Parents: please be kind & patient with MCPS (from a parent)

[Anonymous]

MCPS teachers = excuses. They have never looked out for the most vulnerable in the system. (Special needs kids). Now everyone gets to experience how they have treated the least among us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m very impressed with how MCPS has mobilized delivering food, Chromebooks, online learning, etc. Couldn’t think of a tougher situation for them. It’s not going to be perfect as remote learning isn’t ideal for kids or parents. But it’s going to be fine.

Dp. Can someone explain how mcps got into giving food for students? Dont parents get food assistance for their kids?

Yes. Parents do get benefits for their kids.

Additionally, the thinking is that kids need food to learn, so schools are expected to provide Free and Reduced price meals. Additionally, MCPS does the summer food program and sends weekend backpacks home.

[Anonymous]

I have not had a wonderful MCPS experience and I agree. People are being terrible to MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCPS teachers = excuses. They have never looked out for the most vulnerable in the system. (Special needs kids). Now everyone gets to experience how they have treated the least among us.

That has not been my experience. Yes, a few were terrible, most were good, and a few were great but overall, better than expected after talking to parents like you. Prior to my special needs kid starting school a few miserable and ridiculous parents had me so worried that I almost quit my job to home school. It has been a great experience for the last 10 years she has attended MCPS. Do we always agree, heck no but the teachers have always cared deeply and tried hard to support my kid. But I am nice to them. The truth is that when you have this attitude and treat the teachers like crap, they just make sure you can’t sue them easily and that’s it. They will not go above and sometimes they will say no just to put you in your place. Your kids probably have had a good relationship with many of their teachers but you are a the problem. Sorry, you suck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m very impressed with how MCPS has mobilized delivering food, Chromebooks, online learning, etc. Couldn’t think of a tougher situation for them. It’s not going to be perfect as remote learning isn’t ideal for kids or parents. But it’s going to be fine.

Dp. Can someone explain how mcps got into giving food for students? Dont parents get food assistance for their kids?

Honest question - are you from North America? MCPS gives food to students because every. single. district. in the country gives food to students. Food assistance for famlies in the United States assumes that needy school-aged kids are getting breakfast and lunch at school. The funds for this are federal, but schools provide the food becuase they are the point of service for kids during the day.

[Anonymous]

For a family of four, the food stamp pays the familt $646 per month. I spent less than $150 per week on food for my family. We cook most of the meals at home. In addition to give cooked free food, MCPS may hold cookng classes for parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m very impressed with how MCPS has mobilized delivering food, Chromebooks, online learning, etc. Couldn’t think of a tougher situation for them. It’s not going to be perfect as remote learning isn’t ideal for kids or parents. But it’s going to be fine.

Dp. Can someone explain how mcps got into giving food for students? Dont parents get food assistance for their kids?

Part of food assistance is the meals provided during the school day.

I'm asking how that got started

"The program was established under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, signed into law by President Harry Truman in 1946."

https://www.fns.usda.gov/nslp

Not only is it about educational outcomes but it also about having a standing military that can fight. We were woefully ill-prepared in WWI and WWII due to malnutrition and lack of education. Good nutrition for children is key for the defense of our country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCPS teachers = excuses. They have never looked out for the most vulnerable in the system. (Special needs kids). Now everyone gets to experience how they have treated the least among us.

Stop babbling.

[Anonymous]

Superintendent Smith just sent this to all parents:

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/publicinfo/community/school-year-2019-2020/allin-doing-the-best-20200329.html

Sounds like a bunch of excuses.

Meanwhile, here's a Wash Post article about what other schools are doing:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/plunging-into-remote-learning-families-find-stress-chaos-and-some-surprising-wins/2020/03/27/36429de4-6f90-11ea-aa80-c2470c6b2034_story.html

The best part is this:

In Miami, Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said he started planning for this in January when he first heard about the coronavirus crisis in China. The Miami-Dade County Public Schools had already invested in digital technology, and the district began creating online curriculum, working with the FBI and the Secret Service on digital security.

As the crisis arrived to the United States, Carvalho negotiated an agreement with the teachers union for remote learning weeks before the schools closed. The district surveyed families to find out who needed computers and distributed 60,000 devices. A plan to feed all 350,000 students was put in place.

“If we are going to persist, let’s do it right,” Carvalho said. “Let’s do it big.”

To be sure, there are complaints. But instruction across the district began two days after schools went dark.

Emphasis mine. Miami is a large school system just like MCPS, and they were able to plan ahead. Why not MCPS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For a family of four, the food stamp pays the familt $646 per month. I spent less than $150 per week on food for my family. We cook most of the meals at home. In addition to give cooked free food, MCPS may hold cookng classes for parents.

You are conflating the benefit vs. the budget.

The budget includes both the benefit and an expected contribution from the family’s other sources of income. So not all families receive the same amount and very few receive the full budget amount as a benefit. As a result, families also qualify for WIC or food bank referrals.

