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Any teachers out there feel like bitching? Or telling me off?
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Anonymous
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I can't stand the term "teacher hours".
I'm mad that I thought summers, holidays, and weekends meant "family friendly". I'm furious that my 4 year old has ANOTHER fever and I'll be at the computer for the next three hours writing sub plans. I'm pissed that I'm too old to change my career. But mostly I'm upset that while I'm actually good at teaching, and love doing the actual delivery-of-instruction thing, I'm using energy being annoyed at all the other things we have to do. |
Anonymous
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It really stinks when your child is sick, and you have an unexpected disruption to your day. I know teaching is not a great job when you have to take an unplanned day off!
How long have you been teaching? You say you are to old to change careers, so I'm guessing a while? Do you not have a week's worth of emergency lesson plans "in the bag"? Or did you already use them up? If you are an experienced teacher, I'd assume you already have them. But spending three hours on lesson plans seems like a lot. Do you really need to do that much work to personalize them? Anyhow, I'm sorry for you, and hope your kid gets better soon! I'm a SAHM right now but a former teacher, and hope to go back to work next year; my biggest worry is how to deal with the sick-kid factor. |
Anonymous
| Hugs to you OP. Being a teacher in this time is hard - there is a lot of administrative work that takes hours outside of direct classroom time. Doubly hard when you have a little one. if you can, do something nice for yourself tomorrow when you are home with your sick DC. |
Anonymous
| OP, sorry about that, but it happens to all of us. I will not tell my profession, but where I work, if I take time off for a sick child, I get fired. When dd was in the ICU, I was at work 16 hours a day. Please count your blessings. |
Anonymous
| It sucks but it could be worse. YOu could be a lawyer--but not a big firm lawyer. (Ie: not making the money but working the hours) |
Anonymous
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I'm not a teacher but "admin" work is part of every job and it sucks. But you have to do it.
As the parent of a child with ADHD, I can't tell you how much I appreciate the good teachers my first grader has had - and you sound like one of them. I help out where I can, send in supplies, send more money than asked for for field trips, etc. because I know you don't get the respect that you deserve and that some parents don't have the resources I have to contribute. I know that every little bit helps. I wish I could do more. Please know that for every negative parent or annoying paperwork you have to deal with, there are lots of parents who are very grateful you are their child's teacher. Thank you. |
Anonymous
Every job has the "other c**p" that is not the core function. Any doctor will complain about the administrative burden, any software developer will talk about endless meetings in conference room taking them away from their real job, anyone with a blackberry will tell you how off hours aren't really off hours. Sorry that you are having a rough day. But don't lose heart with your profession. All professions have their 30% to 35% nonproductive garbage and unstated extra commitments. The key is you love the part that is teaching. Some people don't even have that in their careers. |
Anonymous
I bet you can get to the bathroom to pee when you need to. |
Anonymous
That would be me. I work 40 hours/week, which is "part time" in my world. |
Anonymous
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OP, former teacher here. Three hours to write sub plans sounds right to me. I appreciate the PP's suggestion of emergency lesson plans, but if you teach secondary, the generic sub plan doesn't work so well.
Please say you're keeping good plans, logs, materials. Make the this year's investment count toward an easier next year, so the admin burden doesn't weigh so heavily and you can spend more time with your child. Take advantage of the predictability, the lack of moving parts, the fact that you don't need to answer hundreds of emails per day. I hope you have some good colleagues, who can count on you, and whom you can turn to in turn. |
Anonymous
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I totally feel the same. I am a PT teacher and my hours were counted to the minute so I can get pay accordingly not a cent more! however, I have to go to work during days I am not supposed to for meetings, during weekends for Open Houses (is mandatory), or swap days (Tuesdays become Fridays for instance).
As a teacher you are supposed to expect working extra hours to plan lessons and document your teaching plan I do not mind that but asking me to go to non-teaching related events when I am not a FT teacher is too much. |
Anonymous
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FWIW, I think teachers who are mothers MAY feel more guilty than other working mothers. Just a personal (and biased) theory. Maybe it's the love of kids thing. Maybe it's the fact that when we're with our biological children, we're thinking about our students. And when we're with our students, we're thinking of our own. It's hard to give one group of kids 100% when they compete without knowing it.
I'm a teacher in a low income area. No, I don't have to answer emails from parents - they have 2 and 3 jobs that I wouldn't trade mine in for - but I have to answer plenty about what I'm doing to make sure all my students meet benchmark. Today I forgot to make my 6 month-old's checkup appointment, and was late to a committee meeting. In trying to think of the things I did right, I'm not as impressed as I am disappointed with the other stuff. I have totally forgotten my point. Anyway - hang in there. Maybe one day NCLB will be done. Or maybe you'll get one of the coveted non-classroom-based jobs. Ahhhh. I'll think that way too. 
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Anonymous
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My mom was a teacher, and I always thought she had it so easy - until I got older and realized how hard her job was. I remember the weeks she was on a diet and was suppose to drink 64 ounces of water a day, but wasn't allowed to pee. Not to mention, when she started to bring in water in a cooler, all her kids wanted some, so I think she lugged a huge 5 gallon container and dixie cups to school each day.
I remember the day I realized, sure she has summer off, but her taking one single day off in the middle of the school year is a HUGE deal. I remember her grading tests and papers until late at night. And the feet - I cannot imagine being on my feet that long. And having so very little privacy. Sure I just have a cubicle, but at least a roomful of kids isn't staring at me! |
Anonymous
| Former teacher here: I gave it all up for an admin work that I leave at the office. Pay isn't as good, I definitely don't get the summers off, but no guilt or hours of prep if I have to take a day off for a sick child. My sanity from day-to-day has been saved and I like the low-stress job. |
Anonymous
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OP It's never too late to change careers.
I'm a teacher attending nursing school and there's a 60 yo lady in my class. She's an example for all of us. |