7 Math teachers are leaving Richard Montgomerry HS

[Anonymous]

Ok DCUM, here’s the scoop on the 7 math teachers leaving RM.

For a long time now, math teachers have felt unsupported by the administration. Parents and students complain about grading practices and math teachers are pressured to change grades. Math teachers use their experience and expertise to construct pathways and courses to support students’ needs, and administration disregards them. The overall lack of support from the current principal was demoralizing, but the math teachers had a strong sense of community- a familial atmosphere full of support, and packed with hundreds of years of teaching experience among them.

There was some drama regarding the 50% rule, but it had to do with it being implemented in “real time” (a new concept the principal slipped in this year). In order to “punish” the math department for not understanding and appropriately implementing the “real-time” directive, the principal INTERN forwarded complaints about the RT (Ms Goetz) to the compliance office during the actual principal’s 7-week absence. Upon investigating the complaint, on the last day of the principal’s absence, the compliance office hauled in math teachers- one by one and without prior warning or representation- for interrogation. In these “interviews,” teachers were belittled and threatened with further action under the guise of “investigation.” The principal did nothing to protect or support the teachers or the RT. Many of these teachers have been at RM for over a decade and have well respected reputations. Instead of explaining the misunderstanding and standing by the RT, he shrugged his shoulders and said it was “out of his hands.” Blah blah blah, a few months later the RT was forced to step down. Neither the principal nor the principal intern has shown any remorse to the math department or the community.

As for the 7 teachers- McDonald is retiring, but she took a job at a private school. Mr. Chase took an RT job. Chaney, Gaffney, and Weigner are leaving for other MCPS high schools. It is the general consensus among these 5 teachers that they had no intention of leaving. The lack of support for both Ms. Goetz and the Math Department in general, as well as the treatment of the teachers by some administrators, was the catalyst for these changes. Ms. Paine is moving to Nevada, and Ms. Liu is resigning from MCPS to pursue her PhD. It’s also worth noting another two teachers in special ed who are math specific teachers are also leaving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ok DCUM, here’s the scoop on the 7 math teachers leaving RM.

For a long time now, math teachers have felt unsupported by the administration. Parents and students complain about grading practices and math teachers are pressured to change grades. Math teachers use their experience and expertise to construct pathways and courses to support students’ needs, and administration disregards them. The overall lack of support from the current principal was demoralizing, but the math teachers had a strong sense of community- a familial atmosphere full of support, and packed with hundreds of years of teaching experience among them.

There was some drama regarding the 50% rule, but it had to do with it being implemented in “real time” (a new concept the principal slipped in this year). In order to “punish” the math department for not understanding and appropriately implementing the “real-time” directive, the principal INTERN forwarded complaints about the RT (Ms Goetz) to the compliance office during the actual principal’s 7-week absence. Upon investigating the complaint, on the last day of the principal’s absence, the compliance office hauled in math teachers- one by one and without prior warning or representation- for interrogation. In these “interviews,” teachers were belittled and threatened with further action under the guise of “investigation.” The principal did nothing to protect or support the teachers or the RT. Many of these teachers have been at RM for over a decade and have well respected reputations. Instead of explaining the misunderstanding and standing by the RT, he shrugged his shoulders and said it was “out of his hands.” Blah blah blah, a few months later the RT was forced to step down. Neither the principal nor the principal intern has shown any remorse to the math department or the community.

As for the 7 teachers- McDonald is retiring, but she took a job at a private school. Mr. Chase took an RT job. Chaney, Gaffney, and Weigner are leaving for other MCPS high schools. It is the general consensus among these 5 teachers that they had no intention of leaving. The lack of support for both Ms. Goetz and the Math Department in general, as well as the treatment of the teachers by some administrators, was the catalyst for these changes. Ms. Paine is moving to Nevada, and Ms. Liu is resigning from MCPS to pursue her PhD. It’s also worth noting another two teachers in special ed who are math specific teachers are also leaving.

Thank you for sharing the truth. Was the princical on a 7 week long vacation? Does the Principal Intern hate math? By the way , what does RT mean ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok DCUM, here’s the scoop on the 7 math teachers leaving RM.

