Our office has been buzzing with excitement all week! Today we release the results of one of the projects that is closest to our hearts—our national survey of America’s teachers in which we talk to teachers across the country and ask share them to share their thoughts about the teaching profession and how best to help all children meet their academic potential.

Scholastic and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are proud to partner on Primary Sources 2012: America’s Teachers on the Teaching Profession, the second landmark report presenting the national results from more than 10,000 public school teachers in grades pre-K to 12. This survey is a follow-up to the original Primary Sources report released in 2010, which continues to be noted as the largest-ever national survey of its kind with data from 40,000 teachers.

Here are just a few of the findings that the Primary Sources 2012 report reveals:

• Teachers are incredibly hard workers!  On average, their workday is 10 hours, 40 minutes long.  That’s doesn’t even include attending and participating in extracurricular activities and its still 3 hours, 20 minutes longer than the average required teacher workday nationwide!

• Economic challenges affect students and teachers see it in the classroom: 56% of veteran teachers are seeing more students living in poverty and 49% are seeing more students coming to school hungry.

• Teachers like what they do! Eighty nine percent of teachers are either very satisfied or satisfied in their jobs.

We’re proud to share the Primary Sources 2012 report with teachers, parents, and everyone who cares about education. Here’s what one teacher had to say:

“This year’s Primary Sources report clearly reflects what it means to teach in America’s schools in 2012,” says Cathlyn Dossetti, an English teacher at Fresno High School in Fresno, CA. “It shows the mix of idealism and real concern that teachers feel on a daily basis as we face both the professional challenges and remarkable opportunities inherent in our careers.”

Later this afternoon, Cathlyn is joining us at the Celebration of Teaching & Learning to discuss the survey on a panel moderated by Chelsea Clinton.  Also on the panel are representatives from the Gates Foundation and Scholastic, world-renowned teacher evaluation expert Charlotte Danielson, and a fifth grade teacher from New York City, Naima Lilly.   If you can’t join us there, follow us on Twitter (hashtags #TeacherVoices and #CTL2012) or view the live webcast at 4pm ET here: http://media.rampard.com/cotl/20120314/default.html

Download the full report at www.scholastic.com/primarysources where you can also take part of the survey yourself!  Compare your answers to the national data and let us know if you agree with your peers.