Parents, please don’t ask me to stay after school and tutor your child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

But a child could have come in at 7 for extra help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it really your personal time? I don’t think teachers workday is done at the ringing of the last bell.

Oh yes it is. My contract hours end at 4:15 and I am DONE. Teachers who work hours after that for free are why we get paid crap. Of course they won’t raise our pay when martyrs will do it for free. I love my job but I am not a 24/7 employee and your kid’s essay is not more important than me spending time with my own children. When the bell rings, I’m off just like anyone else.

Why can’t you have them from 3 to 4

That is my last block of the day. I teach high school. I am in class at that time.

Where? Our HS ends at 3.

Wow, did you know different districts have different bell schedules?

I don’t know 1 that doesn’t have time before or after or during school time for extra help.

If it’s true teacher are unavailability it points to a huge problem in your school.

[Anonymous]

OP - If you stay after, designate ONE day to do so. And that's it.

At my last school (high school), we had an hour-long lunch - 30 for help, 30 for lunch. I would usually eat with the kids and spend more time with them, but that was my choice.

I didn't stay after.

[Anonymous]

Since when did arriving to work and leaving on time become a bad thing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Since when did arriving to work and leaving on time become a bad thing?

bad, bad teacher for not giving up a personal life to accommodate the system's "needs"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Since when did arriving to work and leaving on time become a bad thing?

bad, bad teacher for not giving up a personal life to accommodate the system's "needs"

But everyone is saying it's not personal life--for many counties it's designated contracted work time for 1 hour or less 1 day a week, there's just some teacher flexibility on what day/time to do it. It really isn't that bad of a deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

But a child could have come in at 7 for extra help.

They could have but i probably would have been in a meeting. We had meetings (IEPs, 504s, staff and dept meetings, etc) practically every morning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it really your personal time? I don’t think teachers workday is done at the ringing of the last bell.

Oh yes it is. My contract hours end at 4:15 and I am DONE. Teachers who work hours after that for free are why we get paid crap. Of course they won’t raise our pay when martyrs will do it for free. I love my job but I am not a 24/7 employee and your kid’s essay is not more important than me spending time with my own children. When the bell rings, I’m off just like anyone else.

Why can’t you have them from 3 to 4

That is my last block of the day. I teach high school. I am in class at that time.

Where? Our HS ends at 3.

That’s great. Different schools have different hours. Weird, huh?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

But a child could have come in at 7 for extra help.

They could have but i probably would have been in a meeting. We had meetings (IEPs, 504s, staff and dept meetings, etc) practically every morning.

Oh also, I never (not once) in 5 years of teaching had a student ask to come in the morning or just show up in the morning before school for extra help. If they asked for extra help at all (which was rare) they’d ask to come in during lunch or after school. More often I’d have parents email asking if their kid could come in and I’d tell them the kid could come on the designated day each week that I stayed late. Most of those kids never showed up. High school students and even middle school students overwhelmingly don’t listen to their parents about coming to the teacher for extra help. The ones who did come were usually good students who had been absent and wanted to catch up or just didn’t quite understand a concept; the kids who really needed that extra help never showed up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Huh? Teacher here. Staying til 4 was actually part of our contract for this reason. You're supposed to help the kids who are having trouble with the content material.

I also had to help kids who came during my lunch and free periods.

+ 1

I've never heard of teachers being allowed to say no to students who are coming to them for extra help after school. That's part of their job!!!

They're not supposed to leave at 2:30 when the last bell rings and students leave.

Yes we can. We have contract hours. They cannot require us to work beyond them. Your kids can come to us during their study hall or before school when we are more likely to be there. Staying after contract hours is NOT REQUIRED and to insist we do it for free is ludicrous. We are humans with lives and families of our own. Have your kid ask help during the day or pay for tutoring. Those are your options.

I think you are unaware that different schools have different contract policies. I think you may also want to review yours just in case before you assert your case so strongly.--teacher

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.

Yes you are.. your contract say stay until 4:15.

How do you know what someone else’s contract says? My contract hours are 7-3. School day starts at 7:50 and ends at 2:50. I am definitely NOT required to stay a minute past 3, though I often do as I prefer to get work done at school rather than at home.

[Anonymous]

I don’t know 1 that doesn’t have time before or after or during school time for extra help.

If it’s true teacher are unavailability it points to a huge problem in your school.




The problem is that I don’t get paid more. If I can pick up my kid at daycare by 4pm, I pay a discounted rate. I can barely afford daycare now so I need to get there by 4pm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I don’t know 1 that doesn’t have time before or after or during school time for extra help.

If it’s true teacher are unavailability it points to a huge problem in your school.

The problem is that I don’t get paid more. If I can pick up my kid at daycare by 4pm, I pay a discounted rate. I can barely afford daycare now so I need to get there by 4pm.

There ARE huge problems and teachers do not have time for things like extra tutoring...this is the case in pretty much every school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I always do it when asked because I would feel bitchy saying no, but I have to admit. I really resent it. That is my personal time, that I don’t get paid for and takes time away from my family. Plus I have hours and hours of work to do after school just to do the basics of my job. No one would dream of asking their attorney or accountant to stay after work and work with them for free. It’s really unfair for you to put teachers in that awkward place of either having to work for free and feel resentful, or feel bad for saying no.

Interesting. I have never heard of teachers refusing to help kids after school.

At back to school night teachers inform parents of their scheduled availability.

I also have never contacted a teacher with an assistance request. That's the student's responsibility.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Since when did arriving to work and leaving on time become a bad thing?

bad, bad teacher for not giving up a personal life to accommodate the system's "needs"

But everyone is saying it's not personal life--for many counties it's designated contracted work time for 1 hour or less 1 day a week, there's just some teacher flexibility on what day/time to do it. It really isn't that bad of a deal.

No “everyone” is not saying that. Plenty of us are saying extra time is NOT built into our contract hours and we are NOT working extra hours for free. That can be because we want to spend time with our families or have other things to do (plenty of my colleagues work a second job tutoring after school FOR MONEY from paying clients) or, because we are regular normal people, because we are simply not interested in doing more work for no extra money. My contract says I’m free to go when the last bell rings and I am happy to abide by that. And no I don’t feel bad that I’m not willing to burn myself out or sacrifice my personal time or give away my professional expertise for free because I leave when the workday is over.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it really your personal time? I don’t think teachers workday is done at the ringing of the last bell.

Oh yes it is. My contract hours end at 4:15 and I am DONE. Teachers who work hours after that for free are why we get paid crap. Of course they won’t raise our pay when martyrs will do it for free. I love my job but I am not a 24/7 employee and your kid’s essay is not more important than me spending time with my own children. When the bell rings, I’m off just like anyone else.

Why can’t you have them from 3 to 4

That is my last block of the day. I teach high school. I am in class at that time.

Where? Our HS ends at 3.

Wow, did you know different districts have different bell schedules?

I don’t know 1 that doesn’t have time before or after or during school time for extra help.

If it’s true teacher are unavailability it points to a huge problem in your school.

If I have time after school, it’s my time. Not your time. Pay a tutor.