Working Your Contract Hours is a SKILL #shorts #teacher #boredteachers #teacherpodcast #teaching

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[tammy]

I'm a veteran teacher who is just now (after 20+ years) starting to figure out how to just work contracted hours.

[avalonangel]

I leave by 4:00pm. If it’s not done when the bell rings the it didn’t need to get done. Of course I’ll stay a little bit longer to set up labs the next day, but I will not stay and grade.

[Trinket]

It took me about 4 yrs to realize that the day will never be done...there is always more...you have to go home and live your life.

[CJ-unxu]

I think it is also important to let new teachers know that they shouldn’t be spending that much time out of contract. That is why so many burn out in the first 5 years. Even new teachers need to balance.

[emmybear]

In school it never occurred to me that teachers were only paid for set hours. For many of my school years I had teachers that would either come in early or would let me stay late after school to catch up on my assignments because they knew how crazy strict my parents were with me raising my grades, and they weren’t even getting paid for it. I didn’t even realize how grateful I should’ve been for that at the time.

[eunicestone]

I appreciate all of your extra time. Our children need more teachers like you. I'm glad you learned.

[helen.]

As a daughter of a special needs teacher, growing up, my mom would bring home her curriculum during both the school year and summer and I would help her put these hundreds (probably getting closer to 1000) of pages in laminating sleeves, feed them through the laminator, then sorting them by unit. And if they had to be cut out, I would be helping by cutting out the shapes and putting them in sleeves with the unit written on the back. This was a 4 person job (my grandma and brother would help out too sometimes) but we at least made it enjoyable and it took a lot of stress off of my mom :)

[charchar]

As a high school English teacher, it was literally impossible not to grade papers outside contracted work hours. I had weekends where ALL I did was grade. When I had 90+ senior essays to get through to give them feedback by the next week in order to prep them for district testing, I lived and breathed my job. That doesn’t even cover my sophomore students and my cheerleaders and their games.

[rebeccafoster-faith]

I think you only figure out how to work "contract hours" when you have been teaching the same course for a few years. It takes some time to assemble the material and develop fluency with it.

[naomikriss]

First couple of years I worked all the hours god gave me and never fussed about the contract. Soon I learned that alright is good enough. I do my best and forget the rest.

[MC-]

This is an important message... cos really it applies to more than just the teaching profession

[catwhisperer]

Not just 1st year teachers. If you change positions, it is like you are a 1st year teacher again.

[diamoneRa]

I so admire those who accomplish this fact

[clittle]

I have been having this same conversation with my daughter the longer you are at any job you get better and learn a flow so that you can accomplish your tasks faster.

[the_wizard_sam]

As someone going into their first year, y'all are so helpful and I appreciate your candor and advice ❤️

[chuckandshasta]

It took me 10… going on 12/13 years to start to recognize it..

Still working on it. 😕

[paulatuani]

No words can describe how accurate this is 💖💖

[JohnsdotterRestorations]

Early in my career, I had to work long hours to make lessons, know what I was teaching, etc. Once you have your curriculum and lessons in place, it’s so much easier. I now work hourly and make more teaching for the state vs. a public school and it’s so freeing. Wish I’d done it 10 years ago and not in year 21.

[tracyfitch]

Oh and it was so much worse during virtual learning! Work was at home all the time and there was no disconnection. Plus, as a special education teacher, my students parents who mostly I love, just lost all understanding of boundaries and would call or text me outside of contract hours all the time! And, yes as a Teacher of the Blind and Visually Impaired, a handful of parents do have my cell number. Don’t get onto me for that!

[quarterblindsocialworker]

My husband worked at a school that put a 24-7 clause in their contract, he quit teaching altogether the following year.