Let’s update gradebook

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's your job. Do it.

It’s your job to send a healthy, well cared-for, non-sociopath student to school but half of y’all ain’t done that lately. The grade book can wait.

I don't really understand all these posters passionately defending teachers who haven't posted a grade since November. They don't need defending, they need to do a bit better.

We complain about unions that defend lousy employees - but then teachers defend lousy teachers. Which is it? Make up your mind.

What union?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Last time my DD teacher updated the grade book was December 9th….

Students have been doing assignments since then, semester end soon and nothing graded. I’m not telling you how to do your job, but you should update your grade book kids need to know if they are missing anything. Please

The horror. Imagine what it must have been like for our parents, who couldn't check on our day-to-day gradebook progress back in the day! How did they EVER survive their anxiety?

Stop. The bigger problem is that STUDENTS do not have feedback on their work. SIS happens to allow parents to see work, bc it is a web based system. In the old days, graded assignments were returned to students in a timely manner. You could see what you did wrong so you didn’t repeat the mistake going forward. Not so today. School policy complicates things more by making deadlines for student homework meaningless. So if Larlo turns in his homework late (if at all) it may not be in the batch that a teacher is currently grading. It is a friggin’ mess.

You had a very different experience than I did in high school. Most of my work was never returned, and when it was it just said "A" or "B" on it, there was no feedback.

Very different then. Marked up essays with RED pen with suggestions/notes/comments on the side. Weekly essays / stories through middle school and we also had to read them out loud. This was public school (went to private HS). Math graded with 1/2 points awarded if you missed one step but the rest was right. Today’s classrooms are not even comparable. Some things are better but a lot of useful skills (eg, how to take notes) have been replaced with something inferior (eg, gluing notes in a notebook). Even our notes were reviewed on occasion — this was 4th, 5th and 6th grade. AAP is a joke. It is what everyone was expected to do (eg, Latin/Greek roots). We learned to hand write in print, cursive … and calligraphy (thank you, Mrs. Zink our 3rd grade teacher).

Today teachers are called into too many meetings. There is not enough time in a day. It stinks for everyone.

Back then Mrs Zink wasn’t planning and managing Morning Meeting, phonics small groups, phonological awareness small groups, an intervention block, math stations, math groups, Writers’ Worskhop, writing conferences, word study, along with science and social studies. Mrs. Zink wasn’t trying to figure out which students need a follow-up DSA and/or PRF and find a time to do the assessments while also squeezing in the previously mentioned groups. Mrs. Zink wasn’t completing report cards that contain 1,000+ marks at the end of each quarter.

I mean, then you aren't adequately teaching them how to write. I had to step in and do it, finally, in MS when it was clear my honors student with straight A's couldn't identify parts of speech or string more than 2 sentences together. It's unacceptable.

Well, there are plenty of open positions. Try managing a caseload of 150 kids with little planning time and tons of crap work to do to satisfy administrators.

Well, I manage my own child and stepped in over COVID and since to make sure DC has what is needed. I taught the grammar, the writing. We made sure DC had ability to do all the math needed, despite it not being taught. We continue this now, as needed. So, I'm doing your job as it relates to my own kid on a regular basis as is. And this is on MY OWN TIME (since you're so concerned with personal time) after my own workday is finished.

LOL, starting their BBCU session for them doesn’t mean you taught them. Get over yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Last time my DD teacher updated the grade book was December 9th….

Students have been doing assignments since then, semester end soon and nothing graded. I’m not telling you how to do your job, but you should update your grade book kids need to know if they are missing anything. Please

The horror. Imagine what it must have been like for our parents, who couldn't check on our day-to-day gradebook progress back in the day! How did they EVER survive their anxiety?

Stop. The bigger problem is that STUDENTS do not have feedback on their work. SIS happens to allow parents to see work, bc it is a web based system. In the old days, graded assignments were returned to students in a timely manner. You could see what you did wrong so you didn’t repeat the mistake going forward. Not so today. School policy complicates things more by making deadlines for student homework meaningless. So if Larlo turns in his homework late (if at all) it may not be in the batch that a teacher is currently grading. It is a friggin’ mess.

You had a very different experience than I did in high school. Most of my work was never returned, and when it was it just said "A" or "B" on it, there was no feedback.

