Are DCPS teachers legally allowed to teach in-person (pods/ tutoring)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you all for your concern about teachers salaries! Indeed, it’s tremendously challenging to support your family in DC on a teacher’s salary. We all wish we could avoid taking second jobs to get by!

As you have learned during the pandemic, spending the day with your 1-3 children can be exhausting! I know you empathize with teachers spending their day with 25-30 children! And then going to a second job!

Here’s something you can do to help reduce teachers’ dependence on second jobs: email the Chancellor and Mayor and demand an increase in teachers salary!
Mayor Bowser [e-mail]
Chancellor Ferebee [e-mail]

Until covid, teachers had been alone in their advocacy for a wage increase. Please know how much your children’s teachers appreciate your support!

DC has the highest paid public school teachers in the country. We have art teachers who make six figures. They make more than college professors.

I’d say the bigger problem is teachers wanting to continue to collect their full salaries even as they refuse to go to work.

This argument is cherry picking and it shows your vindictive nature.

Washington DC is the 3rd-5th most expensive place to live IN THE WHOLE COUNTRY.

NOT ALL TEACHERS MAKE 100k, and stop saying 6 figures like it could be in the upper or even middle rage. 100k-117k is the last salary step, it takes years and years to get there and every year the cost of living goes up.


https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/washington-d-c


The bigger problem is snooty and vindictive people who look down on teachers. Teachers were tutoring before this and will continue to because they deserve the best quality of life. Why should teachers not be paid like a doctor or lawyer?

School? Many teachers have a masters degree. Also there are many jobs that make way over 130k with just 1 degree.
Demand? There is a shortage of teachers across the nation, including DCPS.

The truth is teachers aren’t respected very much and this pandemic sure sheds a light on what some of you really think.

Masters degree? So what? I have one from a top 10 university and I don’t make six figures. Teachers have a keen sense of entitlement.

[Anonymous]

Why are you so resentful towards teachers?

[Anonymous]

Be mad at trump. Vote. Volunteer. Donate. Battling with teachers won’t make this situation better. Teachers aren’t your enemy. Focus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why are you so resentful towards teachers?

Because they refuse to educate my children for completely selfish, nonsensical reasons even as they continue to collect their full salaries.

Don’t want to do your job? Fine. Quit. But if you are taking a paycheck, do the honorable thing and earn it.

Lots of other people are doing their jobs every day — think of pediatricians taking care of sick kids every day — without all this drama and carrying on.

[Anonymous]

Can you explain more? Because I’m a teacher and everyone I know is working constantly, evenings, weekends, summer to prepare for the fall. Who isn’t doing their job? Are your teachers refusing to engage in distance learning? I’m genuinely trying to understand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can you explain more? Because I’m a teacher and everyone I know is working constantly, evenings, weekends, summer to prepare for the fall. Who isn’t doing their job? Are your teachers refusing to engage in distance learning? I’m genuinely trying to understand.

Thank you! I expect almost all parents appreciate teachers who work so hard, and even teachers who work only modestly hard.

The frustration is towards the teachers earlier in the thread who said they do the minimum they can get by with for DCPS so they can put in lots of hours for lucrative tutoring — and who are happy to teach pods in person while teachers (generalized) don’t want to teach in-person for DCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you all for your concern about teachers salaries! Indeed, it’s tremendously challenging to support your family in DC on a teacher’s salary. We all wish we could avoid taking second jobs to get by!

As you have learned during the pandemic, spending the day with your 1-3 children can be exhausting! I know you empathize with teachers spending their day with 25-30 children! And then going to a second job!

Here’s something you can do to help reduce teachers’ dependence on second jobs: email the Chancellor and Mayor and demand an increase in teachers salary!
Mayor Bowser [e-mail]
Chancellor Ferebee [e-mail]

Until covid, teachers had been alone in their advocacy for a wage increase. Please know how much your children’s teachers appreciate your support!

DC has the highest paid public school teachers in the country. We have art teachers who make six figures. They make more than college professors.

I’d say the bigger problem is teachers wanting to continue to collect their full salaries even as they refuse to go to work.

This argument is cherry picking and it shows your vindictive nature.

Washington DC is the 3rd-5th most expensive place to live IN THE WHOLE COUNTRY.

