HS teachers

[Anonymous]

Do MCPS high schools generally have teachers who have worked 5+yrs in high schools or at that high school? Or is there high turnover? Does it vary by subjects? Have you had experience with teachers who should quit yet stay past their "best cognitive" years?

[Anonymous]

As evidenced by another thread, teacher turnover varies by school and by administration. Some schools with bad admin try to tough it out and outlast the administrators, others flee to avoid the toxic environment. Usually most teachers past their “best cognitive” years retire and become subs in HS.

[Anonymous]

Obviously don't know every teacher in the HS, but the few I know well enough have been there for 10+ years. Some are well respected by the students, others not so much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Obviously don't know every teacher in the HS, but the few I know well enough have been there for 10+ years. Some are well respected by the students, others not so much.

I know quite a few in our HS (three kids and been there 12 years). Same for me - everyone I know has been there forever. We’re on the third principal though.

[Anonymous]

HS teachers seem to oulast ES teachers. Is it because they teach a subject they are specialized in - e.g. Chemistry which can be more fun than teaching all core subjects? ES parents are often more involved which can be more work for teachers responding to them etc..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As evidenced by another thread, teacher turnover varies by school and by administration. Some schools with bad admin try to tough it out and outlast the administrators, others flee to avoid the toxic environment. Usually most teachers past their “best cognitive” years retire and become subs in HS.

Not all want to retire, tho some probably should - they seem disinterested in actually teaching, slow in grading and are disorganized.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As evidenced by another thread, teacher turnover varies by school and by administration. Some schools with bad admin try to tough it out and outlast the administrators, others flee to avoid the toxic environment. Usually most teachers past their “best cognitive” years retire and become subs in HS.

Not all want to retire, tho some probably should - they seem disinterested in actually teaching, slow in grading and are disorganized.

Be grateful they aren’t retiring. There are very few people willing to replace them.

Teaching becomes more challenging each year, and even experienced teachers are feeling very overworked and undervalued. I left a couple of years ago for a private school, giving up my pension and higher salary without a second thought. I wasn’t the only teacher that year to make the move to private. The pension used to make teachers hold on, but now the job is so demoralizing that it isn’t even enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:HS teachers seem to oulast ES teachers. Is it because they teach a subject they are specialized in - e.g. Chemistry which can be more fun than teaching all core subjects? ES parents are often more involved which can be more work for teachers responding to them etc..

HS teachers work longer hours than ES. Especially if they have a prep-heavy or a grading-heavy subject, but also if they sponsor a club or are regularly asked to write college recommendations. Parents are sometimes less involved but not always, and there are 140+ sets of parents to respond to.

HS has more male teachers than ES. Men don't take as much time off when they have children. That could account for some of what you're seeing.