Very different then. Marked up essays with RED pen with suggestions/notes/comments on the side. Weekly essays / stories through middle school and we also had to read them out loud. This was public school (went to private HS). Math graded with 1/2 points awarded if you missed one step but the rest was right. Today’s classrooms are not even comparable. Some things are better but a lot of useful skills (eg, how to take notes) have been replaced with something inferior (eg, gluing notes in a notebook). Even our notes were reviewed on occasion — this was 4th, 5th and 6th grade. AAP is a joke. It is what everyone was expected to do (eg, Latin/Greek roots). We learned to hand write in print, cursive … and calligraphy (thank you, Mrs. Zink our 3rd grade teacher).

Today teachers are called into too many meetings. There is not enough time in a day. It stinks for everyone.

Back then Mrs Zink wasn’t planning and managing Morning Meeting, phonics small groups, phonological awareness small groups, an intervention block, math stations, math groups, Writers’ Worskhop, writing conferences, word study, along with science and social studies. Mrs. Zink wasn’t trying to figure out which students need a follow-up DSA and/or PRF and find a time to do the assessments while also squeezing in the previously mentioned groups. Mrs. Zink wasn’t completing report cards that contain 1,000+ marks at the end of each quarter.

I mean, then you aren't adequately teaching them how to write. I had to step in and do it, finally, in MS when it was clear my honors student with straight A's couldn't identify parts of speech or string more than 2 sentences together. It's unacceptable.

Well, there are plenty of open positions. Try managing a caseload of 150 kids with little planning time and tons of crap work to do to satisfy administrators.

Well, I manage my own child and stepped in over COVID and since to make sure DC has what is needed. I taught the grammar, the writing. We made sure DC had ability to do all the math needed, despite it not being taught. We continue this now, as needed. So, I'm doing your job as it relates to my own kid on a regular basis as is. And this is on MY OWN TIME (since you're so concerned with personal time) after my own workday is finished.

LOL, starting their BBCU session for them doesn’t mean you taught them. Get over yourself.

Oh, you wish, honey. Not even remotely an apt description of the time and money I put into it. And you know what? It paid off with grades (all As so far) and standardized testing. You should be thanking me for DC's passing and pass advanced scores that are attributed to your schools. It wasn't because of you, that much I'm certain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s less about not putting the grades into SIS than not grading the work at all. When teachers don’t grade and return assignments, how are kids supposed to learn and do better the next time?

This is my main concern. I know how overworked teachers are (I teach ES). Actually, I can't even imagine MS teachers that have to grade assignments from 4-5 sections of 25+ students each. BUT, I do think my kid needs more than a grade in a computer system, particularly for non-math subjects. In all of 7th grade and so far in 8th my kid has not receive a single word of feedback on any writing assignment, be it for History, Science, or English. Only the number/letter grade and sometimes circled items on a rubric. No redline markups, not even form comments like "needs more evidence, watch your grammar, source?", etc. Even for assignments that hit the mark, some positive words would go a long way to boost confidence and enthusiasm for the topics.

I don't know what the answer is, because truly a dedicated MS teacher is already doing more (unpaid!) overtime than we can probably imagine. But I do know that this inadequate level of feedback is a disservice to my kid who could be using that feedback to improve.

Yes, it is a disservice. It absolutely is. Is the solution 15 hours of middle school and high school grading each weekend? That’s how comments on papers happen. That’s what I’ll be doing again this weekend. That’s what I did for 3 hours last night.

I have to sacrifice my own family for those comments. I grade before dinner. I grade after dinner. I grade at my kids’ sporting events. I grade in the car if someone else is driving. I miss family events. I missed a family outing to PA last weekend so I could stay home and work.

Is this acceptable to you? I hear that kids need comments. What I don’t hear is an acknowledgment that those comments take major sacrifice.

Listen, I have no issue with respecting family time, in theory. But, if you're not giving the comments and feedback, you are NOT doing your job and teaching the kids. You're not. So, maybe teaching isn't for you. Leave it to the ones who are able to do both. And by our gradebooks over the years, there are those that seem to be able to do that, and those that cannot.

And, BTW, do you think you're the only profession or person who has work eat into their personal time? You're not.

It seems you don’t need a teacher. You need a martyr. You have no problem when a teacher says they are in front of students 35 hours a week and still have 30 hours of work to do. “Get it done.”

