How many classes do you teach? Preps?

[Jalapeñomel]

What is your teaching load?

I am required to teach 5 classes a day, but I cannot have anymore than three preps (in terms of classroom preps not actual prep periods through the day).

I teach three classes (chemistry 1, chemistry 2, and this year a section of Algebra 2), and an advisory that meets twice a week. I do not have to prep for advisory though, so I have three classroom preps a week.

I have one prep period a day, one co-planning period, and one lunch.

[UMaineTeach]

I make my own schedule, but I'm only supposed to have 45 minutes a day for prep. I am allowed to have a bit more for paperwork, but most of that gets done after school.

I had 6 groups last year. I can't plan for this year until the building schedule comes out. And that's never out early.

[katfco]

I teach elementary, so I have a class from 9 to 3:30, with an hour for lunch (recess duty once or twice a week), and when the weather is nice, 15-minute second recess.
For actual "preps," they have specials four days a week, so it works out to 35, 40, 40, and 60 minutes those days.

For what I teach, last year I taught reading/writing/language arts and social studies to 2 classes. This year, we're self-contained, so it's all of the main subjects to just one class.

[redmonkeystomper]

I teach special education at the elementary level. I have planning for the first hour. Then I push into classrooms until my 30 minute lunch break. After lunch I have another 30 minutes break because of the way my kids are scheduled but that may change.

[sugarbear]

I teach 7th and 8th grade Humanities block. Each day, I see 22 7th graders and 22 8th graders, each for 90 minutes. Three days per week, this leaves me with 3, 45-minute preps plus lunch and recess (another 50 minutes). Two days per week, I have an advisory period (45 minutes) and lunch duty (25 minutes).

[imimahoney]

We teach 5 classes in my town. I will either have 2 or 3 preps, not sure yet/won't know until my schedule comes in the mail.

I have at least 1 whole prep period day, 5 out of the 7 days I have 1.5 prep periods and a .5 duty. (Watch the bathrooms or something).

[Jalapeñomel]

Jul 29, 2017 23:59:34 GMT -5 sugarbear said:

I teach 7th and 8th grade Humanities block. Each day, I see 22 7th graders and 22 8th graders, each for 90 minutes. Three days per week, this leaves me with 3, 45-minute preps plus lunch and recess (another 50 minutes). Two days per week, I have an advisory period (45 minutes) and lunch duty (25 minutes).

You only teach 44 kids? I'm so jealous!

How many classroom preps do you have? Like are you doing lesson plans and curriculum for two classes?

[sugarbear]

Jul 30, 2017 8:17:37 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

Jul 29, 2017 23:59:34 GMT -5 sugarbear said:

I teach 7th and 8th grade Humanities block. Each day, I see 22 7th graders and 22 8th graders, each for 90 minutes. Three days per week, this leaves me with 3, 45-minute preps plus lunch and recess (another 50 minutes). Two days per week, I have an advisory period (45 minutes) and lunch duty (25 minutes).

You only teach 44 kids? I'm so jealous!

How many classroom preps do you have? Like are you doing lesson plans and curriculum for two classes?

I know. I don't have much to complain about.
Technically, I teach 4 different classes: 7th ELA, 7th Workd Geography, 8th ELA, and 8th US History. We've designed the curriculum to be fluid enough that it's almost one, giant, two-year class. I have one team teacher and we share all the planning.

ETA: I guess you could say that I have another 12 kids in my advisory, which can sometimes be a fairly academic class that requires a lot of prep.

[Monica Geller]

5 classes@ 54mins
1 (24 min) advisory that ties to 30 min lunch
1 54 min prep

We all must have a before or after school duty. I'm in charge of advising our video announcements team. Some people have more involved duties than others.

Most of my classes average about 26 students.

This year I'm all 7th ELA.

[bethaboo]

I teach 6 45-minute classes a day. It's three different subjects at three different grade levels, which equals to seven preps for two days' worth of classes.

[erbear]

I teach 4.5 classes, three preps (3 sections of 8th history, a section of 8th health and a section of 6th history), plus an advisory that we prep for as a grade team and two clubs that do require some prep (pride, which is our diversity leadership club and GSA)

[grover]

I teach 6 classes. three different grades, 3 subjects (science, social studies, 7th reading, 6th reading). I get one daily (44 minute) plan period but it's shared with only 1 of my coteachers. With the new curriculum this year we'll probably meet most days during that time. Meeting with the reading coteacher probably over our shared lunch. The last one will probably be after school once a week.

[jentervention]

I teach 3 math classes and 1 social studies class (5th Grade departmentalized).

