[ Editorial ]

By Susan Brown Ruiz

Special to The Capital-Journal

After reading about increasing K-12 school to year round and increasing structured class time for students to be at school, it became apparent to me that the public is grossly unaware of what goes on in the daily life of a teacher.

I teach at Topeka West High School, where we are required to be on campus from 7:20 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily (eight hours). However, the majority of the teachers and students are actively on campus from 7 a.m. to nearly 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, not to mention that teachers attend and participate in extracurricular evening and weekend activities during the school year such as ballgames, theater performances, summer camps and fund-raisers. All take large amounts of time. Yes, we get paid for these, but on the average it is about $4 an hour after taxes.

Also, during the school year the average teacher spends one to two hours at home at night preparing lessons and grades for the next day and communicating with parents at home as necessary. If you were to average the hours during the school year and summertime for camps, coaching, special events, parent conferences, re-certification time, and preparation time year round, it would definitely average out well beyond 50 hours a week.

Now, just think if we were to extend the structured class time for students from say 8 a.m.-5 p.m. When will students participate and meet for extracurricular activities? (These, by the way, are what build special interests and character for our youth today.) When would teachers prepare for the extra class time? (On the average a teacher spends at least one hour grading and preparing for every hour he or she teaches in the classroom.)

Teaching is about building character with today's students and much of this does not take place during structured class time in a classroom setting. Good teachers spend unstructured time getting to know their students and families through summer camps, socials and icebreakers for squads and teams, helping with local theater groups, special events, volunteering at church camps, helping tutor and teach summer school to those students needing extra time and the support of a good teacher.

These activities outside the classroom help students think outside the box as they plan summer programs and participate in groups outside of school to help develop their social and leadership skills. The time outside the classroom also helps build special mentoring adult to youth bonds, with one-on-one time --- something many students don't even experience at home.

And so, on a final note, please consider the unstructured time and work every teacher and student spends outside the classroom. This work, many believe, is critical to helping a student today become a positive leader of tomorrow.

Susan Brown Ruiz lives in Topeka.

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