Dear Administrators: Teachers Want You to Get These 8 Tasks Off Their Plates

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Teachers say they work an average of 57 hours a week, but less than half of that time is spent teaching.

The rest of teachers鈥� time is spent on a hodgepodge of planning, meetings, administrative work, professional development, communication with parents, and non-curricular activities, like supervising sports or clubs. There are plenty of other tasks, too鈥攊ncluding some that teachers say are not squarely within their job descriptions.

That鈥檚 according to EdWeek鈥檚 The State of Teaching survey, a nationally representative poll of nearly 1,500 teachers conducted in October. The survey also found that teachers wished that they could spend more time planning and less time in meetings.

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To better understand the scope of teachers鈥� daily work, the survey asked respondents what, if any, roles or tasks they were expected to take on at work this school that they did not believe should be a part of the role of a teacher. About 1,200 teachers answered the question.

鈥淲here do I begin?鈥� one teacher wrote. 鈥淲e are expected to do and be far more than is realistic, [which is] the exact reason why so many teachers are exiting the field. The pressure is too much.鈥�

Many teachers said they felt stretched thin and were often doing the work of multiple people.

Even so, some survey respondents said they thought all their job duties were appropriate.

鈥淏eing a teacher means an umbrella of jobs and services,鈥� one teacher wrote. 鈥淚 cannot think of anything I do that should not be a role of the teacher.鈥�

Time, though, is an ever-present challenge: 鈥淎ll roles are important,鈥� another teacher wrote. 鈥淭ime is the problem.鈥�

Given the amount of work to do and the finite amount of time to do it, teachers have urged administrators to take some things off their plates. Here are eight tasks that teachers say shouldn鈥檛 be part of their job descriptions. These quotes, all pulled from open-ended responses to the survey, have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Finding鈥攁nd acting as鈥攕ubstitutes

Schools have struggled to keep a steady roster of substitute teachers, which has added more work for full-time teachers.

鈥淔inding our own substitutes when ill.鈥�
鈥淔inding my own coverage for [Individualized Education Program] meetings.鈥�
鈥淚f off a day of work where bus duty is assigned, one is supposed to find one鈥檚 replacement when that is inherently managerial in nature.鈥�
鈥淐overing for other classrooms that do not have a teacher due to lack of substitutes.鈥�
鈥淐overing multiple classes at once in the auditorium.鈥�
鈥淪ubbing on my prep [period]; taking half of another class for the day.鈥�

Collecting and analyzing student data

Data has long been a source of tension between administrators and students. Student data can inform instruction and help target students鈥� strengths and weaknesses, but teachers say the focus on data has also added a lot more work to their plates.

鈥淲e have been asked repeatedly to collect data and analyze it. Most teachers do not need repeated data to know which students need help. ... I am not a data guru, I just want to teach.鈥�
鈥淎dministration should not be asking for us to create reports of data they have access to.鈥�
鈥淗and-writing data logs for students when the same information can be accessed and collected digitally.鈥�
鈥淲e are continually asked to collect data and administer district assessments, yet we are not provided with the help needed for kids that fail the assessments. We KNOW which kids need support without doing multiple 鈥榙istrict-required鈥� assessments and would prefer if we are required to give the assessments, [that] the district provided the in-class support needed based on the results.鈥�
鈥淚 should not have to prepare data and enter data that can easily be accessed from the computer. It鈥檚 repetitive and excessive.鈥�

Helping new teachers

New teachers need a lot of support, but several teachers wrote that too much of it fell on their shoulders.

鈥淢entoring/training new teachers but not getting any extra pay.鈥�
鈥淗elping new teachers with classroom management; helping new teachers how to break down standards into teachable lessons for students.鈥�
鈥淐oordinate 鈥楤agels with Buddies,鈥� a mentoring program for new staff (unpaid).鈥�
鈥淔ixing the problems of a new teacher, assisting with planning, management, etc.鈥�
鈥淢entoring teachers to the extent that we have to observe them and evaluate them and [give] them feedback.鈥�

Keeping parents in the loop on everything

While most teachers want a good relationship with parents, several said they were expected to send more updates than they felt were warranted.

鈥淚 have to assess the children and call all of the parents when their kids are sick or injured. I have no medical training. We have no nurse.鈥�
鈥淐ommunicating to parents subjects that should be communicated by administration.鈥�
鈥淐alling parents and explaining bad behavior and choices to parents when there aren鈥檛 enough hours in the day to get it all in. Administration needs to assume responsibility for this instead of putting it on teachers.鈥�
鈥淐ontacting parents about student attendance. We have an automated system, so why is it all on me?鈥�
鈥淐ontacting parents (for positive remarks and failing grades). I understand the value, but have no time for it.鈥�

Participating in school community events

Extracurricular events can make for a thriving school community, but several teachers said they didn鈥檛 think they should be expected to staff such activities鈥攅specially when they鈥檙e not receiving any additional pay to do so.

鈥淎lways volun-told to do graduations, proms, etc., when teachers are not paid.鈥�
鈥淎ny unpaid events, such as chaperoning extracurricular events such as school dances.鈥�
鈥淔undraising by working a shift at McDonald鈥檚 for a day.鈥�
鈥淔ill in as a ticket-taker at school sports event.鈥�
鈥淏oosting 鈥榮chool spirit.鈥欌€�

Taking on janitorial duties

Nearly half of public schools reported needing more custodians at the start of this school year, federal data show. That might have led to more teachers being expected to fill in the gaps and clean themselves.

鈥淰acuuming my instructional carpet area and emptying the trash.鈥�
鈥淩ecycling, empty trash, clean classroom, restock paper towels.鈥�
鈥淢aking sure our recycling gets taken out to the recycle bin.鈥�
鈥淏reakfast in the classroom鈥攃leaning all the mess/food from breakfast.鈥�
鈥淐leaning my room鈥攕weeping, mopping, wiping down desks, dusting. Everything.鈥�

Taking on non-instructional duties

Many teachers said they were asked to monitor bathrooms, hallways, recess, lunch periods, and drop-off and dismissal times鈥攁nd they felt like it was too much.

鈥淲e have some duties (bus duty, lunch duty, hall duty, walking kids to and from class, etc.). Some is natural and expected, but each year it becomes more and more duties piled on and less planning time given.鈥�
鈥淲e are called to be everything to everyone the minute we walk in the school. No matter what the task is.鈥�
鈥淲e are expected to be a 鈥榯eam player鈥� and step in to assist because [in our contract] it is stated 鈥榦ther duties as assigned.鈥欌€�

Preparing for the threat of gun violence

School shootings may be statistically rare, but the threat is an ever-present fear for most teachers. Several teachers said they wished they didn鈥檛 have to think about and prepare for the possibility of gun violence.