Hence… a teacher shortage. People aren’t willing to work 65 hour weeks for $75K and a ton of disrespect.

Are you always this obtuse? Because nothing in my post was "martyr" like. I do what I need to do to get my kid the education needed. The point is, parents are doing the job that some teachers aren't. And using OUR personal time to do so. But you don't seem to care about that. Funny how that works.

[Anonymous]

Honestly, when I taught in FCPS I kept grades in a book for myself that was always up to date. I didn’t upload anything to the computer system until report card time. I wasn’t even told parents could see a grade book on the computer. I would just assume either it’s a new teacher who wasn’t told or just a teacher who was never trained on that. But maybe they have a nice grade book where they can see grades and input then later. I’m sure they’ve graded things and recorded those grades somewhere since that date. But on the flip side it’s possible you have a lazy teacher but every job has some lazy people. But I’d give them the benefit of doubt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, when I taught in FCPS I kept grades in a book for myself that was always up to date. I didn’t upload anything to the computer system until report card time. I wasn’t even told parents could see a grade book on the computer. I would just assume either it’s a new teacher who wasn’t told or just a teacher who was never trained on that. But maybe they have a nice grade book where they can see grades and input then later. I’m sure they’ve graded things and recorded those grades somewhere since that date. But on the flip side it’s possible you have a lazy teacher but every job has some lazy people. But I’d give them the benefit of doubt.

How long ago did you teach? We've had live grade books close to 10 years, and went through hours and hours and hours of mandatory training how to use it. We are told we need to enter 1 grade per week for minimum 9 per quarter. "I didn't know" is not a valid excuse. My SBTS runs queries once in a while and will send emails if your gradebook is out of date (though I assume not all SBTS do this).

The reality is time is precious and teachers can plan, grade, or sleep (pick 2).

And before anyone fusses at me, I'm home on a sick day and on DCUM in between updating grades.

[Anonymous]

I apologize for my dumb question, but what exactly does 'planning' entail? I've taught in colleges (about 250 kids a semester), and there weren't a whole lot of lesson plans to develop, once the first year or two are done. Then, it's refinement and updates, which I would do over the summer.

I understand that teachers have more hand holding and paperwork requirements than college instructors, but what exactly goes into planning that it takes up all of your time?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s less about not putting the grades into SIS than not grading the work at all. When teachers don’t grade and return assignments, how are kids supposed to learn and do better the next time?

This is my main concern. I know how overworked teachers are (I teach ES). Actually, I can't even imagine MS teachers that have to grade assignments from 4-5 sections of 25+ students each. BUT, I do think my kid needs more than a grade in a computer system, particularly for non-math subjects. In all of 7th grade and so far in 8th my kid has not receive a single word of feedback on any writing assignment, be it for History, Science, or English. Only the number/letter grade and sometimes circled items on a rubric. No redline markups, not even form comments like "needs more evidence, watch your grammar, source?", etc. Even for assignments that hit the mark, some positive words would go a long way to boost confidence and enthusiasm for the topics.

I don't know what the answer is, because truly a dedicated MS teacher is already doing more (unpaid!) overtime than we can probably imagine. But I do know that this inadequate level of feedback is a disservice to my kid who could be using that feedback to improve.

Yes, it is a disservice. It absolutely is. Is the solution 15 hours of middle school and high school grading each weekend? That’s how comments on papers happen. That’s what I’ll be doing again this weekend. That’s what I did for 3 hours last night.

I have to sacrifice my own family for those comments. I grade before dinner. I grade after dinner. I grade at my kids’ sporting events. I grade in the car if someone else is driving. I miss family events. I missed a family outing to PA last weekend so I could stay home and work.

Is this acceptable to you? I hear that kids need comments. What I don’t hear is an acknowledgment that those comments take major sacrifice.

Listen, I have no issue with respecting family time, in theory. But, if you're not giving the comments and feedback, you are NOT doing your job and teaching the kids. You're not. So, maybe teaching isn't for you. Leave it to the ones who are able to do both. And by our gradebooks over the years, there are those that seem to be able to do that, and those that cannot.

And, BTW, do you think you're the only profession or person who has work eat into their personal time? You're not.

It seems you don’t need a teacher. You need a martyr. You have no problem when a teacher says they are in front of students 35 hours a week and still have 30 hours of work to do. “Get it done.”

