U-46 teachers to stage ‘grade in’
When the school bell rings at 2 p.m., Sarah Madson doesn’t pack up her desk and head home. The early education teacher at Independence Center for Early Learning regularly starts at 7 a.m. and stays until 5 p.m. to complete tasks that are necessary for her kindergarten classroom to function.
To illustrate how much work they do outside of the classroom and after school hours, dozens of teachers from the Elgin Teachers Association, the union representing more than 1,200 educators in Elgin Area School District U-46, are planning a ‘grade-in’ before Monday’s school board meeting. There, teachers will work on grading, analyze test data, prepare lesson plans and meet with parents.
“It is very common to hear, ‘Teachers work 8 to 2 and get summers off,’” Madson said. “But the amount of work we do outside of the classroom is hard to quantify and is something that is missed. The reason for the grade-in is to reflect what we do.”
The grade-in will take place from 6 to 7 p.m., Monday outside the auditorium in the U-46 Educational Services Center, 355 E. Chicago St.
“People can’t leave their jobs to see what we do in the classroom,” said Kathryn Castle, president of the ETA. “This is an interesting way to share with the public what our jobs are and to make visible all of the work that goes on behind the scenes.”
The grade-in comes as the teachers union and the school board struggle to find common ground on a new contract. The two sides this week jointly filed a request for a federal mediator to assist in the negotiations. Teachers have been working under the 2010 agreement, which is the successor to the 2007-2010 contract. Pay freezes have been in place for the past two years, but teachers have continued to receive increases for additional degrees and certificates. However, step increases for years of service remained frozen.
Central to the discussion has been the structure of the school day, including the length of the day, Castle said.
“When we’re talking about the optimal school day and making sure teachers are doing what they need to do to be effective, we need to talk about the whole day — not just pieces of it,” Castle said. “If we’re going to make a change, we need to be clear on what is going on now.”
Tony Sanders, U-46 chief of staff, said the board and teachers union leadership work together on communication teams so that district leaders are aware of any concerns.
“The board is always interested in knowing the perception of teachers and what teachers are going through on a day-to-day basis,” Sanders said.
Maryellyn Friel, first vice president of the teachers union and a special education resource teacher at Heritage and Bartlett elementary schools, said a teacher’s job is much different from what people may remember from their days in school.
“From (Individualized Education Programs) to school improvement teams, there are so many things that are now a part of our days,” Friel said. “Our work isn’t just about the planning; it has moved into other areas.”