Lunch/Recess Duty

[SLP]

Are you required to do cafeteria and playground/recess duties?:mad:
Do you receive extra pay for it?:eek:
Tell us if you are in public or private school.

[dolmansaxlil]

It's in our contract that we do 4 20 minute supervision duties per week.

I have no problem with this. I actually (at least in the nice weather) enjoy seeing the kids interact outside - it gives me a bit of a different perspective on them.

[landreth2007]

We do 2 15 minute duties a week. This only includes recess. We have aides to do lunch and bus duties. This has not always been the case. For the last 2 years we had no extra duties but the funding for our aides has been cut so we're having to pick up the slack. I have to admit that I missed being out and recess and seeing the kids interact with each other. Indoor recess is another story!

I'd rather cut off my legs than do lunch duty.

[javamomma]

I have to pull 1 30 minute lunch a week and 1 30 minute recess a week. Not a big deal really. I would rather do lunch duty than recess duty.

I am in public schools. :)

[Sassafras]

but I look at it as a necessary part of the day. It's got to be done and someone has to do it. I have bus duty once a week for thirty minutes and recess duty for 15 to 20 minutes per day. I work in a public school.

[naenae23]

Well I envy those of you who do have to do recess duty and such. I teach in an inner city school of about 700 K-6. We do not have recess and I hate it. I teach first grade. My students do not get the basic social skills as well as the gross motor skills that children usually acquire during recess. I recently asked one of my students to skip, and she didn't have a clue how to skip. I wish my principal could see how much these kids are missing by not getting recess. They are so tired by the end of the day after sitting in the classroom for 6 hours, we as teachers have to get really creative to get them up and moving out of their seats.

[javamomma]

That is sad that you dont get recess! Our state standards say that students get so much physical exercise per day. !! (Arkansas)

[naenae23]

As do ours (Oklahoma) but they seem to be able to fit it in with PE I guess. The kids go to PE 2 times a week, 80 minutes total. Still not enough in my books. They really need recess time to relax and clear their minds and also get all those skills students normally get during recess.

[landreth2007]

I'm also in Arkansas and we fit our PE in with two 30 minute classes each week along with the 30 minute daily recess. I don't know how the kids would make it without a break of some sort. They have to have some time to socialize.

[naenae23]

Not only do the kids really miss out on the socialization, but teachers really struggle with the talking issues in the classroom because they have no time during the day to get it out of their system. They get in trouble from the lunch ladies if they talk, they have PE only twice a week, and it makes it really difficult to keep attention. Like I said we teachers really have to be creative and get them up and moving, otherwise I think we could pull our hair out even more.

[bina1357]

I am in a public school in AZ. We have a 15 min. cafeteria duty for 1 week followed by a 15 min. playground duty for 2 weeks, then we get 1 week off. This continues all year so after 3 weeks, we get 1 week off. Boy do we cherish those weeks off! We did have prep right before lunch so it wasn't so bad but next year we have prep last thing...so it will be harder on us. (by the way, we have 1 playground monitor every day but our principal likes 2 teachers to be out there also...so we have 3 people on duty at once)

[humm3]

I'm in a parochial school and we're usually scheduled to do either lunch or recess duty at least 3 times a week. Our admin feels strongly that for liability purposes we need at least one teacher in the cafeteria/on the playground at all times. (we have classroom aides that are also in both places to supervise)

[Laoise]

it has been so interesting to read this, and i'm starting to feel very lucky! In most Irish schools, the teachers have a choice to opt in to the supervision scheme, and we are payed a rate by the government for doing it! In my current school (33 teachers) we each do 40 minutes per week, usually 2 twenty minute slots!

[sjk]

We start off with a 20 minute second half lunch, 20 minute afternoon break and 20 minute afternoon crossing duty. Next morning 20 minute crossing duty, 20 minutes morning break and 20 minutes first half lunch every week

[ginduc95]

We sit with our students at lunch. We do not leave them in the cafeteria. For 1st-5th grade, the teachers go outside with their students every time they go out and in Kdg we alternate days with the para in our rooms. I am in a public school in Georgia.

