Veteran High School Teacher Shares The Stark Ways Her Job Has Changed Between 1998 And 2024
With more work and less time to prepare, it's not surprising that new teachers are burned out.
Wavebreakmedia, Robert Kneschke | CanvaPro Reflecting on more than two decades of teaching high school, a veteran teacher named Kelly Gibson took to TikTok to share how working in a high school has changed since she started in 1998.
From dealing with students to preparing for classes and scheduling meetings, there’s been a shift in what administrators are prioritizing when it comes to supporting teachers — and it’s not necessarily a good thing, especially for the millions feeling under-compensated in the profession.
A veteran high school teacher shared 7 ways her job has starkly changed between 1998 and 2024:
There's no denying that the curriculum has changed in 26 years, but as the veteran teacher pointed out, the profession itself is starkly different. It's why Gibson wrote in her video's description, "we are tired for a good reason!"
“Let's do a comparison from my first year of teaching in 1998 until this year and all the things that have changed,” Gibson started.
1. Working hours
In 1998, Gibson said her work day went from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., with 45 minutes of “free-time” at school outside of start and end times for classes.
Now, in 2024, she’s expected to be clocked in from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., an hour longer, with less time to prepare for classes.
Despite research arguing that later start times are better for students, especially adolescents in high school, it seems that many districts have adopted this shift in schedules, opting for early morning classes instead of a more balanced schedule.
2. The number of classes and prep time
“In 1998, my workload was 5 classes each day, with 3 different types of classes to prepare for, and 2 planning periods a day,” Gibson said.
“Today, I have 6 classes, 1 advisory class, 4 to 5 different types of classes, and 1 planning period that I only get 4 times a week.”
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With more classes to teach, less planning time, and more students to be held accountable for, there’s no denying that there’s been an unfair shift in workload expectations for teachers.
3. The frequency of standardized tests
“Even though I’m not a junior level teacher, which is when we test kids,” Gibson explained, “our school gives 1 [test] three times a year.”
In comparison, Gibson shared that there were no standardized tests in 1998, and now they’ve become the main focus of her career.
Sadly, school funding is intrinsically tied to standardized test scores, forcing administrators to prioritize them, even at the expense of student well-being and teacher sanity.
4. Integrated classrooms for students with IEPs
“We used to have our IEP [students] in sheltered classes, and I didn’t like that. I actually like the changes in the model,” Gibson shared.
“Keep this in mind, about 95% of them were not in our classes in 1998, which meant no IEPs, no accommodations, none of those things.”
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However, despite integration being a positive move, Gibson shared that overworked teachers are struggling to keep up.
“I like the ‘push-in model,’ but now we’re almost completely in push-in mode. Almost all of those kids are with us, but we’re given no extra time to deal with their IEPS, to work on accommodations for them, or to go to all the meetings we need to.”
5. Extra ‘duties’ outside the classroom
It’s not uncommon for teachers to take on “extra duties” outside of the classroom, like planning school dances or chaperoning a sporting event. However, Gibson said it’s more of a burden today than two decades ago.
“I know many of you have a lot more duties than me, especially if you’re an elementary school teacher,” she said, “but, I’ve gone from zero responsibilities to bus duty every three weeks.”
While it might not seem like a lot, adding on a few extra hours to the month, with the slipping support for planning periods and lacking administrative support, it adds up — contributing to the mass burnout many teachers experience today.
6. The frequency of staff meetings and conferences
When Gibson first started her career, she said their school district only held staff meetings once a month, with a quarterly department meeting for all staff.
Now, in 2024, she has a much longer list of in-person meetings: a weekly staff meeting, monthly department meetings, administration meetings once a quarter, and a slew of educational meetings and conferences sprinkled throughout the year.
From school shooter trainings to online learning conferences and an unsettling increase in impromptu parent meetings, she said she hardly has any free time outside the classroom to prep, connect with kids, or support extracurricular activities.
7. Online classrooms and grade books
In addition to being overworked and understaffed, Gibson said that technology has added significantly to her workload.
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Education Week surveys reveal that the majority of teachers are also feeling unprepared in the classroom.
Teachers have been tasked with online grade books, increased communication from parents through email and text, and remote teaching, with little to no training.
“This is the one time that I agree that the ‘good old days’ were good,” Gibson said “I’m not a ‘return to the old days’ [person], with the exception of this… It really is more than it used to be.”
Despite having heavier workloads and more responsibilities, teachers are earning significantly less than a decade ago.
Adjusted for inflation, data from the National Education Association indicates that teachers are making nearly 5% less than they were a decade ago despite having significantly heavier workloads.
If we want good teachers in our kids' classrooms we have to support them — in every sense of the word. From fair compensation to better work-life balance, teachers deserve better.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.