![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
As I was just now searching desperately for a red pen so I could mark up another batch of error-ridden student paragraphs, I noticed that it was 8:45 PM. WTF? Why am I working?
I got home at 6, made dinner for myself and baby (husband is currently at a work event), fed and bathed baby, managed to scarf about a half a plate of food before baby started crying for her bottle, gave it to her and put her to bed, then cleaned the kitchen and put in all the dirty laundry. That took until 8. Of course, I could only then begin the work I took home with me-- a pile of papers I had absolutely no desire to look at, much less correct.
The problem is, I'm expected to work at home, which is bullshit because I'm not paid that much. If I was single and childless, it would still be bullshit, but since I only have about an hour to myself before I crash, it's even more extreme bullshit.
So this is the thing with teaching-- I don't think I should be paid more, necessarily (although in the county I live in you do need a master's degree, and we are paid less than similarly educated people), but I know I should work less. I get to work at 8 every day and leave at 5. In that time, I teach SEVEN HOURS OF CLASS. That leaves me such minimal time to grade, update my Edline web page, call parents, plan classes, and whatever other bullshit (like KING OF BULLSHIT MEETINGS) I'm asked to do that it's absolutely laughable. OF COURSE I HAVE TO TAKE WORK HOME. BUT I AM ALREADY ONLY PAID TO WORK UNTIL 3:45 PM TECHNICALLY. So the delusion is that I would finish my work by that time??? Are you fucking kidding me? How is that even possible?
Anyways, I don't think this is just a teacher problem-- although I used to be a paralegal, and I NEVER took work home-- but it's a mentality. At my work, there's like this goal to be the last person there. Why? Work is WORK, and should be over when the hours you are paid for are over. The rest of the day should be yours to dedicate to activities you enjoy, like bitching about work on your journal. I don't know if this is an American mentality or a Western mentality or just an ambitious asshole mentality (and if so, those people RUN my life), but I don't like being forced to make impossible choices between getting enough sleep, seeing my child, and doing my job properly.
Now I should probably correct those papers. Fuck.
I got home at 6, made dinner for myself and baby (husband is currently at a work event), fed and bathed baby, managed to scarf about a half a plate of food before baby started crying for her bottle, gave it to her and put her to bed, then cleaned the kitchen and put in all the dirty laundry. That took until 8. Of course, I could only then begin the work I took home with me-- a pile of papers I had absolutely no desire to look at, much less correct.
The problem is, I'm expected to work at home, which is bullshit because I'm not paid that much. If I was single and childless, it would still be bullshit, but since I only have about an hour to myself before I crash, it's even more extreme bullshit.
So this is the thing with teaching-- I don't think I should be paid more, necessarily (although in the county I live in you do need a master's degree, and we are paid less than similarly educated people), but I know I should work less. I get to work at 8 every day and leave at 5. In that time, I teach SEVEN HOURS OF CLASS. That leaves me such minimal time to grade, update my Edline web page, call parents, plan classes, and whatever other bullshit (like KING OF BULLSHIT MEETINGS) I'm asked to do that it's absolutely laughable. OF COURSE I HAVE TO TAKE WORK HOME. BUT I AM ALREADY ONLY PAID TO WORK UNTIL 3:45 PM TECHNICALLY. So the delusion is that I would finish my work by that time??? Are you fucking kidding me? How is that even possible?
Anyways, I don't think this is just a teacher problem-- although I used to be a paralegal, and I NEVER took work home-- but it's a mentality. At my work, there's like this goal to be the last person there. Why? Work is WORK, and should be over when the hours you are paid for are over. The rest of the day should be yours to dedicate to activities you enjoy, like bitching about work on your journal. I don't know if this is an American mentality or a Western mentality or just an ambitious asshole mentality (and if so, those people RUN my life), but I don't like being forced to make impossible choices between getting enough sleep, seeing my child, and doing my job properly.
Now I should probably correct those papers. Fuck.
