A rant: Technology and Vendors in the Schools, anyone else hate it?

[Anonymous]

Google Class, Blackboard, StudentVue, Canvas, Schoology, e-HallPass, kids needing computers every day as early as what, 2nd grade and having to lug them to and fro everyday? Kahoot, all the other dumb online learning programs and supplemental digital resources and constant need for screens, screens, screens. This is insane to me.

And vendors in general - Baroody Camps for after school activities, the international trips through that one company. Myschoolbucks. It all just seems like a massive cash grab. My kids' handwriting is terrible, I found out they don't even do handwriting in 4th grade and the teacher said it's not a focus because it's a distraction from learning and thus the computers, especially due to COVID, they don't seem to learn much as is... if this is one of the best school districts in the country (I don't buy that), what is going on?

I am an involved parent, kids spread across three schools in the district, and it's just insane. The constant changing platforms, needing to go to this webpage and that to sign kids up for different things, the barrage of emails from each school, the district, the board members. A little information hidden here and there, then the need to check Schoology and StudentVue on a regular basis. I just feel like I'm getting squeezed all the time for money, time, attention. I don't frankly care that a school board member said R*tard, I don't need 4 different emails about it from the same school district actively suppressing academic achievement for excellent students. And I just feel like I have to supplement everything at home, and not just reinforcing with homework (which they rarely have). It just feels like what is the point?! Who supports this stupidity?

My wife's family is in Colombia. Their education system is way more simple, way less reliant on technology, and the kids there are lightyears ahead of my kids and their friends. Handwriting, understanding, ability to pay attention to complex subjects, just general demeanor, it's crazy. Of course, the kids are actually accountable, the kids and parents feel some level of shame for poor performance, and the teachers focus on teaching, not politics. Naturally, the American way is slowly seeping into the school system over there, I am hearing that holding kids back might go away or become more controversial. RIP. Colombians regularly call their country "third world" but they seem to do better and the kids manage to learn more with less for now.

None of this seems good for the kids, but it sure is good for everyone that gets to take a bite out of the massive budget FCPS has. My school experience in the 90s was way better than this, way more simple and yet I feel like my classmates and I were more capable without all this garbage. I recall completing page long writing prompts in second grade, I can't even imagine that now. if only I knew how bad we had it back then and how uneducated we were!

Rant over.

[Anonymous]

Just to add on - the teachers we've had are generally great. I feel bad for many of them who just want to teach, it seems like that's only 75% of the job at this point, maybe less even, while grappling with all of this garbage themselves. There are truly some world class individuals teaching at FCPS, but the admin and school board and whoever in the community supports these things are seriously and consistently disappoint.

[Anonymous]

I feel you. I so feel you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Google Class, Blackboard, StudentVue, Canvas, Schoology, e-HallPass, kids needing computers every day as early as what, 2nd grade and having to lug them to and fro everyday? Kahoot, all the other dumb online learning programs and supplemental digital resources and constant need for screens, screens, screens. This is insane to me.

And vendors in general - Baroody Camps for after school activities, the international trips through that one company. Myschoolbucks. It all just seems like a massive cash grab. My kids' handwriting is terrible, I found out they don't even do handwriting in 4th grade and the teacher said it's not a focus because it's a distraction from learning and thus the computers, especially due to COVID, they don't seem to learn much as is... if this is one of the best school districts in the country (I don't buy that), what is going on?

I am an involved parent, kids spread across three schools in the district, and it's just insane. The constant changing platforms, needing to go to this webpage and that to sign kids up for different things, the barrage of emails from each school, the district, the board members. A little information hidden here and there, then the need to check Schoology and StudentVue on a regular basis. I just feel like I'm getting squeezed all the time for money, time, attention. I don't frankly care that a school board member said R*tard, I don't need 4 different emails about it from the same school district actively suppressing academic achievement for excellent students. And I just feel like I have to supplement everything at home, and not just reinforcing with homework (which they rarely have). It just feels like what is the point?! Who supports this stupidity?

