Constant teacher absences

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless the teacher is negligent, which doesn’t seem to be the case, the real problem is with the system’s struggle to hire and retain quality substitutes. Sometimes difficult things happen in teachers’ lives, and we shouldn’t dump on them because their class isn’t covered adequately. Put the blame where it belongs.

+1. When was the last time a parent went to a school board meeting and advocated for higher sub pay and asked what they're doing to attract and retain quality subs? Or heck, even emailed their local school board member? It was crickets from the OpenFCPS parents when they announced the lame " pay raise" that was supposed to solve the problem. I bet none of the people complaining have ever spoken up and probably wouldn't be willing to.

I agree. Not a lot of parents go to board meetings and speak out about retaining teachers and hiring quality subs. Unfortunately, things will get worse over the next few years. I believe more teachers will be leaving after this year vs the year before. I personally think there should be a teacher rep on the school board. If there is a student one, there should be a teacher one. I have a gazillion ideas on how to retain teachers.

There ARE teacher reps at school board meetings - the teacher's association either officially gets a spot on the speaking list, or has a trigger finger so that they are the first person to sign up to speak at every meeting. They are there. They either need to be more vocal, or teachers need to find better people to represent them.

[Anonymous]

This is a common problem in every part of the country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand, OP, but your blame should not be on the teacher, it should be on the administration and other grade-level teachers for not providing lesson plans for subs to make sure your kids class stays on pace.

Sorry. I am a teacher who has been doing sub plans all year for another class. I am doing literally two jobs, not getting paid more. I have no control once the sub gets the plans. No blame should happen for grade level team.

+1, I find it extremely hard to believe that they have learned absolutely nothing in the five months that class been going on

They have. It isn’t perfect though. But I am doing all back work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless the teacher is negligent, which doesn’t seem to be the case, the real problem is with the system’s struggle to hire and retain quality substitutes. Sometimes difficult things happen in teachers’ lives, and we shouldn’t dump on them because their class isn’t covered adequately. Put the blame where it belongs.

+1. When was the last time a parent went to a school board meeting and advocated for higher sub pay and asked what they're doing to attract and retain quality subs? Or heck, even emailed their local school board member? It was crickets from the OpenFCPS parents when they announced the lame " pay raise" that was supposed to solve the problem. I bet none of the people complaining have ever spoken up and probably wouldn't be willing to.

I agree. Not a lot of parents go to board meetings and speak out about retaining teachers and hiring quality subs. Unfortunately, things will get worse over the next few years. I believe more teachers will be leaving after this year vs the year before. I personally think there should be a teacher rep on the school board. If there is a student one, there should be a teacher one. I have a gazillion ideas on how to retain teachers.

There ARE teacher reps at school board meetings - the teacher's association either officially gets a spot on the speaking list, or has a trigger finger so that they are the first person to sign up to speak at every meeting. They are there. They either need to be more vocal, or teachers need to find better people to represent them.

I meant on the actual school board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless the teacher is negligent, which doesn’t seem to be the case, the real problem is with the system’s struggle to hire and retain quality substitutes. Sometimes difficult things happen in teachers’ lives, and we shouldn’t dump on them because their class isn’t covered adequately. Put the blame where it belongs.

+1. When was the last time a parent went to a school board meeting and advocated for higher sub pay and asked what they're doing to attract and retain quality subs? Or heck, even emailed their local school board member? It was crickets from the OpenFCPS parents when they announced the lame " pay raise" that was supposed to solve the problem. I bet none of the people complaining have ever spoken up and probably wouldn't be willing to.

I agree. Not a lot of parents go to board meetings and speak out about retaining teachers and hiring quality subs. Unfortunately, things will get worse over the next few years. I believe more teachers will be leaving after this year vs the year before. I personally think there should be a teacher rep on the school board. If there is a student one, there should be a teacher one. I have a gazillion ideas on how to retain teachers.

There ARE teacher reps at school board meetings - the teacher's association either officially gets a spot on the speaking list, or has a trigger finger so that they are the first person to sign up to speak at every meeting. They are there. They either need to be more vocal, or teachers need to find better people to represent them.

I'm the PP who said parents need to be more vocal. This is not about the teacher's association. That's a separate issue. This is about whether the parents who are complaining would actually be willing to stand up and speak to the issue or even fire off a quick email asking what is being done to address the sub shortage or the teacher exodus. If not, I'd like to know the reasons why especially if these parents were lobbying to get schools back in person ASAP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless the teacher is negligent, which doesn’t seem to be the case, the real problem is with the system’s struggle to hire and retain quality substitutes. Sometimes difficult things happen in teachers’ lives, and we shouldn’t dump on them because their class isn’t covered adequately. Put the blame where it belongs.

+1. When was the last time a parent went to a school board meeting and advocated for higher sub pay and asked what they're doing to attract and retain quality subs? Or heck, even emailed their local school board member? It was crickets from the OpenFCPS parents when they announced the lame " pay raise" that was supposed to solve the problem. I bet none of the people complaining have ever spoken up and probably wouldn't be willing to.

I agree. Not a lot of parents go to board meetings and speak out about retaining teachers and hiring quality subs. Unfortunately, things will get worse over the next few years. I believe more teachers will be leaving after this year vs the year before. I personally think there should be a teacher rep on the school board. If there is a student one, there should be a teacher one. I have a gazillion ideas on how to retain teachers.

There ARE teacher reps at school board meetings - the teacher's association either officially gets a spot on the speaking list, or has a trigger finger so that they are the first person to sign up to speak at every meeting. They are there. They either need to be more vocal, or teachers need to find better people to represent them.

