49. Back to School Series: Surviving Duties

Brittany 0:05

Hey, Ellie, do you remember those chores from your childhood?

Ellie 0:25

Oh, yes, chores. Weeding - we had to like pull the dandelions out and make sure we dug to get the root out, make sure you got to get the root out. Taking turns with clearing the table and such. Cleaning my room to win the clean room competition because for a while we had a clean room competition and we used to get like a star on our door and I think like a candy bar prize. I think my parents were trying to motivate my brothers to clean and I won all the time so then they just stopped doing it. And washing dishes. Can I tell you a really short washing dishes story?

Brittany 1:01

Of course.

Ellie 1:02

So I was washing dishes. I was not always very good at it, I left the dishes, you know, I didn't get all the stuff off. But one time I was washing a glass and it broke and it cut my forearm and I had this long cut on my forearm and my brothers thought it was really funny, apparently. So they were like, pretending to ring the doorbell and oh, the ambulance is here. Can we take you to the hospital? And I'm like bleeding out of my arm like this is not funny. It was bad. I still have a scar. Anyway, those are my chores. How about you?

Brittany 1:35

I remember every Friday night while my birth father was at bowling, my mom would turn on 70s music and we would do chores for like three hours. I had to dust and vacuum the living room, vacuum all the stairs - we had three levels of stairs - I had to pick up the dog waste in the backyard on Saturday morning, in a bread bag because there were no dog scoops back then. Picking up dog waste with your hand and a bread bag was not pleasant but dusting all my mom's doodads on her curio shelf was probably my worst. I hated that. She had so many little doodads on her curio shelf.

Ellie 2:24

Yeah, I don't think I ever had to do the dusting. Although you're vacuuming made me remember we used to have to vacuum the couch.

Brittany 2:30

Yeah.

Ellie 2:31

Pull the cushions off and vacuum cushions. Anyway, welcome.

Brittany 2:36

Yes, welcome to the teaching Toolbox Podcast. I'm Brittany, and I'm here with Ellie.

Ellie 2:41

Hey.

Brittany 2:42

And today we're talking about those teacher chores you don't really enjoy, but you just have to do anyways. Duties.

Ellie 2:52

Let's start with some of the teaching duties that might be part of your job kind of like built into the teaching position. So one of those might be hallway duties during transitions, monitoring the hallways during passing periods to make sure students move quickly and safely to the next class. That's often a job that middle school teachers have. If you were a sixth grade elementary teacher, you might actually have to walk your class from special to special, but not so much in middle school. This hallway duty time is also time spent addressing behavioral issues that might arise.

Ellie 3:27

Bathroom supervision. That's fun, but maybe gross. But periodically teachers have to close the restrooms, have to check the restrooms and locker rooms to make sure students are behaving appropriately and that no bullying or vandalism is occurring. Obviously women check the women's rooms, men check the men's rooms and then you might want to discuss your population before deciding who can check a unisex room. If you're on an all women are all male team. This might mean calling the administrators once or twice a day to check things for you.

Brittany 4:01

Locker supervision is very similar to bathroom duty although we usually stood outside in the hallway unless we heard a commotion and argument or a fight going on. Then once the team or the class has left the area, then we would check it to make sure there was no damage or anything going on inside.

Ellie 4:20

Like gym locker rooms is that?

Brittany 4:22

Yeah. And then study hall duty involves maintaining a quiet environment conducive to studying and assisting students with academic question should they have any.

Brittany 4:35

And then for about 15 minutes before or after school if we weren't on another duty we also had to monitor students who arrived early or stayed late ensuring that they were in designated areas behaving appropriately until they could be picked up or they started their after school activities.

Ellie 4:55

All right, so then let's think about some of those extraneous duties. which are assigned as extra responsibilities. These might be explained as being part of your position, or you might get paid a portion of an hourly pay to do them. Lunch duty, for example often involves overseeing students in the cafeteria, ensuring orderly conduct, especially in the lunch line, assisting with seating arrangements and managing any conflicts or emergencies. It can also mean helping open juice boxes and lunch items, helping kids count money, stopping food fights, or fistfights and more. Once kids go outside this duty usually also involves cleaning up food and wrappings, wiping down tables, mopping floors, that kind of thing. Did you have a lot of lunch duty, Brittany?

Brittany 5:42

I never did lunch duty.

Ellie 5:45

We like our lunch duty was only go down maybe for the last five or 10 minutes sometimes not not even all the time. So we got lucky there. Recess duty may not be at your school depending on the age of your students except for maybe an after lunch recess or hangout time. For this duty, you'll monitor students at all times making sure that the play is safe and fair follows the rules and includes everyone. You might have to intervene in the case of disputes or handle accidents and injuries, as well as blood from falls, trips, raucous games, and fights. Not sounding fun to me.

Brittany 6:24

I loved recess duty. I usually played with the kids I played football with the boys.

Ellie 6:30

I just don't like the falls the blood. The blood.

