Root cause of issues at MOCO schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Montgomery County will be like Detroit, PG County, or West Virginia.

Good assessment. I have a decade and a half left. I just don’t know if I can hang in there.

Curious — those of you staying but aware of bad stuff—are you lying low or speaking out?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Montgomery County will be like Detroit, PG County, or West Virginia.

Good assessment. I have a decade and a half left. I just don’t know if I can hang in there.

Curious — those of you staying but aware of bad stuff—are you lying low or speaking out?

I was very vocal and got burned. Because DH is also a teacher and has a major health issue, I feel I must lay low until the political climate improves. It breaks my heart, but we have one more dependent child and specialists DH will need to see for years.

[Anonymous]

The sky is falling!!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The sky is falling!!!!

That’s a pretty rude response to someone sharing their husband’s illness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Salaries wouldn't grow (already lower than private sector, yes, even when you include summers, etc., off);
The excellent benefits, which were traded for lower salaries, would slowly diminish;
Professional development, already marginal, would become non-existant;
Very few bright people would go into teaching;
Many excellent tea here would leave for greener pastures.

That last one is the kicker, because it's the great benefits that keep many in the profession. That goes, and you will see teachers leaving in droves. And then the public schools will dramatically decrease in value (they are supposed to be the great equalizer), and anyone who can afford it will send kids to private. That will leave the public schools in even more of a disastrous situation. Oh but wait, that's what the GOP wants, everyone for themself, sticking up for them self only, instead of looking out for one another. The government is supposed to do what individuals cannot, for the greater good. Who does it serve to completely sink public schools?

This is what DeVos doesn’t want parents to realize.

Actually, I am a Democrat and I don't believe in the Union. I think the greater good would be better served without it. The Union is dysfunctional and is like a dog with his tail between his legs anytime it tries to stand up for something important. It keeps the profession stuck in mediocracy.

If the Union is so great, then why are salaries so low? Benefits??? We have crap for benefits. I had a coworker who could not use his right hand and the MCPS insurance company denied the MRI the orthopedic doctor was ordering.

As far as being like PG County, with the grade fixing and washing down the curriculum - we are already there.

[Anonymous]

Even the best district can only handle so many poor uneducated families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Actually, I am a Democrat and I don't believe in the Union. I think the greater good would be better served without it. The Union is dysfunctional and is like a dog with his tail between his legs anytime it tries to stand up for something important. It keeps the profession stuck in mediocracy.

If the Union is so great, then why are salaries so low? Benefits??? We have crap for benefits. I had a coworker who could not use his right hand and the MCPS insurance company denied the MRI the orthopedic doctor was ordering.

As far as being like PG County, with the grade fixing and washing down the curriculum - we are already there.

Compared to what?

Well, I'll tell you compared to what, actually. Compare your salary and benefits to salaries and benefits for teachers in states where teachers' unions aren't allowed to bargain over salaries and benefits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Actually, I am a Democrat and I don't believe in the Union. I think the greater good would be better served without it. The Union is dysfunctional and is like a dog with his tail between his legs anytime it tries to stand up for something important. It keeps the profession stuck in mediocracy.

If the Union is so great, then why are salaries so low? Benefits??? We have crap for benefits. I had a coworker who could not use his right hand and the MCPS insurance company denied the MRI the orthopedic doctor was ordering.

As far as being like PG County, with the grade fixing and washing down the curriculum - we are already there.

Compared to what?

Well, I'll tell you compared to what, actually. Compare your salary and benefits to salaries and benefits for teachers in states where teachers' unions aren't allowed to bargain over salaries and benefits.

The cost of living is so much higher in the DC area that teachers might actually have a better standard of living in the nonunion states. PP is compairing apples to oranges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Actually, I am a Democrat and I don't believe in the Union. I think the greater good would be better served without it. The Union is dysfunctional and is like a dog with his tail between his legs anytime it tries to stand up for something important. It keeps the profession stuck in mediocracy.

If the Union is so great, then why are salaries so low? Benefits??? We have crap for benefits. I had a coworker who could not use his right hand and the MCPS insurance company denied the MRI the orthopedic doctor was ordering.