Hence… a teacher shortage. People aren’t willing to work 65 hour weeks for $75K and a ton of disrespect.

Are you always this obtuse? Because nothing in my post was "martyr" like. I do what I need to do to get my kid the education needed. The point is, parents are doing the job that some teachers aren't. And using OUR personal time to do so. But you don't seem to care about that. Funny how that works.

I think you were too quick to label me as obtuse. I get it. I’m a parent, too. When I’m not spending 65 hours a week working hard for YOUR child, I am filling in the gaps for my own. I’m aware there are gaps in my own children’s education. The difference between us is I don’t assume it’s because of their teachers.

I know and accept what you clearly refuse to acknowledge. Teachers are burned out and quitting. They are covering for their colleagues who have already left for higher-paying and easier jobs.

I also understand that they, like me, are expected to be directly in front of students for 33-35 hours a week, actively teaching. That leaves them a mere 5 hours (if they are lucky and not covering other classes) to do all the planning, all the grading, all the email responses, all the report writing, etc. I know that those teachers, like me, give up Saturday and Sunday to try their best to catch up. I appreciate their sacrifice. I know they are being asked to do the work of 2-3 (quite literally). I understand that my kid’s essay is just one of 150, and while it may only take 15 minutes to comment on his essay, the teacher won’t finish the pile for another 25-27 hours… which is done in the evening and on weekends since there’s no time at school. Under these conditions, I can respect the teacher and be patient.

Your other argument seems to be that you have to help your children at home on your personal time. So? Shouldn’t you be? You are a partner in your child’s education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I apologize for my dumb question, but what exactly does 'planning' entail? I've taught in colleges (about 250 kids a semester), and there weren't a whole lot of lesson plans to develop, once the first year or two are done. Then, it's refinement and updates, which I would do over the summer.

I understand that teachers have more hand holding and paperwork requirements than college instructors, but what exactly goes into planning that it takes up all of your time?

I’ve been teaching for 20 years. Most of the classes I teach come with a set of standards to meet and some suggested texts. It’s up to me to put those together, create lessons, create effective assessments, etc. The first year of a new course is always the hardest, and this usually takes the bulk of my summer to prepare. Yes, it gets easier when all I need to do is revise old material, but that needs to happen each year for each lesson. My audience is different each year, so I need to prepare lessons accordingly. What worked for last year’s juniors may or may not work for the personalities sitting before me. Also, I have 28 students with IEPs and 504s. Each lesson has to take into account the 7-8 different modifications needed to meet the requirements of the students’ learning plans. Perhaps one needs additional scaffolding, and another needs a bulleted list of my notes.

Honestly, it isn’t just the planning. It’s getting this done in addition to everything else when the vast majority of your work hours aren’t available for personal work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I apologize for my dumb question, but what exactly does 'planning' entail? I've taught in colleges (about 250 kids a semester), and there weren't a whole lot of lesson plans to develop, once the first year or two are done. Then, it's refinement and updates, which I would do over the summer.

I understand that teachers have more hand holding and paperwork requirements than college instructors, but what exactly goes into planning that it takes up all of your time?

See page 5, 19:30
and page 6, 20:04

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s less about not putting the grades into SIS than not grading the work at all. When teachers don’t grade and return assignments, how are kids supposed to learn and do better the next time?

This is my main concern. I know how overworked teachers are (I teach ES). Actually, I can't even imagine MS teachers that have to grade assignments from 4-5 sections of 25+ students each. BUT, I do think my kid needs more than a grade in a computer system, particularly for non-math subjects. In all of 7th grade and so far in 8th my kid has not receive a single word of feedback on any writing assignment, be it for History, Science, or English. Only the number/letter grade and sometimes circled items on a rubric. No redline markups, not even form comments like "needs more evidence, watch your grammar, source?", etc. Even for assignments that hit the mark, some positive words would go a long way to boost confidence and enthusiasm for the topics.

I don't know what the answer is, because truly a dedicated MS teacher is already doing more (unpaid!) overtime than we can probably imagine. But I do know that this inadequate level of feedback is a disservice to my kid who could be using that feedback to improve.

Yes, it is a disservice. It absolutely is. Is the solution 15 hours of middle school and high school grading each weekend? That’s how comments on papers happen. That’s what I’ll be doing again this weekend. That’s what I did for 3 hours last night.

