Other Additional Duties
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Short Answer
Educators may have more duties to take care of and many of them are not teaching-related.
Long Answer
Depending on your assignment, you may have work outside of teaching your assigned subjects. This can include, but is not limited to:
Campus Duties
- Hall duty
- Lunch/meal duty
- Before/after school duty
Instructional Duties
- Proctoring
- Substitute Teaching (as a teacher)
- Homeroom teacher
Student Activity Responsibilities
- Chaperone
- Extra-curriculars
- Field trips
- Community service
Other Administrative Tasks
- Marketing materials
- Point of contact for events
Not every teacher has to do ALL of these, but there’s a high chance you’ll do at least 1 of these, if not several, during your tenure.
Most of these are self-explanatory (e.g., lunch duty = duties you have to follow during lunch time, etc.), while others aren’t as obvious. I’m also writing primarily from my own experience, so I fully expect differences between states, districts, and even school to school.
Homeroom teachers are the primary teachers for specific grade levels–or groups of students–and differ from general subject teachers. The exact duties of a homeroom teacher vary from school to school. It’s where many administrative tasks may be handled related to students.
- Of particular note: Some schools may treat this as a brief, administrative period instead of a designated role for an educator, and can vary widely.
The groups meeting their homeroom teachers are typically at the start or end of the school day. You’re also a point of contact for parents, staff, and more for the students assigned to you, and you may need to attend meetings with non-students concerning your students.
Extracurriculars, as a working definition, are anything not a part of standard curriculums. These are clubs, athletic groups, organizations, etc. There’s one or more adults present amongst all students acting as supervisor and point of contact. For certain activities, like sports, you don’t necessarily need a current teacher to be a coach, but requirements vary by state and sport. You employ similar tactics to teaching, but your goal is to excel in an activity, such as a chess club.
- By “vetted” adult, I mean someone who’s passed the appropriate certifications, trainings, etc. for a jurisdiction and permitted by the educational facilities.
Field trips are part “in the name” and part deceptively simple. Field trips require a significant amount of time to prepare beforehand to sort things such as getting enough funds, permissions from guardians/parents, administrative approvals, and transportation/lodging arrangements. Other factors depend on your exact situation which I won’t list here.
In most areas in the United States, means of transportation are interesting–and surprisingly strict–for teachers. For example, teachers may not transport students in personal vehicles due to liability issues outside of rare, pre-approved emergencies. While staff can be vetted for transportation, they may still be restricted due to liability and on what vehicles they may use. Alternatively, a school may use contracted services like buses, shuttles, boats, planes, and trains.
Proctoring is when you’re observing students taking a test and is typically done through state standard tests, college admission tests like ACT and SAT, advanced tests like AP and IB, online proctor testing, and traditional room/exam hall testing.
For traditional testing and tests for subjects in your classroom, you define how you monitor student activity, what is allowed, and what is not allowed.
For tests used to transfer into higher education or state assessments, expect a proctor guide on how to monitor students taking the test, including the test schedule, time allotments, break schedules, and the arrangement of students and desks in the testing area.
Substitute teaching can be assumed by a separate substitute teacher, or by a current teacher at the institution doing it during their non-teaching periods/timeslots. In general, follow the provided plans and ask support staff for guidance if needed.