Teachers Resigning Like Crazy?

[Anonymous]

It doesn’t help that central office keeps poaching teachers for BS positions this late in the game. Spots that admins had assumed were filled are now vacant a couple weeks before teachers return because Willow Oaks can hire teachers at any time.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I'm not in Fairfax, so feel free to disregard my post if you'd like.
I am in the Chicago area. I am sped certified and no joke, I'm getting emails and texts every single day, multiple times a day, asking me to interview for one of the thousands of sped positions that are open. I already have a job in gen ed. I think we're seeing the collapse of special ed and at some point, either the government is going to have to take over sped or it is going to have to be completely outsourced to private companies. Already, private companies are hiring "contract teachers" for these positions (paying them more, but they typically don't get a pension then).

SPED as a career is in a weird place. It's the kind of job that really shouldn't command a high amount of education. Certainly not an MS. I truly think the licensure can be achieved through an Associate's level education. That would help solve some of the problems with qualified people.

No. Sped teachers need MORE education, not less. The amount of methods, types of interventions, techniques and more they have to know is insane.

But the problem is that a significant portion of the additional skills that you need to be good in SPED is not book-learning or class learned skills. They are skills at reading and analyzing situations and children with unique needs, learning to help them cope and learning how to provide them a good environment for their particular needs. These are not skills that you will learn from a master's in education. A good SPED teacher does not need additional coursework, but internships and hands-on environmental training. Yes, additional methods, interventions and techniques can be taught, but you can learn those from seminars and training sessions that do not require college or post-graduate enrollment or degrees. SPED teachers do not need a second degree, whether college level or graduate level.

The problem is that requiring higher criteria for hiring SPED teachers, culls the field down, when you are in desparate need of additional teachers. Much of what is taught in master's education programs will no be appropriate nor make a SPED teacher better at their job. So, you would do better to open up the SPED positions to teachers will your basic education degrees and look for candidates with the right personality. You want empathy and patience. You want problem solvers and self-starters.

By restricting the candidate pool, you are limiting the number of applicants and creating more vacancies. And those vacancies are being filled by long-term subs, teaching assistants and administrative staff who have fewer qualifications for this work than the candidates with education and teaching backgrounds, but not the advanced degrees. Talk about biting one's nose to spite one's face.

The gold standard for dyslexia right now is Orton Gillingham. You cannot be trained in Orton Gillingham without a masters. You need knowledge of child development, psychology, reading disabilities, reading instruction, and assessment, to name just a few things. You also need knowledge of IEP procedures, special education law, IEP development and progress monitoring. You can’t give (and interpret) an individualized, normed assessment without an advanced degree in most cases. I imagine your child doesn’t have a reading disability. I’ll take the highly educated teacher who can assess and remediate my child’s needs over your guy or gal with no degree. Thanks!

No one is saying that this isn't the optimal way to hire SPED teachers. But right now, every school district in the country is short SPED teachers for the number of roles that they have available. What do you do when you have only 65% of the number of SPED teachers than you have openings available? What if this is the case when the next school year starts? What are you going to do about the children who need support and there are no teachers to provide that support? Right now, that is the case. If there are not enough SPED teachers, the you will have children who require individual attention, not getting it and you have children and gen ed teachers struggling to handle situations for which neither is really adequately supported for.

So if you can't hire people with the right qualifications, are you just going to let the special needs children flounder in gen ed situations with no support? We need more teachers than are available. How do you propose to address the situation when there are not sufficient applicants to meet the need?

Throw dollars at it. There are plenty of Gen Ed teachers who have SPED certifications and don't want to teach SPED because it's a lot more work for the same pay. Next year the extended contract for SPED teachers is expiring and a lot of people are not going to be willing to take a pay cut for a job that's already underpaid. At the end of the day, people will do exhausting jobs for high pay, but they won't do exhausting jobs for low pay when they can get paid the exact same amount at a less-exhausting job.

Exactly. The answer certainly isn’t putting under qualified people in the classroom. They quit and you’re left with the vacancy anyway.

Qualified people are quitting too. The problem isn't qualifications. Or pay. The problem is too much work for one person - we've made the job too difficult.

Precisely. This is why condensed certificate programs can help lighten the load. It'll also ensure people like Rachna Sizemore Heizer, who normally only virtue-signal and talk the talk, now have very little excuse for not obtaining a quick certification and working in the real trenches.

How does this lighten the load once you are in the job position?