[Kteacher]

I teach in a public school, and we only have lunch duty the first week or so, and if behavior becomes a problem during the year at any time.
Recess is just 15 min. of the day, and we are responsible for the kids at that time. I would hate to have lunch duty, but I actually like doing recess, it's nice to get the fresh air, and you learn a lot about your kids.

[teachjam]

Question? Who does your lunch duty for you. Here in Alabama, I have to sit with my class every day at lunch.
The paraeducators do breakfast duty and car line duty, but each grade level has to go outside 4 times a year for bus duty.
I hate lunch duty, but I would rather do that than early or late duty.

[Robyne]

Sounds like all of you get it easy!
We have a duty every day, either before school, bus, recess or lunch. They are not long though only 15 0r 20 minutes.
Our kids get a 20 min break for recess and 30 min play at lunch. We supervise our own class for 10 min eating time before they play.

[AAA Teacher Forum]

I'm in a public school. I do not have to do any type of lunch duty - in the cafeteria or outside. Our Educational Assistants take care of those duties. All teachers are responsible for their own second recess duty. (As an intermediate teacher we only have a 30 minute recess each Friday.) Our grade level has to supply one person for a 5-10 minute before school duty and a person for car pick-up line. We rotate through these two duties on a weekly basis. We don't receive any pay for duties.

Jennifer

[coco]

Some of you guys are sooo lucky. I teach in a public school and all teachers do duty everyday all day. We don't have morning duty, but we are required to eat with our class and monitor them outside during recess. Then, school officially ends at 2:45 but each teacher has to monitor their own students, until the last bus is called at 3:30.. Ahhhh!!!!!!:eek:

[nancyosu]

I have to do a lunch or recess duty everyday. It is a 30 minute duty. I also have to do an after school duty which could last anywhere from 5 minutes to 20 minutes depending on where the duty is (carpool or bus duty). We do not get paid extra for this, it is included in our workday.

[amberstar]

I teach in a SC public school. We have lunch duty for the first 10 days to set up procedures and such. Then after that, no duty. It is one thing our principal feels very strongly about. There are times when the assistant that covers my lunch is absent. Usually, the administration tries to work it out for someone else to cover.....if not, I do have lunch duty.

[Rassi]

We do 30 min. lunch or 30 min. recess per day. The schedule rotates usually weekly but all staff is required to do 30 mins. There is no extra pay involved (someone somewhere actually gets that???) I'm in a public school system.

[orlandoteacher]

I am in a public school in FL. We have to take turns doing a 15min morning or afternoon duty for one week a month. It's really not much. Our paras cover lunch duty. The only downfall is that the kids aren't allowed recess. If we decide to take them out on the days they didn't have PE, then its up to us to watch them. It seems we have it better than I thought compared to some of the others. It's amazing how different it is school to school! :)

[Lin]

In our school, there is no bus duty. They open the building and allow the kids in off the bus at 7:45. Kids go straight to the classroom. In the afternoon, they call the buses and kids leave from the classroom. If a bus is late, the kids stay in the room with us.

There is no lunch duty, either. We all eat in the cafeteria with our kids. We don't have a teachers' lounge anyway.

We take our own classes out to recess every day.

Our only breaks are our planning periods while our kids are at Resource each day.

[*Angela*]

We have lunch duty everyday. We have 1 day a week for duty. On our duty day we have a 20min recess duty before school and after lunch and a 30 min bus duty. I HATE IT!!!! I moved to Louisiana from Texas where we didn't have any duties.

[Karenliao]

Whether you like the extra duty or not, it seems that teachers are born with more responsibilities than other professions. I have been a subject teacher for five years and a homeroom teacher for the first-graders this year.
Believe it or not, I barely can't find any time to take a break or even go to the bathroom during their recess.
As for the lunch duty, I was always in a hurry to finish my meal and kept my eyes on their eating process in case something might happen.:rolleyes:

[alleazer]

I am a public school teacher who has only been at two different schools. It is amazing how even in the same district the duties change. I used to have 10 minute (or longer because others do not pull their weight) every day at lunch, every other day 30 min recess duty (shared with the grade level partner) and bus duty after school (time depended on the buses...10 min to 30 min). I now have 30 min recess duty everyday. My grade level partner chose the lunch duty because she didn't want to go outside. I love going outside with the kids, they are pretty funny to watch! I am in Oklahoma.