For a long time now, math teachers have felt unsupported by the administration. Parents and students complain about grading practices and math teachers are pressured to change grades. Math teachers use their experience and expertise to construct pathways and courses to support students’ needs, and administration disregards them. The overall lack of support from the current principal was demoralizing, but the math teachers had a strong sense of community- a familial atmosphere full of support, and packed with hundreds of years of teaching experience among them.

There was some drama regarding the 50% rule, but it had to do with it being implemented in “real time” (a new concept the principal slipped in this year). In order to “punish” the math department for not understanding and appropriately implementing the “real-time” directive, the principal INTERN forwarded complaints about the RT (Ms Goetz) to the compliance office during the actual principal’s 7-week absence. Upon investigating the complaint, on the last day of the principal’s absence, the compliance office hauled in math teachers- one by one and without prior warning or representation- for interrogation. In these “interviews,” teachers were belittled and threatened with further action under the guise of “investigation.” The principal did nothing to protect or support the teachers or the RT. Many of these teachers have been at RM for over a decade and have well respected reputations. Instead of explaining the misunderstanding and standing by the RT, he shrugged his shoulders and said it was “out of his hands.” Blah blah blah, a few months later the RT was forced to step down. Neither the principal nor the principal intern has shown any remorse to the math department or the community.

As for the 7 teachers- McDonald is retiring, but she took a job at a private school. Mr. Chase took an RT job. Chaney, Gaffney, and Weigner are leaving for other MCPS high schools. It is the general consensus among these 5 teachers that they had no intention of leaving. The lack of support for both Ms. Goetz and the Math Department in general, as well as the treatment of the teachers by some administrators, was the catalyst for these changes. Ms. Paine is moving to Nevada, and Ms. Liu is resigning from MCPS to pursue her PhD. It’s also worth noting another two teachers in special ed who are math specific teachers are also leaving.

Thank you for sharing the truth. Was the princical on a 7 week long vacation? Does the Principal Intern hate math? By the way , what does RT mean ?

The MCPS Principal Intern program is similar to a student teacher, where the intern becomes the assistant principal of a school, and then the actual principal leaves for 7 weeks and the intern takes over as “principal.” I don’t know if the intern hates math specifically. “RT” means “resource teacher,” and it’s the department chairperson.

[Anonymous]

.

[Anonymous]

Principal intern does have a history of being a bully at other schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ok DCUM, here’s the scoop on the 7 math teachers leaving RM.

For a long time now, math teachers have felt unsupported by the administration. Parents and students complain about grading practices and math teachers are pressured to change grades. Math teachers use their experience and expertise to construct pathways and courses to support students’ needs, and administration disregards them. The overall lack of support from the current principal was demoralizing, but the math teachers had a strong sense of community- a familial atmosphere full of support, and packed with hundreds of years of teaching experience among them.

There was some drama regarding the 50% rule, but it had to do with it being implemented in “real time” (a new concept the principal slipped in this year). In order to “punish” the math department for not understanding and appropriately implementing the “real-time” directive, the principal INTERN forwarded complaints about the RT (Ms Goetz) to the compliance office during the actual principal’s 7-week absence. Upon investigating the complaint, on the last day of the principal’s absence, the compliance office hauled in math teachers- one by one and without prior warning or representation- for interrogation. In these “interviews,” teachers were belittled and threatened with further action under the guise of “investigation.” The principal did nothing to protect or support the teachers or the RT. Many of these teachers have been at RM for over a decade and have well respected reputations. Instead of explaining the misunderstanding and standing by the RT, he shrugged his shoulders and said it was “out of his hands.” Blah blah blah, a few months later the RT was forced to step down. Neither the principal nor the principal intern has shown any remorse to the math department or the community.

As for the 7 teachers- McDonald is retiring, but she took a job at a private school. Mr. Chase took an RT job. Chaney, Gaffney, and Weigner are leaving for other MCPS high schools. It is the general consensus among these 5 teachers that they had no intention of leaving. The lack of support for both Ms. Goetz and the Math Department in general, as well as the treatment of the teachers by some administrators, was the catalyst for these changes. Ms. Paine is moving to Nevada, and Ms. Liu is resigning from MCPS to pursue her PhD. It’s also worth noting another two teachers in special ed who are math specific teachers are also leaving.

Wow.

