Teachers often work extra hours to meet the needs of students. However, answering emails and grading papers all add up to 54 hours per week for an atypical teacher. Only half of this time is devoted to teaching students, according to a survey.
The EdWeek Research Center surveyed more than 1,300 teachers nationally between Jan. 9 and 23. It was commissioned to do so by Merrimack College's Winston School of Education and Social Policy. It was developed to replace the MetLife Survey of the American Teacher.
The survey revealed that teacher dissatisfaction is at an all time high. This may be due to a higher workload. Teachers have known for some time that teaching is hard work. However, their workloads have increased over time. The pandemic has made it more difficult, teachers claim.
In the last two-years, they have had a lot to do with teaching and supporting students with mental health issues.
Lynn Holdheide, senior advisor for the Center on Great Teachers and Leaders, American Institutes for Research said that teachers generally work over 40 hours per week in normal times. This is not normal. She provides technical advice and consultation to districts and states to support their workforce.
Teachers said that they need better pay to compensate for the time they work each week. However support systems to manage their workloads were also important. It will require changes in the way that schools are organized and prioritize teachers' and students' social-emotional requirements, they stated.
Teaching is more work than most people realize.
Many professionals, even those who are not employed in schools, work 40+ hours a week. Arguments that teachers don't get paid for summers are often made by those outside of education.
Holdheide said that teachers have to be more aware of what it takes to teach well, the time required, and the compensation they are paid for their labor.
The public should remember that teachers don't stop when the bell rings at the end of each school day. It's more than just lecturing in front of students.
Teachers analyze data to determine how students are learning. They are responsible for multiple children's well-being at once. They might not be teaching summer but they will review the curriculum, understand academic standards, prepare for and use research-based learning strategies, as well as learn about them.
Holdheide stated that a good teacher is always learning and growing, and that takes time.
The Merrimack College Teacher Survey revealed that 74% disagreed that teachers' salaries were fair for what they do.
And 63 percent disagreed strongly or slightly with the notion they have a lot and control over their time, such the classes they teach as well as other duties they perform. Holdheide believes this can increase anxiety.
Patrick Jiner is a 7th-grade math teacher at Lake Middle School. He said that lesson plans can take up too much time, which makes it difficult to be able attend his daughter's recitals.
He said that teachers can use lesson plan multiple times if they are teaching the same grade for several years. But if you switch grades or have to cover other classes, it takes more time to plan lessons.
Jiner mentioned that sometimes school leaders are not prepared to accept extra work.
Sometimes, students need extra help. Jiner took Jiner to the scene when Jiner saw a student getting into a dispute with his parents. Jiner encouraged Jiner to tell them about it. It took Jiner 45 minute to talk to him, his parents, and, in the case of this incident, to submit a report to police. After a typical work day, it was a draining experience.
Jiner stated that counselors have a drive to keep going no matter what. Sometimes it is to our own mental health or our own stress.
A already complicated workload was made more difficult by the pandemic
Teachers said that the pandemic caused an increase in workloads, which was already evident over time.
Karen Lyon was a transitional kindergarten teacher at DeVargas Primary School in San Jose.
The pandemic has also caused students and their families to display greater emotional-social needs. These changes are still being processed by teachers.
Afia L. Lewis, 6th grade math teacher, was helping younger students in Lansdowne when a kindergartner forced another student off the bench. Lewis asked her why. The student replied that the peer was trying to share food. COVID can make you sick and so Lewis tried to take it away.
Lewis tried to teach algebra introductions in another instance. One student confided that they were fearful because of the fighting at Ukraine. One student didn't realize that Ukraine was in Eastern Europe and not the United States. So the class moved briefly into geography lessons and discussed what war means to the U.S.
Lewis stated that "They must first be able eat feeling safe before they can digest the variable."
Lewis also has to deal with her own needs.
Shifting between in person and remote learning meant that teachers had to spend less time planning lessons. Teachers who were unable to teach due to illness or other reasons often felt guilty.
Lyon explained that Lyon had suffered a sinus infection earlier in the year. He could not get in until he did a negative test for COVID. It was horrible.
Logistical changes are required to support teachers
Teachers are requesting more for their labor, but teachers argue that there is a way to manage all the responsibilities that cannot be ignored.
Lyon, a Californian teacher, once had the opportunity to meet with support teachers from the district. They would visit different schools and model lessons. This helped teachers to save time and collaborate on their preparation. However, budget cuts meant that this support and collaboration was no longer possible.
Lyon stated that Lyon must be allowed to have time for collaboration so that they can share their ideas and create lessons.
Caitlin spanjer, middle-school teacher at Lewis and Clark Montessori Montessori in Damascus, Ore. switched to a four day school week last school year. The workload isn't going down, but it's much easier because Spanjer can work on Fridays and handle parent and professional-development emails. She also has to plan lessons and manage lesson plans.
In the five-day workweek, if Spanjer attends a six-hour professional-development training on a Saturday, her weekend is cut short without giving her time to either rest or catch up on work for the week ahead. Attending that training is easier to manage in a 4-day workweek.
The Colorado teacher Jiner has had success with time management since his school leadership lobbied for a separate calendar from the district. School leaders have the power to determine which days are important for their staff.
He explained that this gives them extra planning time, which they wouldn't have if they were following the calendar of the district.
Holdheide from the Center on Great Teachers and Leaders stated that while national discussions continue about teacher pay, there is still an opportunity for teachers to learn from the pandemic and apply them.
Administrators should reexamine their expectations for students and teachers on a daily basis.
This means examining whether remote learning can be used to bring in a teacher to teach in rural areas. It also means asking the wider school community if school hours should change.
She said, "We've been discussing re-envisioning how education K-12 happens. "Maybe this will be the push we need to finally make the changes we've been talking about."
