HS teacher not grading papers for two straight semesters. Does FCPS have a policy on this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All of this really is the result of efforts to achieve equity, even before it was called equity, as represented by scores.

The retakes, the leveled instruction, the IEP meetings, disparate levels and unprepared kids who were pushed through, inability to provide meaningful discipline, IDEA, bahavioral issues related to electronic device culture.

All of this has basically taken the responsibility of the parents and foisted it onto the teachers.

Now not every parent can be as responsible to their kids as some others and therefore there will always be different outcomes, but if the expectation is that someone needs to account for those gaps and it’s not parents, then it’s teachers and here we are.

OMG, the OP asked about a teacher grading nothing for half a year. It's absurd to wait this long for corrections. They mean nothing by this time. Teachers have graded things and provided feedback. This has been figured out by other teachers before you. The fact that you keep giving excuses for this teacher is alarming.

An appeal from a burnt-out, ready-to-quit AP teacher here:

Nobody is making excuses for a teacher who hasn’t graded for 1/2 a year. Several posters have tried to explain what grading looks like for us. I am doing 20 hours of grading a week on top of a 40 hour work week. Every week. I’m home sick today, and I’m grading. I’m always grading. I went to my own kids’ concert last week and graded during the break between sets.

Perhaps if the angry parent on this thread could see that those of us grading are sacrificing hours of our own time DAILY to get comments back, we could get somewhere. Yes, I understand it’s my job… and I am doing it! Stop being nasty and just acknowledge that papers don’t grade themselves. And please don’t send me an email when I don’t get 150 in-class writing responses back within 48 hours. I can’t pause time to get it done.

You are not the first teacher to teach. Do you have any idea what it’s like going through a system for 13 years and hearing the same story excusing bad teaching? Why are you defending this teacher if you are spending so much time grading?

I’m the PP. I wrote “nobody is making excuses” and you interpreted that is “why are you defending this teacher.” It’s clear that you simply want to pick a fight. It looks like you got it. Satisfied? You have good teachers who are sacrificing tons of time with their own families to give you exactly what you want. We DO give back work. Regularly. We simply want you to see that all this work gets done on our own time; we are granted no time during our contract hours to get the bulk of the job done.

I’m within an inch of quitting. Nasty posters like you are not helping. I guarantee you that I AM the teacher you want your kid to have. Why chase me away with your nastiness?

No, I don't. You've posted on here all day. I don't even think you are a teacher in FCPS.

I’ve posted twice. It seems there are other teachers on here who would like to be treated with a small amount of respect.
And yes, I am a teacher, and I attended FCPS as a student. Can you try to be kind? What’s the point of picking on people who are on your side and trying to do the job you want us to do?

What is the point of supporting a teacher who doesn't grade? Why do you support this teacher if they are making teachers look bad?

NP: Because they are doing what I don't have the guts to do--make the job 40 hours so they have a life outside school. It isn't a case of "they could do it during the school day but are choosing other things". Arguably the three most critical parts of our job are teaching, lesson planning, and grading. Only 2 of those can be done in 40 hours. Which do you prefer I give up? Or are you saying the only good teachers are those that are willing to work 60 hours?

If more teachers don't learn how to draw a line, there will be an even greater educator shortage soon.

+ a million. exactly

I read this post earlier and was ready to disagree, but I absolutely see the point. It has become the norm to expect teachers to do all their planning and grading outside of work hours. I come home exhausted after spending 6.5 hours directly in charge of teenagers, and I still have 3-4 hours to prep for the next day. Weekends are all grading.

The PP has a valid point. Why do we continue to do more with less? It certainly isn’t helping us, and our students will suffer as teachers continue to burn out and quit.

I’m going to put some serious thought into slowing down to 45-50 hours a week. If it can’t get done in 10 hour days, it doesn’t get done at all. I feel that’s a very comfortable middle ground. I won’t get grades back quickly, and I’ll have to reevaluate what types of assignments I can give. Comment-heavy ones will be out.

[Anonymous]

No grades for two semesters? No teachers should be defending or trying to rationalize that. Which school is this at, OP?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No grades for two semesters? No teachers should be defending or trying to rationalize that. Which school is this at, OP?

And teachers haven’t been defending it. Teachers have tried to explain the challenges of grading, but nobody has defended this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No grades for two semesters? No teachers should be defending or trying to rationalize that. Which school is this at, OP?

And teachers haven’t been defending it. Teachers have tried to explain the challenges of grading, but nobody has defended this.

Which is why I included "rationalizing." How hard is it to say "Grading can be very time consuming, but that delay is inexcusable" and answer the OP's question?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No grades for two semesters? No teachers should be defending or trying to rationalize that. Which school is this at, OP?

