Teachers, how many times have you heard “oh it must be nice to get so many breaks.” I can’t count how many times I have heard this exact statement said to me. The deal is, teachers work extremely hard. In fact, teachers work harder than most people probably even know. There are many reasons why teachers get summers off. So without further ado, I would love to share with you those reasons.
Teachers Work With Kids All Day
You’re probably thinking right now, “um yes I already knew this.” But do you really know what it’s like working with kids every day all day? Let me give you a quick run down of what a teacher’s typical day looks like. Kids get dropped off and immediately one of them starts crying. While the teacher is trying to settle down this child, another child just realized they left their lunchbox in their car. This is only the very first 2 minutes of the day. As the day goes on, this pattern of different kids needing things at the same time continues. The teacher is pulled into 20 or more different directions with their different student’s needs.
Working with a kids all day is a little bit of being a nurse, a counselor, of course a teacher, a mom, a librarian, a coach, and a rodeo clown at times. Teachers never know what kind of moods their student’s will be in each particular day and are navigating the waters of balancing teaching expectations with the needs of each unique student. Honestly, working with kids every day is exhausting and hard, but the reward is great.
Teachers Work Tons of Hours
What you see is not always what you get. On paper, yes a teacher’s contract is nine months long. But do you know what you don’t see? Teachers work from their homes in the late hours of the night.
Teachers do all of this:
- go to constant professional development
- have extra meetings with parents or principal popping up on their calendar every week
- show up to watch their student’s at their soccer games and recitals
- sometimes work extra part time jobs to support themselves
- are at school before their contract time and long after
- in the summer, half of it is filled with taking classes and training for the next school year
Teachers Need Breaks Too
Think about how excited you get to schedule your vacation every year. You may or may not go somewhere, but you still make sure you schedule time off every year to relax and unwind. When teachers are with their student’s, they really don’t do much else. A lot of times, teachers will miss their lunch breaks or have to rush to eat, have to squeeze in time for the restroom between their planning period and picking up their class, and are mentally exhausted by the time summer gets here. Teachers pour their heart and soul into our kids and if a child is struggling, they are there to figure out a way to help them succeed. If a child is excelling, they are there to help them reach their full potential. If a child is going through a hard time at home, they are there to make sure they get the resources and care they need. A teacher is everything to your child and spends more time with them than anyone during those nine months. So yes, they deserve every second of their break.
Why do you think teachers deserve summer break? Are you a teacher who can relate to this post? Do you have any other reasons you want to add about why teachers deserve summers off? I’d love to hear all about it in the comments below or share your thoughts on social media as you share this post.
Also, I’d love for you to share this post or any of the resources on my website with a friend or colleague who you know NEEDS to see it.
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