What teachers are doing in their second jobs?

Dear Commons Community,

The New York Times Magazine this past weekend had a series of articles on the K-12 teaching profession. The one that attracted my interest the most was entitled, The Second Shift:  What Teachers are Doing to Pay their Bills?  It gave snapshots of eight teachers and what they do in addition to teaching to make ends meet.  Here are the titles of their second jobs:

  • Window washer
  • Theater manager
  • Cashier
  • Landscaping business
  • Loader for Amazon
  • Barista at Starbucks
  • Salesman at Sears
  • Dealer at a Casino

In sum, in addition to devoting up to 60 hours a week teaching,  preparing for classes, and grading assignments, many of our teachers now have to take on second jobs. The hours can be long, the labor can be physical, and in some cases, the pay close to minimum wage.

A sad state of affairs!

Tony

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