And teachers haven’t been defending it. Teachers have tried to explain the challenges of grading, but nobody has defended this.

Which is why I included "rationalizing." How hard is it to say "Grading can be very time consuming, but that delay is inexcusable" and answer the OP's question?

Perhaps it’s because those of us working around the clock to provide for our students (often by neglecting our families) have grown tired of teacher bashing. Maybe the OP didn’t, but *every* post on DCUM about teachers devolves into complaints. Guess what? The teachers who aren’t grading don’t care. Seriously… I work with some and they really don’t care what you think. They will work their 40 hours, collect a paycheck, not grade, and live life. Those of us doing the job correctly are sacrificing a TON right now, and we DO care. So when you degrade teachers, it’s the good ones who get hurt. The bad ones will gleefully revel in your complaints.

They aren’t going to get fired. Nobody wants their job. So my job gets harder because I adopt the students who transfer out of their classes, and I end up working even more hours. And then I come to DCUM for a break, and parents snap at ME. I can’t fire the bad teachers. I have no control over that, and I'm working too hard to keep my own head above water to take on that fight. I’m increasingly growing tired of taking the blame (and work) from them. So what will I do? Quit.

What would stop me? I don’t know… maybe just a kind word? That’s hard to find these days, I guess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All of this really is the result of efforts to achieve equity, even before it was called equity, as represented by scores.

The retakes, the leveled instruction, the IEP meetings, disparate levels and unprepared kids who were pushed through, inability to provide meaningful discipline, IDEA, bahavioral issues related to electronic device culture.

All of this has basically taken the responsibility of the parents and foisted it onto the teachers.

Now not every parent can be as responsible to their kids as some others and therefore there will always be different outcomes, but if the expectation is that someone needs to account for those gaps and it’s not parents, then it’s teachers and here we are.

OMG, the OP asked about a teacher grading nothing for half a year. It's absurd to wait this long for corrections. They mean nothing by this time. Teachers have graded things and provided feedback. This has been figured out by other teachers before you. The fact that you keep giving excuses for this teacher is alarming.

An appeal from a burnt-out, ready-to-quit AP teacher here:

Nobody is making excuses for a teacher who hasn’t graded for 1/2 a year. Several posters have tried to explain what grading looks like for us. I am doing 20 hours of grading a week on top of a 40 hour work week. Every week. I’m home sick today, and I’m grading. I’m always grading. I went to my own kids’ concert last week and graded during the break between sets.

Perhaps if the angry parent on this thread could see that those of us grading are sacrificing hours of our own time DAILY to get comments back, we could get somewhere. Yes, I understand it’s my job… and I am doing it! Stop being nasty and just acknowledge that papers don’t grade themselves. And please don’t send me an email when I don’t get 150 in-class writing responses back within 48 hours. I can’t pause time to get it done.

You are not the first teacher to teach. Do you have any idea what it’s like going through a system for 13 years and hearing the same story excusing bad teaching? Why are you defending this teacher if you are spending so much time grading?

I’m the PP. I wrote “nobody is making excuses” and you interpreted that is “why are you defending this teacher.” It’s clear that you simply want to pick a fight. It looks like you got it. Satisfied? You have good teachers who are sacrificing tons of time with their own families to give you exactly what you want. We DO give back work. Regularly. We simply want you to see that all this work gets done on our own time; we are granted no time during our contract hours to get the bulk of the job done.

I’m within an inch of quitting. Nasty posters like you are not helping. I guarantee you that I AM the teacher you want your kid to have. Why chase me away with your nastiness?

No, I don't. You've posted on here all day. I don't even think you are a teacher in FCPS.

I’ve posted twice. It seems there are other teachers on here who would like to be treated with a small amount of respect.
And yes, I am a teacher, and I attended FCPS as a student. Can you try to be kind? What’s the point of picking on people who are on your side and trying to do the job you want us to do?

What is the point of supporting a teacher who doesn't grade? Why do you support this teacher if they are making teachers look bad?

NP: Because they are doing what I don't have the guts to do--make the job 40 hours so they have a life outside school. It isn't a case of "they could do it during the school day but are choosing other things". Arguably the three most critical parts of our job are teaching, lesson planning, and grading. Only 2 of those can be done in 40 hours. Which do you prefer I give up? Or are you saying the only good teachers are those that are willing to work 60 hours?

If more teachers don't learn how to draw a line, there will be an even greater educator shortage soon.

