For whatever reason (setting up classroom, catching up on work, getting ready for testing/upcoming events, volunteering for something, etc.), about how many times in a full school year do you go to work on weekend days? Me...zilch & I hope I never have to! Any paperwork I need to do, I can do on my home computer. (But then, I'm not a classroom teacher.)
I never do it, but I might have to this weekend. I have a cart of Macbooks in my room that are giving me some trouble. Our computer guy, who is very knowledgeable and amazing, doesn't really know a lot about Macs, so I'm kind of on my own. I've been trying to deal with them during my prep periods during the regular school day, but it's just not working out. It seems like as soon as I start to get anywhere with the computers, my prep period is over and the next class is about to come in. I just need a big block of time with no distractions to figure these things out. Sunday may be the best option. Blah!
J is teaching a few classes this semester on top of his Librarian duties and I know he does a lot of prep work on the weekends. I think he has gone into the University a few times to work but not many. Most of it he does from home. Me- I think it's weird to have a weekend off! My "weekend" off this week is Wednesday and Thursday! But that's because I switched with someone tomorrow for Wednesday (she needed tomorrow off and I had off and she is working for me on Wednesday).
I did it last weekend because I had a bunch of binders to grade and they had to get them back by Monday, and I was going to be gone on Monday, so I came in and did that. I don't like doing it, and I hope I don't have to do it again. I do work from home though on weekends.
I don't think it would even be an option at my school, because I doubt the school is open. Even if we stay late, we can only stay up to around 6 or so, because our janitor has to lock up and turn on the security alarms.
Never. I teach in a rural school and it is locked. Noone can get in. The principal has been called several times because the alarm went off and it was a teacher with a key that decided not to follow instructions. Also, we cannot get in before 6:30 a.m. and when the building closes it closes. The principal told us in a staff meeting the next teacher to not follow the rule would go to jail. She was not driving 45 minutes to rescue them from the police that responded to the alarm. As far as I know this rule has been followed by every teacher!! A first I'm sure
I've gone to school probably three out of four weekends a month this year. It's been a totally crazy year so far. I just suck it up and get it over with. I can get so much done in a few hours by myself in a quiet building. I usually go when DS goes down for his nap, so that I don't feel I'm spending time away from him. I planned to go in a little bit this afternoon, but DH got called out. So, instead, I'm baking cookies! Beth ETA: I feel sorry for those of you who can't get in your classrooms! That would drive me crazy!
I can't believe grown adults, teachers no less, can't even follow a simple instruction! Yeah, let 'em go to jail!
We have a school key so we can get in at any time. There are no alarms to worry about. I have gone in a few times on the weekend and even during vacations but I don't make a habit of it. I only do it if it's extremely necessary.
We have access all weekend long. There's a pool on campus so staff can bring their family to use it, and many do.
Never. I don't do anything work related on the weekends anymore unless it's for fun or absolutely essential. My school is closed and locked all weekend, anyway. I do go during the summer to set my room up and do any curriculum revamping that is necessary before teacher work week begins so that I won't be so stressed that first week.
Due to a lot of vandalism over the last few years, our building is alarmed. 7:00am-5:00pm is the only time you can be in the building. Once in a while, someone with the alarm code is there until 6 or 6:30. Lately, I have had a lot of required Saturday events. About every other week
I'll go about 4-5 times per year. Usually it's when I've got stuff to carry to my room, or I need to clean. The alarm is off from 10-10 on weekends and holidays. Not everyone has a key, though. I went out today to pick up all my stuff. I had to leave early yesterday to go to the ER, so all I had with me was my purse.
Zero. We have alarms and teachers do not have the code. I hate it, because sometimes I just need more time in my classroom.
We used to have access to our classrooms on the weekends, but (as some of you know) I have a new principal this year and she changed the master alarm code so none of us can enter our rooms.
I never do. If I need to I will work from home where I can sit in my pajamas and plug away at papers while doing laundry, cleaning, baking, hanging out with my husband at the same time. In the summer I go in during the weekends if I feel like it, but everyday is the weekend in the summer--I forget what day of the week it is during then.
I can go whenever I want...we have the alarm code and keys. I go about once every few months. I use to go more, but realized that I could teach without changing my bulletin board every few weeks, moving furniture every few months, and changing centers every week. I now change bulletin board only when the children do something to decorate it with, never move furniture, and I only change one center a week. And I no longer make my own centers. I write grants and purchase ready made ones. It is worth the money to have it done--plus I don't think it costs me more than it did in supplies to make them.
We don't have access to the building on the weekends. Teachers don't have keys to the building, only keys to our own rooms. However, I do spend several hours each weekend working on school stuff. I really prefer to do extra work at home anyway where I can be more comfortable, have the tv on, take breaks, etc. At my old school I did occasionally go in on a Sunday to organize things or get copying/printing done, so it's kind of frustrating that I can't get in at all, but I wouldn't use it that often anyway.
