“We make a living by what we get, but
we make a life by what we give.”
-- Winston Churchill
By Tommie Saylor
Kennedy High School Principal
After a week like we just had, you
start to hear the same old tired statements from people outside of the educational
community, about how nice it must
be to be a teacher and have all that time off.
This reminds me of when I was a
first-year teacher and my wife and I just rented a home in the community where
I was just hired as the new chemistry teacher. Few
minutes after we pulled up to our new place with the big U-Haul truck, our neighbor,
an elderly retired gentleman, came over to say hello.
He asked what I did for a living.
Being very proud of my new position, I boldly announced that I am a
science teacher at the local school. With disgust in his voice and a
disapproving expression on his face he said, “Ah, you teachers only work 9
to 3, half the year” and quickly walked away. I was stunned, and felt like I
had just been punched in the gut.
But, being the fighter that I am, I
made a decision on that day to never again allow anyone to speak like that to
me about my chosen profession, and in the future when such sentiments would
arise, I countered with facts and figures.
The common employee in the business
world works 40 hours a week for 50 weeks of the year, totaling 2,000 working
hours in a calendar year. The common teacher in the educational world
works 50 hours a week for 40 weeks of the year, totaling 2,000 working hours in
a calendar year. Essentially, we put in the same number of working hours per
year as a full-time common employee working in the private sector, we just happen
to do this in a shorter period of time.
When a person in the private sector
works more than eight hours in a day, or more than 40 hours in a week, many get
paid overtime. We do not. We are expected to put in 50 or more hours a
week, eight or more hours a day without additional compensation. This is
considered to simply be just part of the job.
There are days, especially during
this time of the year when we have so many athletic teams in season, that I
will arrive at the school 6:30 a.m., work
all day, leave after 4:30 p.m. (a normal 10-hour work day), come back to the
school at 6:30 p.m. to attend a game/event, and not return home again until 10 (after
putting in a 16-hour day, working 14 of those hours).
Now some will say that going to the
game after hours does not count, because all you had to do was watch the game.
This is true, but let’s face it, I’m at work when I’m there watching the
game. I’m at work because I am expected to dress in a certain way, act in a
certain way, I am the person people come to when there is an issue, etc.
I’m at work.
This is also true with normal teachers. After
work when most people are enjoying their time off, teachers are preparing for
the next day’s lesson. Though they may be doing this at home, they are still working.
How many people in the private sector go home and put in several hours of free
labor for their boss completing tasks that benefits the company?
Saturday when most of the world is
concerned with relaxing and finding interesting ways to entertain, teachers are
writing lesson plans and grading papers. It is an unwritten rule and/or
expectation that teachers work at home. What most people in the private sector
do not understand, is that when you give your students an assignment, you just
gave yourself the job of grading 180 papers. Now multiply this by the five to
10 assignments in a week, and by the number of pages of each
assignment.
Essentially, when the private sector
looks at Saturday, they see fun day. When a teacher looks at Saturday, they see
an opportunity to read, evaluate and grade over a thousand pages of student material.
But, being a good teacher you are not done. Sunday you must place all
these assignments into the grade book and upgrade your student’s grades.
God forbid you arrive back to school
Monday morning without all your students assignments evaluated, recorded and grades
updated. Once again, this is an unwritten rule and/or expectation of
teachers. Essentially, when school is in session, teachers work seven days a
week without getting paid overtime, weekend rates, or bonuses.
There are two ways to compensate
someone for their efforts: money, and time. Teachers are compensated for
all their extra efforts with time. Winter break, spring break and summer
break is our compensation for all the extra hours we put in. It is all of our
Saturdays and Sundays rolled up into one long stretch.
People in the private sector would be
no more willing to give up their overtime pay, weekend rates and bonuses than we
are willing to give up our time off.
So, when someone tells me that I
should not be getting so much time off, I counter with the facts of an
educator’s life.
Ultimately, the final argument is the
best of all. If those in the private sector truly believe being in the field of
education is such an easy job, nothing is stopping you from going to college,
earning your degree, and seeking employment as an educator. We all make choices
in life. You have made yours, we have made ours and now we must all live with
the consequences.
Remember, their future is in our
hands. Making Kennedy the school of choice. Excellence by design.
