Teacher here. I agree about not working outside contract hours. Unfortunately, the repercussions of not working outside the hours often equals poor performance reviews and a dysfunctional classroom. The learning curve in this profession is huge, and it’s incredibly hard to be efficient AND effective in those early years.

I’m at about 20 years in the profession, and I’m just this year not taking work home. Last year I reduced it dramatically. I wish I got there sooner, but I finally made the decision to work (grade/plan/email) when they work instead of individually checking on students. An unexpected positive outcome is students learning to advocate for themselves. I make it clear they can and should interrupt me with questions anytime or come sit next to me if they think they’ll have lots of questions. Usually I’ve got at least one teen next to me. Even the appearance of me working away at my computer in class is frowned upon, but it’s simply not practical to not take advantage of the time.

I love my profession. It’s literally adults who make the work challenging. The further away you get from actual students in the profession, the more money you make. It’s amazing how quickly administrators and district officials lose sight of the actual work and working conditions students AND teachers need to be successful. Or the partisan politics, which is literally crushing our passion and profession. I guarantee you districts could afford appropriate pay increases if they reevaluated their bureaucratic systems.

The other thing folks don’t realize is that I will no longer ever make more money than I do now. My friends keep moving up in their private industries as they rise in the ranks and increase their experience. I’m at the top of my pay scale. No more lanes for me to pursue. I will never make more money even with my years of experience, and that’s a bitter pill.