Haha, the teachers at my school don't even like to be there a minute past dismissal. Nobody will EVER request to go in on the weekends. :lol: I might, though! Rumor has it my AP likes to work in her office on the occasional Saturday. I have been meaning to ask her if she could sneak me in. Only sometimes though! If I had unbridled access to the building my work/life balance would be completely out of wack. (See: Last year.) But it is so nice to have a day where I have slept in a bit and have not had to deal with children before I think about a project. No pressure. Just a few hours left alone to catch up in the room.
1. I can't imagine not have 24/7 access to my classroom when needed. What if you get sick and need to get in there to make sub plans at 5 AM one morning or something? 2. All of the "never" responses are kind of discouraging.
We work a number of weekends-- open houses, proctoring, graduation, and so on. NHS has me there more often than most people.A typical teacher in my school who doesn't coach a sport is probably there 4 or 5 Saturday mornings a year.
1. That's what emergency plans are for. In my own department, we sort of have an unofficial policy of always making sub plans before we leave for the day if we suspect that there might be even the slimmest of chances that we might be gone the next day 2. Don't be discouraged by other people's priorities. Everyone makes their own decisions for their own reasons. I am one of those teachers who works my contract hours, maybe coming in a little early most days but certainly leaving on time or very shortly thereafter. That's because I value my family time, and I know that every minute spent at school outside my contract hours is being taken away from my family time. Other people might be willing to withdraw minutes from the family time account, but I'm generally not. I don't think that my choices should cause anyone to feel discouraged.
I'm able to get into the building by 5:30 every morning--the caretakers arrive about 5:15. If I'm sick, I don't usually go in to make or leave plans. I email them to our office administrator and to two other teachers. Between the three of them, one set of plans is on my desk and the other is given to the sub in the office when they check in for the day. I have access to the building between 5:30 am and 11:00 pm almost every weekday--those are the hours when there is a caretaker in the building. That's more than enough access for me. I can do my planning and paperwork at home--there's no need for me to be in the building.
I got at least once a month on a weekend. Lately it's more often than that. Sometimes it's just for a couple of hours. This past weekend we were getting ready for our state superintendent to visit our building. I had some organizing to do, and I wanted to get some things changed out before he visited. I was there all day.
I do not and couldn't if I did want to. I would probably like to go once in a while if I could, like if I was out on a Friday, but it is what it is.
We don't have the alarm codes. Probably a good thing. I am a workaholic. I get there early, leave late and take work home. My husband says enough is enough - I'm making less than minimum wage if we work it all out (I guess he did at one point).
Once. It was my first year as a kinder teacher. Our school was alarmed, but not the portables, where the kinder classes were located. Apparently, we figured out through eye witnesses and my observations that vandalism took place while I was at the school. I was in my room and noticed a group of hooligans running behind my classroom. They didn't see me, but I thought, how strange, why would they be behind my room. Later on, when I left the school, I noticed the window in one of the Kinder rooms was broken. Turned out they had stolen a LOT of things from that room. I never worked on the weekend again. And if I put in extra time over the summer, I make sure someone else is going to be there too.
I get a lot done at home thanks to laptops and the internet. I go about once a month into school during a weekend day.
Every Sunday. After I'm done cleaning the house today, I'll eat lunch and head over. However, I do not work from home. I have an old laptop that does not have Word, and I hate carrying all of my teaching resources home. During the week, I try to leave school right away so I can get to the gym or my 2nd job. With that being said, I don't really plan during the week. I only live a few minutes from school, and it's just easier for me to go in on Sundays and get it all done then. Plus, I have a TV, so I just hang out and watch the Packers. Our school is open 6am-10:45pm on weekdays, and 6am-10pm on weekends. We can go in whenever we want.
If I do go in I try to go on Sunday. Two different churches rent our building ( am and pm) then the alarm is turned off. I have a key and the code, but I'm always afraid I'm going to do it wrong. At my former school, one teacher didn't know how to turn the alarm, so she would side step flat against the hallway wall all the way down to her room ala Mission Impossible! She never set off the motion sensors in the hall!
Maybe 5 times in a school year. I always do school work on the weekends. But, sometimes, it is easier to do the work in my classroom for whatever reason.
This is hilarious, imagine if she had set the alarm off and the police came and saw her doing that! I'm not sure why teachers not working the weekends is discouraging, it doesn't mean they aren't doing their work. Different people have different teaching and planning styles, some do it from home, sometimes when you teach the same thing for a while you don't need to plan as much.
Every second weekend, generally. I rarely bring marking home, so on semesters when I teach a lot of English classes, I'm there every weekend.
I don't even know if my 2 schools have alarms. Never needed a reason to know. I'll never need to go in on weekends or even the summer ever. I guess that's alright if that's what they want to do. I have NEVER spent extra time at any job than I had to...for fun or otherwise! This reminds me, I remember once, my BF was laughing at me because on a non-work day, we were driving by my old workplace & I (for fun) covered my eyes because I pretended that I didn't even want to see the bldg! I have a 4-in-1 machine at home. We don't have subs for my type of position anymore, but if we did, I'd fax or scan/email the work to my school's office to give to the sub when that person comes in.
I sometimes do--maybe a few times per year. Sometimes I like to be there by myself and get everything organized for the week without any other distractions.