NOT ALL TEACHERS MAKE 100k, and stop saying 6 figures like it could be in the upper or even middle rage. 100k-117k is the last salary step, it takes years and years to get there and every year the cost of living goes up.


https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/washington-d-c


The bigger problem is snooty and vindictive people who look down on teachers. Teachers were tutoring before this and will continue to because they deserve the best quality of life. Why should teachers not be paid like a doctor or lawyer?

School? Many teachers have a masters degree. Also there are many jobs that make way over 130k with just 1 degree.
Demand? There is a shortage of teachers across the nation, including DCPS.

The truth is teachers aren’t respected very much and this pandemic sure sheds a light on what some of you really think.

Masters degree? So what? I have one from a top 10 university and I don’t make six figures. Teachers have a keen sense of entitlement.

Aw sweetie, I have one from a top uni too. You should know all that means is you should have connections and you at least have the chance to get your foot in the door.

I’m certain my job is worth at least mid 6 figures. It has nothing to do with you or your job, teachers feel they are worth more. And they are. Especially the ones outside of DC making less than 40k. Knowing what you’re worth is not entitlement.

At the very least I don’t feel I should have to pay $500 out of pocket for class supplies or that teachers and students should have to be in a insufficient building. Why should classrooms have to be overcrowded? I could go on but you obviously hate public schools. Use your Ivy League education to help figure out a way to get your kid into private or just homeschool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you explain more? Because I’m a teacher and everyone I know is working constantly, evenings, weekends, summer to prepare for the fall. Who isn’t doing their job? Are your teachers refusing to engage in distance learning? I’m genuinely trying to understand.

Thank you! I expect almost all parents appreciate teachers who work so hard, and even teachers who work only modestly hard.

The frustration is towards the teachers earlier in the thread who said they do the minimum they can get by with for DCPS so they can put in lots of hours for lucrative tutoring — and who are happy to teach pods in person while teachers (generalized) don’t want to teach in-person for DCPS.

You do realize DCPS has a high turnover rate right? And what does ‘getting away with it’ mean in this context? Only 35 percent of teachers get highly effective. I believe effective consisted of 40% the rest are minimally effective or ineffective. And eventually those people get fired or quit.

The minimum number of hours is set by DCPS, teachers didn’t create that. Also no teacher can promise pod hours during school hours at this time, unless their school has released a schedule and they do it on their lunch break.


I also haven’t seen many pod parents say they have a DCPS teacher teaching it. This thread was caused by one person’s crazy assumption that a good chunk of DCPS teachers are doing pods. Absolute idiocy.

[Anonymous]

This is to hopefully put some logic into people’s minds.


1. Not all DCPS schools have released their schedule, most will learn on Monday the first day of work. -So how will teachers teach a pod if they don’t know their schedule?
2. The minutes required for teachers to teach online were set by DCPS, there was no WTU input.
3. Even if a teacher gets their schedule if you have seen one the day I’d packed until at least 2:30 or 3-4PM. - There is no way to teach a pod during these hours.
4. Teachers were legally teaching students and being paid, my school actually offers such a service.
5. Who said DCPS teachers specifically were teaching pods? Where is this data? Or even anecdotal evidence? I’ve seen very few people say yes, a DCPS teacher is teaching my pod each day.


The conversation isn’t about ethics at this point, some of you only feel angry a few teachers are trying to make extra money since there will be an uptake in the market.

Why shouldn’t teachers have a mind of a capitalist? We are a capitalist nation? Regardless wealthier families will have a tutor.


You are taking your anger to a level of crazy. Even when we eventually start hybrid I’m sure there will still be pods and there will still be people taking these jobs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are you so resentful towards teachers?

Because they refuse to educate my children for completely selfish, nonsensical reasons even as they continue to collect their full salaries.

Don’t want to do your job? Fine. Quit. But if you are taking a paycheck, do the honorable thing and earn it.

Lots of other people are doing their jobs every day — think of pediatricians taking care of sick kids every day — without all this drama and carrying on.

Nah, the one who needs to earn her paycheck is you. There’s no way you work a full, productive day. Not with your victim mentality. While teachers are home working 14 hours days to prepare for YOUR kid’s new school year you’re sitting in the corner crying about how wronged you are in life. Stand up, wipe your tears, and get to work like the rest of us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like some of the teachers here confused DCPS parents with private school parents. Your salaries are similar to many of ours.