I get 45 minutes of planning time 4 days a week. Fifth day is reserved for grade level team meeting.

[cherryvalance]

My school is the only one in the area (and I think the county from my days on negotiations) that has no limit to number of preps. We teach six classes and I've had as many as five preps. On good years, I'll get three to four.

We used to be on an alternating block schedule, which wasn't too bad, but we've recently moved to 42 minute classes and it's exhausting. Our contract does stipulate that we must have prep periods equivalent to the students' class periods, but also totaling X minutes per week, so we get two prep periods a day.

[Jalapeñomel]

Jul 31, 2017 8:09:40 GMT -5 cherryvalance said:

My school is the only one in the area (and I think the county from my days on negotiations) that has no limit to number of preps. We teach six classes and I've had as many as five preps. On good years, I'll get three to four.

We used to be on an alternating block schedule, which wasn't too bad, but we've recently moved to 42 minute classes and it's exhausting. Our contract does stipulate that we must have prep periods equivalent to the students' class periods, but also totaling X minutes per week, so we get two prep periods a day.

5 preps?! You must never sleep. Is your teacher turnover rate really high?

[cherryvalance]

Jul 31, 2017 8:41:55 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

Jul 31, 2017 8:09:40 GMT -5 cherryvalance said:

My school is the only one in the area (and I think the county from my days on negotiations) that has no limit to number of preps. We teach six classes and I've had as many as five preps. On good years, I'll get three to four.

We used to be on an alternating block schedule, which wasn't too bad, but we've recently moved to 42 minute classes and it's exhausting. Our contract does stipulate that we must have prep periods equivalent to the students' class periods, but also totaling X minutes per week, so we get two prep periods a day.

5 preps?! You must never sleep. Is your teacher turnover rate really high?

It's going to be super awesome to be a new mom and English teacher this year!  

But really, where can anyone go? Nearly all of the districts are operating at a deficit, thanks to Christie, so we mostly have skeleton staff compared to what we had (ex-we don't even have a media specialist and they've recently converted the library to a "maker space"). Most people who are eligible to retire are staying longer because their pensions are screwed right now.  Plus, if they are going to hire, they're going with someone at the very bottom of the pay scale anyway. 

In my particular school, there was a giant buyout a year or two before I started, so most of the teachers are around the 12-15 year mark.  The middle of our guide is starved compared to the county, but we do have a really high end step, so combined with the lack of jobs, most people are resigned to stick it out.  I've been looking because we moved about an hour away and can find absolutely nothing since I'm on step MA 13. 

I will say that it seems English teachers get overloaded the most, though, since we're one of the only subjects students need to take all four years. In contrast, because of the science certifications, most of them teach one prep/six sections. 

ETA: Because I apparently have a lot to say about this, lol--just to put it into perspective, even teachers of the supposedly "safe" subjects are having a tough time finding positions outside the district.  Our physics teacher interviewed in five or six other districts and didn't get offered anything (as far as I know from the end of the school year). 

[sarahswim]

I teach 6th but I'm in a K-6 building. I teach ELA and Social Studies, and have 2 1/2 hours to teach my homeroom (~20 students). Then we flip our classes and I teach the same thing to the other homeroom. It's up to me as to how I break up that 2 1/2 hours. Most days it's 90 minutes for ELA and 45 min for SS, but there's an ebb & flow, so it definitely varies based on what we need to focus on.

We get an uninterrupted 30 minute lunch. I have one 45-minute prep period each day, as well as supervising the cafeteria every day for 15 minutes. Every 3 weeks, it's my week to supervise the playground before school for 15 minutes.

[Deleted]

This year I'm teaching reading, word study, science, social studies, and religion to my 3rd graders plus 1st and 2nd religion. Three days a week I have two 45 min planning periods. I have one day where I only have one planning period and one when I have none except a 30 min lunch. That will be a long day.

[nsl]

I teach secondary ELA, and for the last three years have had five sections/two preps. My highest-load year was six sections (standard in that district) and four preps. Ironically I'm burning out faster in my current district than I ever did in the district where preps and sections were higher, but that's an administration issue.

[flamingeaux]

For Fall, I have 2 sections of civics, 1 journey to careers, and a section of world history. I previously posted that i basically sold my prep period. We're on block schedule so I don't know exactly what Spring will look like.

[Jalapeñomel]

cherryvalance I've heard that Christie has made teaching really hard in Jersey.

I'm very lucky, because our union is very strong, and it protects us from a lot of these issues.

