Wasting our time with teachers "meetings"

amother

↑ Aconite

Thu, Aug 29 2024, 8:35 am

amother Crimson wrote:

These meetings and trainings are mandatory but unpaid in my school…

Sorry but for me that's a no no. You want me pay me.

amother

Hawthorn

Thu, Aug 29 2024, 8:43 am

I also find the beginning of year teachers meeting to be a waste of time 90% of the time. Same old speech year after year. Going on 15 years I can practically say it by heart.

amother

Pumpkin

Thu, Aug 29 2024, 8:52 am

amother Hawthorn wrote:

I also find the beginning of year teachers meeting to be a waste of time 90% of the time. Same old speech year after year. Going on 15 years I can practically say it by heart.

Totally.
I actually think that since all policies are typed up and in a folder anyway, they should dismiss the returning teachers 30 minutes in and continue the meeting for those new to the school.

amother

Brickred ↓

Thu, Aug 29 2024, 8:58 am

amother Tangerine wrote:

Teachers are off all summer because they don’t get paid all summer. What does that have to do with anything???

She’s saying that many other jobs if you take off the summer you won’t have your job in September. She jealous that teaching is a 10 month job. You take off the summer but you still have your job in September.
To her I say become a teacher, or work at a place that allows remote for the summer or has shorter hours in the summer.

amother

Pewter ↓

Thu, Aug 29 2024, 10:38 am

Teacher development days are counted as days of school. For example, in NYS you legally need 180 days lf schools. A few of those days (I'm not sure how many) can be teacher development days. I've read on this site that this is true in other states as well (like ohio). I'd much rather a teacher development day where I can sit and space out and get good food than an extra day of teaching

lavendar310

Thu, Aug 29 2024, 10:57 am

amother Pumpkin wrote:

Totally.
I actually think that since all policies are typed up and in a folder anyway, they should dismiss the returning teachers 30 minutes in and continue the meeting for those new to the school.

I know a school that does it. New teachers come in a half hour before returning teachers. Also, in any job I don't think anyone would appreciate having to come in for free, for hours LONGER than their regular work day, for frivolous reasons

amother

NeonOrange

Thu, Aug 29 2024, 11:07 am

Thing is for first year teachers these are a nice opportunity to get to know the staff, to get a feel of the school and to get some useful knowledge and tips. For old timers this is beyond boring and frustratingly unnecessary.

amother

↑ Pewter ↓

Thu, Aug 29 2024, 11:28 am

lavendar310 wrote:

It's not for free. These days are counted in the school calendar as days of school. For example in NYS you need 180 days of school. My school calendar has 177. The other 3 are training days.
If you didn't have a training day you would have another day of school

And actually many other fields do have unpaid training requirements. I worked in a diff field where I needed to do that. It's not so uncommon.

notshanarishona

Thu, Aug 29 2024, 11:29 am

amother Nutmeg wrote:

Sorry but you had the whole summer off, this is part of your job.

Teachers don’t get paid for the summer

amother

↑ Brickred

Thu, Aug 29 2024, 11:35 am

amother Pewter wrote:

If you work from 9-1 you get paid a part time salary. If you wanted a full time salary would would take a 9-4 teaching job.
If professional development is 9-1 and it starts it September then you are getting paid for it. If it is 9-4 in august and you only get your first paycheck September 15 then you’re not getting paid for it.

amother

↑ Pewter ↓

Thu, Aug 29 2024, 11:41 am

amother Brickred wrote:

Again, you are paid to work a specific number of days. In NYS it's 180. I don't think it makes it difference what month of the year it's in. And theoretically if the school would make sure all the days were in sep-june would you be ok with it or would you still complain?
I do agree that training days should not exceed your regular daily schedule and you should take that up with your school admin and request that training occurs during normal working hours

amother

Nectarine ↓

Thu, Aug 29 2024, 11:41 am

amother Pewter wrote:

They are not counted in my school. (Boys yeshiva elementary in Brooklyn)

Any yes the meetings are an unnecessary waste of time. Irrelevant workshops (one year it was mandatory smart board training. 8+ years later and we've never had smart boards at any point)

amother

Marigold

Thu, Aug 29 2024, 11:43 am

OP I also hate meetings/conferences I feel that they are a huge waste of everyone's time.

That being said I think the meetings before school are state mandated so that the schools can put down on the state's guidelines that they had safety training etc.

Perhaps the schools should try to shorten the meetings or just do the absolute basics.

Insurance should be done online via email like all the other companies have it shouldn't be a 2 hour meeting.

for the poster that wrote that teachers had off all summer; that is their choice to teach your children and your choice not to be a teacher why are you knocking it? It is a career choice. If you need or want to have off in the Summer change your career or job and teach! No reason for such a nasty tone!

amother

↑ Pewter ↓

Thu, Aug 29 2024, 11:45 am

It's like when parents complain they're paying a full month for june but school ends mid month. The response iels that you are paying for a full year of school, not a monthly fee, regardless of how many days are in a specific month

As a teacher you are paid to work a full school year which is 180 days in NYS regardless of how it technically falls out and it may not all be sep-june

amother

↑ Pewter

Thu, Aug 29 2024, 11:48 am

amother Nectarine wrote:

Did you actually count up the days on your school calendar? Does it exceed 180?

amother

↑ Nectarine

Thu, Aug 29 2024, 11:53 am

amother Pewter wrote:

Did you actually count up the days on your school calendar? Does it exceed 180?

I'm involved in administration and I know as a fact that these days don't count. We used to have one "in service" day during the school year that did count and we would have a Counterforce type of workshop, and that did count. But those were discontinued.

amother

Currant

Thu, Aug 29 2024, 12:00 pm

amother OP wrote:

Wondering what others think.
At the school I teach, teachers' meetings started yesterday.
We were asked to come in from 9-4.
They provided both breakfast and lunch.
They also provided entertainment. They brought in a mentalist, I assume as a way to show teacher appreciation?

They also had a 2 hour meeting about insurance, where they had everyone sit through it, despite the fact that it didn't apply to about half the teachers there.

I don't know how others feel but I did not appreciate it.
I understand that, due to my job, I need to leave the kids home with a babysitter (on one of their last days off) to attend important meetings. But I feel like my time was wasted. Who needs a mentalist? I would rather be home with my kids.

Many teachers in my school just left when they were done. I hate pointless meetings.
Some teachers asked for a day off because they have no daycare.

amother

Oldlace

Thu, Aug 29 2024, 12:13 pm

1 day doesn't sound too bad. I had 3 days of in-service before school. Such a waste of time. Oh well. I do get paid so I can't complain.

Hashem_Yaazor

Thu, Aug 29 2024, 2:49 pm

My school's teacher contracts specifically include these days and pay is calculated accordingly when salaries are determined, but I'm not sure the teachers actually think too deeply and realize that.