The Mycenaean

The Wake county traditional calendar has many teacher workdays. However, teacher workdays are beneficial for the teachers as they get to further develop their skills and lessons, making learning more effective. (Photo courtesy of Banks Blizzard)

Wake County, North Carolina has 17 teacher workdays During the 2024 – 2025 school year. These days give teachers time to plan lessons, attend workshops, and manage other tasks without students in class.

There are two types of teacher workdays: protected and unprotected. The difference between them is how teachers can use their time and whether they can take the day off.

Protected workdays are mandatory. Teachers must work on lessons or participate in required activities like meetings or training, and they cannot take personal leave on these days.

Unprotected workdays are more flexible. Teachers can choose to work or take the day off by using their personal, annual, or sick leave.

As one Wake County teacher said, “That answer would make sense if today was a protected workday. Today is an ‘unprotected’ work day, so teachers can use personal leave time to take the day off. Most of the Friday workdays that we have include mandatory professional development,” said Reddit user picklesforthewin. This highlights how unprotected workdays give teachers more choices in how they spend their time.

Many workdays, especially on Fridays, are used for district-wide professional development. This is when teachers attend training sessions to improve their teaching skills and learn new strategies.

Professional development helps teachers stay updated on the latest teaching methods. It’s an important part of helping teachers do their best work in the classroom.

Wake County teacher workdays are important for helping teachers manage their workload and improve their skills. Whether it’s a protected or unprotected day, teachers use this time to get better prepared for their students.

While yes, theoretically school could end significantly sooner, it is important for teachers to have time to plan, grade, and develop their skills further.