[ebentrup24]

I'm in public school and we have some kind of duty every day. We're on a rotating schedule with our grade level team where we either serve lunch duty or recess duty and eat lunch during the other time. It's actually a great system so that we can see the kids interact. I've been in schools where paraprofessionals have lunch duty and I prefer it. It's good to reinforce the social skills of the classroom both outside and in the lunchroom. :)

[MrsR]

In my school the aides/monitors have lunch and recess duty...in our contract each teacher receives a 40 minute lunch.
I teach in a public school.

[kcteach]

I teach in a public school in Texas. We are only required to do duty for 1 week every six weeks. We never do lunch or recess duty. We also receive 45 min. 2 days a week for planning with the other 3 days being 90 min. I love my school!!

[orlandoteacher]

40 minutes for lunch? Now that would be something! :)

[carrieSAtoUSA]

I am in a public school and we are with our children all day except for specials - PE, Music, etc (45 mins a day). We take them to lunch and recess. I'd love to have a half hour of lunch to eat peacefully!!! Our State (NC) also requires that the children get at least 30 minutes of activity a day.

[Just ducky]

I am in a public school in Indiana. We are guaranteed a 30 minute duty free lunch. However, everyone in our building has some kind of duty. The two teachers alternate at the grade level with the two recesses. One will have lunch recess for 20 minutes (the kids are out of the room 50 minutes total) and the other has the 15 minute second recess. This rotates the following week.
Our contract also allows for a 40 minute planning period daily. (The kids are in special class at that time---either art, music, or P.E.)

[hassell]

I teach at a k-5 public school. We are required to do morning gym duty (kids who arrive before 7:35) 2 weeks a year, afternoon car/bus duty once a week every week, and we supervise our own playground time.

[Michele1]

I am required to do duties and no, I am not paid extra!

[Brimir]

I teach at a public school and have to take my kids out for recess daily (30min). We eat lunch when they do, but not with them. Our paras have lunch duty (and I feel bad for them because Lunch Duty stinks!). We also have bus duty after school on a rotating basis... not too bad.

[landreth2007]

New year, new principal, new schedule. Still no lunch duty (Yippee!) One day a week I have a 40 minute recess duty and one day a week (not the same) I have no planning time other than recess (no pull-out). I've had it worse so I won't complain too much. I've also had it much better so I have to whine just a little.

[sjeff]

As of now, we do not have lunch/recess duty. We did just lose our teaching assistants to such duties, (and to bus and after school supervision), due to budget cuts. We are on a 6-day schedule that allows for 4 days of a 40-minute gym class in addition to the 15 minutes of recess directly after lunch. After reading many of your posts, I am glad that our district respects the need for children to exercise and socialize. I can't imagine teaching them with any less exercise time built in.

[Anna Lee]

I teach in a public school in California. It is k - 8. Almost all the students ride the bus or have their family bring them to class. New principal this year. I have daily early bus duty and greet buses and try to reduce the chaos at the front of the school. With the new principal a lot of my co-workers have slacked off on their duties from last year, waiting for the principal to actually lead. Often students are unsupervised on the playground before school. At the recess times (two 10 minute recesses for primary, one morning recess for grades 4 - 8) teachers and paras do the duty. Our school had a lot of cuts in classified staff last year (due to NCLB) and we lost a lot of veteran paras. The result is chronic understaffing of yard duty supervisors. Teachers have a supposed 30 minute duty free lunch, but with discipline issues and the time to take the students to lunch, it works out to about 15 minutes.

I love having the early am duty as I am free to go use the restroom at the other three recesses.

We have a PE gym time for 20 minutes two times a week. The law "requires" a total of 120 minutes of PE in a two week time period. PE also encompasses health education.