As far as being like PG County, with the grade fixing and washing down the curriculum - we are already there.

Compared to what?

Well, I'll tell you compared to what, actually. Compare your salary and benefits to salaries and benefits for teachers in states where teachers' unions aren't allowed to bargain over salaries and benefits.

The cost of living is so much higher in the DC area that teachers might actually have a better standard of living in the nonunion states. PP is compairing apples to oranges.

The teacher who is complaining about low salaries and bad benefits is certainly free to move to one of those states, then. Oklahoma, for example.https://kfor.com/2018/02/27/bureau-of-labor-statistics-oklahoma-had-lowest-average-teacher-salary-in-the-country/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Salaries wouldn't grow (already lower than private sector, yes, even when you include summers, etc., off);
The excellent benefits, which were traded for lower salaries, would slowly diminish;
Professional development, already marginal, would become non-existant;
Very few bright people would go into teaching;
Many excellent tea here would leave for greener pastures.

That last one is the kicker, because it's the great benefits that keep many in the profession. That goes, and you will see teachers leaving in droves. And then the public schools will dramatically decrease in value (they are supposed to be the great equalizer), and anyone who can afford it will send kids to private. That will leave the public schools in even more of a disastrous situation. Oh but wait, that's what the GOP wants, everyone for themself, sticking up for them self only, instead of looking out for one another. The government is supposed to do what individuals cannot, for the greater good. Who does it serve to completely sink public schools?

This is what DeVos doesn’t want parents to realize.

Actually, I am a Democrat and I don't believe in the Union. I think the greater good would be better served without it. The Union is dysfunctional and is like a dog with his tail between his legs anytime it tries to stand up for something important. It keeps the profession stuck in mediocracy.

If the Union is so great, then why are salaries so low? Benefits??? We have crap for benefits. I had a coworker who could not use his right hand and the MCPS insurance company denied the MRI the orthopedic doctor was ordering.

As far as being like PG County, with the grade fixing and washing down the curriculum - we are already there.

I'm a teacher and I'm actually ok with my salary. As for benefits, I have been so grateful for what we have. My husband has had an acute health issue where we only had to pay the hospitalization copay and I have a chronic health issue which requires infusions every month that cost $5000 each. I pay a $20 copay and the nurses even commented on what good coverage it is. Even though the prescription copays have gone up they're still reasonable and I never worry about not being able to afford them.

I would like to see the culture and working conditions improve. I would like for central office folks to suss out what's really going on in schools and not fall for the dog and pony shows admin puts on, which is extremely different than what happens on a day to day basis. I'd like for the realities of what our students face to be acknowledged and when we bring up the fact that John's family lives in one room of a house and there is a baby crying all night and prevents him from sleeping, and he had a particularly rough night the night before MAP-R which is most likely why his score didn't improve even though what we see in the classroom on a day to day basis belies the score on a test--we're told that we're just making excuses and we're responsible for his score no matter what. I would like for admin and central office to understand that children are not widgets and that data doesn't always tell the whole story. There is a different set of needs at Focus and Title 1 schools then there is at schools with a higher SES population--we shouldn't have to pretend that it's all the same.

In addition, people in central office who make instructional decisions for students should be required to actually step foot in classrooms to see what they're really like instead of making decisions that make no sense from a reality standpoint, but probably make perfect sense from their ivory tower.

Don't get me started on the student code of conduct....the inmates are running the asylum and they know they hold the power....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Salaries wouldn't grow (already lower than private sector, yes, even when you include summers, etc., off);
The excellent benefits, which were traded for lower salaries, would slowly diminish;
Professional development, already marginal, would become non-existant;
Very few bright people would go into teaching;
Many excellent tea here would leave for greener pastures.

That last one is the kicker, because it's the great benefits that keep many in the profession. That goes, and you will see teachers leaving in droves. And then the public schools will dramatically decrease in value (they are supposed to be the great equalizer), and anyone who can afford it will send kids to private. That will leave the public schools in even more of a disastrous situation. Oh but wait, that's what the GOP wants, everyone for themself, sticking up for them self only, instead of looking out for one another. The government is supposed to do what individuals cannot, for the greater good. Who does it serve to completely sink public schools?