I have to sacrifice my own family for those comments. I grade before dinner. I grade after dinner. I grade at my kids’ sporting events. I grade in the car if someone else is driving. I miss family events. I missed a family outing to PA last weekend so I could stay home and work.

Is this acceptable to you? I hear that kids need comments. What I don’t hear is an acknowledgment that those comments take major sacrifice.

Listen, I have no issue with respecting family time, in theory. But, if you're not giving the comments and feedback, you are NOT doing your job and teaching the kids. You're not. So, maybe teaching isn't for you. Leave it to the ones who are able to do both. And by our gradebooks over the years, there are those that seem to be able to do that, and those that cannot.

And, BTW, do you think you're the only profession or person who has work eat into their personal time? You're not.

It seems you don’t need a teacher. You need a martyr. You have no problem when a teacher says they are in front of students 35 hours a week and still have 30 hours of work to do. “Get it done.”

Hence… a teacher shortage. People aren’t willing to work 65 hour weeks for $75K and a ton of disrespect.

Are you always this obtuse? Because nothing in my post was "martyr" like. I do what I need to do to get my kid the education needed. The point is, parents are doing the job that some teachers aren't. And using OUR personal time to do so. But you don't seem to care about that. Funny how that works.

I think you were too quick to label me as obtuse. I get it. I’m a parent, too. When I’m not spending 65 hours a week working hard for YOUR child, I am filling in the gaps for my own. I’m aware there are gaps in my own children’s education. The difference between us is I don’t assume it’s because of their teachers.

I know and accept what you clearly refuse to acknowledge. Teachers are burned out and quitting. They are covering for their colleagues who have already left for higher-paying and easier jobs.

I also understand that they, like me, are expected to be directly in front of students for 33-35 hours a week, actively teaching. That leaves them a mere 5 hours (if they are lucky and not covering other classes) to do all the planning, all the grading, all the email responses, all the report writing, etc. I know that those teachers, like me, give up Saturday and Sunday to try their best to catch up. I appreciate their sacrifice. I know they are being asked to do the work of 2-3 (quite literally). I understand that my kid’s essay is just one of 150, and while it may only take 15 minutes to comment on his essay, the teacher won’t finish the pile for another 25-27 hours… which is done in the evening and on weekends since there’s no time at school. Under these conditions, I can respect the teacher and be patient.

Your other argument seems to be that you have to help your children at home on your personal time. So? Shouldn’t you be? You are a partner in your child’s education.

Where did I say teachers aren't burned out and quitting? If htey cannot do the job, they should quit. That would at least let me know where things stand and I can make other choices. Instead, they're not doing what they're fully responsible for and expect people to be ok with it. No, sorry. Finding out what my all A kid DIDN't know by the end of MS was a real eye opener. I appreciate that teaching sucks these days. What I don't appreciate that what seems to be the "give" in this is my child not actually being taught by some teachers. That is not the answer.

And your last point is just silly. I will always help my child. I put in the extra time on my personal time to uphold my responsibilities and I and others always have. And so should teachers. That's the gig. Further, while I am absolutely a partner in their education, so are teachers. It's a 3 person partnership here. But what I -shouldn't- be doing imo is teaching basic things like grammar and writing. And providing the feedback teachers have traditionally done but can't seem to be able to do (at least consistently). Sorry, that's not ok.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would honestly settle for decent teaching. YouTube videos and TeachersPayTeachers, is not it. Tests are a joke. DD has a 99.5 for the year, and has learned nothing. Worse, she hates a subject she used to love.

The grades are posted very promptly. There is that.

So she would have gotten a 100 on an extensive comprehensive final at the beginning of the year? If she learned NOTHING after 40 weeks, then she may be a genius who needs private school.

Of course not. There is next to no teaching. She has learned nothing. All tests are open notes, so they don’t have to learn anything to pass tests with high grades. This material will end up on next year’s SOL, so I will be spending the summer teaching her what she should have learned in class.

So because she had open notebook test, you’ve determined that she learned nothing. Amazing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When teachers read these posts, they don’t run over to the grading pile and start grading. They delay it for another day, making it worse for you and your student.

Ha! Caught me. Definitely not going to grade tonight. Thanks for reminding me to prioritize my mental health!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s less about not putting the grades into SIS than not grading the work at all. When teachers don’t grade and return assignments, how are kids supposed to learn and do better the next time?

