Before the first bell: The unseen work teachers do before and after school

The work must be seen

The work teachers do before the first bell and after the last one raises an important question about how schools understand and value the teaching profession. When the quality of education is discussed, attention often centres on examination results, lesson delivery and the performance of pupils. These outcomes matter, but they do not tell the whole story. A teacher’s ability to deliver a good lesson is influenced by the time available to prepare, the materials provided, the number of pupils in the classroom and the support available for assessment and other responsibilities.

In many schools, the visible timetable creates the impression that a teacher’s work begins when the first lesson starts and ends when the school day is over. Yet the hours shown on a timetable do not capture every task required to teach effectively. A teacher may spend the morning explaining a topic, the afternoon marking scripts and the evening preparing materials for the next day. Another may use the period before assembly to organise a practical activity and remain after school to discuss a struggling pupil with a colleague. Although the activities differ, each contributes to the educational experience students receive.

This is why school leaders and education authorities need to consider teachers’ complete workload when assigning duties. Lesson preparation, assessment, record-keeping and communication with families all require time. Where possible, administrative processes should be streamlined, teaching resources made available and responsibilities distributed fairly among staff. Schools should also create opportunities for teachers to collaborate, share lesson materials and discuss effective ways to address common learning difficulties. Such arrangements can reduce unnecessary duplication while allowing teachers to devote more attention to their professional responsibilities.

Parents and guardians also have a role in understanding the work behind classroom learning. A child may return home with an exercise to complete or a correction to make, but that assignment is often connected to a broader teaching process. The teacher must set suitable work, review students’ responses and use the results to guide subsequent lessons. Recognising this process does not mean that parents should accept every shortcoming in a school or excuse poor teaching. Rather, it encourages a more informed conversation about the conditions teachers need to help children learn.

At the same time, acknowledging teachers’ workload should not mean treating exhaustion as evidence of commitment. Teaching requires dedication, but a system that depends on teachers constantly sacrificing their personal time is not a sustainable model of education. Teachers need opportunities to rest, develop professionally and attend to their lives outside school. Reasonable workloads and supportive working environments are not simply benefits for teachers; they can help schools maintain consistent teaching, retain experienced professionals and create better conditions for pupils.

The discussion is particularly relevant in Nigeria, where the circumstances of schools vary widely. Some teachers work in well-equipped classrooms, while others must adapt lessons to limited materials, large classes or inadequate facilities. It would be inaccurate to assume that every teacher faces the same conditions, but it is equally misleading to judge their work without considering the resources and support available to them. Improving education therefore requires attention not only to what teachers are expected to deliver but also to the practical conditions under which they work.

Before the first bell, a teacher may already have made decisions that influence how a child experiences the school day. After the last bell, the teacher may continue reviewing work, preparing lessons and considering how to help pupils who have not yet understood what was taught. Much of this effort happens away from public attention, yet it is closely connected to the quality of learning in the classroom.

Conclusion

The first bell signals the beginning of lessons, not the beginning of a teacher’s work. Likewise, the last bell signals the end of the school day, not necessarily the end of the responsibilities that make learning possible. Recognising the work on both sides of the school timetable is essential to understanding teaching as a profession. If schools want better learning outcomes, they must look beyond what happens during lessons and recognise the planning, judgement, assessment and care that make those lessons meaningful. The classroom may be where teaching is most visible, but the work that sustains it begins long before pupils arrive and often continues long after they leave.