Recently I have noticed a few comments on my Facebook page stating that teachers shouldn’t look forward to a Christmas break. Somehow looking forward to Christmas break translates into teachers who hate their job. I think most teachers would disagree with that statement. Teachers love their job and love their students, but they still need a break. Here are 5 reasons why:
- Our brains need a rest. During a given day teachers need to keep up with lesson plans, small group lesson plans, differentiating for student needs, student allergies, schedules, schedule changes, schedules for pull-outs, meetings, e-mails, who is leaving early that day, make-up work for Billy, IEP accommodations, transportation of students, bathroom accidents, answering the phone, changing bulletin boards, cleaning up after a child that has had a tantrum in the classroom, disagreements between students, and behavior challenges.
2. We need to spend time with family. Many teachers work long hours. For those of you who think we work from 8-3:00, FUNNY just FUNNY. While many teachers can technically walk out of the building at 4:00, many don’t. Many take work home and work on it.
3. Teaching can be stressful and we need to time to relax.
4. We deal with some crazy things during our day.
5. Teachers need time to plan fresh new ideas for the next year. Many teachers will spend part of their break planning new activities to help students learn material. They are always looking for ways to engage with students in a new way.
Although teaching is stressful and we need this time to re-charge, we love it. We love every minute of teaching. If you don’t love it, then you are probably in the wrong profession.So teachers take a moment and relax. You have earned your Christmas break!
Looking for January resources ? Check out my Martin Luther King Jr. lap-book.
I just found this blog and discussion. As a former public school teacher and now a consultant for a fortunate 500 cooperation, I believe I bring a unique perspective to this discussion. I have known many hardworking and dedicated teachers, who make sacrifices daily for their students. However, I have also known many entitled and lazy teachers, who give the profession a bad name. This is a anecdotal, but a large number of teachers I was in college with told me they chose education as a major because they didn’t know what else to do. That rarely translates into one becoming a quality educator. In my opinion, teaching can be tough at times but it isn’t a bad gig. When I was in the classroom, I loved my schedule, time off, and breaks. Yes, the salary wasn’t great, but my family survived. Even though I’m making much more money now, I sometimes miss the perks of a teacher’s schedule. Don’t throw at me the grading papers, lesson plans, in-service days, etc. argument. Been there done that. Those days are nothing compared to some of the stresses and demands of the cut throat corporate world. I’m not taking Rob’s side (in the previous comments), but to my fellow teachers… let’s stop pretending like our roles/responsibilities are horribly dreadful. Maybe if we were more open and honest about the perks of teaching, others would respect the not-so-glamorous side of our “calling.” Just food for thought!
I see your site needs some fresh content. Writing manually is time consuming, but
there is solution for this. Just search for; Masquro’s
strategies
This is my first year teaching and teaching is my second career. I do love it, but it is exhausting and to be honest without the breaks I do not think I would survive. I do think that the standard of two weeks vacation many other careers have is not enough, but many careers if you stay long enough you begin to accrue more time. I am making a significant amount less money, but since I love teaching and I do have the breaks to spend time with my family and kids it makes the pay cut worth it!
Teacher here. I think America as a whole needs to look at how ALL employees/coworkers are treated on an everyday basis. We should respect and treat all of our employees/coworkers well, whether we are teachers, garbage men, cashiers, lawyers, firemen, etc. It is no secret that we are behind many other industrialized nations when it comes to how we should attract, incentivize, and retain good workers….among many other things. I think we as teachers have simply reached a boiling point after decades of sh*tty treatment by the public. We are finally expressing our thoughts and feelings, which up to a few years ago, hadn’t been normal in the public eye and people aren’t used to it….
I think he has a valid point, what he doesn’t have is valid experience (he’s not a teacher.) No one but him is attacking another profession. As a teacher I would ask him why he chose this avenue of discussion. I would then suggest that it is hard to convince another of rhe value of your opinion because it is not written from fact, experience or on an intellectual pursuit.
Wow… There have been some passionate responses to this post!
I have been teaching at a Title 1 school in what is perceived as a high achieving, privileged school district for 17 years. We are a school with over 94% of our students receiving free and reduced breakfast/lunch. This is by choice, and there is no where that I would rather be. In addition to the 24 tiny humans in my second grade class with various IEPs, behavior plans, and RSP accommodations, I am the site coordinator for our grant funded after school program. My days are 11-12 hours long and I’m on the run pretty much every minute of it. For the past 6 years, we have been blessed with a very understanding administrator who is supportive of not only our “work” self, but also our personal self. This hasn’t always been the case, and believe me, we are appreciative. I realize that he is the exception, not the rule.