+1, and there are already programs that take 3 months - that’s fairly condensed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It doesn’t help that central office keeps poaching teachers for BS positions this late in the game. Spots that admins had assumed were filled are now vacant a couple weeks before teachers return because Willow Oaks can hire teachers at any time.

I doubt your talking about more than a handful of positions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It doesn’t help that central office keeps poaching teachers for BS positions this late in the game. Spots that admins had assumed were filled are now vacant a couple weeks before teachers return because Willow Oaks can hire teachers at any time.

This shouldn't be allowed. Their transfer window should be exactly the same as the window for school based jobs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It doesn’t help that central office keeps poaching teachers for BS positions this late in the game. Spots that admins had assumed were filled are now vacant a couple weeks before teachers return because Willow Oaks can hire teachers at any time.

This shouldn't be allowed. Their transfer window should be exactly the same as the window for school based jobs.

Well they will probably be forced back into the classrooms until teachers are hired.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It doesn’t help that central office keeps poaching teachers for BS positions this late in the game. Spots that admins had assumed were filled are now vacant a couple weeks before teachers return because Willow Oaks can hire teachers at any time.

This shouldn't be allowed. Their transfer window should be exactly the same as the window for school based jobs.

Well they will probably be forced back into the classrooms until teachers are hired.

True, although I have yet to see anyone from Gatehouse dispatched to my school or any of my kids’ schools, ever. None of my teacher friends have seen it either. I know it does happen but I wonder how common it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It doesn’t help that central office keeps poaching teachers for BS positions this late in the game. Spots that admins had assumed were filled are now vacant a couple weeks before teachers return because Willow Oaks can hire teachers at any time.

This shouldn't be allowed. Their transfer window should be exactly the same as the window for school based jobs.

Well they will probably be forced back into the classrooms until teachers are hired.

True, although I have yet to see anyone from Gatehouse dispatched to my school or any of my kids’ schools, ever. None of my teacher friends have seen it either. I know it does happen but I wonder how common it is.

I think it’s pretty rare. I saw it at a school, but it was one of those schools that always has 10 or more positions open every year

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:It doesn’t help that central office keeps poaching teachers for BS positions this late in the game. Spots that admins had assumed were filled are now vacant a couple weeks before teachers return because Willow Oaks can hire teachers at any time.

This shouldn't be allowed. Their transfer window should be exactly the same as the window for school based jobs.

Well they will probably be forced back into the classrooms until teachers are hired.

True, although I have yet to see anyone from Gatehouse dispatched to my school or any of my kids’ schools, ever. None of my teacher friends have seen it either. I know it does happen but I wonder how common it is.

I dunno how rare it is, but we had one to start last year. She was a complete disaster- a former ES teacher who hadn’t taught anywhere in years suddenly teaching HS.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:So did FCPS teachers resign like crazy as anticipated months ago? Are the number of FCPS teacher resignations and their resignation reasons publicly available somewhere?

There are a ton of vacancies and no resumes coming in. We have had a posting at our school since Feb and still not filled.

We have at least 3 positions that opened since school ended because the teachers got central office jobs and several others are in the pools to be coaches or SBTS. Several Sped teachers have moved into general Ed in their content area, so sped is going to be a real issue next year.

I’m still waiting for all these keyboard warriors who claim teachers get paid too much to do little/no work to come join us but they never seem to step up…

Some of us have kids and jobs. You can't just pick up and move professions like that when your family needs stability. There are people thinking of moving to a lower cost area so they could be more involved or teach, but you aren't going to get a lot of parents who are already stressed with school and kids and living here opting to just make a 180 degree turn. There are easier options to consider.

Well then perhaps y’all should consider that before spouting off about how easy teachers have it and how anyone could do their jobs?

Thank you. End of thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s rough. Teachers are at their breaking point. To those of you blaming the school board, you can go fly a kite. This is happening all over the country. It’s not an FCPS thing. Colleagues went to a job fair at UVA last week. There were school districts from Texas there vying for the handful of teacher candidates.

—an overwhelmed principal

You pretend you are overwhelmed but it’s you that’s the problem. The solution is simple: run orderly schools where there are consequences for unruly behavior. Ban cellphones on campus. Trust me, you will have better teacher retention.

It’s precious that you think your woefully uniformed and unqualified commentary has solved anything.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:It would be nice if we got rid of all the testing and started actually teaching things again. Today I found a box of buttons and remembered when I was in elementary school and we'd be asked to bring in random things for social studies crafts. I don't know the last time my kid did anything creative in school.

