In recent events, teachers have refused to work outside of their contracts in order to make a stand against their lack of pay for the extra work they do. While they have good reasons for strictly abiding by their contracts, their actions have had a big impact on students as well.
No more office hours
Are you struggling in class? Maybe today’s lesson was extra difficult? That’s okay, you can always get extra help during office hours! Oh wait… not anymore. With teachers refusing to work outside of their given work hours stated on their contracts, students are no longer able to seek extra help from their teachers outside of class time. For many, the class period isn’t enough to learn all of the information at once. Extra time outside of class is needed for students to understand complex topics. When I was struggling with math, attending my teacher’s office hours was the only way that my grade was able to stay afloat. Without the generosity of her time, I likely would have failed the class, threatening my ability to graduate. Now that many teachers are refusing to open their classroom outside of their allotted hours, many student’s grades are suffering from the consequences.
Clubs are being shut down
Half of the year passes and many clubs are up and thriving, until suddenly, they start to shut down. The AP Psychology club for example, just started to take off at the beginning of second semester. Officers spent countless time outside of school making posters and planning meetings. Just as soon as their club started, it had to be put on pause. The club advisor withdrew her classroom, forcing the club to relocate. While teachers have valid reasoning for this, is it fair to the students? I am a member of the club called Turning Point USA. Our club meets every other Wednesday, so when I came to the meeting on the normal day, I was surprised to see that no one was there. After knocking on the classroom door, the teacher came out to tell me that the club is stopping their meetings. What a shock! The club that I had been a member of for a couple of years is now suddenly gone. Even though this situation was frustrating, I was relieved to be a senior, having already enough clubs to put on my college applications. Is it fair to the rest of the high school students who don’t have the same opportunities?
Left in the dark
The beginning of February was a very rainy week – during lunch, it was pouring down and freezing outside. Since many teachers had their classrooms closed, students were forced to sit outside in the wet and cold atmosphere, while the teachers got to enjoy the nice heater and the classroom all to themselves. While the teachers have authority to decide how they share their classroom, it is still considerate to allow students to eat their lunch inside when the weather conditions are that bad. Students also have access to certain appliances that students do not. Many teachers keep microwaves in their classrooms so they can heat up their lunches. Students don’t have that luxury and often eat their lunches cold. Is it really inconveniencing teachers that much to allow them to use their resources? They are certainly making their voices heard, so why is the district doing nothing about it? All the actions that teachers are taking that are inconveniencing students, while nothing has changed.
****
Teachers are finally putting their foot down and making a stand against the unwillingness for the district to pay them outside of work time. While teachers have the ability to do this, their actions have resulted in the inconvenience of students. Though I applaud that they make their voice heard, I wish it wasn’t at the student’s expense.