From the SNAP website.

SNAP expects families receiving benefits to spend 30 percent of their net income on food. Families with no net income receive the maximum benefit, which is tied to the cost of the Department of Agriculture’s Thrifty Food Plan (TFP), a diet plan intended to provide adequate nutrition at a minimal cost. For all other households, the monthly SNAP benefit equals the maximum benefit for that household size minus the household’s expected contribution.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Superintendent Smith just sent this to all parents:

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/publicinfo/community/school-year-2019-2020/allin-doing-the-best-20200329.html

Sounds like a bunch of excuses.

Meanwhile, here's a Wash Post article about what other schools are doing:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/plunging-into-remote-learning-families-find-stress-chaos-and-some-surprising-wins/2020/03/27/36429de4-6f90-11ea-aa80-c2470c6b2034_story.html

The best part is this:

In Miami, Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said he started planning for this in January when he first heard about the coronavirus crisis in China. The Miami-Dade County Public Schools had already invested in digital technology, and the district began creating online curriculum, working with the FBI and the Secret Service on digital security.

As the crisis arrived to the United States, Carvalho negotiated an agreement with the teachers union for remote learning weeks before the schools closed. The district surveyed families to find out who needed computers and distributed 60,000 devices. A plan to feed all 350,000 students was put in place.

“If we are going to persist, let’s do it right,” Carvalho said. “Let’s do it big.”

To be sure, there are complaints. But instruction across the district began two days after schools went dark.

Emphasis mine. Miami is a large school system just like MCPS, and they were able to plan ahead. Why not MCPS?

MCPS was preoccupied with DCUM panicking that a boundary study meant their children would have to go to school with poor black and brown kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Superintendent Smith just sent this to all parents:

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/publicinfo/community/school-year-2019-2020/allin-doing-the-best-20200329.html

Sounds like a bunch of excuses.

Meanwhile, here's a Wash Post article about what other schools are doing:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/plunging-into-remote-learning-families-find-stress-chaos-and-some-surprising-wins/2020/03/27/36429de4-6f90-11ea-aa80-c2470c6b2034_story.html

The best part is this:

In Miami, Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said he started planning for this in January when he first heard about the coronavirus crisis in China. The Miami-Dade County Public Schools had already invested in digital technology, and the district began creating online curriculum, working with the FBI and the Secret Service on digital security.

As the crisis arrived to the United States, Carvalho negotiated an agreement with the teachers union for remote learning weeks before the schools closed. The district surveyed families to find out who needed computers and distributed 60,000 devices. A plan to feed all 350,000 students was put in place.

“If we are going to persist, let’s do it right,” Carvalho said. “Let’s do it big.”

To be sure, there are complaints. But instruction across the district began two days after schools went dark.

Emphasis mine. Miami is a large school system just like MCPS, and they were able to plan ahead. Why not MCPS?

We moved to Frederick, MD. (many decades in Mo Co)

I cannot believe the easy transition for both of my kids - ES and HS. They received their information last week, and they're continuing to use the system's LMS. Online school begins Monday. HS kid has different deadlines. ES child was given a daily schedule (agenda with times and content areas) and all work is due by 4 pm Friday.

I'm no stranger to the LMS, as I've worked closely with one in particular. All MCPS employees should have been trained in Canvas (or whatever platform chosen) and should have been required to use it with students. As it stands now, many of these poor teachers will be scrambling to figure things out. And if they're given a choice - Canvas or Google - kids and parents will be shifting back and forth between two platforms, which is very confusing. Imagine having seven classes in secondary and having to use two different platforms.

Personally, I think it's about control and ego. Technology should be integrated throughout the system - from "top" (central office) to "bottom" (classroom - which should be at the top!). Teachers are not respected as stakeholders. They are TOLD what to do, and they're ruled by fear.

Some people may disagree, but this has been my observation for many moons.

So yes, as OP stated, please be patient. Teachers are just guinea pigs in this experiment. Parents, do what you can to support your kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Superintendent Smith just sent this to all parents:

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/publicinfo/community/school-year-2019-2020/allin-doing-the-best-20200329.html

Sounds like a bunch of excuses.

Meanwhile, here's a Wash Post article about what other schools are doing:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/plunging-into-remote-learning-families-find-stress-chaos-and-some-surprising-wins/2020/03/27/36429de4-6f90-11ea-aa80-c2470c6b2034_story.html

The best part is this:

In Miami, Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said he started planning for this in January when he first heard about the coronavirus crisis in China. The Miami-Dade County Public Schools had already invested in digital technology, and the district began creating online curriculum, working with the FBI and the Secret Service on digital security.

As the crisis arrived to the United States, Carvalho negotiated an agreement with the teachers union for remote learning weeks before the schools closed. The district surveyed families to find out who needed computers and distributed 60,000 devices. A plan to feed all 350,000 students was put in place.

“If we are going to persist, let’s do it right,” Carvalho said. “Let’s do it big.”

