The writer of the Dec. 13 letter "Not professional" seems to think teachers walk in the door with their students and out with them at the end of the day. The truth is, we have a multitude of meetings and duties before and after school, which is why one hour extra per week was necessary for teams to work together on curriculum planning.
We schedule conferences in the early mornings or in the evenings to accommodate the parents' schedules and we skip our own children's school programs in order to attend those of our students, on our own time. Most elementary teachers work 9-10 hours a day, in order to get all their planning, paperwork and out-of-class responsibilities taken care of.
When I worked in a professional office, I worked eight-hour days, had an hour for lunch, and could use the bathroom or get coffee whenever I needed to. I did not spend my weekends planning my work for the following week, nor did I spend my own money on supplies. Oh, and, I made a higher salary with better benefits. Now I gladly do all of those things because I love teaching children. Don't tell me I'm not acting as a professional.
