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Anonymous wrote:there aren't even that many slots. my kid's english teacher posted 2.5 hours worth of slots and he must have at least 4 sections of 28 kids each...they're all full.
If they're full, you should contact the teacher for a slot. The teacher should be there long enough (on that day or a different day) to meet anyone who wants a meeting. If you need more than 5 or so minutes, you can ask for a real meeting time. (If the teacher is playing games by doing as you describe, they deserve to have people request longer meetings on various and sundry dates.)
Sometimes it's not feasible for teachers to meet with all parents. What if the teacher has 100 plus students? This is why we have Synergy, Interims, report cards, etc. Not every parent/student nerds a conference.
That’s true but my kids’ middle school has 2.5 hours of slots of 10 minutes each (8 minutes for parent + 2 minutes for teacher to regroup.) that’s 150 minutes or 15 kids per middle school teacher-it’s no wonder there aren’t enough slots to go around. And no it’s not ok to not meet with all the parents who want to meet. These are half days so the teachers can do PT conferences.
Teacher here. I was just reading a thread on the “jobs and careers” board. Professionals were in agreement that people shouldn’t work over their contracted hours if they aren’t being compensated.
But a teacher? Teachers are expected to sacrifice as much of their own time as necessary.
Let’s talk conferences. At my school, I was given one day for conferences at 15 minute intervals. (I received a 30 minute break mid-day.) Overall, I was able to meet with 20 parents that day out of 104. That’s all the time my school provided.
So all the extra conference requests are happening on my own time in the afternoons and evenings, on top of my 60 hours I already work a week.
I long for a job where my work/life balance is respected.
Many professionals who are exempt work over the hours they are technically required to work. At my nonprofit 60+ hour weeks are typical, and the pay is mediocre. People do it because they are committed to the mission.
And it’s not okay at your nonprofit, either. Why are you comfortable working at a place that demands so much of your time? I am no longer willing to sacrifice my own family or wellbeing for “the mission.”
Teaching is merely a job, and it is no longer getting all my nights and weekends.
It’s the reality of being a professional in an exempt position.
And it's a reality I'm rejecting.
If you list essential tasks in my contract and provide absolutely no time during the work day to get them done, then I no longer will accept that.
I'm pushing back on the requirement that 50% of my job has to be done on my own time. This is why teachers are regularly taken advantage of. I've been at this for 20 years, and I'm comfortable saying I am responsible for 3x the workload I used to have. The list of tasks keeps growing, too, because teachers aren't pushing back. Sure, we're quitting in record numbers. But those of us who remain need to refuse to work around the clock.
And yes, this relates to conferences, as well. If I'm provided time to meet with 15 parents, then that's all I can do. I'm no longer giving up my own time for the district's shortcomings. This is the only way to avoid teacher burnout.
Then it sounds like you need a new job. I'm not saying that judgmentally--maybe if you switch to a private school they give time for all that. But that's not the reality of public schools these days.
And that’s not acceptable. It is absolutely not acceptable that most planning, grading, email responses, and even *meetings* have to happen in the evenings and on weekends.
The teacher shortage exists primarily because of workload, not pay. The workload must be addressed, or people will continue fleeing the profession.
Why should teachers simply accept that 7-day weeks are the norm?
What other choice do you have? You can scream that things should be different, or accept them as they are and move on. You could work for a private school, presumably for less pay/benefits (no union), and likely have more time for planning and smaller class sizes. But there is a reason that public schools pay more, and it is a tradeoff. Working conditions are not as good.
I can accept things as they are, or we can fix it. Fixing it also fixes most things people complain about on DCUM. If teachers have more planning time, they can:
1. Grade papers faster, updating grade books faster
2. Provide more meaningful lessons, relying on technology less
3. Respond to parent emails faster, meaning we can have regular contact with families instead of just one PT conference
4. Prepare more thoroughly for students’ individual accommodations
And this would help with hiring and teacher retention, so there would be fewer rotating doors of subs. All of this hinges on planning time.
Or we can, as you say, just stay silent or quit. And so the shortage gets worse and DCUM continues complaining about stuff teachers don’t have time to do.
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