Yes, 100k is the average. And I don’t think the top teacher salary should be average. There a loads of DCPS parents who make way over 100k, I am one of them.

I was a government social worker. Teachers pay scale is far better than ours, better health care and they get a higher salary on a 10 month schedule and can choose to earn more with summer school. On a good day, I'd go to work at 8 and get home between 7-9, have to do paperwork and turn around and do it again. Then usually one day on the weekend to write court reports and other things. I worked 15 years and never made it past $70.

Teachers make reasonable amount in this area for the job they do. A two teacher family is comfortable. The issue isn't income but how you choose to spend what you earn.

No reason why teachers cannot tutor in evenings and weekends. If they are tutoring during the day they should be fired. It makes no sense for a teacher to do child care, which is what a pod is, over teaching as the pod will only last till we go back to school and is time limited. Any smart teacher will stay with the school system and make the best of a bad situation like all of us are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is absolutely disgusting. Teachers coached and tutored after work hours long before Covid and will continue to do during and after Covid. For that, I am grateful.

Yeah, but teachers also pressured schools to shut down because of covid ("I don't wanna dieee!"). So it's a bit late to talk about pre-pandemic yesteryear.

Question back to you: Do you think teaching a private pod of kids in a crammed basement is safer than if schools had been open?

I know of zero pods taking place in "crammed basements." They are taking in place in large, open-floor-plan homes with the kids spread apart and many outside on the patio, as weather permits. They are a hell of a lot better ventilated than the stuffy, poorly-ventilated, windows-usually-don't-open public school classrooms, and have a lot fewer kids in them.

But keep setting up those straw men to knock down to suit your agenda.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are you so resentful towards teachers?

Because they refuse to educate my children for completely selfish, nonsensical reasons even as they continue to collect their full salaries.

Don’t want to do your job? Fine. Quit. But if you are taking a paycheck, do the honorable thing and earn it.

Lots of other people are doing their jobs every day — think of pediatricians taking care of sick kids every day — without all this drama and carrying on.

They are not refusing to educate your children.
They are doing their jobs.
They are earning their paycheck.

You are not entitled to free babysitting service.

Grow up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like some of the teachers here confused DCPS parents with private school parents. Your salaries are similar to many of ours.

Yes, 100k is the average. And I don’t think the top teacher salary should be average. There a loads of DCPS parents who make way over 100k, I am one of them.

I was a government social worker. Teachers pay scale is far better than ours, better health care and they get a higher salary on a 10 month schedule and can choose to earn more with summer school. On a good day, I'd go to work at 8 and get home between 7-9, have to do paperwork and turn around and do it again. Then usually one day on the weekend to write court reports and other things. I worked 15 years and never made it past $70.

Teachers make reasonable amount in this area for the job they do. A two teacher family is comfortable. The issue isn't income but how you choose to spend what you earn.

No reason why teachers cannot tutor in evenings and weekends. If they are tutoring during the day they should be fired. It makes no sense for a teacher to do child care, which is what a pod is, over teaching as the pod will only last till we go back to school and is time limited. Any smart teacher will stay with the school system and make the best of a bad situation like all of us are.

DCPS Social Workers get paid the same amount. And teachers don’t just deserve to be ‘comfortable’ they deserve to be decently wealthy. Why should a principal make exponentially more? Without teachers they are nothing. Good leadership is important but we’ve been shown time and time again that the real heroes are not always the leaders.

Even just not having real overtime like other jobs would be better than nothing. Absolutely no admin gets paid $40 per hour yet they dare call it ‘admin premium’ and you only get 1-5 hours a week because the school has to pay out of pocket, ridiculous.

Also pod time won’t necessarily decrease. You could do it after school or on Wednesday. People will still do them because students will be in school 2x/week. We’ll likely be doing this well into the 2021/22 school year.

(And some other professions as well but I’m specifically talking about teachers right now.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are you so resentful towards teachers?

Because they refuse to educate my children for completely selfish, nonsensical reasons even as they continue to collect their full salaries.

Don’t want to do your job? Fine. Quit. But if you are taking a paycheck, do the honorable thing and earn it.

Lots of other people are doing their jobs every day — think of pediatricians taking care of sick kids every day — without all this drama and carrying on.

Amen!