Wrapping Up the Semester
Teachers Are Being Treated Unfairly
This is shocking to me because I just cannot believe that a school district can require teachers to work for free at out-of-school events. In my high school and in the high school my sister works for, teachers can sign up for any after-school events that they wish to work at AND get paid for it. For example, my sister can sign up to be a supervisor at a boy's soccer game one night and she will get paid for the few hours she was there. I believe the teachers in her district are required to sign up for a certain amount of activities per semester or quarter, but they will definitely always be paid for the extra time they are working.
As stated before, it is not just this one district that is treating its teachers unfairly. I do not believe these districts are treating teachers unfairly to be malicious, I just believe that some administrators and communities might have different expectations for teachers than others. However, even if this treatment is not coming from a place of malice, it is definitely still wrong and must be changed.
How I Can Apply the Coursework to my Career
Between the two education courses I took this semester, I have learned a ton of new information regarding what it will really be like to be a teacher. One of the most important things I learned from this class is what teacher burnout is, how it can happen, and how I can prevent it from happening to me. This is an important lesson to all new teachers, but I know that I tend to stress over the little things and will make myself crazy trying to do the best I can. I did not even know that teacher burnout was an actual thing that occurs to many new (and experienced) teachers everywhere and I feel more confident now that I know I will not be alone in the struggle and can always find help.
Three issues that are interlinked and may be very apparent in my career are prejudice, bullying, and violence. As I have stated in other posts, school violence is something that I worry about but have also learned much more about and been able to learn ways to prevent it from manifesting in my students. Also, prejudice is something that permeates throughout the whole world, including in a school, but I am an outspoken advocate for all so I believe I will be able to identify prejudice and fight against it when I am a teacher (and everywhere). Bullying is something that I definitely witnessed during my middle and high school career and I know that I will be on the lookout for it because it can contribute to mental illness, violence, and other damaging effects.
Lastly, I hope to promote a positive parent-teacher relationship because I truly believe it can have a great effect on the students. Since I want to teach students with disabilities, I think that the relationship and communication between teachers and parents are even more significant. I look forward to working with parents to decide what their child needs and what they want their children to get out of their time in my classroom!
Will, M. (2019, November). This Teacher Is Suing Her District Over Working for Free, Buying School Supplies. Retrieved from https://mobile.edweek.org/c.jsp?cid=25919951&bcid=&rssid=25919151&item=http://api.edweek.org/v1/blogs/83/?uuid=79843.
Hi Angela,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your thoughts regarding the article you read on Education Week called This Teacher Is Suing Her District Over Working for Free, Buying School Supplies. After reading your post, I was also shocked 😲that teachers are foreseen to work at events at the school for free without receiving any credit. These after school 🏫events require a lot, especially if they are involved or complex. Therefore, teachers should be acknowledged not only because they are dedicating their time ⏱️but also because they might have to contribute items that require spending extra money 💰. If this is the case, I feel that there should definitely be some sort of consideration given to the teachers, even if it is just a form of recognition. Especially if the individual is a new teacher 👩🏽🏫or if they are already working in a low-income area. As it is, to have a fundamental, engaging, and warm classroom 📚, teachers already have to spend hundreds of dollars each year.
Although I feel teachers should be given some pay or at least recognition, I also do feel it depends on the severity of after school event🏅. If it is a brief event, it’s for a good cause, or the whole district is participating in, there is no need to be paid. In these types of events, teachers should be there no matter what, and they should be happy 🤗 to be there as well. Lastly, if the teacher is continuously willingly dedicating their time, they should definitely be acknowledged. I am not sure if teachers in my district receive pay or recognition for working after school events. But, after reading your blog post, I am definitely going to find out this information 🔍! Overall excellent blog post! It was a great read and for sure kept me engaged the whole time!