A common trend that seems to be growing in education today is the reflection that teachers workloads are nothing like what they were 50 years ago. Are our teachers over-worked? It seems that many teachers think so.
50 years ago, a teacher had a responsibility to teach the academic basics. For the most part, that was it. Today, other than teaching, our teachers are increasingly becoming coaches, counsellors, moral compasses and in some cases, even taking on the role of a parent. All of this stuff takes extra time, and in some cases, extra activities are not even voluntary. In some divisions, teachers are REQUIRED to take part in extra-curriculars. So add these extra hours on top of regular class and prep time, and teachers are working far more than a 40 hour work week.
The prep time that teachers need has increased over the years as well. Class sizes are increasing and differentiating instruction is becoming the trend. Teachers are expected to tailor lessons to each individual student, so as to give them the best education possible, but that takes extra time as well. No longer is the same lesson for everyone good enough. I think that the amount of areas teachers are expected to teach in is increasing too. As stated earlier, we no longer just teach the basics, we are expected to teach the child as a whole, and this is a huge responsibility. Add things like ICT, EAL, Reading Recovery, Sustainable Development etc. to the list on top of academics and social skills, and it would seem that the accusation is true. Teachers ARE over-worked. They do the job of several in a work day fit for one.
Now there are many people that will say teachers have it slack. They get the whole summer off right? And they make fairly good money. What people dont realize is that although teachers do get the summers off, most of them still spend a good chunk of the holiday preparing for the next year. On top of that, it is also a proven fact that many teachers spend money out of their own pocket on school supplies, not to mention the the various PDs they attend. There are budgets to cover PD expenses usually, but each teacher is only alloted so much. Once that is spent, they pay out of their own pocket.
Despite all of this, can one really argue about being over-worked? As education students of the present, we all know exactly what we are getting ourselves into, and for us it should seem more like the norm. Perhaps if one isn't prepared for these commitments, then they are in the wrong profession. The best advice that I can think of is for teachers to involve themselves in extra-curriculars that they themselves are personally interested in. Perhaps then it will seem like less of an obligation, or chore, and will be more fun. We also need to work as a team, and use each other as resources, to make lesson planning as easy as possible.The long and the short of it is that the world will continue to need teachers, and the chances of things changing any time soon are slim. We just need to organize our time efficiently and do the best we can.
Wow, Jen! You have written several outstanding posts and added great pictures since I visited your blog the last time.
ReplyDeleteI decided to leave my comments on this one because it was the most recent AND because it is such a contoversial and important topic. I do believe that teachers are overworked, not in hours or days necessarily, but in the emotional investment that they have to make to do their jobs well. You can't measure emotional investment. It's the student who needs extra attention because he or she is in crisis or the one that causes a big emotional outburst and the teacher has to look after students on both sides, inform the principal, and call the parents.
I completely agree that we sign up for those things when we sign up for the job but I also don't think that we get credit for how those emotionally laden events spill into our personal lives. I don't think it's possible to see that in black and white.
It was the part of the job that made me want to get up and go to school every morning because I knew that there would be something important for me to do each day. But, it was also the part of the job that I'm not really sure how to describe because it took so much out of me.
On one hand, I feel so lucky that people have trusted me to be an authentic part of their children's lives and so lucky that I have had an opportunity to be close enough to make a difference in the life of a child. On the other hand, it's just really hard work.
I like your attitude and I think that it is the right choice. Teaching is the most, or at least one of the most, important jobs in the world. The opportunities that it presents to the people who choose the profession are outstanding. The working conditions will change over time but if you plan to make a difference that will always be hard work, no matter how you arrange it. I think we agree on that point.
Thanks for pushing me to think deeply about this topic. I enjoyed my rant...lol. I hope you have a great practicum. See you in the fall back at BU!
Jackie