So now you are advocating for teachers to not grade? This is why people are fed up with FCPS. I think it comes with the territory that lesson planning, grading and teaching are part of the job. A job which also has a shortened day and many days off. You really think parents think sending their kids to a school system that teachers are protesting grading is worthwhile to their child’s development? No grades is not a solution to improving FCPS schools. People will just move if they can’t afford other options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No grades for two semesters? No teachers should be defending or trying to rationalize that. Which school is this at, OP?

And teachers haven’t been defending it. Teachers have tried to explain the challenges of grading, but nobody has defended this.

Which is why I included "rationalizing." How hard is it to say "Grading can be very time consuming, but that delay is inexcusable" and answer the OP's question?

Perhaps it’s because those of us working around the clock to provide for our students (often by neglecting our families) have grown tired of teacher bashing. Maybe the OP didn’t, but *every* post on DCUM about teachers devolves into complaints. Guess what? The teachers who aren’t grading don’t care. Seriously… I work with some and they really don’t care what you think. They will work their 40 hours, collect a paycheck, not grade, and live life. Those of us doing the job correctly are sacrificing a TON right now, and we DO care. So when you degrade teachers, it’s the good ones who get hurt. The bad ones will gleefully revel in your complaints.

They aren’t going to get fired. Nobody wants their job. So my job gets harder because I adopt the students who transfer out of their classes, and I end up working even more hours. And then I come to DCUM for a break, and parents snap at ME. I can’t fire the bad teachers. I have no control over that, and I'm working too hard to keep my own head above water to take on that fight. I’m increasingly growing tired of taking the blame (and work) from them. So what will I do? Quit.

What would stop me? I don’t know… maybe just a kind word? That’s hard to find these days, I guess.

You are deflecting from OPs question that bring up other grievances. Maybe you don’t get a kind word because you derail to gripe at the wrong time on the wrong issue. Griping when a teacher hasn’t graded for half a year isn’t the best angle to receive a kind word.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All of this really is the result of efforts to achieve equity, even before it was called equity, as represented by scores.

The retakes, the leveled instruction, the IEP meetings, disparate levels and unprepared kids who were pushed through, inability to provide meaningful discipline, IDEA, bahavioral issues related to electronic device culture.

All of this has basically taken the responsibility of the parents and foisted it onto the teachers.

Now not every parent can be as responsible to their kids as some others and therefore there will always be different outcomes, but if the expectation is that someone needs to account for those gaps and it’s not parents, then it’s teachers and here we are.

OMG, the OP asked about a teacher grading nothing for half a year. It's absurd to wait this long for corrections. They mean nothing by this time. Teachers have graded things and provided feedback. This has been figured out by other teachers before you. The fact that you keep giving excuses for this teacher is alarming.

An appeal from a burnt-out, ready-to-quit AP teacher here:

Nobody is making excuses for a teacher who hasn’t graded for 1/2 a year. Several posters have tried to explain what grading looks like for us. I am doing 20 hours of grading a week on top of a 40 hour work week. Every week. I’m home sick today, and I’m grading. I’m always grading. I went to my own kids’ concert last week and graded during the break between sets.

Perhaps if the angry parent on this thread could see that those of us grading are sacrificing hours of our own time DAILY to get comments back, we could get somewhere. Yes, I understand it’s my job… and I am doing it! Stop being nasty and just acknowledge that papers don’t grade themselves. And please don’t send me an email when I don’t get 150 in-class writing responses back within 48 hours. I can’t pause time to get it done.

You are not the first teacher to teach. Do you have any idea what it’s like going through a system for 13 years and hearing the same story excusing bad teaching? Why are you defending this teacher if you are spending so much time grading?

I’m the PP. I wrote “nobody is making excuses” and you interpreted that is “why are you defending this teacher.” It’s clear that you simply want to pick a fight. It looks like you got it. Satisfied? You have good teachers who are sacrificing tons of time with their own families to give you exactly what you want. We DO give back work. Regularly. We simply want you to see that all this work gets done on our own time; we are granted no time during our contract hours to get the bulk of the job done.

I’m within an inch of quitting. Nasty posters like you are not helping. I guarantee you that I AM the teacher you want your kid to have. Why chase me away with your nastiness?

No, I don't. You've posted on here all day. I don't even think you are a teacher in FCPS.

I’ve posted twice. It seems there are other teachers on here who would like to be treated with a small amount of respect.
And yes, I am a teacher, and I attended FCPS as a student. Can you try to be kind? What’s the point of picking on people who are on your side and trying to do the job you want us to do?

What is the point of supporting a teacher who doesn't grade? Why do you support this teacher if they are making teachers look bad?

