As educators, we must shift the narrative to make the public understand what is happening in schools. It was pointed out to me recently by Pete VanKempen on Twitter that the current narrative of “Unlivable wage” and “Undesirable hours” makes the non-teacher crowd dislike educators. He pointed out it meant “Teachers don’t live within their means,” and teachers don’t value all time off compared to most hourly workers since “most have June, July and some of August off along with all major holidays.” Currently there are few students going into education and many current teachers looking for a path to greener pastures. How can we shift the narrative to allow for meaning discussion about redefining the teaching profession to make it more attractive to future educators?
Wage
Is a teacher’s wage unlivable? Well, no, in most districts in Michigan, teachers start around $35,000 to $40,000. This is equivalent to $17 to $20 per hour for a 40-hour-a-week job. So a starting teacher makes about what kids make working summer jobs these days with no opportunity for overtime pay. Do teachers work 40 hours a week? “On average teachers are now said to be working 54 hours a week. The typical 40-hour teacher workweek is no longer enough to cover staffing shortages and tackle ongoing tiffs between parents and teachers.”- Baumgartner. Teachers work many extra hours outside of the school day, grading, planning and communicating with families. These hours are often overlooked by the general public. Teachers often try to accomplish all their work during their contracted school day which can be very difficult at best at worse it can mean instruction can be subpar. Teachers often talk about the “pay penalty” because “teachers earn 23.5 percent less than comparable college graduates.“- Will. When teachers compare their salaries with their peers from college from different majors they feel completely under paid with unlivable wages if they try to live similar lives.
Work Hours
At first glance, teachers’ hours look pretty similar to bankers’ hours. My contract hours are from 7:50 to 3:05 for 7 hours and 45 minutes daily. Most teachers’ contracts have similar hours with the goal to reach 1098 instructional hours in 180 days. Parents see teachers walking in when dropping off their kids and walking out during pick-up after school. How is the average number of hours 54? Well, contract hours are predominately used for instruction. Teachers have little time for planning, grading, copying, collaborating, learning new skills, or communicating with families. This work is done “off the clock.” Teachers often come in early or stay late to get this work done. If you watch teachers leave the building, they usually carry multiple bags of work to get done. Does every teacher put in extra time? No, but the most effective ones do. Looking at hours; teachers work roughly 2,160 hours during year (54 hrs X 40 week school year) vs a 40-hour work week 2,000 hours ( 40 hrs X 50 weeks). So even with 10 week summer break and 2 weeks during the year teachers do work more hours than a year round employee who works a 40 hour week.
Work Conditions
In most jobs, the employee has many freedoms. Freedom to take a break, call, go to the bathroom, or have a snack. In education, these freedoms are nonexistent. When a teacher is teaching, they are “ON,” making decisions every second. Teachers must present lessons, monitor learning, prescribe interventions, and manage behaviors. During passing time between classes teachers must continue being attentive and observing behavior in hallways and their classroom with a possible quick run to the bathroom. The only reprieve educators have is during their planning period or lunch. Although most teachers have long lists to accomplish during these short breaks between teaching. When educators see other professions working, it is clear their time is in much higher demand.
The Shift
Education policy needs to fix pay, flexibility of hours, and working conditions to recruit and retain new educators. Without this shift, college students will see the struggles with going into education and choose other careers with better pay, flexibility, and working conditions. It is clear teachers can’t just openly complain about these issues without further explanations of their perspective. On the surface, these issues seem like the general complaints of every laborer, but these are the 3 main reasons teachers leave.
Sweat to Inspire 