FCPS Half Day Mondays

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know why the county schools are in session for only a half day on Monday? Or, why are the Arlington schools only in session a half day on Wednesday?

Growing up (granted I was in elementary many, many years ago), we had 5 full days of class each week. Just wondering what the reason/rationale is, if anyone happens to know. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

In FCPS, it's only the elementary schools with half-day Mondays. Their reasoning is that it's for staff planning purposes and they make up the time with longer school days Tuesday - Friday.

[Anonymous]

It's been tha way forever. Very strong teacher union in FC. Kind of a pain, especially if you work.

[Anonymous]

True, and it's funny how they have this half day to do planning, but can't make copies and need parents to help out with that menial task.

[Anonymous]

Technically, it's only 2 hours early dismissal on Mondays. Those two hours are made up, time-wise, during the rest of the week when they add 1/2 hour to the day on Tues-Fri.

I'm not a teacher, but I can imagine that those two hours are put to full use. At our old school - in a different district- the teachers had to do their planning time during the course of the regular school week... which meant grabbing 1/2 hour here and there while kids were in specials. In my own work, I prefer to have a larger block of time for this type of planning, rather than grabbing 1/2 here, 20 minutes there....

Having parent volunteers help out with stuff frees up the teacher to actually plan, and have conferences with parents, grade papers, etc... instead of having to take that work home to do in the evenings and weekends.... (From my teacher friends I know that they do a lot "on their own time" already...)

YMMV

[Anonymous]

Technically, at our school at least, it's 2.5 hours early on Mondays.

[Anonymous]

I hated it at first, but now I think it's a good time for the kids to do extracurriculars. My kids get home at 4:30 every other day of the week. I work, but we have an au pair (there were no spaces available in SACC). If your kids are in SACC, they have SACC then anyway, right? So I'm not sure why it matters for those who work.

[Anonymous]

20:12 has hit upon one of my pet peeves about teacher's unions (which I inherited from my Mother, who was a teacher). Teachers (like my Mother) want to be treated as professionals. In most areas of work, "professionals" are distinguished from "hourly wage" (also referred to as "blue collar") workers by the fact that they do not have set hours and work to complete the tasks that they are responsible for. As a professional, I complete the work I am given, whether that takes 40 hours a week or 80 hours a week. As my Mother would say, teachers need to make up their mind: do you want to be respected as a professional, or do you want to be treated as a blue-collar worker? If you are a professional, there is no such thing as "on your own time." You get paid to get the job done. My mother spent many long hours at night grading papers and planning, and she was proud to do so. She thought the teacher's unions, who negotiate hours and restrictions on teachers being required to do anything outside of "business hours," degraded the profession. The teachers unions negotiate for teachers as though they are working on a factory floor, and then wonder why teaching is not considered a "prestige" profession. Of course the Monday afternoon hours are "used;" however, the question is whether the school is being run for the benefit of the students or the convenience of the teachers.

[Anonymous]

Two words - teachers' union.

[Anonymous]

2141 your mother sounds like a glutton for punishment. I say that "professionals" should take a lesson from their blue collar counterparts and organize for better working conditions as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Technically, at our school at least, it's 2.5 hours early on Mondays.

20:12 here... yes, you're right. It IS 2.5 hour early dismissal every Monday... I had next Wed. 2 hour early departure on my caffeine-limited brain.

[Anonymous]

If we didn't have early dismissal, I could meet my child at the bus every day by adjusting my work hours a bit. But since Monday screws that all up, I just use SACC instead. Hence, making it a bit harder if you work. Not impossible, but definitely a hassle.

[Anonymous]

If we didn't have early dismissal, I could meet my child at the bus every day by adjusting my work hours a bit. But since Monday screws that all up, I just use SACC instead.If we didn't have early dismissal, I could meet my child at the bus every day by adjusting my work hours a bit. But since Monday screws that all up, I just use SACC instead.

Same here. Early dismissal screws that all up. And it means they go really late the other 4 days. I would definitely prefer 5 shorter days to the current schedule.

[Anonymous]

I'm fortunate to be able to telework on Mondays. My DH gets the kids ready on Mondays, just as he does the other days, while I am working in the den. I'm able to get my 8 hours in before the bus drops off in the afternoon. (The kids are in morning SACC, so DH drops them at school in the morning and heads to work.)

If I couldn't telework, we'd be screwed. (Because I work very early hours and can telework on Mondays, we don't need PM SACC.)

[Anonymous]

2141 your mother sounds like a glutton for punishment. I say that "professionals" should take a lesson from their blue collar counterparts and organize for better working conditions as well.

Right. Lawyers of the world, unite! If that brief can't be finished between 9am & 5pm, we're not doing it, dammit! It's not in our contract! And we'd like a half day on Mondays, please.