This is my main concern. I know how overworked teachers are (I teach ES). Actually, I can't even imagine MS teachers that have to grade assignments from 4-5 sections of 25+ students each. BUT, I do think my kid needs more than a grade in a computer system, particularly for non-math subjects. In all of 7th grade and so far in 8th my kid has not receive a single word of feedback on any writing assignment, be it for History, Science, or English. Only the number/letter grade and sometimes circled items on a rubric. No redline markups, not even form comments like "needs more evidence, watch your grammar, source?", etc. Even for assignments that hit the mark, some positive words would go a long way to boost confidence and enthusiasm for the topics.

I don't know what the answer is, because truly a dedicated MS teacher is already doing more (unpaid!) overtime than we can probably imagine. But I do know that this inadequate level of feedback is a disservice to my kid who could be using that feedback to improve.

Yes, it is a disservice. It absolutely is. Is the solution 15 hours of middle school and high school grading each weekend? That’s how comments on papers happen. That’s what I’ll be doing again this weekend. That’s what I did for 3 hours last night.

I have to sacrifice my own family for those comments. I grade before dinner. I grade after dinner. I grade at my kids’ sporting events. I grade in the car if someone else is driving. I miss family events. I missed a family outing to PA last weekend so I could stay home and work.

Is this acceptable to you? I hear that kids need comments. What I don’t hear is an acknowledgment that those comments take major sacrifice.

Listen, I have no issue with respecting family time, in theory. But, if you're not giving the comments and feedback, you are NOT doing your job and teaching the kids. You're not. So, maybe teaching isn't for you. Leave it to the ones who are able to do both. And by our gradebooks over the years, there are those that seem to be able to do that, and those that cannot.

And, BTW, do you think you're the only profession or person who has work eat into their personal time? You're not.

It seems you don’t need a teacher. You need a martyr. You have no problem when a teacher says they are in front of students 35 hours a week and still have 30 hours of work to do. “Get it done.”

Hence… a teacher shortage. People aren’t willing to work 65 hour weeks for $75K and a ton of disrespect.

Are you always this obtuse? Because nothing in my post was "martyr" like. I do what I need to do to get my kid the education needed. The point is, parents are doing the job that some teachers aren't. And using OUR personal time to do so. But you don't seem to care about that. Funny how that works.

I think you were too quick to label me as obtuse. I get it. I’m a parent, too. When I’m not spending 65 hours a week working hard for YOUR child, I am filling in the gaps for my own. I’m aware there are gaps in my own children’s education. The difference between us is I don’t assume it’s because of their teachers.

I know and accept what you clearly refuse to acknowledge. Teachers are burned out and quitting. They are covering for their colleagues who have already left for higher-paying and easier jobs.

I also understand that they, like me, are expected to be directly in front of students for 33-35 hours a week, actively teaching. That leaves them a mere 5 hours (if they are lucky and not covering other classes) to do all the planning, all the grading, all the email responses, all the report writing, etc. I know that those teachers, like me, give up Saturday and Sunday to try their best to catch up. I appreciate their sacrifice. I know they are being asked to do the work of 2-3 (quite literally). I understand that my kid’s essay is just one of 150, and while it may only take 15 minutes to comment on his essay, the teacher won’t finish the pile for another 25-27 hours… which is done in the evening and on weekends since there’s no time at school. Under these conditions, I can respect the teacher and be patient.

Your other argument seems to be that you have to help your children at home on your personal time. So? Shouldn’t you be? You are a partner in your child’s education.

Where did I say teachers aren't burned out and quitting? If htey cannot do the job, they should quit. That would at least let me know where things stand and I can make other choices. Instead, they're not doing what they're fully responsible for and expect people to be ok with it. No, sorry. Finding out what my all A kid DIDN't know by the end of MS was a real eye opener. I appreciate that teaching sucks these days. What I don't appreciate that what seems to be the "give" in this is my child not actually being taught by some teachers. That is not the answer.

And your last point is just silly. I will always help my child. I put in the extra time on my personal time to uphold my responsibilities and I and others always have. And so should teachers. That's the gig. Further, while I am absolutely a partner in their education, so are teachers. It's a 3 person partnership here. But what I -shouldn't- be doing imo is teaching basic things like grammar and writing. And providing the feedback teachers have traditionally done but can't seem to be able to do (at least consistently). Sorry, that's not ok.

