Zachariah D. Lowe
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"A winner is just a loser who tried one more time." -George M. Moore, Jr.
What Makes a Teacher's Summer?8/5/2019 Another school year down, another summer almost over. But what exactly is summer for teachers? We have all seen the memes of teachers laying out next to the pool with a pina colada in one hand and their favorite book in another. And this last spring’s rally at the South Carolina State House may have painted a picture in some minds that teachers may just spend the summer protesting for a multitude of concerns. I would argue that both social rejuvenation and political activism are part of a typical summer for educators in the Palmetto State, but they only make up a small portion of the two and a half months that we have off.
I cannot tell you how many times I have heard something near the notion of how ridiculous it is that teachers have holidays and the summer off or that they get paid for this time off. I’ll try to make a simple case as to why that is flawed thinking. Each year, I sign a contract to agree to work as an educator. This contract requires me to work for 190 days at the posted rate of 7.5 hours per day. That’s a grand total of 1,425 hours each year that I am required to be at my school. But how many hours do we actually work? Many of us are required to be at work at 7:15 AM and cannot leave before 3:15 PM. That’s 8 hours, even though we are only paid for 7.5. And to plan for lessons, many teachers typically stay for another hour at school each day. Add another 285 to the total. Don’t forget about the sporting events, band concerts, art shows, and other events that teachers are expected to be at and help coordinate. I assisted at three football games (2 hours each), a football scrimmage (7 hours), two basketball games (2 hours each), two band concerts (2 hours each), and a graduation ceremony (2 hours) this year. That’s another 23 hours in unpaid time. But teachers also have to regularly take home school work to grade, as meetings and other responsibilities chip away at dedicated planning time. Let’s say a half hour per day of grading time per contracted day (many secondary teachers have in excess of 100 students’ assignments to grade each day); another 95 hours. So that leaves a difference of about 172 working hours between educators and ‘typical’ five-day-a-week nine-to-five professionals; equivalent to roughly three working weeks. Most of the teachers that I have come across in my five years in the profession more than make up this difference during the summer months. I submit my own summer schedule for evidence: June 6th: Last day of school June 7th: Teacher work-day (last working day of my contract) June 10th: Tidying up my classroom June 11th: Helping facilitate the South Carolina State Teacher Forum Workshop June 12th-13th: Presenting at and attending the Sumter E3 Educator Conference June 14th: Online learning for attending the upcoming AVID Conference June 17th-21st: WEEK OFF June 24th-28th: AVID Conference in Tampa with my school colleagues July 1st-26th: C-SPAN Fellowship in Washington, D.C. July 29th: DAY OFF July 30th-August 2nd: Fellowship at Mount Vernon August 5th-9th: WEEK OFF August 12th-19th: Teacher work-days/trainings/events (new contract begins) August 20th: First day of school To come full circle, I encourage you to thank a teacher for the extra time they perennially donate to better our children, our local communities, and our society. Teachers are single-handedly the best investment of taxpayers’ dollars. Yes, teachers have the summer off. And yes, they may take some time to refresh and rejuvenate from the stresses of the nature of our work. But teachers never stop caring, they never stop working...even during the summertime.
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A Summer at C-SPAN7/1/2019 What makes our great country tick forward, minute by minute, second by second? Is it our legislators and politicians, who spend each day working on our behalf? Is it our bountiful freedoms, which enable us to participate in the process? Is it the “American Spirit,” which has symbolized our efforts to learn more, do more, and become more? Or is it something else?
For the month of July 2019, I have spent my time sifting through over 251,000 hours of raw, “unfiltered,” C-SPAN footage. I have seen my legislators and politicians in committee hearings, at public functions, and on the United States House and Senate floors. I have seen them arguing for causes they believe to be just and true, and of benefit to their hometown constituents. I have seen videos and clips of protests and of speeches, of arguments and of agreement. I have seen Americans disagree on a significant issue and then turn around and find common ground on another one. I have seen cities proudly showcase their rich heritages and histories, celebrating their triumphs and lamenting their shortcomings. I have virtually visited libraries, museums, battleships, factories, and battlefields. I have seen America, unfiltered. On the South Lawn of the White House, I witnessed the resignation of the United States Secretary of Labor. I saw the President quickly develop his commanding presence through all of it, trying to find a way to put a positive spin on the news. I walked past the Oval Office and joined my colleagues in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room to witness the immediate reaction to the announcement. I went to the United States Capitol, the seat of power of our nation, to learn about our nation’s history and progress. All the while, I walked underneath a statue entitled “Freedom,” which was itself built by slave labor. I have seen America, unfiltered. C-SPAN was created 40 years ago in 1979, when the public began to demand more transparency from our government. The company provides unedited and continuous footage of our House of Representatives and Senate, covers our President and Supreme Court, and develops new programming to showcase our nation. And I had the opportunity to be in the middle of it all. I (along with the two other teacher fellows) have taken much of this footage and developed over 200 new resources that can be used by teachers across our country, as they teach their students how to think critically about the country in which they live. From creating instructional materials on state history and hot-button political issues, to teaching educators how to use the resources, I have contributed to a growing awareness and understanding of our government, our country, and history. I have grown side-by-side new colleagues and friends at C-SPAN, in a working environment that brought out the best from all corners of our nation. I have increased our understanding of our country, and I have developed new visions for my classroom and my local community. I was a 2019 C-SPAN Teacher Fellow, and I have seen America, unfiltered. I hope you will too. To learn more about C-SPAN’s summer educators’ conferences and/or their summer teacher fellowship, visit: https://www.c-span.org/classroom/opportunities/. AuthorBlogs written by Zachariah Lowe, unless otherwise noted. ArchivesCategories |