Every teacher is entitled to a duty-free lunch and planning and preparation time. Except for a few minor changes made in the 1995 rewrite of the Texas Education Code, the statutes have essentially remained the same.
Duty-free lunch – Texas Education Code, Sec. 21.405 By law, each classroom teacher and full-time librarian gets at least a 30-minute lunch period “free from all duties and responsibilities connected with the instruction and supervision of students.” According to a Texas Attorney General opinion, the term “duty” would include a directive that teachers remain on campus during lunch, because it would relate to student instruction or supervision. Districts cannot require teachers to stay on campus during their 30-minute lunch even if the campus is “closed” for students.
The law provides exceptions—personnel shortages, extreme economic conditions or unavoidable/unforeseen circumstances—which give districts the right to require teachers to supervise lunches, but not more than one time per week.
The rules adopted by the commissioner of education set the bar very high before a district can assign a teacher to lunch duty. Scheduling problems do not create unforeseen circumstances. They exist when an epidemic, illness, or natural or man-made disaster leaves no one available to do the duty. An extreme economic condition exists when hiring a person to supervise lunch would cause the district to raise taxes to the extent that the district might face a tax roll-back election. A personnel shortage exists only after all available nonteaching personnel—superintendent and business manager included—have been assigned to the duty and the district has diligently recruited community volunteers to help.
Planning and preparation time – Texas Education Code, Sec. 21.404 The law entitles every teacher to planning and preparation time, during which the district can require the teacher to engage in no activity other than parent-teacher conferences, evaluating student work, and planning. Teachers must have at least 450 minutes of planning time every two weeks in increments of not less than 45 minutes within the instructional day.
Examples:
A teacher could have five 90-minute conference periods within a two-week period, instead of a 45-minute conference period each day. A district can provide 50- minute blocks of planning time daily, and exceed the minimum requirement, but it could not provide 50 minutes one day and 40 minutes the next.
A district cannot schedule a 7:45 a.m.-3:15 p.m. instructional day, and then give teachers 3:15 p.m.-4:00 p.m. to plan after the students leave.
Conference period cases often involve requirements for group planning or staff development during planning periods. According to the commissioner of education, if a district gives teachers no more than the statutory minimum planning time, the district cannot ask teachers to engage in group-planning during one of those planning periods.
Example:
A district that schedules 50-minute planning periods every day could ask teachers to plan as a group one day every two weeks, but the district could not take one planning period for group planning and another for staff development.
Does anyone have a good system to help them keep track of the state standards that they are covering daily? I am trying to organize effectively since I am teaching a new grade this year. I currently am compiling a notebook with the standards and the lessons that I use to teach them. Are there any good websites that coordinate and have printables to match the Kansas Standards? Any info and ideas would be appreciated to help me keep my stress level down!
On 1/25/07, Grace wrote: > I live and teach in Pratt. I teach first grade. Where do you teach and live? What > grade do you teach? We are planning on rotating the K- 1 grades through each > classroom. Each activity is to last about 25 minutes. > > > On 1/24/07, carrot top wrote: >> Kansas fact book >> Home on the Range- they can learn it in Music >> Guest speaker >> >> I teach in Kansas too.
I live in Olathe teach in Kansas City,Kansas Where is Pratt?
Pratt is about 1 1/2 hour west from Wichita. It's small town with the pop. of around 6,500. We host the Miss Kansas pageant here every summer.
On 1/25/07, carrot top wrote: > On 1/25/07, Grace wrote: >> I live and teach in Pratt. I teach first grade. Where do you > teach and live? What >> grade do you teach? We are planning on rotating the K- 1 > grades through each >> classroom. Each activity is to last about 25 minutes. >> >> >> On 1/24/07, carrot top wrote: >>> Kansas fact book >>> Home on the Range- they can learn it in Music >>> Guest speaker >>> >>> I teach in Kansas too. > > I live in Olathe > teach in Kansas City,Kansas > Where is Pratt?