NP: Because they are doing what I don't have the guts to do--make the job 40 hours so they have a life outside school. It isn't a case of "they could do it during the school day but are choosing other things". Arguably the three most critical parts of our job are teaching, lesson planning, and grading. Only 2 of those can be done in 40 hours. Which do you prefer I give up? Or are you saying the only good teachers are those that are willing to work 60 hours?

If more teachers don't learn how to draw a line, there will be an even greater educator shortage soon.

So now you are advocating for teachers to not grade? This is why people are fed up with FCPS. I think it comes with the territory that lesson planning, grading and teaching are part of the job. A job which also has a shortened day and many days off. You really think parents think sending their kids to a school system that teachers are protesting grading is worthwhile to their child’s development? No grades is not a solution to improving FCPS schools. People will just move if they can’t afford other options.

I give you a grade of F-

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AP teacher.

Those free response questions are the death of me. They take 3-4 minutes each to grade, our tests have two each, so 7 minutes per kid x87 kids = 10 hrs of grading for one test. I have fantasized about not grading them…but I just suck it up and devote one Sunday every 2-3 weeks to nothing but free response grading.

Next year I am going to try to be more strategic and have the kids “pre grade” it themselves using the rubric. Is the teacher showing them what the rubric for the short answer questions looks like? Are they going over what a solid answer looks like and picking apart examples of weaker ones? Are they writing a sample solution as a class after they write individual ones? Are they told what year the question was from so they can look up the rubric in college board’s website?

I think all of these are ways to give feedback without grades. If none of that is happening, then I’d be frustrated and would have my kid reach out to the teacher (cc you on the email for accountability) and ask how to get feedback on the written part. If no answer, then go to the administrator in charge of that department and ask how your child can get feedback on their written portions. That’s the more important piece than the grade, IMO. They are having graded assignments (the gradebook isn’t blank! No surprise entries at the end of the quarter) but your child needs guidance to pass the AP test.

AP has been around for a long time. I don't understand why teachers don't have time anymore. Has the class changed?

In addition, the catholic school my kid went to graded morning work. You know that five minute work that kids do when they enter the school? Regularly my kid got over 10 grades a day.

Awesome. I can guarantee his teacher isn't doing the BS busy work crap that is expected in public school. I haven't had any planning at all this week due to meetings. It is constant. I'm so sick of data meetings. I wish I could quit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No grades for two semesters? No teachers should be defending or trying to rationalize that. Which school is this at, OP?

And teachers haven’t been defending it. Teachers have tried to explain the challenges of grading, but nobody has defended this.

Which is why I included "rationalizing." How hard is it to say "Grading can be very time consuming, but that delay is inexcusable" and answer the OP's question?

Perhaps it’s because those of us working around the clock to provide for our students (often by neglecting our families) have grown tired of teacher bashing. Maybe the OP didn’t, but *every* post on DCUM about teachers devolves into complaints. Guess what? The teachers who aren’t grading don’t care. Seriously… I work with some and they really don’t care what you think. They will work their 40 hours, collect a paycheck, not grade, and live life. Those of us doing the job correctly are sacrificing a TON right now, and we DO care. So when you degrade teachers, it’s the good ones who get hurt. The bad ones will gleefully revel in your complaints.

They aren’t going to get fired. Nobody wants their job. So my job gets harder because I adopt the students who transfer out of their classes, and I end up working even more hours. And then I come to DCUM for a break, and parents snap at ME. I can’t fire the bad teachers. I have no control over that, and I'm working too hard to keep my own head above water to take on that fight. I’m increasingly growing tired of taking the blame (and work) from them. So what will I do? Quit.

What would stop me? I don’t know… maybe just a kind word? That’s hard to find these days, I guess.

You are deflecting from OPs question that bring up other grievances. Maybe you don’t get a kind word because you derail to gripe at the wrong time on the wrong issue. Griping when a teacher hasn’t graded for half a year isn’t the best angle to receive a kind word.

Yes, pick on me. That’ll definitely make this deficient teacher change their ways, right?

I’m going to tell myself that you don’t represent my students or their parents. I’m going to tell myself that there are supportive, kind people who appreciate that I missed my own kid’s band performance because I had to get essays back before grades were due.

You can continue to spit anger into the air. It’ll cause more of the good teachers to quit. Perhaps that wasn’t your intention, but that’s what you’ll get. I have work to do, so I’m signing off so I’m not up to 1 AM for the second time this week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All of this really is the result of efforts to achieve equity, even before it was called equity, as represented by scores.

The retakes, the leveled instruction, the IEP meetings, disparate levels and unprepared kids who were pushed through, inability to provide meaningful discipline, IDEA, bahavioral issues related to electronic device culture.

