Uncategorized | Oct 4, 2012
How to work a 40 hour week as a teacher
By Angela Watson
Founder and Writer
How to work a 40 hour week as a teacher
By Angela Watson
A 40 hour week for a teacher is almost unheard of. The growing number of teacher-bashers out there have somehow gotten the idea that we work far fewer hours that. And of course, anyone who’s ever worked in the field knows that the time spent at school combined with the time spent on paperwork at home often averages out to 50-70 hours a week…or more.
I believe there’s a healthy balance between the perception of teachers working only from 9-3 and the unfortunate reality of them working 7-7. As a classroom teacher, my goal in finding a work-life balance was to dedicate 40 hours a week to my job. Sure, I might spend additional time in the evenings looking online for new lesson ideas or making manipulatives while I watched TV, but those were tasks I really enjoyed. They didn’t feel like work to me, and I didn’t do them every day. My goal was to complete my “work-work” tasks during the course of an 8 hour day: grading, paperwork, photocopies, etc.
I succeeded about 90% of the time. The beginning and end of the school year were the major exceptions. At those times, I was always prepared to work as many hours as it took. 70-hour weeks were not atypical for me in August and September (weekends included). And during those years when I was new to the grade level, school, or school system, I sometimes had to settle for alternating 8-hour days and 10-hour days, or spending Sundays working from home, but I did always manage to get to a 40-hour week by late October. Usually, the only time I’d go beyond 40 hours in a normal work week was if there was a special project or event coming up.
So that means I don’t have a fool-proof system that will guarantee you’ll leave the school parking lot before sundown every night. But I do have some tips to share that made it easier for me to work a reasonable amount of hours. I’ve shared seven pages of timesaving tips for teachers in chapter 34 of The Cornerstone Book, Timesaving Strategies: Discovering How to Be a Teacher and Still Have a Personal Life. Here are six additional ideas ideas for lightening your workload:
1) Replace worksheets with hands-on activities.
The more paper and pencil work you give, the more stuff you’ve got to photocopy, organize, pass out, collect, grade, record, and return to students. Not only are hands-on activities more meaningful for students, but you’ll spend less time making photocopies and grading papers. It’s a win for everybody.
2) Make the most of Morning Work or Bell Work.
When your kids come in the room in the morning and after lunch, there should be something on the board for them to get started on right away. While they are doing morning work, you should be able to complete attendance, check all homework, read and respond to parents’ notes, and so on. My goal was to get this done in 15-20 minutes, but typically I didn’t end the morning work time until I finished these tasks–I wasn’t about to leave myself with a messy pile of half-sorted papers and someone’s class picture money just lying out on my desk. I felt no guilt about this because my students’ morning work assignments were meaningful and open-ended: the kids were actively engaged in projects, reading books, etc. When my administrative tasks were done and I was comfortable with beginning our day, we started.
3) Choose bulletin boards that are timeless.
The background paper and border you put up in August can be left there until June. Switch out student work once a month (or every 6 weeks) and choose stuff that’s not tied to the holidays or seasons. (What’s the point of putting up Valentine’s Day work on February 8th when it’ll look dated on February 15?) You can also put your students in charge of the bulletin boards: let them choose their best work, self-reflect on the back of their papers, and hang them up. At the end of the year, their monthly work sample choices can serve as a portfolio.
4) Keep your room neat and clean during the day instead of staying after school to straighten up.
It only takes a few seconds to push student desks back into position and remind students to pick up their belongings that are on the floor before you take the class to lunch. Tape up that poster that’s falling off the wall while students are writing the heading on their papers. Clear or at least straighten piles of papers on your desk during a moment of downtime instead of checking email for tenth time. Tidying up for two minutes here and two minutes there can easily save you a half an hour that would otherwise be spent staying late after dismissal.
5) When you work beyond your contracted hours, try to choose times when few other people are at school.
I was contracted for 35 hour weeks when I taught in Maryland and 37.5 hour weeks in Florida, so a 40 hour week for me meant coming in an hour or so early or staying an hour late. I found that I could remain completely undisturbed for at least forty-five minutes if I came in early, but staying late was pointless because I’d end up hanging out in a co-worker’s room or slumped at my desk in exhaustion. There’s no point in working long hours if you’re not really working. If you’re too tired, someone is constantly coming in and asking you for things, or you’re tempted to wander next door to chat, pick your “overtime” hours wisely…or even complete them at home.
6) Create a self-running classroom that frees you to teach.
