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Unseen work teachers do beyond 9-3:15 in the classroom:
planning and prep - 1 afternoon of PPA often isn’t enough. Single form entry schools means the work load isnt shared. 1 teacher preps every lesson. Let’s say a conservative 30 mins prep for the following day.
planning and prep - 1 afternoon of PPA often isn’t enough. Single form entry schools means the work load isnt shared. 1 teacher preps every lesson. Let’s say a conservative 30 mins prep for the following day.
marking books - Some schools still have shocking policies. This can be up to an hour for 1 set of books. 5 classes a day = 5 hours marking. When does this happen? It instantly makes the work day 7am - 5pm (if they work through lunch). Bare this in mind as you read on.
break duty - thought Teachers could get ahead on all that marking? Squeeze in coffee? A wee? Think again! If there’s been a falling out, guess who resolves it (promptly so it doesn’t impact on teaching time I might add!) and that’s even if they’re not on duty.
Directed time - At least once a week, there is (often generic) CPD. That time after class to mark books and prep? Gone! That workload has just been put on the boot of the car and will be completed at home one night a week or tomorrow’s work day become even longer.
Data tracking/performance meetings - like in any profession there are accountability procedures in place. Like with marking policies some are outdated & time consuming. Like with directed time, it takes away from marking & prep so that gets completed the following day/at home.
extra curricular events - parents evening, organising risk assessments for school trips, sports tournaments, after school clubs...these all require preparation. Where do you think the time comes for these?
parental engagement - good or bad behaviour needs a phone call home/meeting with parents? There goes 15-30 mins. And if it was a serious incident, the write up and documentation required could add another hour to the work day.
displays/classroom organising - teachers are savvy and resourceful because, well, they have to be. A good TA helps. Schools have display policies that if aren’t followed, can be a stick to beat with. Displays can’t be altered when chn are in so it’s a holiday job!
Mentoring/coaching - how do teachers develop? They watch others and discuss best practice. That means setting work for whoever is releasing them & building in time to discuss what they observed. When does this happen? You guessed it, after 3:15pm.
odds and ends - little Timmy has lost his new school jumper that doesn’t have his name in it? Guess who looks for it. Parents want to discuss why their angel was told off? There goes 30 minutes (if your lucky, if you’re not it could be hours and the head involved)...
...catching up with colleagues, handing over information, Booking onto training courses, Eventually going to the loo now the chn have gone, actually chatting to colleagues who are more often than not friends too - it’s all time!
Teachers get better at prioritising and managing their time as they move through their career but I don’t know one single teacher who rocks up at 8:30 and leaves at 3:30 that doesn’t take work home. Even the most ardent member of staff thats advocates a work/balance...
...comes in for the *minimum* of 1 day in the half term breaks and a week across the 6 week summer break. Often it’s to get a jump on the term ahead so they can have the odd evening “work free”. Mostly it’s to catch up on last terms paperwork and data...
Yes there are days where the teacher might not lead. A visitor is in, or it’s a movie at the end of term. what do you think the teacher is doing then? They’re catching up on marking, 1:1 assessments with chn that couldn’t be done any other time, data entry...
I can think of a handful of occasions in my 6 years as a teacher where i was on top of *everything*. That was generally in the first week of a term because Id worked through the holidays to get organised. It lasted until the following day when work into books...
Some teachers are martyrs which doesn’t help other teachers workloads. Some teachers are lazy - as you get with people in every line of work. Most, want what’s best for the children in their care and give an awful lot of their time to achieve that goal.
Teaching is many things, but one thing it is not is easy.
If you’re still of the mindset that it’s a cushy 6 hour day with an hour for lunch and 13 weeks off a year, here’s the link to get you on your way to teacher training:
https://www.tes.com/institute/subject-knowledge-enhancement-ske
If you’re still of the mindset that it’s a cushy 6 hour day with an hour for lunch and 13 weeks off a year, here’s the link to get you on your way to teacher training:
https://www.tes.com/institute/subject-knowledge-enhancement-ske
