Why are our teachers being paid to do 0-30 minutes of teaching every day?

[Anonymous]

I'm a college professor. I didn't go from a full teaching load to 30 minutes of nothing. Have to prepare for and record full-length lectures, Zoom for discussion sections and seminars. Office hour phone calls. Grading huge numbers of midterms.

Not at all sympathetic when I see my school district supervisors and teachers posting on social media photos of their kids with them in their gardens. WTF

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a college professor. I didn't go from a full teaching load to 30 minutes of nothing. Have to prepare for and record full-length lectures, Zoom for discussion sections and seminars. Office hour phone calls. Grading huge numbers of midterms.

Not at all sympathetic when I see my school district supervisors and teachers posting on social media photos of their kids with them in their gardens. WTF

WTF indeed, PP. You're complaining about people posting photos of their kids in their gardens? Get off social media, you'll be happier.

[Anonymous]

I for one am glad it’s not more video chat time for my 1st graded. It’s already a Herculaneum effort to get him to watch for 45 minutes. No way could I get him to do it longer.

[Anonymous]

I don't usually rant but this is online "learning" from MCPS is embarrassingly awful. It's been three weeks and the best they can do is a chaotic 30-minute call. None of the kids (third graders) can type fast enough; the teacher can't use the technology; it's just a joke. This crisis is showing just how dysfunctional MCPS has become. There is so much wrong; kids can't send emails from their school gmail accounts; Zoom is so locked down it doesn't work; the teachers have clearly been massively handcuffed in what they can / can't do; the instructions have been unclear, overcomplicated, and confusing... It all seems to boil down to a bloated, top-heavy bureaucracy that can't function in anything other than the "normal" way. Our company has completely rebuilt itself in three weeks--MCPS seems to be about to just fall apart. And keep in mind--they're all getting guaranteed paychecks, courtesy the tax payers.

Our family is very close to hitting the f-it button and just sticking with the home schooling we started three weeks ago, which although difficult, has revealed just how little math, e.g., our son was learning. The curriculum they've been using may have been designed by smart mathematicians, but kids can't do subtraction of 2- or 3- digit numbers with carrying (the "algorithm"). Well, he's learning it now. He's also learning the 50 states; geography; spelling; history; and we're making him write book reports. And you know what? He actually loves it. In all seriousness, why not just withdraw and say we're home schooling for the remainder of the year? It's become very clear to us that MCPS--at least at our ES--isn't teaching kids. This lockdown period will just make it worse for most families who can't afford to spend the time / money to home school. It's tragic and terrible.

One more thing--that voice mail from Jack Smith (Superintendent) was epically bad. He sounded defeated and frankly ridiculous. That wasn't a leader; that was the Bill Paxton in Aliens... "We're All Gonna Die!" Between that phone call and this horrendous response--you've had a month to prepare, at least--just resign.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you expecting teachers to make a house call to each student or have a 6 hour zoom conference? It’s not going to be the same. This is just the beginning. Once things get rolling, I’m sure the work will pick up. Chill out!

How long can school systems keep saying this? I've now been teleworking for over 3 weeks and rest assured we aren't just chilling out and figuring out how to get things rolling. Work couldn't wait.

This is I think why so many working parents don't understand what is taking so long across the board. I don't know of anyone else who's employer is saying "yeah, it's been a few weeks but we'll get there. Don't worry about delivering your work product."

+1. This. Teachers can break kids into small groups and send parents assigned times. They could have one on ones with kids for 10 minutes, once a week if they’re not happy with the big groups. And yes, a lot of us are working from home and figuring it out. There just needs to be willingness on the part of the teacher and McPS. This isn’t a snow day. School probably won’t open again until the fall.

[Anonymous]

MCPS teacher here. We ALL know parents like the OP. And we all feel so sorry for their kids. We get why these poor kids have issues.

Hey OP: we DO talk about you at lunchtime.

[Anonymous]

BUT...

The educational videos from Eureka math are provided along with the educational exercise/homework. So, what does the teacher even have to do?

I have a handful of kids, so I’m seeing what’s happening at the elementary, middle and high school levels.

I think it’s probably more productive to do online educational games than struggle with Zoom (which BTW is difficult to access from your private computer or chrome book because of the safety restrictions related to the kids’ mcps logins), listen to the nonsensical zoom classroom discussion, etc.

The Eureka math was fine, but a bit too easy for both my elementary kids. And slowwww.

[Anonymous]

PARENTS:

You might want to listen during the zoom call. Several kids commented that their parents were still asleep during my kid’s 9am zoom call this morning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCPS teacher here. We ALL know parents like the OP. And we all feel so sorry for their kids. We get why these poor kids have issues.

Hey OP: we DO talk about you at lunchtime.

