how many hours a week do you put in as a teacher?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:60 hours a week x 38 weeks = 2280 hours per year.

40 hours a week x 52 weeks = 2080 hours per year.

A full time year round employee who works 44 hours a week works the same amount as a teacher. Most professionals I know work this and then some. I get the exhaustion that comes from long days with other people's children, but the amount of complaining is really unwarranted.

Most professionals I know make way more money than teachers do, as in twice or even three times more than the average teacher. OP at 65,000 makes more than most teachers I know. The average among the teachers I know is more like 50-55,000 and most of those have 5+ years experience and advanced degrees as well. You could (possibly) be correct that, over the course of the year, other professionals may put in more hours than teachers do but it is nowhere near 2-3x more hours spent working to make the pay at all comparable. Not a fair comparison. Teachers are woefully underpaid.

Ok, I agree that teaching sucks, but Prince William County starts beginning teachers at $50,000. We win no points by exaggerating things. There's plenty to legitimately complain about.

Thought I would check. Prince William County starting teacher pay for 2017 was $47,724. After 4 years that can increase to $50,100. Teachers with 6-8 years experience would be at $51,000

Add a masters and 5 years and you are making the big money - $55,792

[Anonymous]

There are a handful of weeks that are 60+ - end of semesters, prep at the beginning of the year. But most weeks are straight 40 hours - 7:30 to 4 with a half hour lunch. Kids are in 7:55 - 2:45. I see a lot of teachers that waste that extra hour and a half, chit chat with other teachers, get coffee in the morning, or leave when the kids do and then complain about how much work they take home. It takes longer to get work done at home because of all the distractions. A focused hour in my classroom is equivalent to about 2 at home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Do you all have MDs or PhDs?
My husband and I work as research scientists and some of our colleagues work 60-80+ hours in their lab.
Salaries range from 40K as post-docs to 100K for senior scientists, sometimes a little more for specialties.
Considering the years needed to get their diplomas, the rigors of their study and profession, I think they are truly underpaid for what they do: research on cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's, and all the rest of it.

I have worked with most of the 16 teachers on my hallway for 5 or more years. We post our academic credential outside of our doors because we are an AVID school.

So yesterday I walked the hallway at the end of the school day and did a running count. On my hallway of 16 teachers we have: 3 teachers with PhDs (2 with Master's), 5 teachers with two or more Master's plus additional endorsements (requiring university training usually about 1/2 of a Master's credits), 4 teachers with one Master's plus additional academic endorsements, and 4 teachers with one Master's.

To some extent, just measuring for doctorates can be like comparing apples and oranges since there is no financial or job placement benefit for a doctorate in teaching while additional endorsements allow the teacher fluidity across subject areas or grade levels. I, for example, have two additional endorsements (each was attained with five or six university courses plus practicums) and three Master's degrees. My first Master's was in my former profession, the additional two Master's are related to education/subject matter, and the two endorsements had options of going for Master's but I didn't see any benefit of that so I just completed the endorsement requirements.

None of the teachers on my hallway earns more than $80k and 75% are in the $40-50k range. One of the teachers says that her goal is to some day hit $60k. Estimating based on how long I see most of us in our classrooms before and after school, I think most of us work 60-75 hours a week. Look at the education degrees and think about the salaries. This is a very educated group of people working a lot of hours for a small amount of money.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I teach first grade. It doesn't help that we're piloting a new math program and a new science program. (Hours of additional work this year) It also doesn't help that I have a new colleague on my team who is a first year teacher and she needs a LOT of support, which means a lot of my time. I want to do this for her because this job is hard enough....we need each other to make it. And I take the view that all the kids in my school are my kids. Whether or not they are in my classroom, it is still my responsibility to do things that help the entire school. By helping her survive the first year, I help her kids. By running clubs, I help the whole school. I do understand the "I don't do extra work without pay" idea, it just isn't sustainable for me. First, my district would fire anyone who didn't do the extras. It is just expected as part of the salary. Second, I went into this to help bridge the gap for kids. I do that every day. It's just hard.

I did sit down with a colleague and decided to drop one committee yesterday. And I know I'm going to get asked to do another one soon and I'm prepared to say no. I also did join Angela Watson's club to save time....we'll see how that goes long term.

I would apologize to people who don't like it when teachers complain, but I'm not sorry. No one is required to read a thread on a random website. Don't like it? Don't read it. All professions complain. Have you read the jobs board above?