I read this blog with much interest, eager to see why teachers need a break. Before we left for our two weeks, our principal urged and encouraged us to enjoy our families and get some rest… I myself haven’t graded a paper or written a page of lesson plans. I have looked at behavior management posts on Pinterest, looked at how to differentiate upcoming lessons for some students, and given some thought to how to rearrange desks before students report back.
As mentioned by others, some of my students may have had a pretty sparse holiday with the economy the way it is, while others will move due to rent increases, or have to move in with grandparents or other family because a parent is incarcerated. These things shocked me when I first started at my school site, but no longer. There will be days when I close the lesson plan book and do what I can to show my students that I’m glad they are in my class and more concerned about them knowing that someone cares about them than covering what is in my plan book. There will be tears to wipe away and accomplishments to be celebrated. My peers and I have chosen this profession because we care and because in our pasts one (or more) of our teachers made a difference to us.
Love this! I never thought that teachers wanting a break was a negative thing, but this December we were informed by our principal that we were NOT to post anything on our Facebook pages about being tired or in any way looking forward to our Christmas break. I felt a little offended by that!
Thank you for sharing this! I became a teacher at the age of 40 and it isn’t something that can be compared to anything else. I love it with all my heart, but it is tiring!
I applaud my colleagues every day – and to the critics out there, when you come work with me for a month (a week isn’t long enough) then you get to make comments! (And I bet they’ll be different….)
Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year to everyone!
This will be my last response. You’ve convinced me. I have a friend who is a nurse (who literally lifts 300 pound individuals to change them, is responsible for people’s lives, and works night shift), a friend who is a police officer (who wrestles drunks on a weekly bases and puts his life on the line regularly for the safety of others), and a friend who is a fireman (who runs into burning buildings to save lives and Aldo works nights and holidays). None of them can take off just whenever they want. None of them are paid what they deserve. None of them are their own bosses, they have to report to supervisors, directors, bosses, and the like. All of them deal with life and death situations AND serve with joy. But you’re right… There’s no job that is as stressful and difficult as teaching. You’ve convinced me, I apologize.
Teachers are in a unique position, we are one of the few (if only) professions where we are TOLD by our district when we HAVE to take our vacations…any other profession is allowed to take their vacation days when they see fit. You want to fly off to Hawaii in February, great, do that as long as you have the time. You’d like to take time off in May for a friend’s wedding Vegas, great, book that ticket. Teachers, the ones that I know, aren’t able to do that. There isn’t another job out there that requires you to leave step by step instructions on how to do your job. You don’t have to come in top work with a kidney infection and a raging temp because your building can’t find someone to “fill in” for the day. I can’t just go home when I have a migraine…being out of the classroom means writing detailed lesson plans, finding someone who can come in, and planning.for an absence is unreal. Unlike most other professions, if I’m not there for a day or two, my “work” isn’t just waiting for me when I return.
These two weeks that we get off during Winter Break aren’t paid…our so called summer vacation, isn’t really a vacation, we’re out at district mandated training’s, we’re taking classes and doing homework, we’re going to doctor’s and dentist appointments that we couldn’t get to during the school year because we didn’t have coverage for our classrooms.
We’re not saying we deserve a break any more than anyone else, we’re not living in a bubble saying that our jobs are more special than yours because we teach…we’re just saying that we work as hard as anyone else…we love what we do, but we’re not respected because many people believe it’s “easy.” I’m here to tell you, it’s not easy, not by a long shot. We work long hours, with out the necessary materials most times, under difficult conditions (students who are hungry, abused, neglected, needing mental health services, or are angry and act out in the classroom making it impossible for us to teach and others to learn), many of us work for administrators who are so out of touch with what being in the classroom is like and only focused on test scores and achievement, that they forget that we’re dealing with shaping the future members of society and growing human beings who will be able to function in the real world. We are saddled with the difficult task of digging through and removing all the sh*t that these little people bring with them to school each day, so that we can actually get down to business and do our job, which is TEACHING them to read and write and add and subtract.
Try doing your job when a child reveals to you that they have been beaten at home and shows you the belt marks on their back (yeah, I’ve seen that, in first grade), or the child that comes and says Mrs. P. I’m really hungry and didn’t bring lunch money, can I still have lunch today? Or the mother that screams at you on the phone for 10 minutes about something you weren’t even aware happened, because you were in a meeting during your “break time.” We’re lucky if we go through a day without small interruptions…imagine what your day of teaching looks like when it starts off with a gigantic interruption like abuse.
Everyone deserves a break…even teachers. We’re just told when we have to have our breaks, we don’t get to pick and choose like other professions do.