To be sure, there are complaints. But instruction across the district began two days after schools went dark.

Emphasis mine. Miami is a large school system just like MCPS, and they were able to plan ahead. Why not MCPS?

This is just another example of the short sighted mentality of MCPS leadership. The ability to teach remotely should have been developed and utilized for any situation that prevents a student for attending schools for long periods of time. For example, it is a much cheaper option and a more cohesive option when students have long term illnesses that prevent them attending school in person. Another use for remote learning is for when there are weather conditions (ie. snow) that prevent students from traveling safely to school. Finally, distributing Chrombooks and hot spots to students should be done year round so all MCPS students have equal access to tools for learning anytime they are learning including when they are doing homework.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Superintendent Smith just sent this to all parents:

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/publicinfo/community/school-year-2019-2020/allin-doing-the-best-20200329.html

Sounds like a bunch of excuses.

Meanwhile, here's a Wash Post article about what other schools are doing:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/plunging-into-remote-learning-families-find-stress-chaos-and-some-surprising-wins/2020/03/27/36429de4-6f90-11ea-aa80-c2470c6b2034_story.html

The best part is this:

In Miami, Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said he started planning for this in January when he first heard about the coronavirus crisis in China. The Miami-Dade County Public Schools had already invested in digital technology, and the district began creating online curriculum, working with the FBI and the Secret Service on digital security.

As the crisis arrived to the United States, Carvalho negotiated an agreement with the teachers union for remote learning weeks before the schools closed. The district surveyed families to find out who needed computers and distributed 60,000 devices. A plan to feed all 350,000 students was put in place.

“If we are going to persist, let’s do it right,” Carvalho said. “Let’s do it big.”

To be sure, there are complaints. But instruction across the district began two days after schools went dark.

Emphasis mine. Miami is a large school system just like MCPS, and they were able to plan ahead. Why not MCPS?

This is just another example of the short sighted mentality of MCPS leadership. The ability to teach remotely should have been developed and utilized for any situation that prevents a student for attending schools for long periods of time. For example, it is a much cheaper option and a more cohesive option when students have long term illnesses that prevent them attending school in person. Another use for remote learning is for when there are weather conditions (ie. snow) that prevent students from traveling safely to school. Finally, distributing Chrombooks and hot spots to students should be done year round so all MCPS students have equal access to tools for learning anytime they are learning including when they are doing homework.

Miami can expect hurricane disruptions. CA can expect earthquakes and wildfires.

Teaching distance learning is not the same as classroom teaching so having it as an option when a couple students per school are out on long-term illness is not realistic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Superintendent Smith just sent this to all parents:

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/publicinfo/community/school-year-2019-2020/allin-doing-the-best-20200329.html

Sounds like a bunch of excuses.

Meanwhile, here's a Wash Post article about what other schools are doing:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/plunging-into-remote-learning-families-find-stress-chaos-and-some-surprising-wins/2020/03/27/36429de4-6f90-11ea-aa80-c2470c6b2034_story.html

The best part is this:

In Miami, Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said he started planning for this in January when he first heard about the coronavirus crisis in China. The Miami-Dade County Public Schools had already invested in digital technology, and the district began creating online curriculum, working with the FBI and the Secret Service on digital security.

As the crisis arrived to the United States, Carvalho negotiated an agreement with the teachers union for remote learning weeks before the schools closed. The district surveyed families to find out who needed computers and distributed 60,000 devices. A plan to feed all 350,000 students was put in place.

“If we are going to persist, let’s do it right,” Carvalho said. “Let’s do it big.”

To be sure, there are complaints. But instruction across the district began two days after schools went dark.

Emphasis mine. Miami is a large school system just like MCPS, and they were able to plan ahead. Why not MCPS?

We moved to Frederick, MD. (many decades in Mo Co)

I cannot believe the easy transition for both of my kids - ES and HS. They received their information last week, and they're continuing to use the system's LMS. Online school begins Monday. HS kid has different deadlines. ES child was given a daily schedule (agenda with times and content areas) and all work is due by 4 pm Friday.

I'm no stranger to the LMS, as I've worked closely with one in particular. All MCPS employees should have been trained in Canvas (or whatever platform chosen) and should have been required to use it with students. As it stands now, many of these poor teachers will be scrambling to figure things out. And if they're given a choice - Canvas or Google - kids and parents will be shifting back and forth between two platforms, which is very confusing. Imagine having seven classes in secondary and having to use two different platforms.

Personally, I think it's about control and ego. Technology should be integrated throughout the system - from "top" (central office) to "bottom" (classroom - which should be at the top!). Teachers are not respected as stakeholders. They are TOLD what to do, and they're ruled by fear.

Some people may disagree, but this has been my observation for many moons.

So yes, as OP stated, please be patient. Teachers are just guinea pigs in this experiment. Parents, do what you can to support your kids.

You again? For all your talk of a new life in Frederick, you continue to expend a lot of energy on MCPS.