most are from freshman parents. There simply is not time to meet with parents during the day.

Teachers should use the teaching shortage as leverage for better work conditions.

There is no teacher shortage. There are plenty of certified teachers who could teach but who have left the profession. There are no exit interviews in my district. They just don't care.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/petergreene/2019/09/05/we-need-to-stop-talking-about-the-teacher-shortage/#84dc0ff494c5

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have you not been aware of all the teaching strikes around the country for this very thing? Do you expect to be held personally responsible for not single handedly changing everything that isn’t great about YOUR job?

I'm in Virginia. That doesn't happen here.

It could.

There are strength in numbers. Join your local of FEA or AFT. Email the school board. Inpmagine if every teacher and other staff collectively belonged to their local. You might not have collective bargaining but you could still be a force. Look at West Virginia.

NO! They are counterproductive. I taught in a school district that had a strike. The only people that benefited were the union leaders and their backroom agreements. The losers? The kids and the teachers.

I taught in two systems--three schools. Every building rep I ever had was doing their best to defend poor teachers and avoid reasonable work. They were --with one exception--the worst teachers in the school. Overtime, I think I recall have around six building reps.

[Anonymous]

Because to do it right and give teachers enough time to do their job during work hours would be too expensive. To do it right, for every hour of teaching there should be an hour of non-teaching time to plan, grade and attend meetings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because to do it right and give teachers enough time to do their job during work hours would be too expensive. To do it right, for every hour of teaching there should be an hour of non-teaching time to plan, grade and attend meetings.

This. I taught overseas at international schools and in addition to special area classes once a day (50 minutes), we also have an additional 50 minutes when the students either went to ESOL or French (this was in Belgium). Plus we had a 45 minute duty free lunch and we would rotate lunch recess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a teacher and honestly wonder this myself. So many of my colleagues are sheep and just keep setting the precedent that they'll accept meeting after meeting during their planning time. Today we had a data chat scheduled during our lunch (supposed to be 30 minute duty free) and recess. I only stayed for half so that I could eat my lunch while completing some paperwork that was due today. I do always work through lunch (but on my own planning or admin work) because then I don't have to stay before or after school for 30 minutes longer than I have to.

I remember when I first started working as a teacher and I was so fearful of speaking out or doing something wrong and getting in trouble for it (like not attending a meeting scheduled during my lunch time). The fear is real because I did speak out and I went to the union about a few things and my principal found out and I was on her s**t list for a few years. I stayed under the radar for a while and now the things they take up our time with are so out of control that I can't just go along to get along. And I don't understand how more people don't feel this way as well and actually act on it instead of complaining to each other about it.

They're too scared to complain. This is why there needs to be a real teacher's union in all states.

Join. Make your voices heard. One person complaining here or there won’t make a difference. Collectively you can voice your concerns and make a difference. Of teachers are tired and not effectively planned for all they must accomplish then the students’ education will suffer. We aren’t necessarily talking about strikes or even complaining, but asking for the support that is needed to effectively do the job. People are talking about planning time that is filled up with meetings. In a PP there is an example of a policy regulation that apparently is not implemented in all schools. The school board may not even be aware of it, but if they start to hear from 20, 30, or 230 employees about it they will become aware.

Look at what your local is trying to do. If you like what you see, join. Ask how you can help. Look at this local for example: http://fcft.org/strongerfc
This campaign includes protecting teacher planning time as an issue. In FCPS if just two from every elementary spoke up or showed up at a SB meeting they would be hearing from about 280 staff members.

People have a choice. They can complain amongst themselves about something and nothing will change, or they can take it upon themselves to try to do something about it. It doesn’t have to be a strike. It doesn’t have to be mean spirited. Raise the awareness and work together for the betterment of everyone. It’s not a selfish thing to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What makes you think that teachers don't say anything?

Planning time is one of those things that is negotiated in union contracts, at least in union states. But there are lots of issues facing education, and this is just one of them.

Because I used to be a teacher. Teachers don't complain to administration. They just sit back and take it.

Why are you starting threads about what we as teachers do when you couldn’t hack it and left? Don’t worry about what we do or don’t do, it’s not your problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What makes you think that teachers don't say anything?

Planning time is one of those things that is negotiated in union contracts, at least in union states. But there are lots of issues facing education, and this is just one of them.

Because I used to be a teacher. Teachers don't complain to administration. They just sit back and take it.

Why are you starting threads about what we as teachers do when you couldn’t hack it and left? Don’t worry about what we do or don’t do, it’s not your problem.

I can see both sides of this. I’m a teacher and it frustrates me to know end the martyrs I work with. I am from the Northeast so I speak up when needed, but I feel like no one in Virginia wants to assert themselves.

