This year, I only have 44 students–all 9th graders.
I'm still working full time, but half of my day involves work as a TOSA, guiding teachers on peer observation learning walks, assisting with PLC initiatives, and other near-the-front-lines work. While this work does require preparation, meetings, and organization, it does not require me to curl up with a stack of papers to grade after my sons have gone to bed (or before they've gotten up). Having only two English classes this year will be a far different experience… previously, five hours of student contact time each day meant as many hours each day of outside-of-my-contract-hours planning, assessment, and feedback.
It's just part of the gig, so don't read that as a complaint, but rather as a statement of reality.
Part of my role as TOSA is to help with the implementation of the newly mandated Teacher and Principal Evaluation project (TPEP), and again and again I hear from both teachers and administrators that their top concern about this new initiative is not its content, aims, or potential.
It is about time.
Will this mean more time out of an already over-worked teacher's day?
How will an administrator have the time to do the meaningful work that is embedded in TPEP?
TIme is the one variable in education reform which is seldom addressed, even though anyone who has ever spent any time in a public school knows that time for [insert any endeavor here] is the one thing that would enable greater effectiveness and greater student achievement. Time to collaborate. Time to give meaningful student feedback. Time with students. Time to reflect and develop as professionals. Time to use the bathroom between 7am and 3pm. Time is what we need most.
Yet, when I consider all the reforms out there, I hear nothing about time. Rather, I hear about "high standards" and "teacher accountability" and all these other thrusts which are, of course, arguments of merit. Like Tom discussed, we want it all and we want it yesterday. Society (and policymakers) seldom shows tolerance of the sobering reality: "It will take time." Somehow, that phrase even gets twisted into cries of union obstructionism.
This year, I am blessed with time to do my homework. When I bring home a box of student notebooks, it will be one box, not three. When I collect final drafts of essays, it will mean 150 pages of student work to read, not 500. Yes, I have beaten this drum before.
Not surprisingly, I am still spending as much time outside of school reading and responding to student work. The difference is the quality of time I am able to devote…same number of hours + fewer students to serve = some pretty obvious benefits to my students.
So I'm looking forward to being a very good teacher this year. Because I have the time to.
Time…time…time…
I taught for a few years in a developing country. There I had an eight hour school day. Three hours of that was prep time.
When are we going to start taking education seriously?
@Tom: more so. I can understand and tolerate teenage irrationality.
Teaching is a massive Time Tar Pit. It will take all the time you give it and still want more.
My (pessimistic) prediction is that you’ll find working with adults every bit as draining – and time-consuming – as working with kids.
I don’t disagree with you one bit, Kristin. I think what needs to change is our conception of what a teacher’s day looks like. The solution is how time is spent. Rather than more teacher-to-student contact time, teachers need (embedded in their work day) more time to do the work that makes the teacher-to-student contact time more effective.
I’m teaching reading this year to students who need extra instruction, and my biggest class is 17. It’s amazing how much better I know them, how much calmer my class is, and how much work we’re able to get through. I”ve been able to do a home visit and I’ve been able to communicate with most parents.
I think back to Bill Gates proposing that strong teachers get bigger classes, and I continue to be stunned at how out of touch he was. Fewer students means better teaching, especially when we’re talking about disadvantaged students.
Mark, it’s amazing to me, and sad, that we can find funding to give someone a .6 to have time to work with administration of teacher stuff, and that happens in every district, but we can’t find the funding to extend the school day one hour and reduce class size, or give a teacher .2 off to work with families, or even examine student work.
We can find the time for grown up stuff, like coaching, evaluations, and collaboration, but most teachers are busting out five periods a day with 32 kids, or spending the day with 29 kindergarteners. I think our priorities are a bit tipped.
Keep us posted on how the time goes! It is ironic that being outside of the classroom for 0.5 of the time may be what allows you to do some justice with those student essays. Really, you hit the key questions there of how administrators and teachers will have the time to do some of the meaningful work embedded in TPEP. In my district, volunteers in the TPEP pilot have some sub release for training and some training on non-school days. It’s great that we have this extra time, but clearly we were previously engaged in meaningful activities during these hours–something has to give!