I do a lot of in class breaks and fitness/movement. My second graders need to get their bodies fit and moving. A lot of my students are obsese (they live in a violent area and playing out side at home is not the norm).

Afterschool bus duty is supposed to be done by all teachers, though many flake out and stay for just a few minutes. We are required to stay at school until our last student from our class leaves and we are required to be at school 30 minutes before the school day starts.

Many teachers show up after the first bell rings (most live out of the community and drive a long ways to get here).

The vice principal is trying to mediate the duty coverage and finds most of the teachers unwilling to compromise and get with the program. These are usually the high status teachers and strong union leaders. They use the lack of administrative guideance and leadership to their advantage.

The nice thing about doing the bus duty is that I am getting to know a lot of students and that is really cool.

[eyd]

I have playground duty on Mondays for 20 minutes and lunch duty Monday-Friday for 20 minutes. I do not get paid extra for this. I work in the public school system.

[Zookeeper]

I better not say we have it bad - no extra playground or recess duty, we get 20 minutes music and 30 minutes phyed every day. It is in our contract with how many minutes of student contact time we may have each day. WE also get 30 minutes after lunch prep time. We do not have art and have library for 30 minutes once a week.

[nonameformee]

I'm in Arizona, and duty sucks when it's hot outside, especially when the campus has few trees to give you shade. We have it once a week (at this particular district: public), but only in the morning (before school starts) - for 25 minutes.

[Chef Dave]

Are you required to do cafeteria and playground/recess duties?:mad:
Do you receive extra pay for it?:eek:
Tell us if you are in public or private school.

I am a high school chef instructor in a public school district. Although other teachers have unpaid lunch duties, I do not because my department has an attached student operated restaurant. During lunch I supervise this restaurant with my two assistant managers and three student staff.

Although I never get to eat in the lounge, I do get dibs on anything we serve. One of the benefits of being a chef instructor is that we never go hungry.

My managers and I typically reserve whatever we'd like to eat BEFORE we open our restaurant. Student staff get complimentary meals but they usually eat before we open.

When I was an elementary teacher, yes - I pulled lunch duty. I did this while working at public schools in Texas. I also did this while working at private American schools in Saudi Arabia and Lebanon.

The duty was unpaid. It was simply part of my contract.

[leafy seadragon]

Hi, I'm working in a support class. I have morning duty, eating duty, recess and lunch duty. I get 15mins break at recess and 20mins at lunch. I need to move to a new school I think. We do though get two hours per week release from face to face teaching to do paperwork etc. but usually you end up in meetings.! I'm finding it really interesting to see how things are done elsewhere.

[mopar]

I'm at a middle school and we got a 40 minute plan prior to school starting, a 40 minute plan to work with the team and a 40 minute lunch during the day. But we still supervise lunch duty for our students, its just not during our lunch.

[Educ8r22]

Wowzer...I'm worse off than some and better off than others:

Our kids have an hour lunch/recess. During that time I have a 15 min. duty either in the lunchroom or at recess. That leaves me sometimes with 45 mins. straight or 30 mins. of lunch and then 15 mins. for a break. I don't mind the lunchroom. We started something new. We let the kids sit wherever they want and they can talk. It's amazing how quiet they are talking to their friends instead of fighting with kids they don't want to sit with. I can't imagine having no recess. My first graders already crawl the walls...lol!

Then after school I have a short bus duty. As far as planning time we only get three 45 min. blocks per week. God I wish I had a planning time every day! I never seem to get much done during those times with phone calls and paperwork.

I'm in a public school in Ohio...:)

[jenmh]

I teach at a public school. The duty schedule rotates, one week I will have 15 minute morning duty. The next week I will have 30 minute lunch recess duty and, then I will have a duty-free week. We eat lunch in the cafeteria with the students. We do have our own table though. I have a 45 minute planning period everyday, unless the coaches are unavailable for P.E.

I can't imagine only getting three planning periods a week... I would have a lot of homework!

