That so many teachers raise or support overtime pay dismays me, and such a stance shows how far we have fallen. I use "we" collectively because I do not support it and I am certain that those of my generation and those who went before would not either. Even agreeing to debate overtime for teachers harms teachers and teaching, and further pushes us (collectively) to the bottom.
For years and years and years, teachers fought to be regarded as professionals with qualification and preparation requirements, licensing and certification requirements, CPD, jargon and specialist language etc. Key to the professional argument were that
- teachers provided a service responsive to and determined by the client and did not follow orders from above or predetermined processes
- teachers did what was required and so some days were short, some were long, but the quid pro quo was the vacations
- teachers received an annual salary, thus were compensated for the work, rather than clocking in and out and receiving hourly wages
Immediately someone asks for "overtime", all three arguments go out the window and teaching is reduced to an hourly job meaning all other aspects of professionalism are lost with them.
I agree that teacher salaries are too low. I also believe entry requirements are too low preparation programmes are too low and classroom expectations are too low. These of course are all linked, like the proverbial African stool.
"Overtime for teachers" is counter-productive and even destructive. We love to look to Finland and Singapore which notably pay more, require more and then expect more, and that is where we should be applying our collective pressure.
**Please leave questions and comments below.**
Further Reading
https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/teachers-dont-qualify-for-overtime-pay-should-they/2023/11
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