No Textbooks in Elementary School; All of FCPS, or Just Schools Near Me?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's weird that people think the lack of textbooks says something about the curriculum in FCPS. I taught there. It wasn't like, hey we have no books, teach what you want. It was more like, hey, teach the full SOLs for 4th grade social studies and don't forget all the FCPS POS points, and oh, by the way, we don't have any textbooks or resources for you so you'll have to find all the information online at the VDOE website and then make all your own handouts.

Most teams have a planned year long curriculum already with units and materials and specific lessons they do. They should share it all with the new teachers when they arrive but they often don’t. Some don’t like to share since they had to create it themselves first and put in the work and time. They feel it is too easy then for the newbie. They want the newbies to pull their weight. The poor new teachers are often left on their own inventing the wheel even though there is an established team.

I work for FCPS for a long time. I feel like your statement is true, but about 10 years ago. Nowadays, because of more consistent (but annoying CLTs) files are shared more openly.

[Anonymous]

Giving out textbooks is a bit antiquated. I was a biology teacher for years before I became an admin. It's really the lazy teachers that have kids read/outline/answer questions. More advanced teachers are going to utilize more cooperative learning strategies, teach them the standards and incorporate more outside the box thinking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a teacher, I would love to have textbooks to use with my students. Textbooks are costly and curriculum changes. I get that. It would be to the benefit it the students, families, and teachers to have access to them. I’d rather money go towards textbooks than the countless PD days we have in our calendar.

+100
Not to mention, some of the (very expensive) online programs are absolute crap, and many teachers agree with this. What a waste of money.

Online learning can be done well. Kahn Academy, CTY, Beast Academy, etc are very good programs.

KHAN - named for its Bangladeshi-American Founder Salman Khan. (Mom is Indian, Dad Bangladeshi)

He is not a white Jewish person. His name is not Kahn. LOL! He is Asian- American.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sal_Khan

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's weird that people think the lack of textbooks says something about the curriculum in FCPS. I taught there. It wasn't like, hey we have no books, teach what you want. It was more like, hey, teach the full SOLs for 4th grade social studies and don't forget all the FCPS POS points, and oh, by the way, we don't have any textbooks or resources for you so you'll have to find all the information online at the VDOE website and then make all your own handouts.

Most teams have a planned year long curriculum already with units and materials and specific lessons they do. They should share it all with the new teachers when they arrive but they often don’t. Some don’t like to share since they had to create it themselves first and put in the work and time. They feel it is too easy then for the newbie. They want the newbies to pull their weight. The poor new teachers are often left on their own inventing the wheel even though there is an established team.

That’s just insane and depressing to read.

I don’t find this to be true. I teach third grade and we are constantly developing new lesson or tweaking them. Yes, the units are set by the pacing but I know I spend a lot of time deciding what to do in small reading and math groups in addition to whole group lessons. FCPS does provide some suggestions but we often change or don’t even use those.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's weird that people think the lack of textbooks says something about the curriculum in FCPS. I taught there. It wasn't like, hey we have no books, teach what you want. It was more like, hey, teach the full SOLs for 4th grade social studies and don't forget all the FCPS POS points, and oh, by the way, we don't have any textbooks or resources for you so you'll have to find all the information online at the VDOE website and then make all your own handouts.

Most teams have a planned year long curriculum already with units and materials and specific lessons they do. They should share it all with the new teachers when they arrive but they often don’t. Some don’t like to share since they had to create it themselves first and put in the work and time. They feel it is too easy then for the newbie. They want the newbies to pull their weight. The poor new teachers are often left on their own inventing the wheel even though there is an established team.

That’s just insane and depressing to read.

I don’t find this to be true. I teach third grade and we are constantly developing new lesson or tweaking them. Yes, the units are set by the pacing but I know I spend a lot of time deciding what to do in small reading and math groups in addition to whole group lessons. FCPS does provide some suggestions but we often change or don’t even use those.

Yes- curriculum is not the same as lessons!

[Anonymous]

Some of the private schools near you will use textbooks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Giving out textbooks is a bit antiquated. I was a biology teacher for years before I became an admin. It's really the lazy teachers that have kids read/outline/answer questions. More advanced teachers are going to utilize more cooperative learning strategies, teach them the standards and incorporate more outside the box thinking.