All of this has basically taken the responsibility of the parents and foisted it onto the teachers.

Now not every parent can be as responsible to their kids as some others and therefore there will always be different outcomes, but if the expectation is that someone needs to account for those gaps and it’s not parents, then it’s teachers and here we are.

OMG, the OP asked about a teacher grading nothing for half a year. It's absurd to wait this long for corrections. They mean nothing by this time. Teachers have graded things and provided feedback. This has been figured out by other teachers before you. The fact that you keep giving excuses for this teacher is alarming.

An appeal from a burnt-out, ready-to-quit AP teacher here:

Nobody is making excuses for a teacher who hasn’t graded for 1/2 a year. Several posters have tried to explain what grading looks like for us. I am doing 20 hours of grading a week on top of a 40 hour work week. Every week. I’m home sick today, and I’m grading. I’m always grading. I went to my own kids’ concert last week and graded during the break between sets.

Perhaps if the angry parent on this thread could see that those of us grading are sacrificing hours of our own time DAILY to get comments back, we could get somewhere. Yes, I understand it’s my job… and I am doing it! Stop being nasty and just acknowledge that papers don’t grade themselves. And please don’t send me an email when I don’t get 150 in-class writing responses back within 48 hours. I can’t pause time to get it done.

You are not the first teacher to teach. Do you have any idea what it’s like going through a system for 13 years and hearing the same story excusing bad teaching? Why are you defending this teacher if you are spending so much time grading?

I’m the PP. I wrote “nobody is making excuses” and you interpreted that is “why are you defending this teacher.” It’s clear that you simply want to pick a fight. It looks like you got it. Satisfied? You have good teachers who are sacrificing tons of time with their own families to give you exactly what you want. We DO give back work. Regularly. We simply want you to see that all this work gets done on our own time; we are granted no time during our contract hours to get the bulk of the job done.

I’m within an inch of quitting. Nasty posters like you are not helping. I guarantee you that I AM the teacher you want your kid to have. Why chase me away with your nastiness?

No, I don't. You've posted on here all day. I don't even think you are a teacher in FCPS.

I’ve posted twice. It seems there are other teachers on here who would like to be treated with a small amount of respect.
And yes, I am a teacher, and I attended FCPS as a student. Can you try to be kind? What’s the point of picking on people who are on your side and trying to do the job you want us to do?

What is the point of supporting a teacher who doesn't grade? Why do you support this teacher if they are making teachers look bad?

NP: Because they are doing what I don't have the guts to do--make the job 40 hours so they have a life outside school. It isn't a case of "they could do it during the school day but are choosing other things". Arguably the three most critical parts of our job are teaching, lesson planning, and grading. Only 2 of those can be done in 40 hours. Which do you prefer I give up? Or are you saying the only good teachers are those that are willing to work 60 hours?

If more teachers don't learn how to draw a line, there will be an even greater educator shortage soon.

So now you are advocating for teachers to not grade? This is why people are fed up with FCPS. I think it comes with the territory that lesson planning, grading and teaching are part of the job. A job which also has a shortened day and many days off. You really think parents think sending their kids to a school system that teachers are protesting grading is worthwhile to their child’s development? No grades is not a solution to improving FCPS schools. People will just move if they can’t afford other options.

Astounding.

If grading is part of the job, then teachers should get time at work to get grading done. Shortened days? I suppose 10 hours is shorter than 11? Summers off? We don’t get paid for summers. It isn’t “summer off.” It’s “unpaid summer.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All of this really is the result of efforts to achieve equity, even before it was called equity, as represented by scores.

The retakes, the leveled instruction, the IEP meetings, disparate levels and unprepared kids who were pushed through, inability to provide meaningful discipline, IDEA, bahavioral issues related to electronic device culture.

All of this has basically taken the responsibility of the parents and foisted it onto the teachers.

Now not every parent can be as responsible to their kids as some others and therefore there will always be different outcomes, but if the expectation is that someone needs to account for those gaps and it’s not parents, then it’s teachers and here we are.

OMG, the OP asked about a teacher grading nothing for half a year. It's absurd to wait this long for corrections. They mean nothing by this time. Teachers have graded things and provided feedback. This has been figured out by other teachers before you. The fact that you keep giving excuses for this teacher is alarming.

An appeal from a burnt-out, ready-to-quit AP teacher here:

Nobody is making excuses for a teacher who hasn’t graded for 1/2 a year. Several posters have tried to explain what grading looks like for us. I am doing 20 hours of grading a week on top of a 40 hour work week. Every week. I’m home sick today, and I’m grading. I’m always grading. I went to my own kids’ concert last week and graded during the break between sets.