I

[ginger11]

Our duty schedule changes every 6 weeks. We don't have lucnh duty or recess duty, we are responsible for our own students. Two days a week I only get a 30 minute break. 3 days a week I am supposed to have an hour but that rarly happens...something always comes up.

[carrieSAtoUSA]

We have to take our kids to the cafeteria for lunch and stay with them and we also have to take them out for recess every day (excepting for the days that they have their 45 minutes of PE). We don't have busy duty after school, because the assistants and "specials" teachers do that. I teach in a public school in NC

[mopar]

When I was in school, we always had parent volunteers to work lunch duty and recess. It seems like we have a lot more work on our plate as teachers today. So what have we given up? Where is the time coming from?

[Boxcar]

Some teachers get planning periods, which weren't that common before. So, 45 minutes to plan versus 15 for recess does kind of balance.

[Boxcar]

Posted too fast, sorry.

Planning periods are usually more in the high schools though. Recess really isn't an issue at this level, is it?

At some upper level schools, police officers do lunch duty. I guess that is the only way to keep it under control.

[Chef Dave]

Posted too fast, sorry.

Planning periods are usually more in the high schools though. Recess really isn't an issue at this level, is it?


At my high school we have a 10 minute mid-morning break which we call "the 10 minute break." During this time, students may go to the commons area. The commons area has soda machines and snack dispensers. They may also come to our student restaurant to buy breakfast or drinks.

Planning time is a single 45 minute period.

Although most of my colleagues have a homeroom class, the school administration kindly excused me from this duty ... which means that if I come in early, I don't have to be sidetracked from food preparation activities by having to supervise a class.

Our district police officer is stationed at our school. He is generally out and about - patrolling during the break. He is not actually assigned to be on break duty since he has to have the freedom to leave during a police emergency.

[mopar]

I know that some high schools and middle schools get more planning time than the elementary schools. But they also have more preps than an elementary. However, many of their planning times are team plans or subject area planning where they work with other teachers. Or they need times to plan with other teachers that they have teach with.

[Chef Dave]

I know that some high schools and middle schools get more planning time than the elementary schools. But they also have more preps than an elementary.

Really? How many?

We only have a single 45 minute period ... which isn't nearly enough. This is why I go to work at 5 AM.

Still ... given the strong administrative support we have at our school as well as my large discretionary budget, I'd rather work here than anywhere else.

[teach1027]

I am in a Charter School and we are required to eat with our students and supervise them for PE. With no extra pay.

[wig]

I teach in a parochial school. We have lunch and recess duty but we always have a partner class so we share. We chose to do both lunch and recess one day and off the next. it is really nice to have that full period off every other day.

[Bananbucksub]

I am a long-term sub in a public school. I am not sure what recess duty is because here in Tennessee if our kids get recess we are on the playground. We are not responsible for other classrooms. I get to eat in the teacher's lounge because there are paras in the breakfast room AND lunch room at all times. I let my students eat in the room once a week AND on short weeks. BUT, they have to behave and earn it. Lastly, I had bus duty ONCE during the whole ten weeks I was here. I think the teachers have bus duty one morning a week every ten weeks or so. The paras and special ed teachers do car duty AND stay in the busroom in the afternoon. Lastly, it takes about ten minutes to walk our kids to the buses then we are free for the day. I LOVE IT!!
Jennifer:):D:rolleyes:

[3rdgradeteach]

I am in a private school and we are small so we take turns going outside on breaks and lunches....it's not bad...some days it is very refreshing!

[Christiana]

No extra pay for it. We do 1 day a week before school recess supervision (20 minutes) and 15 minutes after lunch recess Mon.-Fri. every other week. For a long time the kids had little recess after lunch. I like it. It is good for all of us to get outside.

[Miss Dove]

We are trying duty-free lunch in our school. It is very difficult because we have to schedule it ourselves. So far it hasn't worked out for us. I would love to have a few minutes to eat lunch and go to the restroom!