My wife's family is in Colombia. Their education system is way more simple, way less reliant on technology, and the kids there are lightyears ahead of my kids and their friends. Handwriting, understanding, ability to pay attention to complex subjects, just general demeanor, it's crazy. Of course, the kids are actually accountable, the kids and parents feel some level of shame for poor performance, and the teachers focus on teaching, not politics. Naturally, the American way is slowly seeping into the school system over there, I am hearing that holding kids back might go away or become more controversial. RIP. Colombians regularly call their country "third world" but they seem to do better and the kids manage to learn more with less for now.

None of this seems good for the kids, but it sure is good for everyone that gets to take a bite out of the massive budget FCPS has. My school experience in the 90s was way better than this, way more simple and yet I feel like my classmates and I were more capable without all this garbage. I recall completing page long writing prompts in second grade, I can't even imagine that now. if only I knew how bad we had it back then and how uneducated we were!

Rant over.

your kid is in fourth and they have the option of an international trip through the school?

[Anonymous]

The fourth grader is not eligible for the international trip. My middle schooler. They're not going to attend, the trip does not seem educationally valuable in any way shape or form and I would rather spend way less money taking them somewhere they will actually get some perspective. But just sitting through the sales pitch - I mean information session - just so obvious that it's a cash squeeze. Vapid teacher talking bout all the trips she's been on, the vendor eagerly waiting to speak about all their programs, ugh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The fourth grader is not eligible for the international trip. My middle schooler. They're not going to attend, the trip does not seem educationally valuable in any way shape or form and I would rather spend way less money taking them somewhere they will actually get some perspective. But just sitting through the sales pitch - I mean information session - just so obvious that it's a cash squeeze. Vapid teacher talking bout all the trips she's been on, the vendor eagerly waiting to speak about all their programs, ugh.

Then don't go. Be happy that your school feels that they can even offer the trip.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Google Class, Blackboard, StudentVue, Canvas, Schoology, e-HallPass, kids needing computers every day as early as what, 2nd grade and having to lug them to and fro everyday? Kahoot, all the other dumb online learning programs and supplemental digital resources and constant need for screens, screens, screens. This is insane to me.

And vendors in general - Baroody Camps for after school activities, the international trips through that one company. Myschoolbucks. It all just seems like a massive cash grab. My kids' handwriting is terrible, I found out they don't even do handwriting in 4th grade and the teacher said it's not a focus because it's a distraction from learning and thus the computers, especially due to COVID, they don't seem to learn much as is... if this is one of the best school districts in the country (I don't buy that), what is going on?

I am an involved parent, kids spread across three schools in the district, and it's just insane. The constant changing platforms, needing to go to this webpage and that to sign kids up for different things, the barrage of emails from each school, the district, the board members. A little information hidden here and there, then the need to check Schoology and StudentVue on a regular basis. I just feel like I'm getting squeezed all the time for money, time, attention. I don't frankly care that a school board member said R*tard, I don't need 4 different emails about it from the same school district actively suppressing academic achievement for excellent students. And I just feel like I have to supplement everything at home, and not just reinforcing with homework (which they rarely have). It just feels like what is the point?! Who supports this stupidity?

My wife's family is in Colombia. Their education system is way more simple, way less reliant on technology, and the kids there are lightyears ahead of my kids and their friends. Handwriting, understanding, ability to pay attention to complex subjects, just general demeanor, it's crazy. Of course, the kids are actually accountable, the kids and parents feel some level of shame for poor performance, and the teachers focus on teaching, not politics. Naturally, the American way is slowly seeping into the school system over there, I am hearing that holding kids back might go away or become more controversial. RIP. Colombians regularly call their country "third world" but they seem to do better and the kids manage to learn more with less for now.

None of this seems good for the kids, but it sure is good for everyone that gets to take a bite out of the massive budget FCPS has. My school experience in the 90s was way better than this, way more simple and yet I feel like my classmates and I were more capable without all this garbage. I recall completing page long writing prompts in second grade, I can't even imagine that now. if only I knew how bad we had it back then and how uneducated we were!

Rant over.

And yet, the PISA ranking of Colombia is 61, and the US is 25. Yeah we’re no Singapore, but I’m not believing these kids are light-years ahead unless they go to a little fancy private school.

