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Old 05-03-2014, 12:41 PM
 
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I have 5 preps and travel between two buildings. I think this is too much but maybe I should stop whining. What is the average teaching load?
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Old 05-03-2014, 01:15 PM
 
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Sounds crazy to me. In high school, I generally had 2 or 3 preps depending on the year. Most years, I had my own room although one year I floated from room to room. I would think being at two school buildings would be hard, but I know that art and music teachers often do that in elementary and middle school. My dgd's band teachers float between two campuses (middle school and jr. high) and have meetings with teachers at the high school as well. I am not sure though that they have different preps - they teach specific instruments, not all instruments. Separate teachers for woodwinds, brass and percussion.
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Old 05-03-2014, 02:19 PM
 
Location: Wisconsin
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Originally Posted by AnnieBean View Post
I have 5 preps and travel between two buildings. I think this is too much but maybe I should stop whining. What is the average teaching load?
It varies but that definitely seems on the very high side if you teach at a MS or HS, especially with the traveling. But, in smaller schools or smaller interest subject areas it might not be that unusual. For example, we have one French teacher at our HS. She teaches one class each of French 1, French 2, French 3, French 4 and AP French. OTOH there are multiple Spanish teachers, so one may teach two periods of Spanish 1, two periods of Spanish 2 and one period of AP Spanish.


I don't have any hard statistics but my best estimate is that about 15% of the teachers have to prepare for two different classes, 65% of the teachers at the HS have three different classes, 10% have four different classes and probably 5% or less have to prepare for five classes. The few teachers, less than 5%, that travel between buildings may have to prepare for four or five classes but my district does not require them to do one of the class periods of study hall duty, lunch room duty, resource room duty or test taking room duty that other teachers are required to do one semester per year (they consider travel time as their "duty"). BTW There are seven periods in a day, so full time HS teachers teach five periods and have two free periods one semester and one free period the next semester.

Other schools may be much different but that is my estimate for my local HS.

Now someone like an elementary art teacher may have to prepare for multiple grades, K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and Adaptive Art. Plus have several different classrooms at each grade level. Our district used to have almost every elementary "specials" teacher travel between schools but now only about half travel (mainly between the two much smaller elementary schools).

Last edited by germaine2626; 05-03-2014 at 02:30 PM..
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Old 05-03-2014, 02:20 PM
 
Location: My beloved Bluegrass
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Originally Posted by AnnieBean View Post
I have 5 preps and travel between two buildings. I think this is too much but maybe I should stop whining. What is the average teaching load?
Not that.... How many actual classes do you teach and how much planning time do you get?
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Old 05-03-2014, 02:22 PM
 
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Thanks for all the answers.

I teach 6 classes a day (5 different levels) and get one planning period since the other planning period I get I have to travel to the other building.
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Old 05-03-2014, 02:45 PM
 
Location: Wisconsin
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Originally Posted by AnnieBean View Post
Thanks for all the answers.

I teach 6 classes a day (5 different levels) and get one planning period since the other planning period I get I have to travel to the other building.
My school district pays any HS teacher who teaches an "overload" (6 classes) a 10% boost of their salary (so if they are a more experienced teacher who is higher on the pay scale they get more money). It is rare but happens a couple times every few years. I'm pretty sure that is the case in some of the neighboring districts as well (some have a flat rate of so many thousand dollars if you teach an extra class).

If you have a union I would definitely talk with them if your situation is different than normal for fellow teachers.

Last edited by germaine2626; 05-03-2014 at 03:12 PM..
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Old 05-03-2014, 03:25 PM
 
Location: My beloved Bluegrass
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Originally Posted by AnnieBean View Post
Thanks for all the answers.

I teach 6 classes a day (5 different levels) and get one planning period since the other planning period I get I have to travel to the other building.
Are you a new teacher? Did you take this voluntarily because two school advertised part-time jobs that just miraculously worked together and they offered you the "opportunity" to do both so you could be full-time? I've had colleagues that have walked that plank before. If you aren't tenured, unfortunately, there isn't much you can do but hope for better next year or look elsewhere. If you are tenured, you were given this schedule whether you wanted it or not, and have a union rep, go visit them. That is a nutty schedule, it will wear you out, and no one should have to do it more than one year.
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When I post in bold red that is moderator action and, per the TOS, can only be discussed through Direct Message.Moderator - Diabetes and Kentucky (including Lexington & Louisville)
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Old 05-03-2014, 06:54 PM
 
Location: On the brink of WWIII
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This is a public school, not a charter?
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Old 05-04-2014, 10:04 PM
 
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Originally Posted by AnnieBean View Post
I have 5 preps and travel between two buildings. I think this is too much but maybe I should stop whining. What is the average teaching load?


lots of variables to consider before making a decision here. how long are the class periods? how many total students do you have? what are your after school duties? (daily? weekly? etc...) whats the grading load like?


i always look at it from a prep and total student perspective. example - taught with a young lady 2 years ago who taught 5 classes a day / 2 planning periods. she had 3 different preps though. world history / psychology and ap psychology. the kicker was her 2 ap psych classes only had 15 kids in each for a total of 30. her total student load was 90 kids. i had one prep but had a student roster of 150 kids in 5 classes. one could argue i had an easier time planning and getting things ready but maybe she had an easier time grading since she had 60 fewer kids than I. one could also argue she had tougher grading since she had 2 AP sections to grade. it's all relative IMO.
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Old 05-04-2014, 10:07 PM
 
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Originally Posted by AnnieBean View Post
I have 5 preps and travel between two buildings. I think this is too much but maybe I should stop whining. What is the average teaching load?

friend of mine did this her first year. she taught elementary spanish between two buildings at opposite ends of the district. HOWEVER she only had to do ONE lesson plan a week b/c she only saw students once a week and had her own office at both schools (yes office not classroom). AND she didn't have to do any grading nor attendance she said since the course she taught did not show up on the child's report card. no grading, no attendance and one lesson plan a week. i'd say that's easy regardless of spending time each driving for 30 minutes.
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