I’m the PP.

Then you should appreciate that my students just got 140 4-page papers back, all with tons of comments and an opportunity for rewrites. You should appreciate that I got those back in 10 days, which is a miracle because it took me close to 30 hours in addition to my usual overworked schedule. You should appreciate that I also offered to meet with students after school on 5 separate occasions to offer help on their drafts. I’ll do the same thing again with next month’s paper.

So I’m doing EVERYTHING you say you want in a teacher. I’m telling you that this is burning me out and I will be quitting, too. You are fine with that, as you already suggested it.

When the teachers who bend over backward and give you what you want STILL get this nasty response, what do you expect?

Here’s the only solution: change teacher schedules so it isn’t assumed that they will spend 25+ hours a week grading just to keep afloat. Let us teach LESS so we can work MORE. I shouldn’t be in front of students for all but 4 hours a week, not with the demands of my job.

But please… keep complaining and making me feel miserable. It definitely is doing wonders for this hard-working teacher’s morale.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Last time my DD teacher updated the grade book was December 9th….

Students have been doing assignments since then, semester end soon and nothing graded. I’m not telling you how to do your job, but you should update your grade book kids need to know if they are missing anything. Please

The horror. Imagine what it must have been like for our parents, who couldn't check on our day-to-day gradebook progress back in the day! How did they EVER survive their anxiety?

Stop. The bigger problem is that STUDENTS do not have feedback on their work. SIS happens to allow parents to see work, bc it is a web based system. In the old days, graded assignments were returned to students in a timely manner. You could see what you did wrong so you didn’t repeat the mistake going forward. Not so today. School policy complicates things more by making deadlines for student homework meaningless. So if Larlo turns in his homework late (if at all) it may not be in the batch that a teacher is currently grading. It is a friggin’ mess.

You had a very different experience than I did in high school. Most of my work was never returned, and when it was it just said "A" or "B" on it, there was no feedback.

Very different then. Marked up essays with RED pen with suggestions/notes/comments on the side. Weekly essays / stories through middle school and we also had to read them out loud. This was public school (went to private HS). Math graded with 1/2 points awarded if you missed one step but the rest was right. Today’s classrooms are not even comparable. Some things are better but a lot of useful skills (eg, how to take notes) have been replaced with something inferior (eg, gluing notes in a notebook). Even our notes were reviewed on occasion — this was 4th, 5th and 6th grade. AAP is a joke. It is what everyone was expected to do (eg, Latin/Greek roots). We learned to hand write in print, cursive … and calligraphy (thank you, Mrs. Zink our 3rd grade teacher).

Today teachers are called into too many meetings. There is not enough time in a day. It stinks for everyone.

Back then Mrs Zink wasn’t planning and managing Morning Meeting, phonics small groups, phonological awareness small groups, an intervention block, math stations, math groups, Writers’ Worskhop, writing conferences, word study, along with science and social studies. Mrs. Zink wasn’t trying to figure out which students need a follow-up DSA and/or PRF and find a time to do the assessments while also squeezing in the previously mentioned groups. Mrs. Zink wasn’t completing report cards that contain 1,000+ marks at the end of each quarter.

I mean, then you aren't adequately teaching them how to write. I had to step in and do it, finally, in MS when it was clear my honors student with straight A's couldn't identify parts of speech or string more than 2 sentences together. It's unacceptable.

Well, there are plenty of open positions. Try managing a caseload of 150 kids with little planning time and tons of crap work to do to satisfy administrators.

Well, I manage my own child and stepped in over COVID and since to make sure DC has what is needed. I taught the grammar, the writing. We made sure DC had ability to do all the math needed, despite it not being taught. We continue this now, as needed. So, I'm doing your job as it relates to my own kid on a regular basis as is. And this is on MY OWN TIME (since you're so concerned with personal time) after my own workday is finished.

LOL, starting their BBCU session for them doesn’t mean you taught them. Get over yourself.

Oh, you wish, honey. Not even remotely an apt description of the time and money I put into it. And you know what? It paid off with grades (all As so far) and standardized testing. You should be thanking me for DC's passing and pass advanced scores that are attributed to your schools. It wasn't because of you, that much I'm certain.

LOL, you really shouldn’t daydrink and post.