[Anonymous]

PISA is meaningless - America is middling at standardized testing and I'm going to guess will continue to slip, it's also got very little to do with what I mentioned about the kids in my wife's family. Colombia is literally a third world country where guerrillas and the government still clash, narcotrafficking is still massive, and children literally starve to death and get abandoned to die. The fact that America is 2/3s as far away from #1, as Colombia was to America, in 2018, according to PISA, before education really took a nosedive thanks to COVID here, says little. Cope all you want, the kids are not alright, and neither are the schools. By and large the kids here are undisciplined, lazy, dullards. Walking to school there are so many overweight kids too, it will not be long before we are eclipsed by any "third world" country that has a coherent education system in the stable parts of the world - keep clutching your PISA results lol and make sure to check your kids Schoologies and all the emails FCPS pumped out today!!! :p

[Anonymous]

OP, your rant contains not one original thought. How about you just post on one of the many other threads attacking FCPS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Google Class, Blackboard, StudentVue, Canvas, Schoology, e-HallPass, kids needing computers every day as early as what, 2nd grade and having to lug them to and fro everyday? Kahoot, all the other dumb online learning programs and supplemental digital resources and constant need for screens, screens, screens. This is insane to me.

And vendors in general - Baroody Camps for after school activities, the international trips through that one company. Myschoolbucks. It all just seems like a massive cash grab. My kids' handwriting is terrible, I found out they don't even do handwriting in 4th grade and the teacher said it's not a focus because it's a distraction from learning and thus the computers, especially due to COVID, they don't seem to learn much as is... if this is one of the best school districts in the country (I don't buy that), what is going on?

I am an involved parent, kids spread across three schools in the district, and it's just insane. The constant changing platforms, needing to go to this webpage and that to sign kids up for different things, the barrage of emails from each school, the district, the board members. A little information hidden here and there, then the need to check Schoology and StudentVue on a regular basis. I just feel like I'm getting squeezed all the time for money, time, attention. I don't frankly care that a school board member said R*tard, I don't need 4 different emails about it from the same school district actively suppressing academic achievement for excellent students. And I just feel like I have to supplement everything at home, and not just reinforcing with homework (which they rarely have). It just feels like what is the point?! Who supports this stupidity?

My wife's family is in Colombia. Their education system is way more simple, way less reliant on technology, and the kids there are lightyears ahead of my kids and their friends. Handwriting, understanding, ability to pay attention to complex subjects, just general demeanor, it's crazy. Of course, the kids are actually accountable, the kids and parents feel some level of shame for poor performance, and the teachers focus on teaching, not politics. Naturally, the American way is slowly seeping into the school system over there, I am hearing that holding kids back might go away or become more controversial. RIP. Colombians regularly call their country "third world" but they seem to do better and the kids manage to learn more with less for now.

None of this seems good for the kids, but it sure is good for everyone that gets to take a bite out of the massive budget FCPS has. My school experience in the 90s was way better than this, way more simple and yet I feel like my classmates and I were more capable without all this garbage. I recall completing page long writing prompts in second grade, I can't even imagine that now. if only I knew how bad we had it back then and how uneducated we were!

Rant over.

And yet, the PISA ranking of Colombia is 61, and the US is 25. Yeah we’re no Singapore, but I’m not believing these kids are light-years ahead unless they go to a little fancy private school.

When he said that Columbia was better than Fairfax County, I laughed out loud.

[Anonymous]

I hate computer programs. I want textbooks and homework on paper.

[Anonymous]

+ the obvious and unethical self-dealing with preferred vendors for spirit wear, after school activities, etc.

[Anonymous]

People ask why we homeschool….

[Anonymous]

As a lower elementary teacher, Lexia is the worst for me. We are expected to get on a certain number of minutes each week and deliver lessons in small groups based on Lexia data.

Also our admin is making us prep for the possible virtual snow day scenario. What snow storm is going to take us out of school for FIVE school days plus 1 or 2 weekends? Just more work and stress for us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:+ the obvious and unethical self-dealing with preferred vendors for spirit wear, after school activities, etc.

yes! Exactly