Brittany 6:33

Yeah, I didn't like that part either. Bus duty is usually before or after school supervision and it involves watching kids load or unload from the buses, making sure it's done safely. The bus duty attendants also ensure there are no behavior issues about seats or space. They check in with the bus drivers about missing riders as well.

Brittany 6:58

Pickup duty, patio duty, or whatever your school may call it is a little different from before after school duty and this duty might be to supervise the pickup line for students who don't go on the bus but are waiting for a ride. Maybe kids who walk are kids who ride bikes to school, and kids who are just kind of hanging out after school because they're kind of like latchkey kids, and they don't have anywhere to go. Or they might just be waiting for a club or a sport to begin. This duty might have several stations at various exits around your school with the front of the building and the bike racks being the busiest. Again, you're just monitoring students for appropriate behavior, intervening during arguments, and staving off any fights.

Brittany 7:48

We've got two more duties to go. And usually these are both paid duties that you sign up for. The first is after school detention. This duty is usually in a designated room in school, and is with the kids who have gotten in trouble numerous times. So usually you're working with rougher kids, but on the positive side, they know they have to be quiet and maintain order if they don't want to do this again and again. And sometimes it is on Saturdays.

Ellie 8:17

Lastly, there are clubs. Clubs aren't really a duty, but they can be seen as one because starting a club might be a condition of employment. We have an earlier episode on various clubs you can host and the benefit of clubs should you want to listen to it. It's episode 18 and we'll link to it in the show notes. Students might come to you asking you to sponsor a club for them. But we recommend that you only sponsor or lead clubs you're passionate about. If you sponsor a singing club and you love music it might make you want to tear your ears out listening to a random assortment of kids belt out common pop songs. Think karaoke on your screen once a week.

Brittany 8:56

Some duties are better than others because they aren't highly strenuous or stressful or over quicker than the 15, 20, or 30 minute allotment. When I had backdoor or bike rack duties, I could do some easy grading or some digital grading using my phone. And once the mass exodus had happened, I could get some work done while I stood there for another 10 or 15 minutes.

Ellie 9:23

Great idea.

Brittany 9:24

Another example is when you have hallway duty at the end of the day. The halls usually clear in about 8 to 10 minutes giving you time to go back to your room and get work done, clean up, prep for tomorrow, pack to leave, or do whatever you may need to do.

Ellie 9:41

Brittany which duties would you try to grab if you had the choice?

Brittany 9:44

I definitely tried to grab patio duty and after school duty at other exits such as the back door , the bike rack. After school I was done and spent anyways instead of before school when I was prepping last minute things, so I always tried to grab after school duties, which were easier for me. And I liked the back door, where just the eighth graders left through and they were done in like three minutes, or the bike rack where kids came in and left very quickly and easily. I had very few issues at those two spots. What about you, Ellie?

Ellie: 10:23

I probably would choose hall duty and study hall, especially if hall duty could be like where my room was because my room was right next to the door. And it was probably the least frequently used exit. So you have some kids go out that way and then that would be the end. And it was nice, because you could be right there the room and maybe like doing bulletin board stuff outside or taking care of some cleanup stuff outside the room when when kids are going by.

Brittany: 10:49

Yeah, grabbing all the pencils off the floor. Sometimes I do study hall or clubs, because I just find clubs valuable to kids and helping them figure out who they are. But yeah,

Ellie: 11:01

and I like helping during study hall time. Sometimes you get some more one on one time with kids.

Brittany: 11:06

Yeah. Building relationships.

Ellie: 11:09

So if we end up with some of the least favorite duties like lunch duty or bus duty, how can we make the best of it? The first thing we can do is establish clear expectations and rules. Rules and expectations might have been put into place before your duty begins but if not make sure students are aware of the rules and expectations for behavior in the lunchroom if it's the lunchroom duty. Having a consistent framework helps maintain order and reduces the likelihood of disruptive incidents. And if other teachers have the duty with you, you can collaborate with them and with administrators to ensure that these rules are consistently enforced. Consistency is the key to helping students understand what is expected of them.

Ellie: 11:53

Another important way you can make this the best duty possible is to build positive relationships with students. Use lunch duty as a chance to interact with students in a more relaxed setting. If you can engage with them positively, it can help build rapport and mutual respect. Simple gestures like greeting students with a smile or asking about their day can go a long way. When students feel seen and respected, they are more likely to follow the rules and behave appropriately.

Brittany: 12:21

Another way you can make duties as easy as possible is to stay organized and proactive. Monitor the lunchroom proactively. Don't just stand in one place but position yourself strategically so you can see the entire area and then move around regularly to deter potential issues. Being visible and approachable, talking to the kids can prevent problems before they escalate. Having a plan for how to handle common issues such as spills, disputes, etc can also help you respond quickly and efficiently. And then take care of yourself. Lunch duty can be physically and mentally draining. So take care of yourself is important to you. Eat a nutritious lunch either before or after you do your duty to keep your energy levels up. If possible, rotate your lunch duty with other teachers so you get a break. Taking care of your own needs will help us stay patient and effective in managing the lunchroom environment.

