Part-Time Teaching...Part-Time Dedication?

One topic that has come up in several of the schools that we have visited so far is the issue of part-time teachers in the Netherlands.  All public schools in the country have staff members that are both full and part-time teachers.  Unlike long-term subbing in the US, these are teachers who have chosen to only work part of the day or part of the week.  According to laws in the Netherlands, schools have to accommodate these requests and schedules.  This allows teachers to have families and be at home more if they need or want to.  When I first heard this option at our first school visit, I was shocked.  I would never consider teaching to be a part-time job and I think it goes against a lot we believe in America concerning the difference between part-time jobs and careers.  This isn’t just a few people who chose to do this either, at most of the schools we have been to so far, almost half of the teaching staff are part time teachers.

This raises a lot of questions for me.  How could a teacher that works half the time be as dedicated as a full time teacher?  How do the students react to switching between teachers?  How much instruction time is lost on spending time getting the students and the teacher on the same page each day?  Does teaching part-time prevent burn out?  

The thing that strikes me the most about this issue is that whenever we are told about the part-time teaching staff during our school visits, no principals or administrators feel very positively about it.  I think that if it was the way the school worked and it ended up beneficial for everyone, I would just assume that this was an system that worked in Netherlands schools.  Instead, principals and other teachers make it seem like a hassle to work around and a frustrating accommodation for their staff.  

Last night at Rene’s dinner party, the many of the men and women hosts from the different schools we have visited were there.  I got the chance to talk to Nikki, one of the vice-principals at the United World College primary school.  We covered so many things, from our own backgrounds and teaching philosophies, to some of the differences in the schools we have both seen.  She grew up int he United Kingdom and has taught most primary grades in several different countries.  When I asked her about how she felt about part-time teachers in her school, she kind of rolled her eyes.  She said that she didn’t feel teachers were nearly as effective if they considered teaching a hobby.  She worries that not all teachers equally dedicated to their classroom, so the students she is responsible for get a wide range of attention.  She said that for some teachers, having the flexibility and option to continue teaching while raising a family is a wonderful alternative.   The can combine something they love without sacrificing time to either.  On the other hand, she said that most teachers who only work part-time, do so for selfish reasons.  They want more time off, less responsibility, and more choices.  She also said that she feels that part-time teachers ask too much of their administration.  They are attempting to do the same amount of work with half of the effort, and be rewarded for doing so.  

I can’t imagine a system like this ever working in the United States.  This is mainly due to the fact that I do not see how part-time teachers would fit into our unions as they are currently.  I also do not know how a school district would provide benefits or protections for part-time teachers.  This issue is not as pertinent in the Netherlands because of socialized health care.  

It seems like the two teachers would spend all of their time catching each other up on what happened on the other’s days off, and not get around to educating.  I think this would be a very complicated system for students as well without the proper structure and scaffolding.  To me, it seems like being an effective part-time teacher would take even more work than full-time.  In turn, I think this means that most part-time teachers are not being successful.   It was very difficult to find concrete evidence on how part-time teaching effects students, but I think speaking with Nikki as someone who deals with the issue everyday, is a great way to gain insight.  I would also be very surprised that part-time teachers are very willing to participate in any kind of research that may rule them unnecessary.  Overall, this is a really intriguing concept and I would like to learn more about the interaction between part-time teachers and their students.  Hopefully I will get a chance to see both a part-time and full-time teacher’s instruction during my time observing at the United World College next week.