Yes, for at least a week. We get zero time to out our rooms together once our contract starts. We also have zero planning time. So, if I want to be ready for students, I must go in on my own time. I'm never very happy about it, but I also don't see a way around it.
I go in early. I like the peace and quiet. I like being able to use our workdays to catch up with people, make final touches, etc... it's a much more relaxing start for me.
Our students start the day after Labour Day; we have no mandatory days before that. During the last 2 weeks of August, everyone is in to get their rooms ready; some are in for only a few hours and some are in almost full-time for those weeks. There is no judgement either way--as long as we are good to go the first day, all is fine. I'll probably be in for somewhere between 15 and 20 hours to get ready (of course, that time includes lots of catching up with colleagues!)
Yes and no. In the past, I've often gone in a day or two early in order to set up my classroom. For the past couple of years, I've been in a different position that comes with add-on days, so I have to come in a certain number of days beyond the regular teacher schedule. I usually do 1/3 of them before the year starts, 1/3 of them after the year ends, and 1/3 of them during special events during the school year. Technically my contract requires these additional days, but I get to pick when I do them.
I do, just to be ahead and feel prepared. It annoys me though. Our contract doesn't start until 8/14, and school starts 8/16, but open house is 8/10???? So basically we have to have our classrooms ready before our contracts even start.
Absolutely. We only have 2 contracted days before the kids come and one of them is all day PD. That room isn't going to set itself up. It's ok with me. I worked at charters before and we had more contracted days to set up, but we also had more work days total. I like having the freedom of not being "on the clock" and coming and going as I please while I'm setting up the room.
I do enjoy the time before school to reorganize myself before the school year starts. But that is NO FUN if the require you to. How is that possible?
Yes. I have to. We only have one contract day before the kids arrive, and it is filled with meetings. Our open house is a week before kids arrive. Some people greet kids with an unfinished room, but I can't make myself do it. I have been to my room four times. I do short 2-3 hour stretches. I finished up yesterday. We are going in one day this week to get DH's room finished. He doesn't do much. He has the computer lab.
I pretty much don't go in. I was in town last week and did a fly by to check my mailbox and see if class Lists were ready. They weren't. Then I left.
Have to. We have to be back a full week before kids. The district thinks that they can fit 10 or so professional development sessions in those five days. Unless I want to be working until midnight the few days before school i certainly do.
My first couple of years I did, but not any more. I have very little to set up being in high school and the few hours they give us on the in-service days are plenty. I basically just have to take out my stuff and organize textbooks. I make seating charts from home. I also have my business ed student take care of my bulletin boards and stuff like that the first week of school.
We are not required to go in before our contract date, but since the first day of classes is the first day of our contract, in order to be ready we all go in early! However, since we are not required to be there we all do as much or as little as we'd like. Some teachers go in for a full two weeks beforehand, others pop in for a day. Like @MrsC said, there is no judgement, so long as we are all ready for the first day of school.
We have two days before kids come, but only get 3 hours of that without meetings. My building has Open House on the first teacher day, so I have to go in early. I have been in twice so far for about 5 hours each time.
I haven't made it in this year and with two weeks to go I doubt I will. We arrange teacher week to be half-meetings, half personal prep anyway.
Hat's off to Backroads! Despite my reluctance, I bet that I will be no better at refraining from going back before my contract starts than I am at only spending the pittance they give us for school supplies. As a matter of fact, I broke the "no personal spending for school supplies" today. Wow - and I have a whole month to go. The only reason I won't go in more than a day before the contract begins is because I will be out of town. My room was used for ESY, so no idea what it will look like, or what will still be in it, but I took everything that belonged solely to me home on the last day - a pain, but not as painful as coming back to find how much has managed to walk away over the summer! Oh, and at our school, if you believe in the half day personal prep line, you may as well go in whole hog and believe in the tooth fairy.
I only go in 1 day for a few hours. My P is really good about giving us time in our rooms. Tomorrow is our fist day back and I know the we'll have half the day to work in our rooms. The same goes for Tuesday. Since she gives us plenty of time, I dont see a need to go in for more than a few hours.
