1/2 day Wed for 2025-25 school year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just don't understand why we can't end school an 30 minutes early every day to fit in that planning time.

This is the best idea. There's no reason that predictable and unencumbered planning time should be so difficult to achieve. Elementary days are already really long and 30 mins a day isn't a big deal.

+1
Yes! Great idea!

You really think ending the ES day 30 minutes early every day -- or 2 1/2 hours of planning time a week -- won't be filled with more meetings?

I’m not a teacher so don’t know. I think it seems like the SB needs to put a cap on meetings though.

[Anonymous]

Wow! Sounds like what I had growing up in France… it was a complete s-show (or would have been had my grandmother not been young and local)… so does the aftercare just step in?

[Anonymous]

The two biggest time sucks for me:

1) “Collaborative planning.” We are put in a room with our grade level team and told to collectively analyze test data (usually weeks old), “unpack the standards,” etc. There are dumb protocols we have to follow. It makes everything take 5x as long. If I point out I analyzed my class’s data myself the day they took the test, because I actually know the kids and understand their strengths (and don’t need someone with a third of my experience telling me how to interpret a math test), I am Not Following Best Practice. We are not allowed to use collaborative planning time to do any of the housekeeping tasks we used to (field trip planning, supply orders, preparing actual lesson materials, etc.) because those things “don’t directly impact student learning” so we have to use some of our “unencumbered” planning time to meet again and actually accomplish things.

2) Behavior issues. Calling parents for issues that the assistant principal used to handle, writing up incidents for “documentation” purposes, meeting with counselors or admin to come up with plans that usually involve something like “spend 5 minutes each day engaging the child one-on-one in a positive activity the child enjoys,” then documenting that, then recording the frequency of the target behavior with the “intervention” in place for 6 weeks, etc. Repeat for 7 or 8 more children. Submitting an office referral for an egregious incident only to have it rejected from the system and told we need to not do referrals because admin gets in trouble if referral numbers are too high. So instead, “document and call the parent.”

With all of this, time to actually plan, grade, and prep materials is non-existent. Elementary gets significantly less planning time than middle and high school. I think continuing the monthly early releases is probably a way to get done all of the extra BS trainings and meetings from the district without taking even more planning time from elementary teachers.

Alternatively they could… stop all the BS meetings and support teachers with behaviors to give us some time back.

[Anonymous]

Alternatively they could… stop all the BS meetings and support teachers with behaviors to give us some time back.

But, that would mean all those "Specialists and coaches" would have to go into the classroom for real. They need those meetings with you in order to justify their existence.

[Anonymous]

Elementary teachers get no planning time. It’s to give them planning time they need.

[Anonymous]

Does this apply to all grades or just ES? Either way, this is a terrible idea. It needs to be protested and the SB needs to be fired for proposing this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The two biggest time sucks for me:

1) “Collaborative planning.” We are put in a room with our grade level team and told to collectively analyze test data (usually weeks old), “unpack the standards,” etc. There are dumb protocols we have to follow. It makes everything take 5x as long. If I point out I analyzed my class’s data myself the day they took the test, because I actually know the kids and understand their strengths (and don’t need someone with a third of my experience telling me how to interpret a math test), I am Not Following Best Practice. We are not allowed to use collaborative planning time to do any of the housekeeping tasks we used to (field trip planning, supply orders, preparing actual lesson materials, etc.) because those things “don’t directly impact student learning” so we have to use some of our “unencumbered” planning time to meet again and actually accomplish things.

2) Behavior issues. Calling parents for issues that the assistant principal used to handle, writing up incidents for “documentation” purposes, meeting with counselors or admin to come up with plans that usually involve something like “spend 5 minutes each day engaging the child one-on-one in a positive activity the child enjoys,” then documenting that, then recording the frequency of the target behavior with the “intervention” in place for 6 weeks, etc. Repeat for 7 or 8 more children. Submitting an office referral for an egregious incident only to have it rejected from the system and told we need to not do referrals because admin gets in trouble if referral numbers are too high. So instead, “document and call the parent.”