Perhaps if the angry parent on this thread could see that those of us grading are sacrificing hours of our own time DAILY to get comments back, we could get somewhere. Yes, I understand it’s my job… and I am doing it! Stop being nasty and just acknowledge that papers don’t grade themselves. And please don’t send me an email when I don’t get 150 in-class writing responses back within 48 hours. I can’t pause time to get it done.

You are not the first teacher to teach. Do you have any idea what it’s like going through a system for 13 years and hearing the same story excusing bad teaching? Why are you defending this teacher if you are spending so much time grading?

I’m the PP. I wrote “nobody is making excuses” and you interpreted that is “why are you defending this teacher.” It’s clear that you simply want to pick a fight. It looks like you got it. Satisfied? You have good teachers who are sacrificing tons of time with their own families to give you exactly what you want. We DO give back work. Regularly. We simply want you to see that all this work gets done on our own time; we are granted no time during our contract hours to get the bulk of the job done.

I’m within an inch of quitting. Nasty posters like you are not helping. I guarantee you that I AM the teacher you want your kid to have. Why chase me away with your nastiness?

No, I don't. You've posted on here all day. I don't even think you are a teacher in FCPS.

I’ve posted twice. It seems there are other teachers on here who would like to be treated with a small amount of respect.
And yes, I am a teacher, and I attended FCPS as a student. Can you try to be kind? What’s the point of picking on people who are on your side and trying to do the job you want us to do?

What is the point of supporting a teacher who doesn't grade? Why do you support this teacher if they are making teachers look bad?

NP: Because they are doing what I don't have the guts to do--make the job 40 hours so they have a life outside school. It isn't a case of "they could do it during the school day but are choosing other things". Arguably the three most critical parts of our job are teaching, lesson planning, and grading. Only 2 of those can be done in 40 hours. Which do you prefer I give up? Or are you saying the only good teachers are those that are willing to work 60 hours?

If more teachers don't learn how to draw a line, there will be an even greater educator shortage soon.

So now you are advocating for teachers to not grade? This is why people are fed up with FCPS. I think it comes with the territory that lesson planning, grading and teaching are part of the job. A job which also has a shortened day and many days off. You really think parents think sending their kids to a school system that teachers are protesting grading is worthwhile to their child’s development? No grades is not a solution to improving FCPS schools. People will just move if they can’t afford other options.

Astounding.

If grading is part of the job, then teachers should get time at work to get grading done. Shortened days? I suppose 10 hours is shorter than 11? Summers off? We don’t get paid for summers. It isn’t “summer off.” It’s “unpaid summer.”

You seriously are going to write to your principal and say that grading isn’t necessary at the high school level because you can’t get it done during working hours? Then they are going to write to the school board and superintendent and then they are going to let the colleges know that high school grading in FCPS is no longer a requirement of teachers? You talk big despite of course knowing that high schoolers need grades to apply to colleges and graduate. Are you actually planning on following through? I guess you have company with OPs teacher. I’d love to hear the parental and student support you receive for giving up on grading. Let us know how it works out. You did this for your own kids too right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All of this really is the result of efforts to achieve equity, even before it was called equity, as represented by scores.

The retakes, the leveled instruction, the IEP meetings, disparate levels and unprepared kids who were pushed through, inability to provide meaningful discipline, IDEA, bahavioral issues related to electronic device culture.

All of this has basically taken the responsibility of the parents and foisted it onto the teachers.

Now not every parent can be as responsible to their kids as some others and therefore there will always be different outcomes, but if the expectation is that someone needs to account for those gaps and it’s not parents, then it’s teachers and here we are.

OMG, the OP asked about a teacher grading nothing for half a year. It's absurd to wait this long for corrections. They mean nothing by this time. Teachers have graded things and provided feedback. This has been figured out by other teachers before you. The fact that you keep giving excuses for this teacher is alarming.

An appeal from a burnt-out, ready-to-quit AP teacher here:

Nobody is making excuses for a teacher who hasn’t graded for 1/2 a year. Several posters have tried to explain what grading looks like for us. I am doing 20 hours of grading a week on top of a 40 hour work week. Every week. I’m home sick today, and I’m grading. I’m always grading. I went to my own kids’ concert last week and graded during the break between sets.

Perhaps if the angry parent on this thread could see that those of us grading are sacrificing hours of our own time DAILY to get comments back, we could get somewhere. Yes, I understand it’s my job… and I am doing it! Stop being nasty and just acknowledge that papers don’t grade themselves. And please don’t send me an email when I don’t get 150 in-class writing responses back within 48 hours. I can’t pause time to get it done.