Maybe art class?

My 3DC (2 FCPS grads) all complained about their ES art classes - for several years they had Art on a Cart where the art teacher rolled a cart into the classroom due to lack of space/no art room. Projects were rushed and heavily instructed; one entire special time would be instruction or background and the day next would be actual creation.

I can’t think of more than one project my DCs created in art.

And, as a FCPS alum of long ago, I recall the excitement of collecting odd items from home for art projects! Bring in 5 buttons! Bring in a lid from a hairspray bottle, Sweetheart brand soap, an orange, old magazines, etc. We

These homemade projects done in class are gone, too. No time.

Oh Lord, but you can’t ask kids to “collect” things from home and bring them in or the parents pitch a fit. “OMG I don’t have tiiiiiime! I’m so busy and important! Ugh! MeNtAl LoAd!!!”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s ironic how the left was all about how “it takes a village” to raise kids but, after they decided to shut down the village for an extended period, concluded it was appropriate to constantly attack parents for not properly socializing their kids.

It’s also not surprising that some parents then decided to return the favor by criticizing school employees for lowered standards when it comes to both academic expectations and behavioral norms. It wasn’t parents who decided that discipline should be tossed aside in favor of “restorative justice” and the like - that came from the educational establishment.

In the end, the festering distrust serves no one because we have a common interest in the next generation becoming functioning, law-abiding adults, notwithstanding some of the disruptions to their development due to Covid. It’s quite disappointing to see many of the comments on this thread, which betray a lack of both perspective and empathy.

Blah blah blah “The Left.” Grow a brain.

And the people I know who bleat endlessly about how the world should be ordered around them and their wants and screech “why not? It takes a VILLAGE!” are 98% conservatives, but hey, you tried.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:It’s ironic how the left was all about how “it takes a village” to raise kids but, after they decided to shut down the village for an extended period, concluded it was as appropriate to constantly attack parents for not properly socializing their kids.

It’s also not surprising that some parents then return the favor by criticizing school employees for lowered standards when it comes to both academic expectations and behavioral norms. It wasn’t parents who decided that discipline should be tossed aside in favof “restorative justice” and the like - that came from the educational establishment.

In the end, the festering distrust serves no one because we have a common interest in the next generation becoming functioning, law-abiding adults, notwithstanding some of the disruptions to their development due to Covid. It’s quite disappointing to see many of the comments on this thread, which betray a real lack of perspective or empathy.

Would you like some bread with your word salad 🥗?

You’re a moron. We get it. That’s why you aren’t paid more.

That’s hilarious. The moron here is you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:I'm not in Fairfax, so feel free to disregard my post if you'd like.
I am in the Chicago area. I am sped certified and no joke, I'm getting emails and texts every single day, multiple times a day, asking me to interview for one of the thousands of sped positions that are open. I already have a job in gen ed. I think we're seeing the collapse of special ed and at some point, either the government is going to have to take over sped or it is going to have to be completely outsourced to private companies. Already, private companies are hiring "contract teachers" for these positions (paying them more, but they typically don't get a pension then).

SPED as a career is in a weird place. It's the kind of job that really shouldn't command a high amount of education. Certainly not an MS. I truly think the licensure can be achieved through an Associate's level education. That would help solve some of the problems with qualified people.

Garbage. It should command more education, not less! It’s highly specialized. To be good at it, you would need to be able to read people, emotions, learning challenges, behaviors, and have a whole arsenal of helpful coping mechanisms, tactics, special learning techniques, etc.

None of those skills require a degree, let alone several. If we're being honest.

Can’t tell if you’re a troll or an imbecile. Let’s go with both.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s rough. Teachers are at their breaking point. To those of you blaming the school board, you can go fly a kite. This is happening all over the country. It’s not an FCPS thing. Colleagues went to a job fair at UVA last week. There were school districts from Texas there vying for the handful of teacher candidates.

—an overwhelmed principal

You pretend you are overwhelmed but it’s you that’s the problem. The solution is simple: run orderly schools where there are consequences for unruly behavior. Ban cellphones on campus. Trust me, you will have better teacher retention.

I'm not a principal, I'm a SPED teacher that resigned this year....it's not the principals. I mean there are bad ones but I had a good one and knew their hands were tied like mine. So I'm done-also it wasn't the phones....it was the ridiculous demands from parents....the lack of planning time and the biggest is the out of control behaviors that parents don't deal with(it's the schools problem mentality) and the never ending law suits. Did I mention the major lack of time?!