Writing about writing—by the Write Source staff

Time Bound

“The value of life lies not in the length of days, but in the use we make of them.”

—Michel de Montaigne

My wife has taught first and second grade for many years, and she is about as dedicated as they come. Each evening after we eat, she heads into her office to prepare for the next day. She’ll first pull out her lesson book to see what she has tentatively scheduled for the next day. She sits there, totally focused and probably thinking: Will these plans still work? Are the kids ready for this material, or do they need more review? She will do this for math, science, and/or social studies. I don’t know how long this all takes her, but it is awfully quiet in her office for a long time.

Next, I’m sure that she reviews the different texts and materials she plans on using. She corrects papers. She sends emails to parents; she responds to emails from her colleagues. When a holiday is fast approaching, there is extra planning for projects and gifts. When an IEP meeting is scheduled for the next day, she has to prepare for that. When it is time to turn in her budget she takes extra time to get that ready. Of course, the amount of money she has to spend is ridiculously small. She, like most teachers, spends a lot of her own money for things.

When report cards are due, she books a weekend to prepare them. She writes mini essays about each student for the parents. Then there are special projects to work on that go above and beyond the basic curriculum—a learning fair, a wax museum, and so on. Typically, she’s in her office from 7:30 to 9:30 or 10:00, Sunday evening through Thursday evening.

While in school, my wife is busy almost every minute with teaching except for the occasional special (art, music, or gym). The kids at her school are dismissed at 3:15; teachers are required to stay until 4:00. I can count on one hand the number of days that she has left at 4:00. She is almost always there until 4:45 or 5:00. On the last few Mondays she has been at school even later because the school has purchased a Promethean Board for her classroom, and she has to learn how to use it. I mention all of this not to single out my wife (although she is a damn good teacher), but to inform the uninformed how much time goes into teaching. Rest assured, my wife’s colleagues are just as committed.

The emphasis on accountability and record keeping has added another layer of work for teachers, with no time to attend to it. It is not uncommon for teachers to call in sick or use a personal day to complete reports or update their records. That is the only way they can get them done. We had a bit of a laugh about an e-mail my wife received from the central office during the recent swine flu scare. The e-mail asked teachers to research Web sites that students could turn to for useful learning experiences, if, in fact, the schools were closed. No problem. She can fit that right in, about midnight.

The talk of the day, of course, is that our schools our failing, and that our kids are falling further and further behind, when compared to kids in other countries. President Obama has said that if students in Korea can excel in science or math, our kids should be able to do the same. He may be right, but we’re not going to find out unless we give teachers and schools time to improve things—time for thoughtful curriculum planning, time for visiting innovative schools, time for researching best practices, time for teacher training. How many teachers are allowed time off to attend conferences, conventions, or workshops to gather new ideas? Very, very few. Only curriculum coordinators and administrators have time for that.

Contrast an elementary teacher’s work schedule with that of full time college instructors. A typical instructor may teach three courses a week, some teach only two, and the courses usually meet two or three days per week. A class period runs for an hour at best. With all of that downtime for planning, I would expect instructors to be doing some truly remarkable things in their classroom. But are they planning or playing tennis or…? I can only imagine what my wife and her peers could do with even half of this time.

For most students, the first few years in school are crucial. In the early grades, they should come to enjoy school and become excited about subjects like math and science. It is here that they should become readers and writers. But even the most dedicated teachers can’t reach all of their students under the existing system. There is simply not enough time. What will really make a difference in our schools is to give our elementary teachers reasonable workloads with plenty of time for training, planning, mentoring, one on one work, and so on. In short, time to be a professional. Doing this will trump anything else someone may want to try.

—Dave