Ellie: 13:28

All good ideas. I'm just thinking about like interacting with kids is so easy to kind of stand to the side and just watch

Brittany: 13:37

Kind of be scared of them if they're like seventh or eighth graders and your used to six

Ellie: 13:43

Right or if you're on duty with another teacher, it might be easy to just stand and talk to the other teacher instead of thinking about the kids. But the more you're moving around and interacting with them, you know, potential to minimize some of the things you might end up having to deal with if you're not being so interactive and visible.

Brittany: 14:02

Exactly.

Ellie: 14:02

So just like with lunch duty bus duty also needs clear procedures. Before the school year starts, work with your administration and fellow teachers to develop a clear set of bus and pickup duty procedures. That can include designated areas for bus loading and parent pickup, clear signage, and an organized flow of traffic so you don't have those people driving everywhere. Make sure all staff and students are familiar with the procedures through meetings and practice drills.

Brittany: 14:31

And then during the duty time itself, maintain your visibility and your presence. Kind of like what we were just talking about. Position yourself in a visible and strategic location where you can monitor the majority of the area. Maybe wear one of those brightly colored vests to increase your visibility. Your presence alone can deter misbehavior and help students feel safe. Always greet students and parents with a friendly demeanor to foster a positive environment. Maybe keep a whistle on hand in case you need to get someone's attention quickly. If there's going to be an accident or a kid's going to be hit, blow a whistle.

Ellie: 15:10

My voice is not loud enough, they would not hear me.

Brittany: 15:14

And then I always felt it was helpful to just open the doors for kids, and close them and stuff, and just to help keep the line moving.

Ellie: 15:23

If it's possible, use a team approach. Collaborate with other teachers and staff members to make sure there is comprehensive coverage of the area. Assign specific roles and zones to each person on duty to avoid confusion and overlap. Like again there, there could be that tendency to just want to stand with the other person, chit chat, whatever, and then you're not in separate places making sure that things are running as smoothly as possible. Communication is key. So use walkie talkies or other communication devices to stay in touch and address any issues promptly. It's also a good idea to have some type of checklist or bus roster to account for all students boarding the buses or being picked up and ensure that nobody is left behind.

Brittany: 16:07

If you're on pickup duty, implement some kind of check in system. Make sure you have a procedure for how and where parents or guardians show identification or pickup paths. This ensures students are picked up by an authorized individual. One last tip for these type of duties is to stay calm and patient. Bus and pickup duties can be very hectic, especially during the first few weeks of school. It's important to remain calm and patient even when things get chaotic. Model respectful behavior. Encourage students to do the same. If problems arise, address them calmly. Seek help from other staff members if necessary. Parents don't want to see teachers like screaming across the parking lot or whatever.

Ellie: 16:56

So in addition to these duties, there are so many other responsibilities that teachers have outside of the classroom. Let's just look at a few tips for how to best manage those responsibilities. Number one, prioritize and plan. effective time management is crucial. Create a weekly schedule that incorporates time for grading, administrative tasks, and parent communication. You can prioritize tasks based on deadlines and importance ensuring these duties are completed first. And these things can be like parent communication, sending emails, grading your papers, all those other things that don't take part during your regular school day. Use a planner or digital calendar to help keep track of assignments and meetings.

Brittany: 17:40

Number two: delegate and collaborate. Don't hesitate to delegate tasks where appropriate. Collaborate with colleagues to share responsibilities, such as organizing school events, managing extracurricular activities, keeping that work room clean. This not only lightens the load, but also fosters a supportive community among the staff.

Ellie: 18:03

Third, you need to set boundaries, it's essential to establish some clear boundaries between work time and personal time. I probably am not the person to speak about that. But it's a good idea.

Brittany: 18:16

Ditto.

Ellie: 18:18

Designate specific hours for non instructional duties and stick to them. Try to avoid taking work home whenever possible to ensure that you have time to relax and recharge and be ready for the next day.

Brittany: 18:29

Number four, leverage your technology. Try to use your technology to streamline your tasks. Tools like grading software communication apps, organizational platforms can significantly reduce your time spent on administrative duties. Using an automated grading system or scheduling tools can manage your workload more efficiently. Using AI to help you grade can also be effective.

Ellie: 19:00

And last, seek support. Don't be afraid to ask for help. Seek advice from experienced colleagues or administrators who can offer strategies for managing non instructional duties. And if you're a very experienced teacher, don't be hesitant to ask somebody that's newer to the profession for strategies and managing things. They may have some new tips and tricks or something that you hadn't thought of before. And if you feel it'd be helpful, participate in professional development opportunities that provide training in time management and organizational skills.

Brittany: 19:32

Duties are a great way to build relationships with students, chat with them about their day, shoot hoops with them, admire their backpack - whatever you feel comfortable doing. Getting to know the students, asking about how their sisters doing, what their older brothers up to now, how science is going this year, etc. All help build rapport and relationships with kids.

Ellie: 19:55

We hope you have some tools in your toolbox to help you pick out duties next time you get a chance or make the best of them while you're in them. Please leave us a review if you enjoyed this episode, we would really appreciate it. Until next time,

Brittany: 20:09

See you later.