In an effort to demonstrate what teachers do during some of their off hours, 34 educators congregated in the food court at Heritage Mall on Saturday for a “Grade In.”

With stacks of assignments on the tables and red pens in hand, teachers and aides worked for two hours. A nearby sign read, “8-3? Not Me!”

Fourth-grade teacher Cheryl Hultberg is the president of the Greater Albany Education Association, the group behind the Grade In.

She said it was not a protest, simply an effort to offer the public more insights about teachers. Hultberg, who has been teaching for 30 years, the last 26 in Albany, said she wanted to present a positive image that demonstrates how teachers add to the education of a child outside of the school day. She said elementary, middle school and high school teachers from every building in the district were represented.