<p>I do feel the need to defend teachers, especially when you make statements like this
I don’t know about the “many” who only work 8-3. As I said above, I work 7-4:30 or 5, and only get about 15minutes of down time. Most of the teachers at my elementary school also work at least that long (plus tutor “Saturday school”) Stress levels are incredibly high, due to high demands, long hours, tons of paperwork and committee work, and the stress of frequent high-stakes testing. Please don’t sit there and tell me how easy and stress-free my job is!</p>