This is what DeVos doesn’t want parents to realize.

Actually, I am a Democrat and I don't believe in the Union. I think the greater good would be better served without it. The Union is dysfunctional and is like a dog with his tail between his legs anytime it tries to stand up for something important. It keeps the profession stuck in mediocracy.

If the Union is so great, then why are salaries so low? Benefits??? We have crap for benefits. I had a coworker who could not use his right hand and the MCPS insurance company denied the MRI the orthopedic doctor was ordering.

As far as being like PG County, with the grade fixing and washing down the curriculum - we are already there.

I'm a teacher and I'm actually ok with my salary. As for benefits, I have been so grateful for what we have. My husband has had an acute health issue where we only had to pay the hospitalization copay and I have a chronic health issue which requires infusions every month that cost $5000 each. I pay a $20 copay and the nurses even commented on what good coverage it is. Even though the prescription copays have gone up they're still reasonable and I never worry about not being able to afford them.

I would like to see the culture and working conditions improve. I would like for central office folks to suss out what's really going on in schools and not fall for the dog and pony shows admin puts on, which is extremely different than what happens on a day to day basis. I'd like for the realities of what our students face to be acknowledged and when we bring up the fact that John's family lives in one room of a house and there is a baby crying all night and prevents him from sleeping, and he had a particularly rough night the night before MAP-R which is most likely why his score didn't improve even though what we see in the classroom on a day to day basis belies the score on a test--we're told that we're just making excuses and we're responsible for his score no matter what. I would like for admin and central office to understand that children are not widgets and that data doesn't always tell the whole story. There is a different set of needs at Focus and Title 1 schools then there is at schools with a higher SES population--we shouldn't have to pretend that it's all the same.

In addition, people in central office who make instructional decisions for students should be required to actually step foot in classrooms to see what they're really like instead of making decisions that make no sense from a reality standpoint, but probably make perfect sense from their ivory tower.

Don't get me started on the student code of conduct....the inmates are running the asylum and they know they hold the power....

Your analogy is offensive. Students are not criminals.

Students have rights that MCPS teachers and administrators violate all the time. The MCPS Employee Code of Conduct is worthless because nothing happens to employees who violate it.

Teachers have rights as well that administrators violate. The whole system is broken and Central Office keeps shuffling chairs, promoting dead weight, but does nothing to cure the discord in the school climates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Salaries wouldn't grow (already lower than private sector, yes, even when you include summers, etc., off);
The excellent benefits, which were traded for lower salaries, would slowly diminish;
Professional development, already marginal, would become non-existant;
Very few bright people would go into teaching;
Many excellent tea here would leave for greener pastures.

That last one is the kicker, because it's the great benefits that keep many in the profession. That goes, and you will see teachers leaving in droves. And then the public schools will dramatically decrease in value (they are supposed to be the great equalizer), and anyone who can afford it will send kids to private. That will leave the public schools in even more of a disastrous situation. Oh but wait, that's what the GOP wants, everyone for themself, sticking up for them self only, instead of looking out for one another. The government is supposed to do what individuals cannot, for the greater good. Who does it serve to completely sink public schools?

This is what DeVos doesn’t want parents to realize.

Actually, I am a Democrat and I don't believe in the Union. I think the greater good would be better served without it. The Union is dysfunctional and is like a dog with his tail between his legs anytime it tries to stand up for something important. It keeps the profession stuck in mediocracy.

If the Union is so great, then why are salaries so low? Benefits??? We have crap for benefits. I had a coworker who could not use his right hand and the MCPS insurance company denied the MRI the orthopedic doctor was ordering.

As far as being like PG County, with the grade fixing and washing down the curriculum - we are already there.