[Anonymous]

I arrive at my elementary school at 8:30 for a 9:00 am start. I stay until around 6:30. Plus I spend many, many hours of my weekend planning.

[Anonymous]

I'm a new teacher (Career Switcher) and they keep piling on meetings and PD to my schedule outside of contract hours without giving me more planning time. How they get away with this is beyond me, but I notice that the ones who pile on all these meetings and PD -- much of it filled with useless fluff, btw -- literally have no family or life outside their careers.

[Anonymous]

So far, every meeting and PD I've attended - the first 30 minutes is wasted with ice breaker activities. I ALREADY KNOW EVERYONE, FOR GOODNESS SAKES!!

[Anonymous]

My brother is an assistant district attorney and works about 60 hours a week, makes 42k a year with 3 weeks of vacation. Stop the fucking whining and martyr trope. It. Is. So. Old.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:60 hours a week x 38 weeks = 2280 hours per year.

40 hours a week x 52 weeks = 2080 hours per year.

A full time year round employee who works 44 hours a week works the same amount as a teacher. Most professionals I know work this and then some. I get the exhaustion that comes from long days with other people's children, but the amount of complaining is really unwarranted.

How many professionals work 52 weeks a year? Most people get some kind of vacation time. And most professionals earn considerably more than teachers.

Teachers need to realize that the average HOUSEHOLD income in the US is $59k. So this whole boo hoo complaining about being underpaid at $65k is completely unfounded. Especially when you throw in 10 weeks vacation. Grow up or change professions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a new teacher (Career Switcher) and they keep piling on meetings and PD to my schedule outside of contract hours without giving me more planning time. How they get away with this is beyond me, but I notice that the ones who pile on all these meetings and PD -- much of it filled with useless fluff, btw -- literally have no family or life outside their careers.

Welcome to teaching!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My brother is an assistant district attorney and works about 60 hours a week, makes 42k a year with 3 weeks of vacation. Stop the fucking whining and martyr trope. It. Is. So. Old.

You sound bitter. Bad student, most likely (regardless of how many degrees you bought).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:60 hours a week x 38 weeks = 2280 hours per year.

40 hours a week x 52 weeks = 2080 hours per year.

A full time year round employee who works 44 hours a week works the same amount as a teacher. Most professionals I know work this and then some. I get the exhaustion that comes from long days with other people's children, but the amount of complaining is really unwarranted.

How many professionals work 52 weeks a year? Most people get some kind of vacation time. And most professionals earn considerably more than teachers.

Teachers need to realize that the average HOUSEHOLD income in the US is $59k. So this whole boo hoo complaining about being underpaid at $65k is completely unfounded. Especially when you throw in 10 weeks vacation. Grow up or change professions.

If teaching is so well paid with so much time off, why aren't you one?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:60 hours a week x 38 weeks = 2280 hours per year.

40 hours a week x 52 weeks = 2080 hours per year.

A full time year round employee who works 44 hours a week works the same amount as a teacher. Most professionals I know work this and then some. I get the exhaustion that comes from long days with other people's children, but the amount of complaining is really unwarranted.

How many professionals work 52 weeks a year? Most people get some kind of vacation time. And most professionals earn considerably more than teachers.

Teachers need to realize that the average HOUSEHOLD income in the US is $59k. So this whole boo hoo complaining about being underpaid at $65k is completely unfounded. Especially when you throw in 10 weeks vacation. Grow up or change professions.

If teaching is so well paid with so much time off, why aren't you one?

I would rather gouge my eyes out with a fire poker than work around petulant whiny self claimed victims.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Teachers need to realize that the average HOUSEHOLD income in the US is $59k. So this whole boo hoo complaining about being underpaid at $65k is completely unfounded. Especially when you throw in 10 weeks vacation. Grow up or change professions. [/quote

But that includes people with no high school or college degree, right? Blue collar jobs?

What's the average HOUSEHOLD income for people who have earned a masters degree?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP-65K is my pay with a graduate degree and 25 years experience. But it isn't really a money issue for me. It is the time. I love my children (the ones at home, though I do love the ones at school too) and it isn't right for me to be gone so many hours a week. My children are teens and they need me. And I love my spouse and I don't like being busy and not able to engage with him often. I also want to have a life outside of work. Exercise, fun, friends, you know?

This is my 25th year also. Where do you work? That seems low with 25 years, but then again it might not be depending on where you are located.

As far as hours I'd say I average about 50/week through the school year.