Eight Hours A Day...Not in Teaching

Teaching, well that's an occupation that certainly doesn't demand an eight hours per day. Oh, some teachers may put in the eight hours but the vast majority realize that eight hours doesn't even come close to fulfilling ones obligations. By the way, I won't comment on coaching and activities because a stipend, often rather small in dollars, is typically offered to staff.

What I am talking about are all of the hours that go into researching for a lesson, preparing calendars for students, working with staff, typing up those lessons/quizzes/tests, putting up displays/bulletin boards, grading the tests and quizzes, making phone calls, attending to dozens upon dozens of emails each day, and the one big time consumer...grading papers that of the essay variety!!

For those who think that teaching is a matter of standing and delivering and that students, all of them, somehow soak it in with the problems are sadly mistaken!!!

I'll put it another way...to those who say teachers are paid well enough and that they 'ought to be glad they have a job,' you don't know what you are talking about. As the old question and answer goes; Question from a skeptic: "What do you make?" The Answer from the teacher: "I help make students into the citizens of tomorrow?"

This is no eight hour a day occupation. Not by a long stretch.

Dick