I'm a teacher and I'm actually ok with my salary. As for benefits, I have been so grateful for what we have. My husband has had an acute health issue where we only had to pay the hospitalization copay and I have a chronic health issue which requires infusions every month that cost $5000 each. I pay a $20 copay and the nurses even commented on what good coverage it is. Even though the prescription copays have gone up they're still reasonable and I never worry about not being able to afford them.

I would like to see the culture and working conditions improve. I would like for central office folks to suss out what's really going on in schools and not fall for the dog and pony shows admin puts on, which is extremely different than what happens on a day to day basis. I'd like for the realities of what our students face to be acknowledged and when we bring up the fact that John's family lives in one room of a house and there is a baby crying all night and prevents him from sleeping, and he had a particularly rough night the night before MAP-R which is most likely why his score didn't improve even though what we see in the classroom on a day to day basis belies the score on a test--we're told that we're just making excuses and we're responsible for his score no matter what. I would like for admin and central office to understand that children are not widgets and that data doesn't always tell the whole story. There is a different set of needs at Focus and Title 1 schools then there is at schools with a higher SES population--we shouldn't have to pretend that it's all the same.

In addition, people in central office who make instructional decisions for students should be required to actually step foot in classrooms to see what they're really like instead of making decisions that make no sense from a reality standpoint, but probably make perfect sense from their ivory tower.

Don't get me started on the student code of conduct....the inmates are running the asylum and they know they hold the power....

Your analogy is offensive. Students are not criminals.

Students have rights that MCPS teachers and administrators violate all the time. The MCPS Employee Code of Conduct is worthless because nothing happens to employees who violate it.

Teachers have rights as well that administrators violate. The whole system is broken and Central Office keeps shuffling chairs, promoting dead weight, but does nothing to cure the discord in the school climates.

NP. You do understand that figurative language is...figurative, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Salaries wouldn't grow (already lower than private sector, yes, even when you include summers, etc., off);
The excellent benefits, which were traded for lower salaries, would slowly diminish;
Professional development, already marginal, would become non-existant;
Very few bright people would go into teaching;
Many excellent tea here would leave for greener pastures.

That last one is the kicker, because it's the great benefits that keep many in the profession. That goes, and you will see teachers leaving in droves. And then the public schools will dramatically decrease in value (they are supposed to be the great equalizer), and anyone who can afford it will send kids to private. That will leave the public schools in even more of a disastrous situation. Oh but wait, that's what the GOP wants, everyone for themself, sticking up for them self only, instead of looking out for one another. The government is supposed to do what individuals cannot, for the greater good. Who does it serve to completely sink public schools?

This is what DeVos doesn’t want parents to realize.

Actually, I am a Democrat and I don't believe in the Union. I think the greater good would be better served without it. The Union is dysfunctional and is like a dog with his tail between his legs anytime it tries to stand up for something important. It keeps the profession stuck in mediocracy.

If the Union is so great, then why are salaries so low? Benefits??? We have crap for benefits. I had a coworker who could not use his right hand and the MCPS insurance company denied the MRI the orthopedic doctor was ordering.

As far as being like PG County, with the grade fixing and washing down the curriculum - we are already there.

I'm a teacher and I'm actually ok with my salary. As for benefits, I have been so grateful for what we have. My husband has had an acute health issue where we only had to pay the hospitalization copay and I have a chronic health issue which requires infusions every month that cost $5000 each. I pay a $20 copay and the nurses even commented on what good coverage it is. Even though the prescription copays have gone up they're still reasonable and I never worry about not being able to afford them.

I would like to see the culture and working conditions improve. I would like for central office folks to suss out what's really going on in schools and not fall for the dog and pony shows admin puts on, which is extremely different than what happens on a day to day basis. I'd like for the realities of what our students face to be acknowledged and when we bring up the fact that John's family lives in one room of a house and there is a baby crying all night and prevents him from sleeping, and he had a particularly rough night the night before MAP-R which is most likely why his score didn't improve even though what we see in the classroom on a day to day basis belies the score on a test--we're told that we're just making excuses and we're responsible for his score no matter what. I would like for admin and central office to understand that children are not widgets and that data doesn't always tell the whole story. There is a different set of needs at Focus and Title 1 schools then there is at schools with a higher SES population--we shouldn't have to pretend that it's all the same.