[cupcake0214]

Not a teacher but a school counselor. Our district we teach 7 classes a day. We have lunch for 40 min and a 40 minute prep a day. Grades K-3 teach all subjects and Grades 4 - 8 teacher one or two subjects.

[nellgirl]

I teach elementary. We do 9-3, with a 20 min recess and a 47 min (yes, 47 mins) lunch, no supervision requirements, but meeting 2x week average at lunch. We do before/after school supervision 2x month for 20 mins.
I get 100 mins of prep time per week, but it varies on when, depending on the year. Usually 30/30/40, 45/45, or 60/40.

[nellgirl]

Also, reading this thread, we is the term prep differently. Prep for us is planning time.
What is the other meaning? It seems like a bad thing. Sorry if that's a dumb question.

[Monica Geller]

Aug 2, 2017 2:03:39 GMT -5 nellgirl said:

Also, reading this thread, we is the term prep differently. Prep for us is planning time.
What is the other meaning? It seems like a bad thing. Sorry if that's a dumb question.

We use it interchangeably in my district but generally a prep is a class you prepare/plan/teach. And you get one period to "prepare" (planning time) for it. It gets confusing sometimes!!!

[nellgirl]

Aug 2, 2017 6:35:41 GMT -5 Monica Geller said:

Aug 2, 2017 2:03:39 GMT -5 nellgirl said:

Also, reading this thread, we is the term prep differently. Prep for us is planning time.
What is the other meaning? It seems like a bad thing. Sorry if that's a dumb question.

We use it interchangeably in my district but generally a prep is a class you prepare/plan/teach. And you get one period to "prepare" (planning time) for it. It gets confusing sometimes!!!

Ahhhhh! That makes sense.
Aren't all classes ones that you prepare, plan, and teach, though?
We get 100 min/week, which is usually meeting, photocopying, etc but we have to prep all of our lessons on our own time.

[Monica Geller]

Aug 2, 2017 10:24:05 GMT -5 nellgirl said:

Aug 2, 2017 6:35:41 GMT -5 Monica Geller said:

We use it interchangeably in my district but generally a prep is a class you prepare/plan/teach. And you get one period to "prepare" (planning time) for it. It gets confusing sometimes!!!

Ahhhhh! That makes sense.
Aren't all classes ones that you prepare, plan, and teach, though?
We get 100 min/week, which is usually meeting, photocopying, etc but we have to prep all of our lessons on our own time.

Kinda. But by our contract our duty periods are supposed to require no planning- so just supervision of students like lunch duty, bus duty, or study hall monitor. So while I might be in charge of a study hall or advisory, it's not supposed to requires any planning or preparation...in theory...it's Not always the case though.

I supervise the video announcement team & have an advisory, both of those require some planning on my part. But I don't have to do bus duty in January so I don't complain.

[drink227]

I teach emotional support. There are 10 periods in the day and every gets one for lunch and one for prep. Every other teacher in the building also gets a period for PLC time - there's not room in my schedule so I don't.

I teach ELA. math. Science and SS to both 7th and 8th grade so 8 classes. But we are block schedule so even though there are 10 periods. One class is taught over 2 periods (1/2 is a class 3/4 is a class. Etc).

My classes overlap. At times I teach the same subject to both grades. Other times different subjects.

[Jalapeñomel]

Aug 2, 2017 10:24:05 GMT -5 nellgirl said:

Aug 2, 2017 6:35:41 GMT -5 Monica Geller said:

We use it interchangeably in my district but generally a prep is a class you prepare/plan/teach. And you get one period to "prepare" (planning time) for it. It gets confusing sometimes!!!

Ahhhhh! That makes sense.
Aren't all classes ones that you prepare, plan, and teach, though?
We get 100 min/week, which is usually meeting, photocopying, etc but we have to prep all of our lessons on our own time.

So I teach three chem I classes, but that's only 1 prep, since it's the same curriculum. But I have an algebra 2 section and two chem II sections so I have three total preps.

And we all have at least one free period during the day, which we call prep period (or planning period).

[nellgirl]

Aug 2, 2017 13:05:49 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

Aug 2, 2017 10:24:05 GMT -5 nellgirl said:

Ahhhhh! That makes sense.
Aren't all classes ones that you prepare, plan, and teach, though?
We get 100 min/week, which is usually meeting, photocopying, etc but we have to prep all of our lessons on our own time.

So I teach three chem I classes, but that's only 1 prep, since it's the same curriculum. But I have an algebra 2 section and two chem II sections so I have three total preps.

And we all have at least one free period during the day, which we call prep period (or planning period).

That makes sense. In elementary in our district, you teach everything, unless you have an informal agreement with another teacher.