Teacher Asked To ‘Volunteer’ More Than 12 Times A Year ‘For The Kids’ Says No Other Career Is Asked To Work At Their Job For Free
She claimed that teachers are the only ones expected to sacrifice their pay for the sake of their students.
twinsterphoto via Canva Pro Teaching is one of the most rewarding professions, but unfortunately, it doesn't always feel that way for many public school educators.
In a TikTok video, a teacher named Jenny ranted about one of the most frustrating aspects of her job, and how often teachers, including herself, are forced to put in extra free time without it being reflected in their salaries.
The teacher shared that she was asked to volunteer more than 12 times a year for free.
In Jenny's video, she explained that one of the things that really "triggers" her about being an educator is the fact that she is often asked to volunteer and give up her free time outside of school hours "for the kids." Jenny claimed that every aspect of her job in the classroom and out is "for the kids" and being a teacher is one of the most selfless jobs that a person could have.
"I also think that society has an idea of that that goes way too far," Jenny observed. "I'm not a good person because I'm a teacher. I am a trained professional earning a salary for my work and labor. If teachers were paid properly and had fair working conditions, we wouldn't be considered 'good people' for just doing our jobs."
Jenny continued, saying that in a lot of schools and school districts, teachers are evaluated on whether or not they are participating in after-school events. If she failed to participate in after-school activities, then she wouldn't receive full points on her evaluation. Forced participation is not volunteering.
"There are definitely gonna be times that I want to volunteer at my school because I really care about my community," she said. "I should be doing that because I care and not because I get a salary increase or my professional evaluation score is lowered if I don't."
In total, Jenny estimated that there are around 12 events during the entire school year, along with a plethora of committees and tasks that she is a part of. While Jenny is happy to do these things, when she's speaking with her friends who are in different fields, none of them are asked to come to work during their off-hours for free to participate in an activity.
Photo: FatCamera / Canva Pro
"This seems to be really specific toward teaching," she remarked. Jenny pointed out that when teachers are told to do this because the kids will really love it, or it will really benefit the kids if their teachers are volunteering on their off-hours for after-school events, what the kids would really enjoy is having a teacher that isn't burnt out and is happy to be at their job.
"You shouldn't have to have kids, be a caregiver for a sick parent, or work a second job to have an excuse to say no. I am not going to work at my school unpaid outside of my contract hours." Jenny concluded, acknowledging that she wants to volunteer at her school and participate in after-school events because it interests her, not because she's being coerced by administrators due to the lack of public school funding.
Public school teachers have the highest burnout rates in the country.
In a 2022 Gallup poll, it was found that more than four in 10 K-12 workers in the U.S. (44%) said they "always" or "very often" feel burned out at work, the highest out of all other careers nationally. Many of the factors that contributed to teachers feeling unhappy ranged from low pay and poor funding, lack of classroom resources, feeling underappreciated and dealing with not only parents but children and other school administrators.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, teachers are notoriously underpaid in the U.S. with a median annual salary of just over $61,000 a year. On top of their low pay, teachers often have to spend their own money on resources for their students.
On average, 95% of public school teachers spend their own money on classroom supplies without being reimbursed, and, in every state, more than 9 out of 10 teachers incurred these unreimbursed expenses. Teachers spent $470 without being reimbursed, ranging from about $360 in South Dakota and Vermont to $640 in Nevada and $720 in Alaska.
Overwhelmed and underpaid, asking teachers to sacrifice the little amount of free time they have to come back into the building for after-school events where they aren't paid, is ludicrous. They dedicate enough of their time, energy, and money to helping children and giving them the best education they can despite all of the obstacles in their way.
Teachers shouldn't be expected to be these fearless, selfless heroes and leaders when all they want is to be able to make a livable wage and have their concerns taken seriously.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.