Killeen ISD Board of Trustees hears results of teacher survey | Local

The objectives of the study were to define and quantify teachers’ daily activities.

One factor the study attempted to examine was what constitutes a teaching job compared to a non-teaching job and how much time is spent on each.

Participants were categorized by school type and subject area. One of the most interesting comparisons was what percentage of a teacher’s total work time is done outside of regular working hours.

The review included interviews with administrators, focus groups of teachers across all school types and subject areas, a survey completed by 73% of teaching staff, and a time diary from 74 key teachers representing the teachers who responded to the survey.

The teachers’ summary responses also include the question of whether workload was a problem or not.

Fifty-six percent of respondents said that teachers’ workload is a very serious problem, while 30 percent consider it a fairly serious problem. The remaining 14 percent consider workload not a very serious problem or not a problem at all.

According to the study, a typical teacher in the United States works 54 hours per week.

The average KISD teacher works 52.1 hours per week, specifically 47.6 hours during the workweek and 4.5 hours on weekends.

Hardaway noted that 92% of KISD teachers reported working more than 40 hours per week.

This statistic is supported by the survey, which found that 51% of teachers said they were unable to handle the workload assigned to them during their contracted working hours.

According to Hardaway, a comment included in the audit reflected the opinion of the vast majority of teachers at KISD.

“Teachers spend far too much time outside of their contract hours. I am a new teacher. In the first nine weeks I have worked 75 hours a week and there is never enough time to get everything done.

I love my job and wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. But something has to change somewhere.

“I feel guilty when I take a day off because I know the children depend on me,” wrote one survey participant.

The review also included the perception of teachers and concluded that they are passionate about their work and committed to their students.

The data also shows that teachers feel overworked.

Hardaway pointed out that studies showed that teachers in the United States worked more hours than other professionals and were twice as likely to suffer from work-related stress.