The school I'm at--a reputable one--is considering moving from the current arrangement in which teachers teach five of seven classes to one in which they teach six out of seven. (The pay scale would remain the same.)
This seems like a lot to me. I've been in a few schools and systems and never had student responsibilities for 86% of the daily schedule.
Have I been lucky or would this 6/7 arrangement (if adopted) seem unusual and/or unfair?
Usual Teaching Load?
It would be a remarkably light schedule in a typical British school. On the heavy side for a US one, but not unheard of.
Personally, the key thing for me would be what is expected in the remaining time. Is all of your time your own, or will you be expected to fill in with duties, meetings, cover? Some schools operate a system which the British would call 'directed time', in which your time at school consists of a certain amount of 'directed time' like teaching, cover, meetings, etc. In that system, anything that requires you to be in a certain spot at a certain time, is part of your 'directed time', and that cannot on pain of death (or British union action) go beyond a certain very explicit number of hours. Other tasks, like marking and planning, are expected to be taken care of in the remaining hours of your contract, ie the difference between a full-time work-week and your official allotment of directed time. If your school is looking at a system like this, you could actually see a reduction in directed time.
But why do I suspect they're not? That they're just trying to get more teaching out of the same number of teachers?
And is lunch still a separate time? If so, that's still on the heavy side, but not so bad as if your prep period is also your lunch time. If it's separate, that's 6 out of 8, really, not 6 out of 7, and that's within normal ranges, a little heavy.
Look at this carefully. Once you know what it'll do to your personal work load, you might need to think about your personal decision. Frankly, I value time in the schedule for collaboration with colleagues, and if there isn't time for that, I think students end up paying the price.
Personally, the key thing for me would be what is expected in the remaining time. Is all of your time your own, or will you be expected to fill in with duties, meetings, cover? Some schools operate a system which the British would call 'directed time', in which your time at school consists of a certain amount of 'directed time' like teaching, cover, meetings, etc. In that system, anything that requires you to be in a certain spot at a certain time, is part of your 'directed time', and that cannot on pain of death (or British union action) go beyond a certain very explicit number of hours. Other tasks, like marking and planning, are expected to be taken care of in the remaining hours of your contract, ie the difference between a full-time work-week and your official allotment of directed time. If your school is looking at a system like this, you could actually see a reduction in directed time.
But why do I suspect they're not? That they're just trying to get more teaching out of the same number of teachers?
And is lunch still a separate time? If so, that's still on the heavy side, but not so bad as if your prep period is also your lunch time. If it's separate, that's 6 out of 8, really, not 6 out of 7, and that's within normal ranges, a little heavy.
Look at this carefully. Once you know what it'll do to your personal work load, you might need to think about your personal decision. Frankly, I value time in the schedule for collaboration with colleagues, and if there isn't time for that, I think students end up paying the price.
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joethelion
- Posts: 28
- Joined: Sun Aug 21, 2011 10:21 am
Thank you for such a thoughtful response, Sid. Interestingly, the *lightest* schedule I've ever had was at a British school, but that's because the place was so disorganized, they couldn't even put a schedule together properly.
If others are willing to weigh in with the current teaching loads at the schools they are at, that would be helpful. We're preparing a document for the board which indicates that 6/7 is not the norm and, as Sid suggests, probably won't be great for students or teachers.
If others are willing to weigh in with the current teaching loads at the schools they are at, that would be helpful. We're preparing a document for the board which indicates that 6/7 is not the norm and, as Sid suggests, probably won't be great for students or teachers.
If you really want to convince the board, you'll need better data than what you can get here. From a research point of view, this just isn't a reliable or valid source. Posters are anonymous, anyone can claim anything, and there is no way of checking accuracy of claims. And since people self-select to be here, and then again self-select whether to answer, you're open for all sorts of bias in the answers. And without a clear definition of the question, posters will interpret it as they wish (as in, some may think you mean to include a lunch period in your calculations, and others may think the opposite, and that makes a huge difference; same issue with what 'counts' as teaching time - lessons, duties, covers, study halls, pastoral care - what's in and what's out?).
Try using data from the annual ECIS Statistical Survey. All member schools are required to complete it each year, so you get a baseline from accredited schools. Not a member? Try posting a careful question on PTCnet or AISHnet, with a good definition of exactly what you're looking for.
And keep tying your argument back to what's good for kids. If teachers get this time for prep and collaboration, what will they do with it that they won't do if it's taken away? If you can't prove that it's being used effectively to help students, you're not likely to convince the board that you should keep it. You may have to agree to some new official structures (collaborative meetings, team planning, assessment standardization, etc) to ensure the time is worth what it costs, but turn those lemons into lemonade by realizing that those things actually make teachers more effective, take less collective time than individuals doing everything alone, and produce better student learning through higher-quality planning on every level.
Try using data from the annual ECIS Statistical Survey. All member schools are required to complete it each year, so you get a baseline from accredited schools. Not a member? Try posting a careful question on PTCnet or AISHnet, with a good definition of exactly what you're looking for.