[Penguin222]

I work in a Chicago Public School. Last year I taught 4th grade, and we didn't have lunchroom/playground duty. This year, I teach 1st grade at the same school and we have to sit w/ our kids while they eat lunch. They only get 10 minutes, but still I find it ridiculous. Our kids have recess, but we don't have to go out for recess. That's our lunch time.
When I did my student teaching at another CPS in first grade, we didn't sit with the kids during lunch, but we did go out on the playground during recess. And no, we do not get paid for any of it.

My cousin's wife is a 4th grade teacher in a Chicago suburban school. She gets paid for lunchroom duty.

[nancyosu]

I teach in a public school and I have duty everyday. Either recess or lunch duty are required (a 30 minute duty). I also have an extra duty everyday after school too. None of this is for extra pay.

[ginger11]

[QUOTE=Penguin222;13009]This year, I teach 1st grade at the same school and we have to sit w/ our kids while they eat lunch. They only get 10 minutes, but still I find it ridiculous.

You only get 10 mins. to eat lunch? We have 25 mins. and my kids still hardly have time to finish eating. I also teach first grade.

[kingrichie]

We have to do a 15 min. duty about every 2 weeks. It's always either before or after school.

[ginger11]

At my school we have duty every week. in the morning and the afternoon on the same day.

[upnorthteacher]

I feel really bad for those of you who don't have duty-free lunch! Our state requires a lunch period of 30 minutes, which is enforced in our contract. We are responsible for our daytime recess, but paraprofessionals handle breakfast, lunch, and lunch recess. Thank goodness! I think the kids need a break from the classroom and the teachers they spend all day with, almost as much as the teachers need a break from teaching! We start our afternoons refreshed and ready to learn.

[busbus]

Teachers in our elementary schools have duty-free lunch and duty-free lunch recess. Paraprofessionals have these responsibilities.

Teachers are responsible for taking their students to the cafeteria and picking them up, either from the cafeteria or yard, when the lunch/recess period is over.

[kingrichie]

I would definately find out what it specifies in your contract. These principals will try and get away with whatever they can.

[Educ8r22]

I know that some high schools and middle schools get more planning time than the elementary schools. But they also have more preps than an elementary.


I can tell from reading this thread that nothing is "standard" across the country. I'm curious what you mean by "preps" because I have to prep for Reading, Writing, Math, Science, Social Studies, and Health in the first grade. Sometimes I think elementary teachers are thought to not need planning time thus the reason our middle and high school teachers get planning periods (plus study halls) every day while we only get three 45 min. blocks. It's something I've tried to get our union to negotiate for years but they seem to get lost in the money issues.

[Boxcar]

I agree that elementry school teachers need planning time too. Just because the students aren't rotatoing through your classroom, that doesn't mean you have it easier.

[Kidz R My Biz]

This seems to be a common problem. Our high school teachers have 90 min per day. Our 4th-6th grade teachers have 3- 45 minute preps (art, library & music) and - 2 - 30 minute preps ( 2- PE's). Primary has 3- 30 minute preps (art, PE & music). It seems illogical that we need less prep time at primary when we must have new activities more frequently, students are less independent yet more active, etc.

[Kidz R My Biz]

Our district has negotiated a duty free lunch. This time has become very valuable to our primary team. It is standard that we eat together and network each and everyday. We discuss the programs we are working to perfect, reading groups, individual students and other types of problem solving. Once per week we go to the nearby Wendy's for lunch and once per month we have a potluck. We also celebrate birthdays together. These activities help to make our workplace more enjoyable and a good place to be.

We take care of our own students during recess and bus duty daily. We also have a before school duty for 20 minutes once per week. Prep time is scarce so our lunchtime sharing is important.

[Hermione]

I'm in a public school. I have duty-free lunch (30 minutes). I do have daily recess duty (30 minutes). I love it when the weather is nice. If weather is bad, we have snack in the cafeteria or room. We also have detention during recess, and we have a detention teacher for those students. I have bus duty for one week every couple of months. It lasts 30 minutes prior to the school day, and can last up to 45 minutes after school. It rarely lasts that long in the afternoons, but according to my contract, it can. None of these give me extra pay. They are just part of my responsibilities.

