Staff and students all over Millard have been given more teacher work days. These extra days will be on Election Day and a day before Spring Break.

The Millard School Board had a meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 6, and discussed adding some new changes to the Millard school schedule. This allows them to have extra time to prepare for classes and get grades in the grade book. 

The school board regularly meets to discuss how to improve this district. Millard Education Association (MEA) President Timothy Royers was part of the decision process of what days would be given off for the students and what days teachers had time to plan for their classes for this school year.

“We are really lucky here in Millard, the union and the administration have a great 

the working relationship,” Royers said. “We meet regularly and bring issues to each other’s attention to try and problem solve and figure out how we can best move forward together.  So over many of our meetings, the topic of providing additional work days has certainly come up.  However, other groups are impacted that have a voice as well, so I play only one part in a much larger process.  Ultimately, it comes down to the Superintendent and his team putting recommendations together, and then him working with the School Board to see what can reasonably be done.  I’m just glad that we were able to provide our input and help be a small part of making this happen.”

Teachers are challenged daily with many tasks. Lesson planning, grading, discipline, supervision, make-up work, meeting, extracurricular activities, etc. Principal Greg Tiemann believes that teacher work days are important for this school’s staff for all of the work they give.

“Work days are significant,” Dr. Tiemann said. “ We know how much pressure is on our staff, especially between the Fall Break and Thanksgiving Break and at the end of the third term. This provides the opportunity to get caught up during these busy stretches of the year. The benefit is time. Our staff dedicates a lot of time during and after school hours to making a quality education happen for students. We know how essential flexibility is to provide for our staff so they can get caught up and bring balance back to their lives.”

Having teacher workdays is a way for teachers to figure out What the lesson plan is, and get caught up on the grading process so their students get the best chance to learn in the class. Even though the teachers make the most of the time they are already given, Family and Consumer Sciences teacher Eliza Donley is thrilled to have the opportunity to have more time to plan for class.

“I think it is a great idea and I appreciate getting some extra time to work,” Donley said. “This will give me time to grade, make copies, catch up on emails, etc. I constantly have a to-do list that is nearly impossible to tackle simply because there is just not enough time in the day, so I am looking forward to having this time to get things done.”

As many more school years go on, these extra teacher work days make it easier for the teachers to get their plans ready for class and even get the grades that the students are waiting for.