And keep tying your argument back to what's good for kids. If teachers get this time for prep and collaboration, what will they do with it that they won't do if it's taken away? If you can't prove that it's being used effectively to help students, you're not likely to convince the board that you should keep it. You may have to agree to some new official structures (collaborative meetings, team planning, assessment standardization, etc) to ensure the time is worth what it costs, but turn those lemons into lemonade by realizing that those things actually make teachers more effective, take less collective time than individuals doing everything alone, and produce better student learning through higher-quality planning on every level.
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shadowjack
- Posts: 2140
- Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:49 am
Present school I teach 5 out of 7, or 71.something percent. Last school it was 6 out of 8, or 75%. My first international experience was 5 out of 8, or 62.5%. Then again, I once taught at uni - 10 hours a week in Winter semester and 16 a week in Fall semester :-).
6 out of 7 - might be a bit much if they want you to do a quality job.
6 out of 7 - might be a bit much if they want you to do a quality job.
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joethelion
- Posts: 28
- Joined: Sun Aug 21, 2011 10:21 am
Thank you for the useful tips, Sid. I'm not registered for any of those pages, so don't know how to try to access the info.
But I'm guessing that our school has a membership to one or more. Even if we can't access the info, we can ask the board to look into it.
You are right that, politically, we need to stress the impact on the students. In a way, that's frustrating, though. It seems so patently clear that teachers overworked and overloaded won't be particularly happy or have time to do their jobs properly. And even beyond that, I don't like the sense that the school may be trying to balance its budget on the backs of the teachers. At some point, teachers who already put in 50-60 hours a week have a valid argument in simply saying that there is more to life than one's work, that they need and deserve to be able to watch over their own families and have time for the things outside of work that matter.
But you are right, that that (sadly) won't be a convincing argument. And in the end, I'm aware that happy, engaged, and appreciated teachers correlates pretty highly with what's good for the students. Too often, these two considerations are posited against one another. They tend to be joined at the hip in my experience.
And thanks, Shadowjack, for your accounts. Six out of eight is the highest ratio I've experienced.
But I'm guessing that our school has a membership to one or more. Even if we can't access the info, we can ask the board to look into it.
You are right that, politically, we need to stress the impact on the students. In a way, that's frustrating, though. It seems so patently clear that teachers overworked and overloaded won't be particularly happy or have time to do their jobs properly. And even beyond that, I don't like the sense that the school may be trying to balance its budget on the backs of the teachers. At some point, teachers who already put in 50-60 hours a week have a valid argument in simply saying that there is more to life than one's work, that they need and deserve to be able to watch over their own families and have time for the things outside of work that matter.
But you are right, that that (sadly) won't be a convincing argument. And in the end, I'm aware that happy, engaged, and appreciated teachers correlates pretty highly with what's good for the students. Too often, these two considerations are posited against one another. They tend to be joined at the hip in my experience.
And thanks, Shadowjack, for your accounts. Six out of eight is the highest ratio I've experienced.
I have to disagree with Sid's comment that a lighter load is normal for American schools. In the US, I taught 7/8 (with a 20 minute lunch) and had to do cover and lunch duty. At two other schools I taught 5/6. This all was in different states. I don't know of many schools in the states that give you more than one planning period/day on average.
Internationally, I've done 6/8 and 5/7. Only one planning period per day at an international school seems like very little.
Internationally, I've done 6/8 and 5/7. Only one planning period per day at an international school seems like very little.
[quote="National"]I have to disagree with Sid's comment that a lighter load is normal for American schools…..[/quote]
Me too. The massive school system I left in the United States is now teaching a (4 blocks) 7/8. They get a prep period every other day. That is correct: 170+ students and a prep every other day.
When I started teaching in 1994 I did 5/7. In 1998 we still taught 5 classes, but were given a mandatory duty for one period such as lunch monitor, study hall, hall monitor etc… By 2002 we were 6/7.
At my current school teachers are doing 5/8 which is a great number. There is time to plan, grade, collaborate, and be involved beyond the classroom.
Me too. The massive school system I left in the United States is now teaching a (4 blocks) 7/8. They get a prep period every other day. That is correct: 170+ students and a prep every other day.
When I started teaching in 1994 I did 5/7. In 1998 we still taught 5 classes, but were given a mandatory duty for one period such as lunch monitor, study hall, hall monitor etc… By 2002 we were 6/7.
At my current school teachers are doing 5/8 which is a great number. There is time to plan, grade, collaborate, and be involved beyond the classroom.
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Mick Travis
- Posts: 33
- Joined: Fri Sep 14, 2012 4:09 pm
- Location: Denmark
We run a 6 day rotating schedule. Easy to follow. I am on 26/36. Plus there are 3 more periods for clubs, I do 1, other 2 I plan. I have the Heavy load (5 classes, 3 IBDP (6), 2 IGCSE (4)). Others have 24 or 22. Most rely on school transport which travels with the students. I see most teachers working during their preps, utilizing the time. Very few stay after school. I must grade test, exams and IA's at home, no time at school. Planning for new units is done as a split between the 2 locations.
In the US, I NEVER brought work home, but got in early and stayed late when needed. Always thought I had enough planning periods.
In the US, I NEVER brought work home, but got in early and stayed late when needed. Always thought I had enough planning periods.