High school teachers have extras too

The Opinion page article ``Teaching Takes Time,'' Oct. 27, correctly defends university professors' five to six hours per week in the classroom because they also counsel students, grade papers, write letters of recommendation, guide independent study students, prepare for classes, serve on faculty committees, and advise graduate students.

Perhaps, then, one can better understand the plight of the high school teacher who typically has 25 hours of classes per week with up to five different preparations each day, and who has all of the above duties save graduate students, but also has extracurricular activities, parental contacts, chaperoning, and campus supervision and discipline duties. Is it a mystery why high school teachers need everyone's support as they attempt to meet the demands placed upon them by the public for excellence in education? Ellen Stillman, Sebastopol, Calif.

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