Thank you for your informational post.

[Anonymous]

Anyone still doubt the root cause of this tremendous mess is the principal?? You need more proof?

[Anonymous]

I read nothing about the principal hating the IB Program in there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone still doubt the root cause of this tremendous mess is the principal?? You need more proof?

Huh? That story says this all happened while he was out of the building by the principal intern and central office. It sounds more like the principal intern deciding to prove her merits by making an example out of the math department. She has nothing to lose if she's expecting to be placed in another school. The principal had a lot to lose by screwing up a functioning math department by bludgeoning teachers over a minor issue, which is why he didn't do anything about it for the past 5 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I read nothing about the principal hating the IB Program in there.

Well known fact if you have kids in the program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ok DCUM, here’s the scoop on the 7 math teachers leaving RM.

For a long time now, math teachers have felt unsupported by the administration. Parents and students complain about grading practices and math teachers are pressured to change grades. Math teachers use their experience and expertise to construct pathways and courses to support students’ needs, and administration disregards them. The overall lack of support from the current principal was demoralizing, but the math teachers had a strong sense of community- a familial atmosphere full of support, and packed with hundreds of years of teaching experience among them.

There was some drama regarding the 50% rule, but it had to do with it being implemented in “real time” (a new concept the principal slipped in this year). In order to “punish” the math department for not understanding and appropriately implementing the “real-time” directive, the principal INTERN forwarded complaints about the RT (Ms Goetz) to the compliance office during the actual principal’s 7-week absence. Upon investigating the complaint, on the last day of the principal’s absence, the compliance office hauled in math teachers- one by one and without prior warning or representation- for interrogation. In these “interviews,” teachers were belittled and threatened with further action under the guise of “investigation.” The principal did nothing to protect or support the teachers or the RT. Many of these teachers have been at RM for over a decade and have well respected reputations. Instead of explaining the misunderstanding and standing by the RT, he shrugged his shoulders and said it was “out of his hands.” Blah blah blah, a few months later the RT was forced to step down. Neither the principal nor the principal intern has shown any remorse to the math department or the community.

As for the 7 teachers- McDonald is retiring, but she took a job at a private school. Mr. Chase took an RT job. Chaney, Gaffney, and Weigner are leaving for other MCPS high schools. It is the general consensus among these 5 teachers that they had no intention of leaving. The lack of support for both Ms. Goetz and the Math Department in general, as well as the treatment of the teachers by some administrators, was the catalyst for these changes. Ms. Paine is moving to Nevada, and Ms. Liu is resigning from MCPS to pursue her PhD. It’s also worth noting another two teachers in special ed who are math specific teachers are also leaving.

What?!
Not 7, but 9 math teachers are leaving RMHS?!

[Anonymous]

Any management style that causes an unneeded mass exodus is incompetent. Probably everything that's read as IB hate is also simple incompetence. This is damaging to the program, because no matter the quality of the current teachers, the odds are that the next 7/9 rush hires can only be worse.

Kind of sounds like this does hinge on the 50% rule, and I still think any math teacher that likes to write tests that generate abysmally low test scores to scare students/families isn't doing it right, just saying.

[Anonymous]

I'd like to know more about the 50% rule change. The few times my kids got one, that was the score that we saw on line right away. It was not changed later on. What is the new 'real time' concept? I agree a large exodus is not a good sign but as still skeptical of the IB hate. My non-IB kids had a few of these teachers too...one was not a good experience. After reading the Hoover/MCPS law suit document, I would like to hear the schools side.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone still doubt the root cause of this tremendous mess is the principal?? You need more proof?

Huh? That story says this all happened while he was out of the building by the principal intern and central office. It sounds more like the principal intern deciding to prove her merits by making an example out of the math department. She has nothing to lose if she's expecting to be placed in another school. The principal had a lot to lose by screwing up a functioning math department by bludgeoning teachers over a minor issue, which is why he didn't do anything about it for the past 5 years.

Never happens without principal's support. NEVER.

[Anonymous]

Yeah more likely the principal took advantage of an opportunity to have someone else do something he couldn’t pull off himself, and could deflect blame. Seriously, principal interns aren’t shaking things up on their own in the six weeks they’re there! And they DO have something to lose, they still need s JOB as an admin.