In addition, people in central office who make instructional decisions for students should be required to actually step foot in classrooms to see what they're really like instead of making decisions that make no sense from a reality standpoint, but probably make perfect sense from their ivory tower.

Don't get me started on the student code of conduct....the inmates are running the asylum and they know they hold the power....

Your analogy is offensive. Students are not criminals.

Students have rights that MCPS teachers and administrators violate all the time. The MCPS Employee Code of Conduct is worthless because nothing happens to employees who violate it.

Teachers have rights as well that administrators violate. The whole system is broken and Central Office keeps shuffling chairs, promoting dead weight, but does nothing to cure the discord in the school climates.

I agree with the teacher who wants working conditions to improve. I already gave up much better benefits and professional development when I switched to teaching from another field. If I leave, it will be because I’m done with not being treated like a smart and capable person who knows what I’m doing. It will be because of supervisors who are abusive, and their supervisors who do nothing to stop it. It will be because I’m not allowed to do anything that departs from the script. It will be because I’m asked to sanction unethical behavior, both overtly and in more subtle ways. It will be because the red tape is ridiculous. It will be because of so many things, and none of them will be because I don’t like teaching or don’t like kids or because I’m dissatisfied with my income or benefits..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Actually, I am a Democrat and I don't believe in the Union. I think the greater good would be better served without it. The Union is dysfunctional and is like a dog with his tail between his legs anytime it tries to stand up for something important. It keeps the profession stuck in mediocracy.

If the Union is so great, then why are salaries so low? Benefits??? We have crap for benefits. I had a coworker who could not use his right hand and the MCPS insurance company denied the MRI the orthopedic doctor was ordering.

As far as being like PG County, with the grade fixing and washing down the curriculum - we are already there.

Compared to what?

Well, I'll tell you compared to what, actually. Compare your salary and benefits to salaries and benefits for teachers in states where teachers' unions aren't allowed to bargain over salaries and benefits.

The cost of living is so much higher in the DC area that teachers might actually have a better standard of living in the nonunion states. PP is compairing apples to oranges.

I have a friend who is a teacher in a non union state. In addition to teaching special ed ES, she walks dogs after school, tutors four nights a week, and works at a clothing store Sat and Sun. She also has a housemate to help with the lower cost of living. She worries she will never be able to own a house or have a family unless she marries a high-earning spouse.

[Anonymous]

Does MCPS have a plan for goals this year, in 5 years, in 10 years? What are it's top priorities and how well is it achieving them?

With so much ladder climbing, people switching this job for that, the focus on how to be great educators and how to be great schools is lost. A great organization would take feedback from the most important stakeholders - the students and the teachers. They are the core and the front lines of education. They know what bright idea from central office didn't pan out in reality (2.0 anyone?). Trust that the people you hire have the skillset you need to do the job or get rid of them.

Time in and time out, we hear how bullies are running the system. As a parent, I have seen administrators that run their schools with a disrespectful, close-minded bully mentality both as principals and central office positions. I often sat in the room thinking to myself, "Wow, these are the people who run our school system?" I feel sorry for the people who have to work with them day after day and the teachers who don't get credit for the wonderful work they are trying to do.

The best teacher my daughter ever had, pulled me aside after school one day and urged me to take my daughter to get privately tested for disabilities. She thought something was wrong but had to say what the principal told her to say at the IEP screening meeting and on the teacher report forms. The principal did not want my child to receive special education services. Central office who eventually came to the contentious meetings also ignored the elephant in the room that my daughter wasn't reading on grade level at 4th grade. The teacher pleaded me to not divulge her identity or she would loose her job for saying anything. Her honesty saved my daughter and private testing did diagnose that my daughter did have a disability. With interventions and special education services, she learned to read - something that seemed impossible till she received the proper supports. She was an honors and AP student in high school, received honors and awards in college, and her life's work now is researching to find new biological markers to identify learning disabilities in children under 2 years of age.