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My school organizes end of the year trips and requires all teachers to chaperone. My grade level is going on a 6-day camping trip. I'm not a fan of camping to begin with, so perhaps you can imagine how I'm feeling knowing I have to go for six freaking days. I'm not sure there is much in the way of advice anyone can give me. So, I'm just venting. Can anyone feel my pain?
Public or private school? How can they require you to do that? What if you have other commitments?
What grade level? How does it tie in to your curriculum?
Ok.
So what would they do if you had a part-time job in the evening or weekend? What if you were a single parent? Heck, even if you weren't a single parent, that's a lot of time away. I'm assuming you don't get paid more for being on the trip.
My school organizes end of the year trips and requires all teachers to chaperone. My grade level is going on a 6-day camping trip. I'm not a fan of camping to begin with, so perhaps you can imagine how I'm feeling knowing I have to go for six freaking days. I'm not sure there is much in the way of advice anyone can give me. So, I'm just venting. Can anyone feel my pain?
The fifth graders in my public school used to go on a three day (two night) educational trip to a University nature center. The University leaders were "in charge" during the day, but teachers were with every group. The teachers were "in charge" in the dormitories (usually two male teachers and two or three female teachers) but there were parent chaperones as well. This went on for about 15 years. Since there were several teachers they weren't exactly working 24 hours a day (ie. they could take short breaks away from the students but couldn't leave the University campus) but for practical purposes they were working straight though. The fifth grade teacher were not paid extra, nor were they given any type of compensatory time off (they did get free meals and get to sleep on bunk beds in a dormitory).
It ended the year that the Teachers Union President taught 5th grade. Several teachers "worked to the contract" and drove to and from the campus. They worked from 8 AM to 4 PM. Since it was too late to cancel the trip for that year a couple of us teachers volunteered to help out. I had a substitute teacher teach my class back at school while I "worked" from 4 PM to 8 AM supervising students at the University nature center.
The 5th graders now go on a Friday night overnight experience at a Science Museum but that is totally organized and supervised by parents. The fifth grade teachers have absolutely no involvement.
Ok.
So what would they do if you had a part-time job in the evening or weekend? What if you were a single parent? Heck, even if you weren't a single parent, that's a lot of time away. I'm assuming you don't get paid more for being on the trip.
The trip is considered part of the work/school year. But, your points about parents and one's personal life are obviously valid. It's a very young staff and none of them are parents to my knowledge. We'll be working 24-7 for all intents and purposes. Brutal. And, no, there is no boost in pay for going.
I may very well come up with some way out of this. It's just pretty crazy it has to come to that.
And I'm one of the chaperones on a hiking trip tomorrow. We'll hike until 2, then make the 45 minute trip home. No real break of any kind from 8-2:45. And no lunch unless you grab one of the nasty sack lunches they give to the kids. I guess when the job market is tight, you can throw labor laws out the window...
My home district did an outdoor education trip, but it was only three days/nights, and wasn't camping, per se...but it was staying in a rustic lodge, lots of hiking, outdoor survivalist stuff, naturalist education, animal tracking and the like. And it was in the middle of winter, as well.
It wasn't required of all teachers to be involved (and those who did not go still had to report to school and teach students who did not attend), but it was a sought-after trip, and the teachers who went chose to go year after year.
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