Why is it like this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This sounds like you need to get your classroom under control. You tell kids when snack time is. Done.
You teach vs. dump kids on chromebooks.
You tell them this is the consequence if you don't get bathroom permission and have a pass or sign out sheet.
As a teacher, you need to set expectations and be consistent.

And what should a teacher do when a kid disobeys these expectations? THAT is the problem. A teacher’s hands are tied when it’s impossible to implement meaningful consequences for negative behavior. Admin and MCPS Central Office do not want to see ‘retributive justice’.

Kids learn that they can get away with really bad behavior. They learn this early and their behavior just gets worse.

Teachers play a big role in how they conduct their classroom. You call the parent and let them know. You can give consequences.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What ES has lockers?

My kids are in a DC charter with lockers. They are in the hall outside the classroom. But they have rules. Definitely no free feeding (they get 2 set snacks), no hoods (though coats ok in the classroom when cold which drives me nuts looking at pics), lots of strict routines. I love it and my kids need it. It's a lot like what I hope to have at home .. rules, expectations, boundaries, and lots of laughter and love.

Ok, but this is MCPS and very different. You don't get that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I used to volunteer in ES, pre-Chromebooks. Or at least when Chromebooks were used more sparingly. I saw all the other behaviors you mention, in certain classrooms but not most. I can believe it’s worse now, though, because after the Covid lockdowns, there is what I believe to be a mis-used emphasis on “mental health”, which in practice has come to mean a highly self-driven, child-led approach. Except that this does not work with 30 kids! It works in a household with 1-3 kids. Group discipline is not the same as individual discipline.

I have a senior and a 7th grader. In high school, consequences are largely natural: you pay attention, work hard, get good grades, get into a good college. The ones who go off the rails are not getting into college. Middle school is the worse: kids are bigger, experiment with adult behaviors, but are not faced with adult consequences. You have to be a special human to teach middle school! Some find… creative ways to control their class, others act like they prison wardens, and a few just give up discipline altogether.

So yes, I sympathize.

It doesn't work in many homes either which is why we are seeing the behavior problems. And, if kids are not behaving at school there should be consequences at home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This sounds like you need to get your classroom under control. You tell kids when snack time is. Done.
You teach vs. dump kids on chromebooks.
You tell them this is the consequence if you don't get bathroom permission and have a pass or sign out sheet.
As a teacher, you need to set expectations and be consistent.

And what should a teacher do when a kid disobeys these expectations? THAT is the problem. A teacher’s hands are tied when it’s impossible to implement meaningful consequences for negative behavior. Admin and MCPS Central Office do not want to see ‘retributive justice’.

Kids learn that they can get away with really bad behavior. They learn this early and their behavior just gets worse.

Teachers play a big role in how they conduct their classroom. You call the parent and let them know. You can give consequences.

You don’t even teach in MCPS, do you?

At some schools, it can be almost impossible to get a hood of the parents and if you do call the parent, he/she might not speak English.

[Anonymous]

This is happening in schools throughout MCPS at all grade levels. It's so sad! We moved to the area for the schools, and in the past few years, pulled our kids out of public HS and moved them to private (I still work in public).

My friends and I that are still teaching are miserable. I don't see changes coming any time soon, but I am telling you, something's got to give. We already don't have enough teachers, paraeducators, special educators or substitutes. How the heck does this shake down?!?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is happening in schools throughout MCPS at all grade levels. It's so sad! We moved to the area for the schools, and in the past few years, pulled our kids out of public HS and moved them to private (I still work in public).

My friends and I that are still teaching are miserable. I don't see changes coming any time soon, but I am telling you, something's got to give. We already don't have enough teachers, paraeducators, special educators or substitutes. How the heck does this shake down?!?!

They seem like post from some alternate reality. My kids schools are nothing like what's being described here and I just have to wonder if this is even real.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This sounds like you need to get your classroom under control. You tell kids when snack time is. Done.
You teach vs. dump kids on chromebooks.
You tell them this is the consequence if you don't get bathroom permission and have a pass or sign out sheet.
As a teacher, you need to set expectations and be consistent.

And what should a teacher do when a kid disobeys these expectations? THAT is the problem. A teacher’s hands are tied when it’s impossible to implement meaningful consequences for negative behavior. Admin and MCPS Central Office do not want to see ‘retributive justice’.

Kids learn that they can get away with really bad behavior. They learn this early and their behavior just gets worse.

Teachers play a big role in how they conduct their classroom. You call the parent and let them know. You can give consequences.

You don’t even teach in MCPS, do you?

At some schools, it can be almost impossible to get a hood of the parents and if you do call the parent, he/she might not speak English.

