Haycock class changes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would you be losing teachers? Teacher allocation per school is based on a formula regardless of how the principal runs the school.

I think they meant "losing good teachers". You don't have the pick of the litter if people don't like the principal.

What people mean by losing teachers is that the teachers, we have been told, were appalled that this decision was made unilaterally, without consulting them whatsoever, and handed down as a done deal. Apparently many of them are unhappy and have said they will look for jobs elsewhere. This is after two straight years of losing a HUGE percentage of our staff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Principals get a lot of latitude to run their school the way they personally see fit.

I don't know of any other school in FCPS where all the students change subjects based on their ability. I bet a ton of time is wasted transitioning each day. Every other FCPS has teachers differentiating in the classroom. It's public school-you get what you get.

It sounds like some Haycock parents have really unrealistic expectations. Not sure why.

I'm really confused by this attitude that "it's a public school, you should expect it to be crappy." We've already proven that public schools don't have to be crappy and they actually can provide a quality education. It's been working, so why should we let this principal tear it down?

It doesn't cost anything, the teachers and parents support it, and it has been working.

Who said public schools were crappy? Every other FCPS elementary school
does not track kids or shuffle them around for different subjects in the early grades. Does “crappy” just mean “not my personal ideal for my snowflake?”

[Anonymous]

Wait, if it was so great before why did you lose such a huge percentage of staff? What was the turnover rate?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would you be losing teachers? Teacher allocation per school is based on a formula regardless of how the principal runs the school.

I think they meant "losing good teachers". You don't have the pick of the litter if people don't like the principal.

What people mean by losing teachers is that the teachers, we have been told, were appalled that this decision was made unilaterally, without consulting them whatsoever, and handed down as a done deal. Apparently many of them are unhappy and have said they will look for jobs elsewhere. This is after two straight years of losing a HUGE percentage of our staff.

Losing a huge percentage of staff for two years prior to this decision is irrelevant to this discussion? Okay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a 5th grade parent and have heard no official word about this change. Have others heard trust officially?

And to pp who said some grades stopped differentiating already. I had not heard this. That is a huge change.

I can speak to the fact that third grade nothing is like what it was in the years past. I have been told that within Gen Ed and within AAP -- of course this separation undermines the whole idea, but anyway -- from now on all the math classes are "mixed" because this is "best practice," that the advanced kids learn from explaining concepts to the less advanced kids and the less advanced kids learn best from their peer models. So, no, in third grade there is no differentiation in math any longer.

[Anonymous]

As long as the mixed classes are following the AAP curriculum, what difference does it make?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would you be losing teachers? Teacher allocation per school is based on a formula regardless of how the principal runs the school.

I think they meant "losing good teachers". You don't have the pick of the litter if people don't like the principal.

What people mean by losing teachers is that the teachers, we have been told, were appalled that this decision was made unilaterally, without consulting them whatsoever, and handed down as a done deal. Apparently many of them are unhappy and have said they will look for jobs elsewhere. This is after two straight years of losing a HUGE percentage of our staff.

Losing a huge percentage of staff for two years prior to this decision is irrelevant to this discussion? Okay.

It's actually very relevant as it coincides with the new principal. These talented and experienced teachers are leaving because the new guy doesn't care about higher education. Please don't assume that all teachers are the same. The best teachers (like any profession) want to work in the best environment to do what they do best.

[Anonymous]

So all the teachers have been leaving for the past two years because they don't like the principal?

[Anonymous]

Why would anyone teach at Haycock if she could drive five more minutes and get paid more to teach a much smaller class in Arlington?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So all the teachers have been leaving for the past two years because they don't like the principal?

I believe there have been a few that left for other reasons (moving, retirement, etc) but the great majority is exactly that.

[Anonymous]

From reading this thread, it's apparent that there are a few Haycock parents posting here who are agitated about this policy change. I'm not saying there aren't other parents who oppose the change, but I don't think they are posting. It's just a few posters repeating themselves, and not in especially clear or cogent language.

Haycock is known for this type of behavior by some parents. The good news is that this behavior diminishes over time; as kids get older, the parents start to realize that their kids' futures don't rise or fall depending on their 4th grade teacher assignments. And, in any event the administrators at Longfellow and McLean don't put up with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why would anyone teach at Haycock if she could drive five more minutes and get paid more to teach a much smaller class in Arlington?

Perhaps the pride in seeing kids go on to excel at other schools that are better than any schools in APS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you really saying no other ES has math or reading groups?

My kids don't go to Haycock, but it sounds like kids were changing classrooms for different subjects starting in first grade? I think that is unusual.
The norm is reading groups and math centers within the classroom for that age.

My kids don't attend Haycock either, and they switch classrooms for math and word study starting in first grade. Reading, writing, science, and social studies are handled within the classroom, though.

[Anonymous]

Not differentiating may be best practice for closing the achievement gap (but I’m not even sure about this) but is not best practice for serving advanced learners. Tons of research that finds the importance of peer group for these learners.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From reading this thread, it's apparent that there are a few Haycock parents posting here who are agitated about this policy change. I'm not saying there aren't other parents who oppose the change, but I don't think they are posting. It's just a few posters repeating themselves, and not in especially clear or cogent language.

Haycock is known for this type of behavior by some parents. The good news is that this behavior diminishes over time; as kids get older, the parents start to realize that their kids' futures don't rise or fall depending on their 4th grade teacher assignments. And, in any event the administrators at Longfellow and McLean don't put up with it.

Are you in the Haycock Administration?