Rob, I have no idea what your job is, but there is no other stress like being responsible for someone else’s children for up to 8 hours a day, 180+ days a year. A teacher answers to principals, asst. principals, curriculum coaches, superintendents, school boards AND, on average, 25 families a year. There aren’t many other jobs, if any, where you are held accountable by so many people directly – and for every action and every decision you make – from something as small as making sure a math sheet you work on doesn’t offend someone in your room because it may have a Christmas tree on it this time of the year. We are responsible for the most important thing in the world to most people – that in itself is more stressful than anyone who has never held that responsibility can imagine. You might THINK you understand, but you don’t I promise you.
It’s funny how educators refuse to read the content of a post before they criticize it. I plainly said, “I respect teachers.” I also said, “I love my profession as well.” So, I believe that answers two of Leslie’s questions. If you carefully READ my post, I am not criticizing or demeaning what teacher’s do; I am asking for “some” teachers to quit acting as if their job is the only job that “needs” a break. Oh, and putting “Merry Christmas” at the end of your message doesn’t make you any less rude or pompous.
In response to your post, I have two master’s degrees and a doctorate. In my profession, I work with underprivileged individuals, deal with homes that are broken, do grief counseling, and work LONG hours. I love what I do, but I (as well as the rest of the world outside of academia) do not get the breaks that teachers get. That was my point. Also, in response to your question, I do have children of my own… so don’t play that card. Your post is simply proving my point that “some” teachers live in a bubble and believe their job is somehow more deserving of breaks than others. It’s not that people like me don’t understand what you do… we do. We’re just tired of the “my job is more deserving than yours” attitude. Get out of your academic bubble and realize that no one else in the world gets the breaks you get… and we are hardworking tax-paying citizens who pay your salaries. We deal with people… we have deadlines… we work long hours… we are educated… we have stressful days… AND we get one or two days off for Christmas (and no summer break, spring break, fall break, etc., unless we use our one to two weeks of vacation). That’s my point. I don’t disrespect teachers; I just want “some” teachers to show some respect for the workload, dedication, and service that others provide for their communities.
I hope you have a great Christmas as well.
Leslie, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE your explanation to Rob. It was VERY well put. Too many people don’t understand our day yet feel compelled to criticize what we do. More parents need to ATTEMPT to observe a class that their child is in, then decide if they still believe the negativity. I LOVE WHAT I DO. That doesn’t mean that at the end of a day, I’m not completely drained of my energy. I give every ounce of myself to my class, regularly and I am happy to do it. Each break is welcomed though. They give me time to rejuvenate.
To Rob:
I don’t know what you do, but I hope you love it as much as I love teaching. My first question is why comment on a teaching related blog just to be rude? Did you forget the lesson “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all” I bet it was TAUGHT to you.
Next, do you have children? Do you honestly think a little 5 year old should be in school every day all year around?
That aside, while I have met teachers with an entitlement complex or a “woe is me” complex as you have described, you couldn’t be further wrong about the vast majority of teachers in this country. What you describe as woe is me I see as people who have to deal with long hours, constantly changing policies, and the consistent nitpicking of our profession by people who haven’t stepped foot into a classroom since they graduated high school (sorry, college doesn’t count). And don’t forget having to deal with children (different the general public) who worry about things from where their next meal is coming from, recovering from watching a family member get shot over the weekend, etc. Yet, I’m to get on little Suzy that she didn’t do her homework. Well, she was at the hospital hoping her Grandma would recover.
I’m supposed to make her stay on task for 7 hours-in many schools that don’t have a recess, I’m supposed to make her sit still and not have a chance to play?
This post is not woe is me, this post not entitlement, this post is people who have chosen a noble profession that is brought down every day because we are never good enough, anything we look forward to is apparently wrong, and of course, I never do anything at home during my breaks to help me become a better teacher.
So Rob, think back to your school days, I hope you enjoyed them. Take the time to visit your local school today. You will realize how much things have changed. Follow a teacher around for a week to see how much they have to do, but do because they want to do it. And see how tired they are at the end of the day. So that’s why teachers and children need a break.
Merry Christmas!
Do you really think teachers are the only ones who need a break, time to recharge, and have stressful jobs. In my profession, I put in long hours, am constantly on call, and deal with the public. Yet I do not get a two week break at Christmas, a fall break, a spring break, or two months off during the summer. I respect teachers, but enough with the entitlement and “woe is me” mentality. I love my profession as well, and I don’t get the breaks that teachers have.
Couldn’t agree more!!!
Love love love the new look!! 😉
-Cassie
Funky in Fourth
Yes! I am totally in agreement. I LOVE my job and just because I need to get my energy back and reconnect with my family on a holiday does not mean otherwise. Thank you for this post!