You are not the first teacher to teach. Do you have any idea what it’s like going through a system for 13 years and hearing the same story excusing bad teaching? Why are you defending this teacher if you are spending so much time grading?

I’m the PP. I wrote “nobody is making excuses” and you interpreted that is “why are you defending this teacher.” It’s clear that you simply want to pick a fight. It looks like you got it. Satisfied? You have good teachers who are sacrificing tons of time with their own families to give you exactly what you want. We DO give back work. Regularly. We simply want you to see that all this work gets done on our own time; we are granted no time during our contract hours to get the bulk of the job done.

I’m within an inch of quitting. Nasty posters like you are not helping. I guarantee you that I AM the teacher you want your kid to have. Why chase me away with your nastiness?

No, I don't. You've posted on here all day. I don't even think you are a teacher in FCPS.

I’ve posted twice. It seems there are other teachers on here who would like to be treated with a small amount of respect.
And yes, I am a teacher, and I attended FCPS as a student. Can you try to be kind? What’s the point of picking on people who are on your side and trying to do the job you want us to do?

What is the point of supporting a teacher who doesn't grade? Why do you support this teacher if they are making teachers look bad?

NP: Because they are doing what I don't have the guts to do--make the job 40 hours so they have a life outside school. It isn't a case of "they could do it during the school day but are choosing other things". Arguably the three most critical parts of our job are teaching, lesson planning, and grading. Only 2 of those can be done in 40 hours. Which do you prefer I give up? Or are you saying the only good teachers are those that are willing to work 60 hours?

If more teachers don't learn how to draw a line, there will be an even greater educator shortage soon.

+ a million. exactly

I read this post earlier and was ready to disagree, but I absolutely see the point. It has become the norm to expect teachers to do all their planning and grading outside of work hours. I come home exhausted after spending 6.5 hours directly in charge of teenagers, and I still have 3-4 hours to prep for the next day. Weekends are all grading.

The PP has a valid point. Why do we continue to do more with less? It certainly isn’t helping us, and our students will suffer as teachers continue to burn out and quit.

I’m going to put some serious thought into slowing down to 45-50 hours a week. If it can’t get done in 10 hour days, it doesn’t get done at all. I feel that’s a very comfortable middle ground. I won’t get grades back quickly, and I’ll have to reevaluate what types of assignments I can give. Comment-heavy ones will be out.

I think this is more than reasonable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No grades for two semesters? No teachers should be defending or trying to rationalize that. Which school is this at, OP?

And teachers haven’t been defending it. Teachers have tried to explain the challenges of grading, but nobody has defended this.

Which is why I included "rationalizing." How hard is it to say "Grading can be very time consuming, but that delay is inexcusable" and answer the OP's question?

Perhaps it’s because those of us working around the clock to provide for our students (often by neglecting our families) have grown tired of teacher bashing. Maybe the OP didn’t, but *every* post on DCUM about teachers devolves into complaints. Guess what? The teachers who aren’t grading don’t care. Seriously… I work with some and they really don’t care what you think. They will work their 40 hours, collect a paycheck, not grade, and live life. Those of us doing the job correctly are sacrificing a TON right now, and we DO care. So when you degrade teachers, it’s the good ones who get hurt. The bad ones will gleefully revel in your complaints.

They aren’t going to get fired. Nobody wants their job. So my job gets harder because I adopt the students who transfer out of their classes, and I end up working even more hours. And then I come to DCUM for a break, and parents snap at ME. I can’t fire the bad teachers. I have no control over that, and I'm working too hard to keep my own head above water to take on that fight. I’m increasingly growing tired of taking the blame (and work) from them. So what will I do? Quit.

What would stop me? I don’t know… maybe just a kind word? That’s hard to find these days, I guess.

You are deflecting from OPs question that bring up other grievances. Maybe you don’t get a kind word because you derail to gripe at the wrong time on the wrong issue. Griping when a teacher hasn’t graded for half a year isn’t the best angle to receive a kind word.

Yes, pick on me. That’ll definitely make this deficient teacher change their ways, right?

I’m going to tell myself that you don’t represent my students or their parents. I’m going to tell myself that there are supportive, kind people who appreciate that I missed my own kid’s band performance because I had to get essays back before grades were due.

You can continue to spit anger into the air. It’ll cause more of the good teachers to quit. Perhaps that wasn’t your intention, but that’s what you’ll get. I have work to do, so I’m signing off so I’m not up to 1 AM for the second time this week.

You are self absorbed. This thread is not about you so why are you making it so? You never answered OPs question so I don’t think OP will care if you sign off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All of this really is the result of efforts to achieve equity, even before it was called equity, as represented by scores.