I'm the PP who said parents need to be more vocal. This is not about the teacher's association. That's a separate issue. This is about whether the parents who are complaining would actually be willing to stand up and speak to the issue or even fire off a quick email asking what is being done to address the sub shortage or the teacher exodus. If not, I'd like to know the reasons why especially if these parents were lobbying to get schools back in person ASAP.

I co-wrote a parent speech to the school board about the need for sub hiring back in fall, in anticipation of the Covid wave (that happened) this winter. The school board nodded along and the district...eventually had a sub job fair in January.

Parents being vocal at the school board meetings doesn't move the needle in FCPS, unfortunately. Not about this, not about high quality curriculum, not about Covid, not about much of anything. Parents are so frustrated because even when we organize and make our voices heard we are ignored.

[Anonymous]

To fix this problem, we need NOVA tax dollars to stay in NOVA and be allocated to the school district for teacher and sub hiring and retention. If parents want quality schools, we need to put our money where our mouth is. We also need to make changes so that teaching is an attractive job that highly qualified people want. Until that happens, this problem will continue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To fix this problem, we need NOVA tax dollars to stay in NOVA and be allocated to the school district for teacher and sub hiring and retention. If parents want quality schools, we need to put our money where our mouth is. We also need to make changes so that teaching is an attractive job that highly qualified people want. Until that happens, this problem will continue.

THIS!!!!!!

[Anonymous]

‘So doctors, grocery workers , nurses, and physical therapists don’t take sick days? News flash-they do. You don’t see them every day so you wouldn’t now. Moron. ‘

I am ticked off at the deli guy at my Safeway. He took off for a whole week and his “sub” didn’t slice my meat the way I like it. Selfish deli counter employee! How dare he take off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To fix this problem, we need NOVA tax dollars to stay in NOVA and be allocated to the school district for teacher and sub hiring and retention. If parents want quality schools, we need to put our money where our mouth is. We also need to make changes so that teaching is an attractive job that highly qualified people want. Until that happens, this problem will continue.

THIS!!!!!!

Of course this is true. But at the same time, all of you who are attacking OP due to her concern about stability in her child's classroom are reinforcing the message that standards of professionalism applicable to other professions don't apply in education. That does nothing to elicit support for spending more money on things like teacher salaries. We should expect teachers to have good attendance and have qualified substitutes where leave has been granted. If there are systemic reasons standing in the way of those things, we need to improve. Telling a parent that's the way it is, leave is leave regardless of whether a professional's job is being performed, etc. undermines public view of teaching as a profession. No individual teachers should be blamed, but in a perfect world, we should want our kids' teachers to be with them as much as possible. That's not a bad thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To fix this problem, we need NOVA tax dollars to stay in NOVA and be allocated to the school district for teacher and sub hiring and retention. If parents want quality schools, we need to put our money where our mouth is. We also need to make changes so that teaching is an attractive job that highly qualified people want. Until that happens, this problem will continue.

THIS!!!!!!

Of course this is true. But at the same time, all of you who are attacking OP due to her concern about stability in her child's classroom are reinforcing the message that standards of professionalism applicable to other professions don't apply in education. That does nothing to elicit support for spending more money on things like teacher salaries. We should expect teachers to have good attendance and have qualified substitutes where leave has been granted. If there are systemic reasons standing in the way of those things, we need to improve. Telling a parent that's the way it is, leave is leave regardless of whether a professional's job is being performed, etc. undermines public view of teaching as a profession. No individual teachers should be blamed, but in a perfect world, we should want our kids' teachers to be with them as much as possible. That's not a bad thing.

What are you actually trying to say behind this paragraph full of qualifying statements?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:‘So doctors, grocery workers , nurses, and physical therapists don’t take sick days? News flash-they do. You don’t see them every day so you wouldn’t now. Moron. ‘

I am ticked off at the deli guy at my Safeway. He took off for a whole week and his “sub” didn’t slice my meat the way I like it. Selfish deli counter employee! How dare he take off.

[Anonymous]

It sucks. It all sucks. But it’s not the teachers fault, it’s not the principals fault, it’s not your child’s fault, and it’s not your fault. You can complain all you want, but your child’s teacher can’t magically make daycare take her kid when he’s sick. Your principal can’t magically find an amazing substitute that can make up for everything. There is a huge teacher and sub shortage. You need to accept the reality of the situation and you as the parent have to do what is best for your child. That may include making up lost curriculum at home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It sucks. It all sucks. But it’s not the teachers fault, it’s not the principals fault, it’s not your child’s fault, and it’s not your fault. You can complain all you want, but your child’s teacher can’t magically make daycare take her kid when he’s sick. Your principal can’t magically find an amazing substitute that can make up for everything. There is a huge teacher and sub shortage. You need to accept the reality of the situation and you as the parent have to do what is best for your child. That may include making up lost curriculum at home.

The OP expects the teacher to figure it out! Get a nanny or something!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It sucks. It all sucks. But it’s not the teachers fault, it’s not the principals fault, it’s not your child’s fault, and it’s not your fault. You can complain all you want, but your child’s teacher can’t magically make daycare take her kid when he’s sick. Your principal can’t magically find an amazing substitute that can make up for everything. There is a huge teacher and sub shortage. You need to accept the reality of the situation and you as the parent have to do what is best for your child. That may include making up lost curriculum at home.

The OP expects the teacher to figure it out! Get a nanny or something!

We do t even know it’s a Childcare issue, it’s just a bunch of people speculating.