Disney movies regularly shown for music class and library for K and PreK

[Anonymous]

Every SINGLE time? I'm all for the occasional show on rainy days, but can't you read the kids a book during library??

[Anonymous]

I’ve been a teacher for 15+ years at an elementary school with over 1,000 students. My principal set the expectations that there are no shows and movies shown. So parents do not need to tell on teachers because the expectation is higher than tv and movies.

Maybe the principal should start there?

[Anonymous]

Give up and move to nova.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been a teacher for 15+ years at an elementary school with over 1,000 students. My principal set the expectations that there are no shows and movies shown. So parents do not need to tell on teachers because the expectation is higher than tv and movies.

Maybe the principal should start there?[/quote

Yeah, it seems odd to me that the principal can't just set a policy and have teachers follow it. Worst case I would take away the AV equipment from those teachers if I was the principal.

[Anonymous]

It’s definitely a principal problem if parents are policing tv in classrooms. It’s not a parents job to make sure teachers are using best practice in their classes. That’s on admin.

[Anonymous]

OP- how do you know this is happening every time? Anyways- Ia also very laid back about screens and find this not acceptable! I mean why can’t the librarian read some some quality kids books?? Why can’t the music teacher just bring out some little instruments to experiment with? I taught preschool right out of college and I was able to accomplish this easily?

[Anonymous]

What kind of principal allows this to be the standard mode of instruction?? I mean this is pretty bad.

[OJH]

Anonymous wrote:Hi, parents.

At our DCPS, the music teacher and the librarian regularly show Disney movies and other popular cartoons during music and library time. That is, in library, rather than read a book to the kids or have the kids find books, kids only watch cartoons. And in music, rather than play a rhythm instrument, listen to different styles of music, sing, etc., kids only watch cartoons.

Now -- my kids are in PreK and K, and I am pretty sure that music class and library are taken more seriously for grades 1-5. Question -- if you were in my shoes, would you raise concern with the admin or the teachers themselves? Ask that your kid interacts with books during library time and that the music teacher puts in at least a 15-20 minute effort before reverting to the tv? Or would you let it go?

Thanks!

I would find at least 1 other set of concerned parents, raise the issue with an administrator, and then change schools if it doesn't change... Screentime can be warning flag for overall school quality. Perhaps leaders are distracted, or already know and plan to address it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been a teacher for 15+ years at an elementary school with over 1,000 students. My principal set the expectations that there are no shows and movies shown. So parents do not need to tell on teachers because the expectation is higher than tv and movies.

Maybe the principal should start there?

+1 The principal using parents to report on teachers is odd. He/she should set expectations and see that those expectations are followed. Or he/she should remove televisions from the classrooms and library.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been a teacher for 15+ years at an elementary school with over 1,000 students. My principal set the expectations that there are no shows and movies shown. So parents do not need to tell on teachers because the expectation is higher than tv and movies.

Maybe the principal should start there?

+1 The principal using parents to report on teachers is odd. He/she should set expectations and see that those expectations are followed. Or he/she should remove televisions from the classrooms and library.

I taught at a school where the principal used parents to "report" on teachers. Certain kids would go home and tell a version of what happened that day, then the parent would tell the principal, then it would come back to the teacher like a giant game of telephone.

That principal and parents drove so many teachers out it's unbelievable. But parents felt like they had control so they were happy. It was truly a miserable situation. And, no, nothing to do with movies.

[Anonymous]

We experienced this in a bad (failing) DCPS elementary. I hated it, and we lotteried out. It's lazy, plain and simple. In my experience, it was most often the paraprofessionals - as soon as the teacher left the classroom (for a meeting, or something with another student, or testing, or whatever), the TV went on.

All you can do is complain. I'd raise it with the principal and the PTA, if there is one. And when nothing happens, I'd write a letter to the instructional superintendent. And I'd keep trying the lottery.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been a teacher for 15+ years at an elementary school with over 1,000 students. My principal set the expectations that there are no shows and movies shown. So parents do not need to tell on teachers because the expectation is higher than tv and movies.

Maybe the principal should start there?

+1 The principal using parents to report on teachers is odd. He/she should set expectations and see that those expectations are followed. Or he/she should remove televisions from the classrooms and library.

They almost certainly are watching on smartboards with projection, not on actual TV's.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We experienced this in a bad (failing) DCPS elementary. I hated it, and we lotteried out. It's lazy, plain and simple. In my experience, it was most often the paraprofessionals - as soon as the teacher left the classroom (for a meeting, or something with another student, or testing, or whatever), the TV went on.

All you can do is complain. I'd raise it with the principal and the PTA, if there is one. And when nothing happens, I'd write a letter to the instructional superintendent. And I'd keep trying the lottery.

How was this reported to you? Were you in the classrooms?

[Anonymous]

So lazy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Play the lottery and GTFO!

Thank you, Mr. Chancellor.