+1. Love it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PARENTS:

You might want to listen during the zoom call. Several kids commented that their parents were still asleep during my kid’s 9am zoom call this morning.

Of course, why wouldn't they be. No different than a normal school day pre-pandemic for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

ES teachers are teaching one class. I’m not suggesting teachers are not working; I’m asking as a parent and a taxpayer what the day looks like for an Elementary School teacher outside of the 45 minutes they’re on Zoom.

And yes, candidly, I’m disappointed that this is the best that MCPS can do at this point. Trying to understand.

I work a full time job that was previously almost entirely in-person job to a 100% remote one and get the challenges. But it’s also not that much different than when I had meetings in person. I prepare material and an agenda and I conduct the conversation by video conference. How is it so different for teachers?

PP, it's understandable that you're angry in these unprecedented times, but I will suggest that the most appropriate target for your anger is the failed response - in fact, the continuing, on-going failed response - of the people who are supposed to be in charge of the federal government.

Just stop. You don't want "non-experts" to criticize you about teaching, but you pretend to know how people should have and should be responding to a pathogen that 1) we did not have any reliable information about and 2) which necessites balancing people's competing needs in a free society. Please don't pretend to know enough to do this. Your information can't come from Rachel Maddow or Chris Cuomo, because, guess what? They aren't experts either. There is literally no scenario where we could have kept this disease from entering this country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't usually rant but this is online "learning" from MCPS is embarrassingly awful. It's been three weeks and the best they can do is a chaotic 30-minute call. None of the kids (third graders) can type fast enough; the teacher can't use the technology; it's just a joke. This crisis is showing just how dysfunctional MCPS has become. There is so much wrong; kids can't send emails from their school gmail accounts; Zoom is so locked down it doesn't work; the teachers have clearly been massively handcuffed in what they can / can't do; the instructions have been unclear, overcomplicated, and confusing... It all seems to boil down to a bloated, top-heavy bureaucracy that can't function in anything other than the "normal" way. Our company has completely rebuilt itself in three weeks--MCPS seems to be about to just fall apart. And keep in mind--they're all getting guaranteed paychecks, courtesy the tax payers.

Our family is very close to hitting the f-it button and just sticking with the home schooling we started three weeks ago, which although difficult, has revealed just how little math, e.g., our son was learning. The curriculum they've been using may have been designed by smart mathematicians, but kids can't do subtraction of 2- or 3- digit numbers with carrying (the "algorithm"). Well, he's learning it now. He's also learning the 50 states; geography; spelling; history; and we're making him write book reports. And you know what? He actually loves it. In all seriousness, why not just withdraw and say we're home schooling for the remainder of the year? It's become very clear to us that MCPS--at least at our ES--isn't teaching kids. This lockdown period will just make it worse for most families who can't afford to spend the time / money to home school. It's tragic and terrible.

One more thing--that voice mail from Jack Smith (Superintendent) was epically bad. He sounded defeated and frankly ridiculous. That wasn't a leader; that was the Bill Paxton in Aliens... "We're All Gonna Die!" Between that phone call and this horrendous response--you've had a month to prepare, at least--just resign.

Agree. It is a colossal mess of epic proportions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCPS teacher here. We ALL know parents like the OP. And we all feel so sorry for their kids. We get why these poor kids have issues.

Hey OP: we DO talk about you at lunchtime.

You shouldn’t be in teaching - you should be fired.

Parents work hard for the taxes that pay your salary. Many of us have also had to convert from in-person work to remote work. We didn’t get three weeks to prepare and then the ability to be productive only a fraction of the work day.

The questions are simple: What prep was actually done before this week? Why only 40 minutes of instruction?

But instead of answering questions about the pathetic instruction MCPS has provided despite three weeks of prep and for ES only 40 minutes of instruction, you mock them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PARENTS:

You might want to listen during the zoom call. Several kids commented that their parents were still asleep during my kid’s 9am zoom call this morning.

I cal total BS on this post. With as pathetic as the Zoom technology has been in MCPS has been and as hard as it’s been to actually log on and find a teacher on the other side, no kid is navigating that solo. Parents are awake and working hard.

Sad the contempt so many teachers have for parents.
You know, the people who pay their salaries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PARENTS:

You might want to listen during the zoom call. Several kids commented that their parents were still asleep during my kid’s 9am zoom call this morning.

I cal total BS on this post. With as pathetic as the Zoom technology has been in MCPS has been and as hard as it’s been to actually log on and find a teacher on the other side, no kid is navigating that solo. Parents are awake and working hard.

Sad the contempt so many teachers have for parents.
You know, the people who pay their salaries.

I teach MS. It was shocking how many students claim they are home alone 12+ hours, sometimes caring for younger siblings. These are not low income students (I can see the very nice large suburban home interiors) or the children of essential workers. The parents are just checked out somewhere else.