On 4/27/07, Rhonda wrote: > On 1/22/07, Rhonda wrote: >> I am moving to Kansas city this summer, and am wondering >> if ESL or reading jobs are in demand? What about Elem ed. >> positions Thanks! > > > I am moving to Kansas city, and am looking for an ESL elem. > teaching position any leads would be wonderful Thanks!
Also here is our state's website. I think job postings are on here as well as districts.
My name is Becky Mallatt and I am from Oregon. I am organzing a 50 state quilt block exchange and I have all but 10 of the states ready to go. Kansas is one that I don't have yet. I know this is a long shot, but I came upon your this chatboard, so I thought maybe I could send you the info and maybe one of the K-2 teachers here would like to participate. It will be totally free for you to join us, because the grant pays for everything. Here is the info I have posted on several websites. If you would like to join or know someone else from KS who would, PLEASE reply ASAP. thanks so much and have a great day!
I received a "Kids in Need" grant for a "50 State Quilt Square Exchange." Here's how the project will work: I will get one teacher from each of the 50 states to agree to make 50 identical PAPER quilt squares to represent their state. They should be 6" square, done TLC-style (cut/glued paper). For instance, we made a beaver on ours because Oregon is "The Beaver State." Washington could be a pine tree design it's "The Evergreen State" and Florida could be a big sun because it's "The Sunshine State." You will also need to have a written piece, also 6" square, to go with each square (simple, kid- friendly, short and simple, writing pieces). They can all be the same. I am planning to do an interactive piece with my whole class.
My grant will pay for you to mail me your completed squares and writing. I will then redistribute your 50 squares into files for each state, so that after I have gotten everything, I will have a file for each state with all 50 states' quilt squares and writing pieces. I will then send that file back to you. THEN you can either make them into a 50-states quilt piece that you can display in your school, OR maybe make it into a book - this part is up to you.
If you are interested, please email me ASAP to my school email, rmallattbend.k12.or.us, or home email, [email removed]:
Your name & State Grade School School address Email
I will confirm with you and will then send you detailed instructions. Please respond ASAP as we need to get this project going as quickly as we can.
Hi Becky, I am from Kansas and will be able to participate. I am a first grade teacher. Thanks, KIM
On 2/19/07, Becky Mallatt wrote: > My name is Becky Mallatt and I am from Oregon. I am > organzing a 50 state quilt block exchange and I have all > but 10 of the states ready to go. Kansas is one that I > don't have yet. I know this is a long shot, but I came > upon your this chatboard, so I thought maybe I could send > you the info and maybe one of the K-2 teachers here would > like to participate. It will be totally free for you to > join us, because the grant pays for everything. Here is > the info I have posted on several websites. If you would > like to join or know someone else from KS who would, > PLEASE reply ASAP. thanks so much and have a great day! > > I received a "Kids in Need" grant for a "50 State Quilt > Square > Exchange." Here's how the project will work: I will get > one teacher > from each of the 50 states to agree to make 50 identical > PAPER quilt squares to represent their state. They should > be 6" square, done TLC-style (cut/glued paper). For > instance, we made a beaver on ours because Oregon is "The > Beaver State." Washington could be a pine tree design > it's "The Evergreen State" and Florida could be a big sun > because it's "The Sunshine State." You will also need to > have a > written piece, also 6" square, to go with each square > (simple, kid- > friendly, short and simple, writing pieces). They can all > be the > same. I am planning to do an interactive piece with my > whole class. > > My grant will pay for you to mail me your completed > squares and > writing. I will then redistribute your 50 squares into > files for each > state, so that after I have gotten everything, I will have > a file for > each state with all 50 states' quilt squares and writing > pieces. I > will then send that file back to you. THEN you can either > make them > into a 50-states quilt piece that you can display in your > school, OR > maybe make it into a book - this part is up to you. > > If you are interested, please email me ASAP to my school > email, rmallattbend.k12.or.us, or home email, > [email removed]
On 1/25/07, Grace wrote:
> I live and teach in Pratt. I teach first grade. Where do you
teach and live? What
> grade do you teach? We are planning on rotating the K- 1
grades through each
> classroom. Each activity is to last about 25 minutes.
>
>
> On 1/24/07, carrot top wr...See More