Teaching?

I am starting to wonder when there is time for teaching? When I started teaching 20 years ago there was one thing that mattered when it came to teaching…how well were you teaching? Class was rarely missed by teachers or students. Today there rarely is a day that isn't affected by teachers, including myself, missing class due to a meeting or an in-service. It is also just as common place for students to miss class due to meetings, early dismissal for games, or a barrage of other things. With the state putting more and more requirements on teachers, students, and schools in general it is amazing to me how the state also wants more out of all of the above with less time in the classroom. To me this makes absolutely no sense whatsoever! Let's get back in the classroom and do what we came here to do!