Admin walks all over us because so many people make it easy. And when you speak up, as one of just a few people who do, there’s a target on your back. Our admin is manipulative and unethical. I wish the public knew.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What makes you think that teachers don't say anything?

Planning time is one of those things that is negotiated in union contracts, at least in union states. But there are lots of issues facing education, and this is just one of them.

Because I used to be a teacher. Teachers don't complain to administration. They just sit back and take it.

Why are you starting threads about what we as teachers do when you couldn’t hack it and left? Don’t worry about what we do or don’t do, it’s not your problem.

Maybe she retired?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What makes you think that teachers don't say anything?

Planning time is one of those things that is negotiated in union contracts, at least in union states. But there are lots of issues facing education, and this is just one of them.

Because I used to be a teacher. Teachers don't complain to administration. They just sit back and take it.

Why are you starting threads about what we as teachers do when you couldn’t hack it and left? Don’t worry about what we do or don’t do, it’s not your problem.

Maybe she retired?

Stopped to become a sahm. Always planned to return, but the idea of working 10+hour days depresses me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a teacher and honestly wonder this myself. So many of my colleagues are sheep and just keep setting the precedent that they'll accept meeting after meeting during their planning time. Today we had a data chat scheduled during our lunch (supposed to be 30 minute duty free) and recess. I only stayed for half so that I could eat my lunch while completing some paperwork that was due today. I do always work through lunch (but on my own planning or admin work) because then I don't have to stay before or after school for 30 minutes longer than I have to.

I remember when I first started working as a teacher and I was so fearful of speaking out or doing something wrong and getting in trouble for it (like not attending a meeting scheduled during my lunch time). The fear is real because I did speak out and I went to the union about a few things and my principal found out and I was on her s**t list for a few years. I stayed under the radar for a while and now the things they take up our time with are so out of control that I can't just go along to get along. And I don't understand how more people don't feel this way as well and actually act on it instead of complaining to each other about it.

They're too scared to complain. This is why there needs to be a real teacher's union in all states.

I agree with all of the above. Except. And that's a big word here. Except, school districts work within a budget. Staff can bargain for certain things in a contract, like more prep time, but then we have to give something else up. More prep time means schools have to hire more staff. So, say prep time reallllllllly matters to me and my union gets it for me district. The money spent on the additional staff to supervise and or teach kids while we have prep time means now, instead of 20 kids in a classroom, now we all move to 24 kids in a room. Or let's say we want more nurses and social workers. All good things for kids and, in the long run, staff. Now class sizes go up to 28. Perhaps we decide, no, we want our class sizes to cap at 24 again? Great! Now we pay 25% more for health insurance premiums and instead of a 3% raise a year, we get a 2% raise.

If my district can't or won't afford art supplies and curriculum, they ain't going to pay for more prep time.
Join. Make your voices heard. One person complaining here or there won’t make a difference. Collectively you can voice your concerns and make a difference. Of teachers are tired and not effectively planned for all they must accomplish then the students’ education will suffer. We aren’t necessarily talking about strikes or even complaining, but asking for the support that is needed to effectively do the job. People are talking about planning time that is filled up with meetings. In a PP there is an example of a policy regulation that apparently is not implemented in all schools. The school board may not even be aware of it, but if they start to hear from 20, 30, or 230 employees about it they will become aware.

Look at what your local is trying to do. If you like what you see, join. Ask how you can help. Look at this local for example: http://fcft.org/strongerfc
This campaign includes protecting teacher planning time as an issue. In FCPS if just two from every elementary spoke up or showed up at a SB meeting they would be hearing from about 280 staff members.

People have a choice. They can complain amongst themselves about something and nothing will change, or they can take it upon themselves to try to do something about it. It doesn’t have to be a strike. It doesn’t have to be mean spirited. Raise the awareness and work together for the betterment of everyone. It’s not a selfish thing to do.

[Anonymous]

I tried to reply above, but for some odd reason it quoted an earlier poster and put my words in the middle.

[Anonymous]

I don't demand anything anymore. When I first started out, I used to try and make cases for more time/supplies/money. Now, I just pretend to agree and do whatever the hell I was going to do in the first place.

All of my principals have been incredibly petty. Complain about planning time? They stand by the sign in sheet in the morning and note that you were a minute late. Complain about meetings running 90 minutes after school despite the contract limiting it to an hour? They move all the meetings to 6am. Complain about having 35 kids in a class? They make sure you teach three different preps next time around.

It's not worth it. I'm just biding my time until I find a job outside of the classroom.