demoralized in MCPS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Teacher here and I'll say what nobody else wants to say. There's been an increase in housing vouchers in Germantown. There were many students at the school I worked at who had multiple families under one roof. In some cases, the parent(s) are doing the best that they can and working multiple jobs. Unfortunately, screens become the child's guardian. In other cases, parents are affiliated with gangs and/or on drugs. They're too busy partying to take an active role in their children's academics. I've had parents tell their students that they won't answer any school calls so don't worry about any infractions. I grew up in a house where I would have been terrified for my parents to be called, let alone asked to come in for a meeting. Nothing phases them and I was getting close to burning out. I'm glad I left.

Housing vouchers?

This kind: http://www.hocmc.org/extra/11-housing-choice-voucher-holders.html ?

And you know that a family has a housing voucher because...?

NP here who is also a teacher. It doesn't take a genius to figure that one out.

OK. So, how do you know?

DP

This is not hard to learn/know/figure out. Do you work in a school? Teachers/admin/paras are all pretty aware of this kind of thing. This and residency fraud, but that's a different issue.

I work in a school. There’s no way for a teacher or para to find out if a family is on Section 8 except reading a completed federal housing impact forms kids turn in rather than the family mailing. Not every family would make that error and others won’t complete the form anyway so your snooping would miss most Section 8 users. And why would you as an educator read their form anyway? There’s no academic benefit to gleaning that info.

Simple. Every time my son complained about an out-of-control kid, I looked up the family’s address and found they lived in an apartment building that took Section 8 vouchers.

That doesn’t mean the entire building is occupied by people using section 8. Our building is considered luxury and accepts vouchers. Many SFH for rent in nice neighborhoods also take Section 8.

You seem to think low income means out of control children. There are out of control children of every socioeconomic background. We just accept it more from wealthy and middle class kids.

[Anonymous]

I think the person calling teachers trolls is probably actually a principal oor union director trying to gather Intel and deduce who whistle blowers are in order to retaliate. Everyone knows this system is corrupt from the rapes, to the gang fights, to the principals who want teachers to be hired and fired on a yearly basis if they actually try to do their jobs by trying to teach and improve the system.

[Anonymous]

W schools have just as many problems. This is not a title 1/focus/housing voucher/or any other group of schools or group of kids problem: it us an MCPS problem! No consequences for any misconduct, parents who are in denial and/or do not want their child 'labeled,' and too much data needing to be collected and documented before something can be done without parents consent. It is a disservice to all, from the kids who need extra help and/extra services and aren't getting them to the ones who have their learning disrupted all the time.

It is a disaster. And for those of you who think we are yelling the sky is falling because MCPS is so wonderful, lucky you for finding the unicorn school, because I don't know anyone across the county who hasn't experienced this to some degree in the past few years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:W schools have just as many problems. This is not a title 1/focus/housing voucher/or any other group of schools or group of kids problem: it us an MCPS problem! No consequences for any misconduct, parents who are in denial and/or do not want their child 'labeled,' and too much data needing to be collected and documented before something can be done without parents consent. It is a disservice to all, from the kids who need extra help and/extra services and aren't getting them to the ones who have their learning disrupted all the time.

It is a disaster. And for those of you who think we are yelling the sky is falling because MCPS is so wonderful, lucky you for finding the unicorn school, because I don't know anyone across the county who hasn't experienced this to some degree in the past few years.

Some of us who think you are yelling the sky is falling, think you are yelling the sky is falling because you are, in fact, yelling that the sky is falling. Is MCPS perfect? No. Is the sky falling? Also no.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:W schools have just as many problems. This is not a title 1/focus/housing voucher/or any other group of schools or group of kids problem: it us an MCPS problem! No consequences for any misconduct, parents who are in denial and/or do not want their child 'labeled,' and too much data needing to be collected and documented before something can be done without parents consent. It is a disservice to all, from the kids who need extra help and/extra services and aren't getting them to the ones who have their learning disrupted all the time.

It is a disaster. And for those of you who think we are yelling the sky is falling because MCPS is so wonderful, lucky you for finding the unicorn school, because I don't know anyone across the county who hasn't experienced this to some degree in the past few years.

Some of us who think you are yelling the sky is falling, think you are yelling the sky is falling because you are, in fact, yelling that the sky is falling. Is MCPS perfect? No. Is the sky falling? Also no.

When the sky drops a few centimeters each day, it doesn't appear to be falling . . .

until one day it hits you on your head

When you're in the system, you see it. When you're not, you don't. It's that simple.

[Anonymous]

Dear teachers,

There are still more good students than bad students. I am sorry if the bad students are making your life miserable.

[Anonymous]

All I can say is that I've been in the classroom many times at my kids' elementary, and I have not seen anything remotely like what is being described. It is school with a 30%ish farms rate.

