Should teachers on unpaid vacations be expected to do some works during the summer?

Oh, well!: Should teachers on unpaid vacations be expected to do some works during the summer?
I am a preschool teacher, currently on unpaid vacations, and my boss keeps on contacting me to ask me to write last minute progress reports, recommendations, etc. She even wants me to make myself available for a 4-hour meeting on a Saturday or Sunday at some point during the summer… I am so totally flabagasted by her requests that I almost wonder if this is standard practice. And I don’t even know where to start to tell her that I think it is out of line -I have already refused to take care of her previous requests, telling her that I had another job over the summer (still have to pay the bills!!) and that I did not have time to write progress reports but she keeps on asking… I would love some input from other teachers or school administrators.
Thank you very much to everyone who answered. Your feedback were very helpful. I ended up offering to go to work for a couple of hours on one day to do some prep work for next year because I wanted to be the one making decisions on a specific project. But I refused to write progress reports for some parents who have just decided to put their children in another school and suddenly need letters of recommendation. I also specified that I would not be available for the remainder of the summer because I really needed the break. As some of you pointed out, I am a little sick of people who think teachers should be ever so thankful for having summers off and we should just do everything we are asked for without complaining. I am NOT paid during the summers. I actually wait tables 6 days a week to be able to pay for my mortgage. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE having the summers off. But I also know I am a very valuable teacher and I don’t feel the need to suck up to anyone for fear to lose my job

Answers and Views:

Answer by BirdY
Im not a teacher but a student…and I would agree with you not having to work during summer..u have a life too..its hard working with kids…they all have differnt moods and temper exp little kids…ur break is the summer you have one of the hardest jobs out there so i feel u shouldnt have to work during the summer..coming from a rising senior =]

Answer by Pioneer
Check your contract. I am not familiar with your preschool assignments. As a teacher, I am asked to do ballgame duty, bus duty, etc. A teacher does not put in an eight hour day for their salary. But they are paid by the day and some get extended days. I think you should have reports supplied to you and finished before the end of the school year (Who is respponsible for the progress report?) and yes a weekend meeting seems unreasonable, if you do not get credit for it. Sometimes in the summer I would do a task just as a courtesy to the school. If you can oblige the meeting, then ask for something in return: 4 hours off during the year or professional development credit for example. Usually your summer time is your own.

Answer by stitcherbitcher
If it is in your contract – if you have one – then, yes you would be expected to do this. If you did not complete mandatory work (progress reports, recommendations) before the term (contract) ended, then yes, you would be asked to do this as well.
If this is a position that you are returning to in the fall or if it is a position that is crucial to your career (i.e. you need a good recommendation) then you need to seriously consider what the woman is asking of you. If you are not returning or do not need that recommendation – you could firmly state your intentions and move on.
I don’t know what other job you have over the summer, but I don’t think it would be too difficult to attend a 4 hour meeting on one Saturday or Sunday over the summer. Additionally, if you can complete the progress reports quickly, just do what she asks. People who go the “extra mile” are usually valued employees and gain rewards that go beyond your paycheck. Teachers are FREQUENTLY asked (required) to perform their job and tasks beyond the relative scope. If you don’t like it, you may want to get out of teaching now. It won’t change. You portray an intelligent individual here, so you should do the same with your employer.

Answer by Gary M
I’m a high school principal and never in a million years would I ask teachers to do anything unless I was prepared to pay them. I don’t know if you are in a union, but what your administrator is doing is pretty “ballsy”. If you volunteered to do something, that is one thing, but to have your administrator request this is not right. Your salary is based on 180 days (or however long your contract is) of work and no more.

Answer by jennylc77
I think the answer to this depends on the culture of the district and school that you are in. While some schools are strictly “by the contract,” there are others that show flexibility by both sides. That said, it is my experience that teachers who are willing to give a little extra time and effort without complaint are greatly appreciated. A good working relationship with an administrator is crucial, particularly when the time comes that you need some support. I also believe that good educators frequently have to give more than what is the minimum to really accomplish what needs to be done.

Answer by nubiangeek
It would depend on whether you work for a public school or a private school. In public schools, we have a union, and the union says that we do not have to work during the summer unless they pay us extra. Even then, we still don’t have to do it. However, if you work for a private school, they can tell you to do whatever they want. When I worked for a private school, I was on maternity leave, and they still expected me to com in and do conferences when I had not worked with the students in a couple of months! If I wanted to keep my job, I had to do it. I did. I couldn’t really tell the parents anything because the sub had not put any new grades in the grade book.

Answer by Nathan W
That depends on how your paid, are you an hourly employee or a salary employee? Do you want (or can you be) promoted? If you’re hourly, they need to pay you for the hours you work. If you were a salary employee, maybe this is part of the expectations of that salary you already received. But the biggest question is what do you want from this job? If this was just to pay the bills, and you don’t mind staying where your at or looking for something new, it’ll be ok to ask if they can schedule you to work one day, and you can complete these things… implying that you’d be paid for it. Or, if you think this might lead to more, you may have to swallow it, and do the work for nothing. People who get paid the most for doing nothing normally will have done the most work for free before they got this job. -it’s a fact of life.

Answer by Elizabeth
You’re right, you’re under no obligation to work when you’re not being paid to do so. If you DO come in for the 4-hour meeting, make sure that you’re compensated for your time. In my district we earn “swap days” that can be used on optional work days. If we come in during the summer to work on our classrooms, or if we attend meetings over the summer, we can request swap days as compensation. Do the same IF you decide to put in any hours. If you’re not at all okay with going in, tell your administrator that your summer schedule simply cannot accommodate her requests but that you appreciate her thinking of you.