Cooperative learning in biology IMHO used to be lab partners and teams for projects /research. Co-opt the leaning time and add in peer tutoring? Standards, language, meaning, and objective material individualistic. That base knowledge from reading/outlining/HW can be applied in a cooperative student team mode for projects.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a teacher, I would love to have textbooks to use with my students. Textbooks are costly and curriculum changes. I get that. It would be to the benefit it the students, families, and teachers to have access to them. I’d rather money go towards textbooks than the countless PD days we have in our calendar.

+100
Not to mention, some of the (very expensive) online programs are absolute crap, and many teachers agree with this. What a waste of money.

Online learning can be done well. Kahn Academy, CTY, Beast Academy, etc are very good programs.

KHAN - named for its Bangladeshi-American Founder Salman Khan. (Mom is Indian, Dad Bangladeshi)

He is not a white Jewish person. His name is not Kahn. LOL! He is Asian- American.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sal_Khan

My daughter owes a heap-load of money to this man and I told her that once she gets her first paycheck, to send him a large donation.

[Anonymous]

The good thing about text books is that they are professionally reviewed/edited. Yes, they do have errors from time to time but not like the errors I find in Teachers Pay Teachers on a regular basis. If I was a principal, I would not allow teachers to use TpT resourcs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The good thing about text books is that they are professionally reviewed/edited. Yes, they do have errors from time to time but not like the errors I find in Teachers Pay Teachers on a regular basis. If I was a principal, I would not allow teachers to use TpT resourcs.

Luckily, you don’t make those decisions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Giving out textbooks is a bit antiquated. I was a biology teacher for years before I became an admin. It's really the lazy teachers that have kids read/outline/answer questions. More advanced teachers are going to utilize more cooperative learning strategies, teach them the standards and incorporate more outside the box thinking.

None of that is incompatible with having a textbook. It's just a resource. Sure, if it were the *only* resource you used to teach your biology (or any) class, it would be antiquated, but why throw the baby out with the bathwater?

I don't understand why we feel the need to take away resources from students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Giving out textbooks is a bit antiquated. I was a biology teacher for years before I became an admin. It's really the lazy teachers that have kids read/outline/answer questions. More advanced teachers are going to utilize more cooperative learning strategies, teach them the standards and incorporate more outside the box thinking.

None of that is incompatible with having a textbook. It's just a resource. Sure, if it were the *only* resource you used to teach your biology (or any) class, it would be antiquated, but why throw the baby out with the bathwater?

I don't understand why we feel the need to take away resources from students.

I could tell you stories about school systems and the "crossing of palms" in the purchasing of textbooks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Giving out textbooks is a bit antiquated. I was a biology teacher for years before I became an admin. It's really the lazy teachers that have kids read/outline/answer questions. More advanced teachers are going to utilize more cooperative learning strategies, teach them the standards and incorporate more outside the box thinking.

None of that is incompatible with having a textbook. It's just a resource. Sure, if it were the *only* resource you used to teach your biology (or any) class, it would be antiquated, but why throw the baby out with the bathwater?

I don't understand why we feel the need to take away resources from students.

I could tell you stories about school systems and the "crossing of palms" in the purchasing of textbooks.

Huh?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Giving out textbooks is a bit antiquated. I was a biology teacher for years before I became an admin. It's really the lazy teachers that have kids read/outline/answer questions. More advanced teachers are going to utilize more cooperative learning strategies, teach them the standards and incorporate more outside the box thinking.

None of that is incompatible with having a textbook. It's just a resource. Sure, if it were the *only* resource you used to teach your biology (or any) class, it would be antiquated, but why throw the baby out with the bathwater?

I don't understand why we feel the need to take away resources from students.

I could tell you stories about school systems and the "crossing of palms" in the purchasing of textbooks.

"Crossing the palms" = kickbacks

Huh?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Giving out textbooks is a bit antiquated. I was a biology teacher for years before I became an admin. It's really the lazy teachers that have kids read/outline/answer questions. More advanced teachers are going to utilize more cooperative learning strategies, teach them the standards and incorporate more outside the box thinking.

None of that is incompatible with having a textbook. It's just a resource. Sure, if it were the *only* resource you used to teach your biology (or any) class, it would be antiquated, but why throw the baby out with the bathwater?

I don't understand why we feel the need to take away resources from students.

I could tell you stories about school systems and the "crossing of palms" in the purchasing of textbooks.

"Crossing the palms" = kickbacks

Huh?

Textbooks are extremely expensive and the contracts are huge. Publishers wine and dine the influencers.