I don't get the disconnect. Could someone give me SPECIFIC examples of how it is much worse than before? Hasn't bullying always been an issue? ADHD always been an issue (before prevalent medication)? Mental illness or difficulties at home always been an issue?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All I can say is that I've been in the classroom many times at my kids' elementary, and I have not seen anything remotely like what is being described. It is school with a 30%ish farms rate.

I don't get the disconnect. Could someone give me SPECIFIC examples of how it is much worse than before? Hasn't bullying always been an issue? ADHD always been an issue (before prevalent medication)? Mental illness or difficulties at home always been an issue?

A lot depends on the students and whether or not they are being parented properly. I am at a Title 1 school and many of the students raise themselves and it shows. It is very sad but the behaviors they bring to school are over the top. Five year olds screaming swear words to teachers and other students, a lot of physical behaviors and the complete inability to pay attention or follow directions. Yesterday, a kindergartener punched a classmate in the eye because she was sitting in her spot on the carpet. When the student's parents were called, they said that it happened at school and to deal with it there. Sigh. 21 more days!

[Anonymous]

Few rotten apples...
Few bad fish...

[Anonymous]

Of course MCEA can intervene with your woes......by making sure your life is hell, firing you, and smearing your reputation. How's your morale now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Simple. Every time my son complained about an out-of-control kid, I looked up the family’s address and found they lived in an apartment building that took Section 8 vouchers.

Complicated answer:

1. Everybody ought to take housing choice vouchers (unless you prefer for users of housing choice vouchers to be concentrated in high-poverty neighborhoods, and the whole point of housing choice vouchers was for this to NOT happen)
2. Living in a building where people use housing choice vouchers does not mean that your family uses a housing choice voucher
3. 7,144 housing choice vouchers IN THE WHOLE COUNTY.

Simpler answer: troll.

This is not the only type of subsidized housing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Simple. Every time my son complained about an out-of-control kid, I looked up the family’s address and found they lived in an apartment building that took Section 8 vouchers.

Complicated answer:

1. Everybody ought to take housing choice vouchers (unless you prefer for users of housing choice vouchers to be concentrated in high-poverty neighborhoods, and the whole point of housing choice vouchers was for this to NOT happen)
2. Living in a building where people use housing choice vouchers does not mean that your family uses a housing choice voucher
3. 7,144 housing choice vouchers IN THE WHOLE COUNTY.

Simpler answer: troll.

This is not the only type of subsidized housing.

Then please explain what other subsidized housing types the PP was talking about, in their comment about apartment buildings that take Section 8 vouchers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All I can say is that I've been in the classroom many times at my kids' elementary, and I have not seen anything remotely like what is being described. It is school with a 30%ish farms rate.

I don't get the disconnect. Could someone give me SPECIFIC examples of how it is much worse than before? Hasn't bullying always been an issue? ADHD always been an issue (before prevalent medication)? Mental illness or difficulties at home always been an issue?

It might be that you're fortunate? Or, that you're at a well-run school? Or, you've just had fantastic teachers!

Also, how much time are you really spending in the classroom? Are you there for field trips and occasional volunteering? Maybe that's why you're not seeing any issues.

Talk to your kids about what kind of behavior issues they've witnessed. They might have some interesting anecdotes to report.

I agree that bullying and ADHD have been issues. However the complete disrespect for teachers and the complete disrespect for rules has been worsening for sure. And, I agree with the PP that this an MCPS wide problem. Not just in lower income or higher income schools.

Sure, boys have always been fighting at recess or at lunch. But, my 4th grader witnessed a fight IN the classroom, during the day, AT school. WTF?

Sure, kids have always been disrespectful to teachers, but my K kid had a kid in his class who punched his pregnant K teacher in the stomach. My other kid had a kid in her class who cursed at the teacher.

The issue really is that maybe there used to be more consequences for poor behavior. Whereas now, mostly due to PBIS and the MCPS Code of Conduct, there are very few options for punitive consequences. So, the kids learn early that they can misbehave.

I think it's great that your kid has never had any issues in his/her classroom! Hopefully that continues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This has always been MCPS and nothing new. Get used to it or change jobs. We know.

No it hasn't ALWAYS been this way, I know, I attended as a child and worked in MCPS as an adult. You are wrong. What this is, Op, is the new norm, something our Democratic voters have come to force us to accept. Op, please leave, if possible and go to another community or state. You have one life, don't waste those years dealing with the social experiment gone amuck that has become MCPS and its' supporters. Go make your difference someplace that appreciates you and your talents. I appreciate your efforts to reach out to parents but they don't care in this area, they hate criticism and will only see you as the problem. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

At this point, teachers that are not able or willing to handle these types of situations should be more strategic in which schools they apply to. Typically whenever the FARMS rate goes over 25% we start to see a situation where teachers can get overwhelmed and are not able to give the students the attention they deserve. You end up with bad combinations of students in classrooms and no easy way to manage things. This results in an eventual drop in test scores. Teachers who are not interested in dealing with these situations should look to schools with FARMs rates below that 25% threshhold.