The retakes, the leveled instruction, the IEP meetings, disparate levels and unprepared kids who were pushed through, inability to provide meaningful discipline, IDEA, bahavioral issues related to electronic device culture.

All of this has basically taken the responsibility of the parents and foisted it onto the teachers.

Now not every parent can be as responsible to their kids as some others and therefore there will always be different outcomes, but if the expectation is that someone needs to account for those gaps and it’s not parents, then it’s teachers and here we are.

OMG, the OP asked about a teacher grading nothing for half a year. It's absurd to wait this long for corrections. They mean nothing by this time. Teachers have graded things and provided feedback. This has been figured out by other teachers before you. The fact that you keep giving excuses for this teacher is alarming.

An appeal from a burnt-out, ready-to-quit AP teacher here:

Nobody is making excuses for a teacher who hasn’t graded for 1/2 a year. Several posters have tried to explain what grading looks like for us. I am doing 20 hours of grading a week on top of a 40 hour work week. Every week. I’m home sick today, and I’m grading. I’m always grading. I went to my own kids’ concert last week and graded during the break between sets.

Perhaps if the angry parent on this thread could see that those of us grading are sacrificing hours of our own time DAILY to get comments back, we could get somewhere. Yes, I understand it’s my job… and I am doing it! Stop being nasty and just acknowledge that papers don’t grade themselves. And please don’t send me an email when I don’t get 150 in-class writing responses back within 48 hours. I can’t pause time to get it done.

You are not the first teacher to teach. Do you have any idea what it’s like going through a system for 13 years and hearing the same story excusing bad teaching? Why are you defending this teacher if you are spending so much time grading?

I’m the PP. I wrote “nobody is making excuses” and you interpreted that is “why are you defending this teacher.” It’s clear that you simply want to pick a fight. It looks like you got it. Satisfied? You have good teachers who are sacrificing tons of time with their own families to give you exactly what you want. We DO give back work. Regularly. We simply want you to see that all this work gets done on our own time; we are granted no time during our contract hours to get the bulk of the job done.

I’m within an inch of quitting. Nasty posters like you are not helping. I guarantee you that I AM the teacher you want your kid to have. Why chase me away with your nastiness?

No, I don't. You've posted on here all day. I don't even think you are a teacher in FCPS.

I’ve posted twice. It seems there are other teachers on here who would like to be treated with a small amount of respect.
And yes, I am a teacher, and I attended FCPS as a student. Can you try to be kind? What’s the point of picking on people who are on your side and trying to do the job you want us to do?

What is the point of supporting a teacher who doesn't grade? Why do you support this teacher if they are making teachers look bad?

NP: Because they are doing what I don't have the guts to do--make the job 40 hours so they have a life outside school. It isn't a case of "they could do it during the school day but are choosing other things". Arguably the three most critical parts of our job are teaching, lesson planning, and grading. Only 2 of those can be done in 40 hours. Which do you prefer I give up? Or are you saying the only good teachers are those that are willing to work 60 hours?

If more teachers don't learn how to draw a line, there will be an even greater educator shortage soon.

So now you are advocating for teachers to not grade? This is why people are fed up with FCPS. I think it comes with the territory that lesson planning, grading and teaching are part of the job. A job which also has a shortened day and many days off. You really think parents think sending their kids to a school system that teachers are protesting grading is worthwhile to their child’s development? No grades is not a solution to improving FCPS schools. People will just move if they can’t afford other options.

Astounding.

If grading is part of the job, then teachers should get time at work to get grading done. Shortened days? I suppose 10 hours is shorter than 11? Summers off? We don’t get paid for summers. It isn’t “summer off.” It’s “unpaid summer.”

You seriously are going to write to your principal and say that grading isn’t necessary at the high school level because you can’t get it done during working hours? Then they are going to write to the school board and superintendent and then they are going to let the colleges know that high school grading in FCPS is no longer a requirement of teachers? You talk big despite of course knowing that high schoolers need grades to apply to colleges and graduate. Are you actually planning on following through? I guess you have company with OPs teacher. I’d love to hear the parental and student support you receive for giving up on grading. Let us know how it works out. You did this for your own kids too right?

WOW!
Please tell me you are just trying to be purposefully disrespectful and obtuse. That’s the only explanation I can think of for your ridiculously insulting response.

You make me physically sick. I spent 17 hours grading last weekend out of respect for my students. I’m grateful they are kinder, more appreciative people than you. Please do us all a favor and keep your hateful views to yourself. There are younger teachers working their tails off who won’t know how to ignore your misguided hate.