HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — School may be out for summer, but many teachers are still hard at work.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, close to 20% of teachers hold second jobs that account for about 9% of their income.

Pam Reeves has taught in Hillsborough County for 16 years, and she says she wouldn't be able to make ends meet if it weren’t for her side jobs.

Reeves is an art teacher at Bloomingdale High School, and even though school is out, she’s spending her summer creating art.

“This was commissioned, just another fellow teacher actually, and she wanted a present for her mom,” she said as she put the finishing touches on a portrait of a heron.  

Reeves says she sells pieces like that for around $125, which, depending on how many she sells, can add up.

“That’s my list there with about 50 I’ve probably done the past month and a half," she said. "It’s been kind of crazy with graduation — I do pet portraits, mostly, I started doing caricatures which take up most of my time and then I also work as a side job at Painting with a Twist.”

Reeves says she’s fortunate her side jobs are something she’s passionate about, because without out them, “there’s no way to make my bills to be honest with you."

"I have three daughters," she said. "I have one that just graduated this year and the other two are older, but I’ve struggled making my bills for many years.”

And whether it’s portraits of herons, or people’s beloved pets, Reeves says she’ll continue creating whatever works of art she needs to in order to continue her true passion, teaching.

“I love my job, so I have no intent on changing that," she said. "And I know there’s a lot of turmoil in the profession right now, but I’d rather work four side jobs than quit teaching."

Reeves says other teachers also have side jobs to make ends meet, but she knows a lot more who are quitting the profession altogether, and she says students are missing out on a lot of great teachers because of it.