I’ve shared a lot of resources on this topic on my website and even more extensively in my book and webinar series. Creating a self-running classroom means empowering students to take charge of their learning and learning environment. It means giving students ownership over the learning process instead of carrying all the responsibility yourself. Teaching kids simple procedures for every task in the classroom will save you countless hours of instructional time throughout the year because your classroom activities will flow more smoothly and have fewer disruptions. Automate your routine tasks so that not a moment is wasted and you can focus on what matters most about your job: teaching and connecting with kids!
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Angela Watson
Founder and Writer
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I think the best way to save time is to make my students as independent as possible. The more they do, the less I do and have more time to accomplish other things. Of course, the beginning of the year is a lot of ME and not so much them. But, believe me, this time of year…I am gladly passing on those duties. Classroom jobs are the easiest way to accomplish this. Also I want to add that it is a good idea to take care of yourself or you won’t be able to take care of your students. BALANCE is key. Start delegating today. They can handle it! 🙂
Great advice, Gretchen! I love classroom jobs, too–I would be lost without them!
As a high school teacher, when I was looking to delegate a job to a willing student I found the best way to find that willing student was to write the wrong date on the board. I usually just “forgot” to change it from the previous day. The one who comes up to helpfully point out that the date is wrong is usually the perfect person for the job. 🙂
Hah, that’s funny! I love the way students will naturally start taking over responsibilities in the classroom when they feel a sense of community. There are many times I’ve seen kids just step in and do things that need to be done without being asked. That’s awesome.
I’m a first year teacher in middle school and I am overwhelmed with hours. Not only do I have to prepare the usual stuff, I’ve never taught anything before so I have to spend twice as long thinking of ideas, creating materials and copying them! I come home every evening between 7 and 8 with a terrible headache. I can’t make it to bed before midnight and my alarm rings at 6. I’ve kind of given in to the idea that this is how my life will be for a year or two before I can get the hang of it. I just hope I don’t end up changing schools this year!
I too am a middle school teacher and I can tell you that other teachers in the building are your best friend. Ask them what they are using and most times they will gladly give you their lessons.Then you can just personalize them and make them your own. It can make things much easier!!
Great point, Alexandria!
I am a intern in a kindergarten room right now and it is amazing to hear that I am not the only one struggling. I agree with coming in early to get work done because I have found I am wiped at the end of the day. It gives me the time to get things done so little busy hands can be occupied. After reading this I realized I am presently experimenting with all of these right now and trying to find a balance. As a intern, I really think this is something every intern should read to help and teach us how to find that balance because at the start it is really tricky.
Hi, Jacqueline! Interning is an exhausting time, no doubt! Keep experimenting and finding your balance. I don’t think anyone ever straightens their priorities out once and for all; it’s really an ongoing process.
Well I work in Texas. I teach 5th grade science and social studies. Our school day starts at 7:45 am! It lasts until 3:30! I only have a 30 minute lunch and a 45 minute conference time while my students are at PE. I do have kids trade and grade as I review homework. I also utilize bell work although there is no way I could do administrative tasks while they do their bell work. My principal expects us to constantly, actively monitor by walking around. I am required to format all my lessons onto a PowerPoint template that follows the same routine each day. The experiments change daily but throughout the unit we must review the key understandings, vocabulary and guiding questions daily. After the lesson we are required to do small group instruction during which time I will target specific, prescriptive skills with struggling students. This involves keeping a running record of participation, skills covered, progress monitoring etc. for each group. I do get students to maintain their organization and cleanliness. Plus, I rely on student helpers for tasks such as feeding the fish, watering plants, organizing books, and writing the date on the board among other things. Students are always ready to help. I would love to structure my classroom the way I want it, but these are the expectations set forth by my principal. Many times we have prior obligations to attend to during our conferences- such as meetings, parent conferences, or assemblies with the students . After school, I have copies, lesson plans, diagnostic reports, prepping for tomorrow’s experiments, meetings, practices for my academic competition team, PTO meetings and maybe I get a moment to check my email. I always look at the clock around 4:30 and say, “Today I will leave early!” But come 5:30, I am still there, trying to finish up!
Hi, Olga! That is a long school day–wow. Your principal’s expectations sound pretty familiar. They make sense, but they’re not sustainable for 8 hours a day. You have to sit down sometimes, but you don’t have to sit at your desk. Sometimes when my students did independent work and I needed to do paperwork, I’d sit at a table in the back of my room and have a few students who typically needed extra help sit there with me. That way if anyone walked in the room, it looked like I was either teaching a small group or providing individual assistance to students while they worked. And of course, I was–whenever those students had questions or got stuck, I was right there to help. I think that as a teacher, you have to do what you have to do to keep from burning out and take care of yourself, and sometimes that means coming up with creative solutions. 🙂