We put in a lot of extra work as teachers. Effective teachers are planning, grading, and tutoring on their own time. We often hear Americans who are outside of the education world belittle teachers for the time that they get off as compared to the money they make. (This group needs to walk the proverbial mile before passing off opinions.) Effective teachers are working the same amount of time as everyone else they just aren't under contract for all of the time they are using. This is why I find it very hard to get my job accomplished. I am often asked to present and train when teachers are off contract.
Imagine after a long day of herding cats... I mean teaching children you are asked to go to a different building to listen to some pompous know-it-all (me) tell you about something you need to start doing. I am depressed just typing it. Forget going home and soaking in a tub, cracking open a new Merlot, and catching the latest episode of Duck Dynasty instead you must go learn something on your own time?!? Imagine the enthusiasm that is brought to that training.
So the next argument is that we are professionals and that we must continue our education to provide the best possible education to the students. No arguments from me here, I want the best for my kid just like everyone else. I think the problem is the word professionals. If I say professional many think of doctors, lawyers, and engineers. They work hard to keep current so that they can be worth the respect and money that we pay them to keep us safe. We turn our children over to teachers for eight hours a day, five days a week and yet we expect them to take care of our children and teach them yet pay lowest possible price for it? We call them professionals and balk at the idea of giving them days to train and learn the craft. We call them professionals and don't compensate a good teacher for the extra time they work out of contract because of that contract?
So think about this, do you pay a doctor or lawyer for work outside of the office? Yes! You do.. It is built into the fees. The simple fact is that if we paid teachers their current salary extended to the time they need to continue growing and developing their skills we couldn't afford them. We would actually have an education crisis then. What if every teacher in the US walked off the job at once? If replacement is as easy as politicians and the average American believes I would love to participate in the conversations that this hypothetical walkout would produce.
I am sure everyone has heard these arguments before. My point is we have to stop thinking our experience as a student gives us the insight to believe we can all be good teachers. We have to start conversations about how to compensate teachers fairly. Teachers have to be willing to meet halfway. I as a trainer have to be allowed the freedom to pursue training methods that meet the teachers needs. Compromises all around will be called for. Above all we need to walk away from the most abused word in the school environment. No more "Volunteering". Call it what it is. We need something, we don't have money to pay for it, so could you please do it?
Everyone gets the point. We can move on. I have to volunteer to gather some data to show the importance of something that I have to look up because I can't remember it.