What Do Teachers Do All Day?

We see our teachers almost every day for about an hour, but have you ever wondered what do teachers do when they aren’t teaching a class at school? I interviewed two teachers to get some insight on what they do all day.

Ms. Vertin

“Between advisory, classes, and tutorial, I am usually spending time organizing supplies, keeping track of what needs to be ordered, clearing out old supplies, cleaning brushes, wiping tables, and putting in any maintenance requests—all to keep the art room running smoothly, or smoothly-ish. I also spend time developing projects by putting together slides for lesson plans and also testing out techniques that we will be using during class.

“For instance, next year for ceramics, I’d like to introduce underglazes. This is where you apply a layer of toned clay that is thinned out, like paint. You paint that onto greenware and can create painterly effects, you could paint a design, pattern, or even write words. After it is fired the first time, that toned clay is all set, then you can coat it with clear glaze, or add other colors of glaze. I’ve done this process on my own, but that was quite a few years ago at a workshop. So, now I am checking my notes to see what kind of materials were used at that studio (a craft school on the coast of Maine, swoon), and then testing them to make sure that the process can be recreated in the middle school art room.

“I have emails to keep track of and teacherly things to keep organized, but my day is pretty great. I get to hang out with middle [schoolers], research artists and art techniques, create presentations, and prepare art supplies. I’m also usually thinking about or partaking in coffee, snacks, lunch, and more snacks.

“By the end of the day, [some days] the art room is left looking a bit frazzled, [some days] it is left tidied and [sort of] clean. Once things are wrapped up, I start to worry about how much my dogs must be missing me, and head out.”

Ms. Cracraft

“What do I do in a day - I update grades in Canvas, grade any assignments that need to be graded, check email[s] from parents [and] students, respond to emails, check in with Mr. Zantop about Math 7, check in with Ms. Sadler and Mr. Khan about Algebra, check in with other teachers about students we both teach. A majority of my time is spent planning engaging lessons. In a 70 minute class I need to plan 3-5 different activities.”