What did your child do on the last day of school at school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, what would you like to happen on the last day of school? Isn’t that the one day that kids can simply just socialize and have fun?

Absolutely. That said, the school year is almost two weeks longer than it was when we moved to FCPS several years ago. So when the kids have done so little the last two weeks, it makes me frustrated that their summer has been shortened for seemingly no good reason. School could have ended after Memorial Day with little to no impact on learning (and without sacrificing the additional holidays added to the calendar).

Except for that pesky state law that school districts must offer either 990 hours or 180 days of instruction...

[Anonymous]

My 8th grader signed yearbooks with friends. As she said, I had fun seeing friends but I see why the high schoolers don’t come the last week and I won’t next year. She has an older brother and has seen him and his friends sleeping in then going out later for a while. I reminded her they have finals (maybe).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, what would you like to happen on the last day of school? Isn’t that the one day that kids can simply just socialize and have fun?

Absolutely. That said, the school year is almost two weeks longer than it was when we moved to FCPS several years ago. So when the kids have done so little the last two weeks, it makes me frustrated that their summer has been shortened for seemingly no good reason. School could have ended after Memorial Day with little to no impact on learning (and without sacrificing the additional holidays added to the calendar).

Except for that pesky state law that school districts must offer either 990 hours or 180 days of
instruction...

That is such a literal response that I won’t bother entertaining it. You understood my point, you just wanted to flex.

[Anonymous]

My high schooler went for the last day. Classes were 10 min each and my child wanted to see their teachers one last time, thank them, and say goodbye. My child was home by 10:30 am. It was nice.

[Anonymous]

Per my son, they sat in the classroom playing on their phones. I could have kept him home but I had to work and he had plans with his friends after school.

[Anonymous]

10th grader- did not go

[Anonymous]

MS Talk- skipped for the first time. went to a different teacher classroom doing 3rd period.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 8th grader signed yearbooks with friends. As she said, I had fun seeing friends but I see why the high schoolers don’t come the last week and I won’t next year. She has an older brother and has seen him and his friends sleeping in then going out later for a while. I reminded her they have finals (maybe).

Last day of school is only fun in elementary and some middle school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The last day and the last three days were one movie after another. The teachers just used movies as their babysitter. They didn’t even play a fun classroom game or read a book or practice penmenship. They have no creativity in the classroom. The teachers checked out last week. The rooms were cleaned last week. They just don’t care.

I’m a high school teacher. I have planned activities up to (and including) the last day… and it’s horrible.

The kids are checked out and don’t want to do anything. It becomes an unnecessary fight which leaves the year on a negative note. And this also keeps me from doing the many close-out tasks I have, so I end up working 70 hour weeks getting it all done at home because I am forcing activities on unwilling participants at school.

And teachers are beyond exhausted. The fatigue isn’t even describable at this point.

So it isn’t being “checked out.” It’s conserving energy and trying to end on a good note.

[Anonymous]

They watched movies all week. This does not happen in private school. Teachers have time after kids go home to clean up but not they use the tv to babysit while they clean up,

[Anonymous]

[youtube]

Anonymous wrote:The last day and the last three days were one movie after another. The teachers just used movies as their babysitter. They didn’t even play a fun classroom game or read a book or practice penmenship. They have no creativity in the classroom. The teachers checked out last week. The rooms were cleaned last week. They just don’t care.

This seems to be a school issue. This was not the case in our school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They watched movies all week. This does not happen in private school. Teachers have time after kids go home to clean up but not they use the tv to babysit while they clean up,

See above post. This is a school issue and principal is allowing it. Not happening at all schools. Parents should address their concerns about all these movies to leadership.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They watched movies all week. This does not happen in private school. Teachers have time after kids go home to clean up but not they use the tv to babysit while they clean up,

See above post. This is a school issue and principal is allowing it. Not happening at all schools. Parents should address their concerns about all these movies to leadership.

Yea you’re right they should do that! No reason the teachers should be able to get things all closed out on their page long end of year task list, which includes but is not limited to…

1. Finishing and finalizing all grades
2. Making sure all students have turned in all school assigned items
3. Making sure teachers have turned in all library and technology items
4. Making sure teachers have ensured and turned in all receipts and dollars to finance
5. Making sure all books if assigned were returned and replanted in the book rooms (yes this all still exists)
6. Cleaned out their classrooms of personal belongings and removing all items from walls (even if in the case of most ms/hs teachers they will have the exact same room next year)
7. Formalized those grades and made phone calls for students who will not matriculate
8. Completed new grading training for next year

Any level teacher is free to chime in with the other items that I forgot

Oh and don’t forget how all you parents will complain when teachers complain and are frustrated about not having enough time to get all prepped during their actual hours in August. Love an es teacher who sadly is stuck in meetings all day being there until 7-8pm for the entire week and half before school starts making the room welcoming for your students. God forbid

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, what would you like to happen on the last day of school? Isn’t that the one day that kids can simply just socialize and have fun?

Absolutely. That said, the school year is almost two weeks longer than it was when we moved to FCPS several years ago. So when the kids have done so little the last two weeks, it makes me frustrated that their summer has been shortened for seemingly no good reason. School could have ended after Memorial Day with little to no impact on learning (and without sacrificing the additional holidays added to the calendar).

Except for that pesky state law that school districts must offer either 990 hours or 180 days of instruction...

Do you think the state really cares that there are parties on the last day of school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They watched movies all week. This does not happen in private school. Teachers have time after kids go home to clean up but not they use the tv to babysit while they clean up,

See above post. This is a school issue and principal is allowing it. Not happening at all schools. Parents should address their concerns about all these movies to leadership.

Yea you’re right they should do that! No reason the teachers should be able to get things all closed out on their page long end of year task list, which includes but is not limited to…

1. Finishing and finalizing all grades
2. Making sure all students have turned in all school assigned items
3. Making sure teachers have turned in all library and technology items
4. Making sure teachers have ensured and turned in all receipts and dollars to finance
5. Making sure all books if assigned were returned and replanted in the book rooms (yes this all still exists)
6. Cleaned out their classrooms of personal belongings and removing all items from walls (even if in the case of most ms/hs teachers they will have the exact same room next year)
7. Formalized those grades and made phone calls for students who will not matriculate
8. Completed new grading training for next year

Any level teacher is free to chime in with the other items that I forgot

Oh and don’t forget how all you parents will complain when teachers complain and are frustrated about not having enough time to get all prepped during their actual hours in August. Love an es teacher who sadly is stuck in meetings all day being there until 7-8pm for the entire week and half before school starts making the room welcoming for your students. God forbid

I am the previous poster and a teacher. Our principal allows 1 movie at end of year. We are expected to teach and have activities planned. I stopped teaching new content June 5. June 6th was Field Day and class parties. I showed 40 mins of a movie that day. The past few days were filled with fun activities, finishing up our read aloud novel, organizing/cleaning and extra recess.

I think limiting movies is a good thing. Having expectations for your staff is also a good thing.