No breaks at school!!

amother

Mon, Nov 21 2022, 10:45 am

I am teaching four and a half hours every morning. I am expected to be with my third grade class the entire time! Snack breaks and recess, I can only leave the classroom or playground to go to the bathroom! Copies are made by the secretary, so I never get a breather! Is this normal?

notshanarishona

Mon, Nov 21 2022, 10:47 am

amother OP wrote:

Yes thats very typical. Count yourself lucky that you can make it to the bathroom 😂.

amother

Gold

Mon, Nov 21 2022, 10:48 am

Depending on the state you live in, you may be legally entitled to a 15 minute break for 4 hours of work time.

amother

Whitewash

Mon, Nov 21 2022, 10:49 am

notshanarishona wrote:

Yes thats very typical. Count yourself lucky that you can make it to the bathroom 😂.

Yes I heard of a school that doesn't let teachers go to the bathroom unless secretary available to take over(during recess) which hey never are

amother

Valerian

Mon, Nov 21 2022, 10:51 am

It's the first time I'm hearing that teachers have to be with the class during recess time. It's supposed to be a break for the teacher as well. In my girls school, the secretaries are in charge during break time.

amother

Oatmeal

Mon, Nov 21 2022, 10:54 am

If you only work 4.5 hours you probably won't get a break. Your break is when you leave for the day. Breaks are generally for full time workers.

I'm a school based therapist. I do a minimum of 10 sessions a day (and often more) back to back with no break. And believe me it's just as hard as teaching. I come home starving, thirsty, tired, hot and desperate for the bathroom lol

amother

Molasses

Mon, Nov 21 2022, 10:55 am

As long as you’re allowed to eat a snack and drink while kids have their snack, then I think that’s fine.
If you were breastfeeding and need to pump that may be an issue since you should be able to pump.
Otherwise 4.5 hours seems doable as long as you can drink, snack during snack time and go to the bathroom as needed.

My mother works in a NYC public school and she is not allowed to use the bathroom besides for when she’s on her lunch break and she works way more than 4.5 hours

notshanarishona

Mon, Nov 21 2022, 10:56 am

amother Whitewash wrote:

Yes I heard of a school that doesn't let teachers go to the bathroom unless secretary available to take over(during recess) which hey never are

My school technically lets but it’s more the issue of you can’t leave the kids unsupervised/ finding someone to cover.
Currently I work as interventionist and not classroom teacher and many times when I come to get a student I am asked to cover for a couple minutes.

amother

Starflower

Mon, Nov 21 2022, 10:58 am

amother Valerian wrote:

Teachers monitoring recess is very important.
It's not only about supervision. It's about seeing what goes on between students, keeping an eye out for social issues, bullying, including students... A lot that should be watched by the teacher that knows the students, not the secretaries/other staff who will just be generally supervising.

amother

Vermilion

Mon, Nov 21 2022, 11:02 am

amother Valerian wrote:

When my kids have had secretaries covering recess, it has been a nightmare. A lot of what is really important with elementary kids happens at recess. They are much more likely to listen to their teachers, and the teachers have a much better understanding of the kids and what is happening with them to put what they see at recess in context. And what they see at recess puts things in the classroom in context. Sometimes, recess needs to be actively managed.

Also, logistically, if you have four classes out at once, how many secretaries do you have?

mha3484

Mon, Nov 21 2022, 11:03 am

At my boys school the teachers and rebbeim rotate recess. There are always adults watching but its not always my sons rebbe it may be the other two grades.

Also the younger grades have a classroom assistant that should allow you to use the bathroom without leaving them unsupervised.

amother

Skyblue

Mon, Nov 21 2022, 11:16 am

Yes, it's normal. I try to have a teacher "buddy" across the hall or next door who can keep an eye on both classes if I need to run to the bathroom and I do the same for her. Obviously we save that for emergencies.

amother

Skyblue

Mon, Nov 21 2022, 11:17 am

amother Valerian wrote:

I've never heard of a school where teachers don't have recess duty and I've worked in both public and Jewish schools.

amother

Valerian

Mon, Nov 21 2022, 11:23 am

amother Vermilion wrote:

There are 6 secretaries supervising break time. 4 classes have break at once and they can only be in the classroom or hallway.