What Teachers Need Most…

Donna Fox
Donna Fox
Aug 25, 2017 · 3 min read

The beginning of school is an exciting time for teachers. We love the new start, the new students, the new goals and a chance to reorganize. Every year I declared, “THIS is the year I will be organized! This is the elusive year that that I will stay caught up!”

People who know me well, laughed. But maybe it wasn’t my entire fault.

Districts are notorious for asking teachers what they want and what they need. Teachers tell them “time”. It is the most important commodity. Our profession demands time to plan. WHY is time not a huge part of the in-service week? It is the cheapest way to establish happy, well-prepared and calm teachers! And yet, there is almost a reluctance to do this.

Admin people are former teachers. I’ve always wondered what happens to those who move into those positions. Do they forget? Some of the best teacher advocates I knew moved into math coordinator spots. And suddenly I didn’t recognize them anymore. I was offered a math coordinator job a few years ago. I turned it down. I wish I had taken it….I would have stayed true to the teachers. I can promise that. I wonder if I would have gotten fired.

We sat in a round table with our Superintendent and he asked us what we wanted. We gave him a list. One of the most important things…time to plan.. Some districts give their teachers one full day every six weeks to work and plan in their classrooms. We suggested this and he said he liked it. We ended up with a day every six weeks….and guess what? The district filled it with workshops. Why?

Districts used to plan the ‘work day’ on a Friday. (For those who don’t know, teachers literally get one day to plan and work in their rooms. Eight hours.) Then they realized that teachers were not focusing on the workshops because all they could think about was getting into their rooms. So they moved the workday to Mondays. This, they thought would get the workday out of the way so teachers could focus on the workshops. A lot of districts also set the “Meet the Teacher Night” during the week and this way the teacher’s rooms looked somewhat prepared.

Do you know what is near and dear to most teachers’ hearts? They want their room to look nice and be organized. They want fun themes for the kids and it takes time and money. Most teachers go early to start getting ready. Many of the buildings have no air conditioning but they go anyway and sweat it out. Oh and yes, they know there will be little time during the in-service week to work in the classrooms or plan lesson plans for the first few weeks.

A side note to the admin people. You were all teachers. Did you teach enough years to know what your teachers really need? Have you ever weighed the importance of your workshops against giving teachers time to plan?

I took some very good workshops. I’m not saying they aren’t needed. But what would happen if the workshops were cut in half and the other half given to the teachers to plan? I wonder. Maybe all the required training that teachers have to complete could be done on school time. (Compliance trainings….ask your teachers how many hours they spent on that)

Maybe if the teachers were given more time during those two weeks, teachers would be well rested and ready…and not stressed and exhausted before the year even starts.

I have many family members and friends that teach in districts all over Texas. The stress is so high it’s crazy. Teachers are easily placated. They need little to make them happy. Give them time. Trust them to use their time wisely. They will.

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Donna Fox

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Donna Fox

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