[jsfowler]

Public school - don't have to do lunch duty but most do anyway...if we take them outside, we have to watch tem...I do get an hour and a half planning through.

[sarypotter]

This year, I work at a private school without a traditional "recess" -- the programs are very individualized and kids get breaks when they need them -- and we rotate who is scheduled with which child during lunch.

Last year, I taught special education in the public school. Our school guaranteed 50 minutes a day of planning time for each teacher, but I didn't receive that because my kids spanned three grade levels and each grade went to specials at a different time of day, so I always had at least two thirds of my class in the room.

We also rotated morning duty and late bus duty. I didn't mind having my class all day (for the most part -- although planning time would have been awesome), but I HATED morning duty and late bus duty. I'm trained to manage small groups of special needs students who are nonverbal and exhibit physically aggressive behaviors. That does NOT translate to being able to manage 30 - 40 typically-developing students who are verbal!! I was always SO uncomfortable during those duties! I understand the reasons behind it but it was not a strength of mine!

[kingrichie]

I do lunch duty for the last 10 min. of my 40 min. lunch every Thurs.
No extra pay.

[sgaestel]

I can tell from reading this thread that nothing is "standard" across the country. I'm curious what you mean by "preps" because I have to prep for Reading, Writing, Math, Science, Social Studies, and Health in the first grade. Sometimes I think elementary teachers are thought to not need planning time thus the reason our middle and high school teachers get planning periods (plus study halls) every day while we only get three 45 min. blocks. It's something I've tried to get our union to negotiate for years but they seem to get lost in the money issues.

I teach in a high school, and I do get an hour and a half planning, but no study hall. Three 45 minute blocks would be more time to plan...

In my high school, we have lunch duty two weeks out of each semester, where we stand in the lunch room for half of our lunch, not so bad.
We also have to do duty on half days for about a half hour, each teacher dispursed in different areas around the school. This is in a public high school.

[hot_teacher]

I had breakfast duty last semester. No extra pay for anything in my school... public Alternative school

[Tiamat]

I do a 20-25 minute playground duty every day. Additionally, I do ten days "bus duty" a year, which involves staying on duty for an hour after school finishes, until the last bus leaves.

Extra pay? Ha! It's part of the job.

Our children get a 50 minute lunch break (with play time) and a 20 minute recess each day. That's about standard in our public school system and mandated by the State Education Department.

[jasbop]

I am currently student teaching (in Michigan, public school). We receive 1 hour duty-free lunch (I go out w/ my husband quite a bit), a 45 minute prep period when they are at their specials, and 20 minutes in the afternoon to be used as a prep (or potty break) when they are at recess. For that recess, though, teachers take turns, so every third day I am out at afternoon recess duty.

[Boxcar]

That is a nice set-up.

[jrhodus]

I teach at a Pre-K - 6th grade elementary school. I have morning car/bus duty (40 minutes each), lunch duty everyday (30 minutes each), and break duty everyday (15 minutes each). These are all with no extra pay. :confused: I teach a regular self-contained class. What does not make sense to me is that non-homeroom teachers do not have any lunch or break duties. We have one opportunity to go to the restroom and my time is at 8:30 each morning. This can make for a very long and sometimes painful day. :eek:

[andregreen]

Thank God I dont have to do Lunch Duty! The Administration leaves that to the Special Area Teachers Like the 3 ESL Teachers, the Let's Read Teacher, Resource Room (Special Ed.), Guidance Counselor, Read 180 teacher, and vocal music teacher. They all have a shift.. our lunches go K-1, 2-3, 4-6.

I am a 3rd Grade teacher so it works well for me.

Andre

[MaryBeth]

I'm at a Texas public school and we have monitors that work for the cafeteria.

[cap]

No recess? That is so wrong. I know I can't sit still longer than 45 min, how can they expect kids to get through the day like that? Our brains work better when given the opportunity to circulate some blood, in addition to the socialization aspect. Ugh...so frustrating... In Pre-K I make sure we do some movement activities every 20 min or so, I can tell when I need it, so I KNOW they must need it.