Then you have someone translate, use google translate, etc. And, in most of the W schools, more than likely the parents speak English. Stop making excuses. Parent cannot help if they don't know the problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I teach in an elementary school. Parents have never been more resistant to limits being placed on their children under any circumstances. Children are more fragile and less resilient as a result. Things that are tolerated in our school because teachers are tired of the fights with parents and therefore admins:

Kids can eat snacks at any time of the day in the classroom. They often just get up and go get them out of their locker. It could be right after lunch, right after arrival, in the middle of a lesson, etc. Even with a built-in snack time for an upper elementary grade, we are discouraged from disallowing this at any time of the day.

Kids frequently get up and pop out of the classroom without asking to go to the bathroom, get something out of their locker etc...

Kids have "fidgets," aka toys at their desk all day (rubics cubes, therapy putty, pop-its, stuffed toys). You risk parent anger and admin admonishment if you require the children to put their "comfort objects," in their locker. Or even limit it to just one during class. Yes, some children have this as an accommodation. But this does not mean every child has a stuffed toy, keychain, pop-it, and putty all on one desk.

Kids often bring huge pencil bags of multiple pencils/pens/colored pencils into class and spend instruction time drawing. Sometimes it is okay, but many kids are doing it all day long.

Kids are impulsive and compulsive with the Chrome book. Unless you have GoGuardian on constantly, the children will be off task on Nearpod (to look at You Tube), and many many other sites. Even with many different tech limits placed on sites they can go to they will open Google slides/docs/etc and compulsively insert images and pictures. It's endless.

We are not allowed to ask children to take down their hoods (comfort object).

Don't even get into the misery involved in trying to give a kid a grade lower than a B, or ask/guide a child to apologize to another child, reward anyone for doing homework lest it upset those that don't do their homework, etc...

Students talk over their teachers, call out answers, and expect to have all their thoughts listened to whenever they are ready to share them.

I am not a full-time classroom teacher, but rather a teacher that frequently pushes into many different classrooms and I see this all over the school with many different teachers. It isn't just a classroom management issue. To those parents out there who are teaching their kids they should be able to eat/drink/take a break outside the classroom at any time, use the Chromebook as they please, never apologize or make amends for bad choices, never be required or even encouraged to complete homework, and basically never be told no or be made to feel uncomfortable or unhappy ever for any reason....you may be making life easier for yourself right now, but we will ALL regret it someday including your kids.

Ah, you are one of those ‘breeze’ teachers - breeze in and out but don’t really do much (except draw the biggest paycheck)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is happening in schools throughout MCPS at all grade levels. It's so sad! We moved to the area for the schools, and in the past few years, pulled our kids out of public HS and moved them to private (I still work in public).

My friends and I that are still teaching are miserable. I don't see changes coming any time soon, but I am telling you, something's got to give. We already don't have enough teachers, paraeducators, special educators or substitutes. How the heck does this shake down?!?!

They seem like post from some alternate reality. My kids schools are nothing like what's being described here and I just have to wonder if this is even real.

If you are in MCPS then you aren't paying attention.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is happening in schools throughout MCPS at all grade levels. It's so sad! We moved to the area for the schools, and in the past few years, pulled our kids out of public HS and moved them to private (I still work in public).

My friends and I that are still teaching are miserable. I don't see changes coming any time soon, but I am telling you, something's got to give. We already don't have enough teachers, paraeducators, special educators or substitutes. How the heck does this shake down?!?!

Same story. Moved for the schools then moved from these schools. The culture is OFF in MCPS. Hardest thing to change. You can do better in the DMV for certain.

[Anonymous]

This is why I retired a few years early.

[Anonymous]

I was shocked to read this because I feel like OP's original post could have been written by me.

My school has done a 180 in the wrong direction since I started there a few years ago. It's so bad.
.

And maybe we're not talking about all schools but, yes, we are talking about your school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is happening in schools throughout MCPS at all grade levels. It's so sad! We moved to the area for the schools, and in the past few years, pulled our kids out of public HS and moved them to private (I still work in public).

My friends and I that are still teaching are miserable. I don't see changes coming any time soon, but I am telling you, something's got to give. We already don't have enough teachers, paraeducators, special educators or substitutes. How the heck does this shake down?!?!

They seem like post from some alternate reality. My kids schools are nothing like what's being described here and I just have to wonder if this is even real.

Are you inside of your kids school all day long? Oh you aren’t? Then be quiet and listen to the people actually doing the work. Just because you don’t personally see something doesn’t make it not true. All of your posts are ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

OP sounds like a weak educator and also seems to need more training. Some of the things you mentioned are legit issues like parents being really high maintenance but some of things are developmentally appropriate like fidgets and issues with the Chromebook.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What ES has lockers?

Ours does- Bethesda. My DC have had personal lockers outside their classroom since 1st grade.