I’m so underwater at work right now, that I’m realizing when I take Friday off, I’ll most likely spend much of that day… working. And I was trying to think of how many other professions there are where a person might take a day off to do work. Or would even be able to do that.
I used to take days off of work to get caught up on my grading and prepping all the time. Back when I was a newer teacher who had to do a lot more prep work, I would go through all the trouble to write sub plans, just so I could spend the whole day preparing for future projects and grading past projects. It absolutely sucked. And back then I make so little money, it was even more demoralizing to spend my few, precious, sick days that way.
I also worked through most of my breaks, but that feels a little different.
Now that I have the vast majority of my resources made, I don’t work away from school as much. I still arrive at school a full 60+ minutes before my first class starts, which means I spend at least over 20 hours a month not only working but actually AT WORK that I’m not paid for. But I only rarely spend long stretches of my evening and weekend time on work. I very much appreciate that.
This year I have so many students that I have been bringing work home. I’ve spent long stretches of the last three weekends working, and I’m still behind. And this Friday I will likely spend at least 1-2 hours working as well.
Which made me think, what other kinds of jobs might one be using their paid leave to get work (for that same job) done? It would have to be a job where there is a client-facing aspect and a paperwork aspect. I’m using my paid leave to not be in front of my students, so I can grade papers and prepare materials I need for next week.
It’s a bummer to be sure. If my classes aren’t smaller next year I’ll have to jettison some of this stuff, because this level of work is not sustainable for me anymore. I just don’t have the stamina to work this many hours for this many weeks at the end of the school year.
Do you ever take time off to get work done (for the same job)? What does that look like for you?
I have a few thoughts. A Spanish teacher in high school in NJ. We have a union that is VERY CLEAR about contractual hours and how we should NOT stay at work beyond our contractual time. Students leave at 2:45 and I leave around 3PM because I like to clean up my desk, do the closing ritual, write a little list for myself for next day.
How many assignments do you give them? I give them a lot of work but I don’t grade everything. Students (and parents) know that they can expect 1 (possibly 2) weekly grade(s)in out learning system. That’s it. It could be a homework assignment, it could be a quiz, it could be a project. verbals are graded on the spot, with rubrics, so they are very quick.
I am not a machine, and I do not want to spend all my work time grading. I need that time to think creatively.
I’ve had situations like “is this graaaaaaded? How many pooooooints?” My answer: “Everything is graded. The way you are sitting right now is graded. And it’s worth a million points.” They get the message and leave me alone.
I also do not tell students if something is graded or not- honestly, it’s irrelevant. The work should be completed regardless if it’s an official grade in the system. Why? That’s what responsible students do. They do the work. Work is not transactional in my class.
But, to answer your question, I only work at work, I do not bring the work home.
I totally hear you and agree. I also think teaching middle school and high school are very different. Especially as an elective teacher, and even more so teaching Spanish. I need to make my classes popular, so I can fill my program (and not have to teach other random classes), but I also have to make them rigorous enough that students who want to go straight to Spanish 2 as Freshman (after two years with me) can succeed in that class (which is really hard at the high school we feed into, because they offer the opportunity to earn some bilingual certificate, that is not offered at other high schools in the area).
Also, middle school students are way less likely to do work if they don’t see that it’s graded. They just don’t have that mindset yet. Even if they see it reflected in a poor test score. I think high schoolers have a different relationship with school and the work they do for it and the long term goals they are trying to achieve. The 12yo mind is very short term oriented.
Having said all that, I definitely make a lot of the work for myself. I’m going to think hard about what I want to keep and what I want to get rid of (or change significantly) next year.
High School Chemistry teacher, this is my 23rd year. I get to work early, stay late once a week, and put time in on the weekend and some evenings. My planning time at school is spent setting up and taking down labs and demos. I have very little time at school to actually grade.
In addition to teaching chemistry I am teaching a brand new class that I am creating for Future Teachers, it is a lot of work but something I wanted to do. I am tired and counting down to the end of the school year and a much needed break with my 3 kiddos.
Hi! It sucks to work on your days off. This is pretty common in the medical field as well. Some people euphemistically call it “pajama time”–the time spent after dinner completing all the charting, refill orders, portal messages etc which we don’t have any time for during the clinic day because we spend the whole time seeing patients. Its a huge cause of burnout and dissatisfaction.
I consider it an essential matter of my professional survival to keep that time to a minimum. I’m frequently thinking about how to improve a workflow, streamline my notes etc. I don’t have any idea who you do it, but I want to validate how vital this is and that, once the dust settles from this grind, its worth investing some time and thought into how you can meet your goals, like getting your students ready for Spanish 2, without grinding yourself to bits.
I have definitely taken a day off to just organize my email inbox and figure out priorities for the next week. And have graded in my “off hours.” But I have stopped taking my laptop home and if it doesn’t get done before I leave my office, it will have to wait until the next day. But I think I’m lucky that I can do that, to be honest.