We have two full weeks of contract time before kids arrive. Most teachers still go before the first day. Most of the days are full of PD and we may have 30min -1 hour at the end of the day to work on our rooms.
Ditto - seems like a lot of days, but it is almost all PD, which notoriously runs overtime, leaving virtually no time for room preparation.
I used to when I was a newer teacher, but I've gotten a lot more efficient over the years- plus I've been in the same room for 5 years now. We get two full teacher workdays prior to the students starting; per our contract they can't schedule any meetings or make us do anything else during that time. The two days is more than enough for me, especially considering they don't make us pack up the rooms that much at the end of the year either. I'll honestly probably be done in a couple of hours.
We have 4 contracted days before students start. They are full of meetings and PD, very little work time. My room should be opened Tuesday and I'll be there setting things up slowly just a little each day. We don't start back until the 28th so I have plenty of time.
I only get one day to work in my room and it inevitably will have a meeting. The meet the teacher event is that afternoon so it's impossible to get set up on paid time. I go in but usually only stay a couple of hours at a time.
I think, it is good to go to school before your contract starts. You will get to know something, you don't want to miss on day1. Thanks Rahul
We have 4 days before open house and (due to my unique position at the school) I can skip most of the regular PD during those days. That gives me most of the time I need.
I teach high school so there isn't a lot of labeling items with student names, bulletin boards to set up, etc. In the past we have had our first contracted day back be a day-long PD off-site, with Open House that night. I had zero problem greeting my students and their parents in a room where desks were still stacked on each other, boxes were half-opened, etc. I work enough during the school year, without pay, to get real stuff done. I was not going to give up the last few days of summer with my own children just to make things pretty for parents.
I do go in almost every year. We only have two days of contract time before school starts. Our district loves to waste our time with nonsense so almost everyone comes in early. I also like to get all of my copies done for the first week. We never know when the machine will malfunction. Also, we have to re-hook up our technology which can take a while. I no longer go crazy with the decorating though. When it is extremely hot, every poster ends up falling down anyway!
I like going in just to drop off a few things that I've picked up during the summer. It's also nice to be able to choose to stay for thirty minutes or just an hour or two as opposed to a mandatory work day.
This happened to us. As a whole, we decided no more. We showed up to open house with our rooms just as the janitors left them. Admin was shocked. Community helped with the rooms that year. Next year the open house was moved to the night before school. we didn't like that either lol
Good for you all though. Glad you could stick together and make a stand. It's so frustrating when your time isn't respected.
I usually drop in and pick up a load to do at home. Then one afternoon/evening I take a team of friends and tackle it. Steaks and corn on the cob over a bon fire for a thank you.
Yes, it doesn't seem like there is enough time to get organized, items on walls, and feel prepared for the first day. Being unprepared for the first day really stinks. Feeling prepared for the first day=priceless.
I started at this school in the last term. The following school year, apparently the new principal didn't understand the way of things and scheduled what apparently was inordinate amount of training. She apologized and ever since it's been half and half for a full week.
That's the way it should be. Teachers do a better job when they're organized and prepared, so IMO classroom time is one of the best uses of PD days.
Nope. I used to, as I wanted to get my room ready and get situated for the year. But I'm starting year 10 now, and the amount of planning and preparation needed is just a lot less than it used to be. I'd also imagine that since I don't teach elementary, there is less classroom prep work to do too. We get two days before the kids start, and that's been enough lately.
Not anymore. Indiana has done all it can to beat the profession down into the dirt, so I won't give them another minute of my time beyond my contract. When Indiana wises up, when my district stops acting like a pack of back-stabbing middle school girls, I'll put myself back out there.
The past few years I haven't gone in early, but this year I will have to if I can. My building got new carpet over the summer, and we had to pack EVERYTHING away at the end of the school year. This year I will split my time between two buildings, and meetings are quickly filling in my calendar. I will have to go in early and/or work late to get the room ready for open house.