With all of this, time to actually plan, grade, and prep materials is non-existent. Elementary gets significantly less planning time than middle and high school. I think continuing the monthly early releases is probably a way to get done all of the extra BS trainings and meetings from the district without taking even more planning time from elementary teachers.

Alternatively they could… stop all the BS meetings and support teachers with behaviors to give us some time back.

You do realize parents would love the bolded, right? With the exception of the ones who freak out when you try to give their kid consequences (and I know they exist, two different families at our bus stop were them...), most of us would love an '80s/'90s environment for our kids' teachers.

It's VDOE, Gatehouse, and school administration that think otherwise.

There was a school board candidate last election cycle who ran on this kind of thing, but because he wasn't endorsed by any party he didn't get a lot of traction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The two biggest time sucks for me:

1) “Collaborative planning.” We are put in a room with our grade level team and told to collectively analyze test data (usually weeks old), “unpack the standards,” etc. There are dumb protocols we have to follow. It makes everything take 5x as long. If I point out I analyzed my class’s data myself the day they took the test, because I actually know the kids and understand their strengths (and don’t need someone with a third of my experience telling me how to interpret a math test), I am Not Following Best Practice. We are not allowed to use collaborative planning time to do any of the housekeeping tasks we used to (field trip planning, supply orders, preparing actual lesson materials, etc.) because those things “don’t directly impact student learning” so we have to use some of our “unencumbered” planning time to meet again and actually accomplish things.

2) Behavior issues. Calling parents for issues that the assistant principal used to handle, writing up incidents for “documentation” purposes, meeting with counselors or admin to come up with plans that usually involve something like “spend 5 minutes each day engaging the child one-on-one in a positive activity the child enjoys,” then documenting that, then recording the frequency of the target behavior with the “intervention” in place for 6 weeks, etc. Repeat for 7 or 8 more children. Submitting an office referral for an egregious incident only to have it rejected from the system and told we need to not do referrals because admin gets in trouble if referral numbers are too high. So instead, “document and call the parent.”

With all of this, time to actually plan, grade, and prep materials is non-existent. Elementary gets significantly less planning time than middle and high school. I think continuing the monthly early releases is probably a way to get done all of the extra BS trainings and meetings from the district without taking even more planning time from elementary teachers.

Alternatively they could… stop all the BS meetings and support teachers with behaviors to give us some time back.

You do realize parents would love the bolded, right? With the exception of the ones who freak out when you try to give their kid consequences (and I know they exist, two different families at our bus stop were them...), most of us would love an '80s/'90s environment for our kids' teachers.

It's VDOE, Gatehouse, and school administration that think otherwise.

There was a school board candidate last election cycle who ran on this kind of thing, but because he wasn't endorsed by any party he didn't get a lot of traction.

Teacher Poster: Do the APs still have jobs? Because if they do, I don't think the teachers should be stuck with all the discipline. This is why some parent scramble to get their kids into AAP --they perceive, rightly or wrongly, that misbehavior will be less in the AAP classroom. And what you've said about reporting incidents just reinforces my perception that the school discipline info we see is bogus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Elementary teachers get no planning time. It’s to give them planning time they need.

I thought specials was their planning time? Music, PE, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Elementary teachers get no planning time. It’s to give them planning time they need.

I thought specials was their planning time? Music, PE, etc.

What do they need to plan when most only teach using videos?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Elementary teachers get no planning time. It’s to give them planning time they need.

The bargaining agreement guarantees at least 240 minutes of unencumbered planning time each week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Elementary teachers get no planning time. It’s to give them planning time they need.

I thought specials was their planning time? Music, PE, etc.

See the long teacher post above for what happens to that time.

[Anonymous]

Oh boy, the email just went out...

[Anonymous]

Boo..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh boy, the email just went out...

Link as needed:
https://www.fcps.edu/news/limited-early-release-wednesdays-school-year-2025-26