Over 100 Years Experience

Just left a retirement party, one which celebrated local educators. Quite a gala event I might add, with over 170 paying guests. What is truly amazing is the sheer numbers represented this evening. Four teachers individually represented by 21 years of experience (26 overall), 31 years (33 overall), 33 years and lastly 34 years, totalling the 4 teaching in one building working for 129 years, 136 if you count prior experience elsewhere.
Not a math student but I will attempt the data: 129 years x 183 working days= 23607 days. Remove a few sick days, snow days, conference day and whatever days, let's round it off to 23500 teaching days. Now each performs at least 5 teaching periods a day, sometimes classes of multiple levels, different grade levels, etc, but still equalling a staggering 117500 class periods. That's 117500 lesson plans.
Each year budgetary concerns can influence an administrators determination for class size. Some districts have limits set by teachers contracts; this district does not. However, classes will never be under subscriped (less than 15), and over 32 is pushing it big time. So let's conservatively state average class size at 26. So 117500 classes taught times 26 students per class...3,055,000 student contacts. Homeworks corrected, tests written and graded, voluntary extra credit, extra curricular events, PTA meetings, Graduation, Prom Chaperon, trip organizer, cafeteria/ hall duty, attendance/homeroom, arrival bus duty, dismissal bus duty ...more student interaction time, some with additional day but most not.
This celebration was for only four people....of a school consisting of 123 teachers. Whew...my hat goes off to those in the "trenches", and to those who say "teachers are overpaid, cry babies"...well, another time.