MCPS asks for 4 days off so teachers can prepare building for in-person instruction

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What I'm seeing on this forum is very interesting. Teachers are saying that they are working hard to maintain DL and some parents are denying it. Parents are saying that DL is not working for their child and some teachers are denying it. Both of these things can be true. Teachers can be working hard and DL can also not work for everybody. Trash-talking parents and teachers for trying their hardest doesn't help anybody in this situation and only leads to an adversarial relationship with resentment on both sides. Ultimately, both "sides" want the same thing, for students to receive an education.

Should teachers get 4 days to set up their classroom? I have no idea. But I do know that both parents and teachers are working really hard and are reaching a point where they feel like they are burning out and that's it's just easier to blame somebody else. It is possible for both groups to feel the same way, but for different reasons.

I like you, rational poster.

Agreed, although as a working parent, I burned out a long, long time ago. I imagine many teachers did, too.

I really wish we could be matter of fact about these issues. It's not a personal criticism of teachers' hard work to state that the DL model doesn't work for many kids. It's also not a personal criticism of parents to state that teachers are working hard and doing their best to educate students remotely. As PP said, both are true.

+1 Agreed and realize many teachers are parents that can agree DL isn’t working for their kids either. That’s a decision we really can’t control and that’s the problem because that is what has been handed to us all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What I'm seeing on this forum is very interesting. Teachers are saying that they are working hard to maintain DL and some parents are denying it. Parents are saying that DL is not working for their child and some teachers are denying it. Both of these things can be true. Teachers can be working hard and DL can also not work for everybody. Trash-talking parents and teachers for trying their hardest doesn't help anybody in this situation and only leads to an adversarial relationship with resentment on both sides. Ultimately, both "sides" want the same thing, for students to receive an education.

Should teachers get 4 days to set up their classroom? I have no idea. But I do know that both parents and teachers are working really hard and are reaching a point where they feel like they are burning out and that's it's just easier to blame somebody else. It is possible for both groups to feel the same way, but for different reasons.

I like you, rational poster.

I'm a working parent who is not burned out at all. My kids are getting straight A's. But they should be in school right now.

And I still think it's pathetic that MCPS teachers are teaching four days a week, for about five hours a day. That's not a full-time job. And they do not spend the rest of the time preparing for anything. Believe me, I listen to my kids' classes, and there's nothing special going on.

So I think it's time for teachers to stop accusing parents of not parenting their kids. That's not the issue here. The issue is that you need to reopen schools. Especially after Biden just reiterated it about half an hour ago. There is NO meaningful spread through smartly open schools, and I'm sick of my kids falling behind all of their friends in privates who have been at school all year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait- is MCPS pretending they are coming back?

Is anyone buying this?

I wasn't until other MD districts announced actual plans. Now I think they may try something to say 'well we tried!'

They should just stop paying teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait- is MCPS pretending they are coming back?

Is anyone buying this?

I wasn't until other MD districts announced actual plans. Now I think they may try something to say 'well we tried!'

They should just stop paying teachers.

And/or we should get a break on our property/SALT taxes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am blown away at the nastiness and ignorance on this thread. Is there any profession in the world as disrespected as the teacher. That all of you think you can just look at and judge and think about how much time it takes to do their jobs? The lack of respect and value for teachers is disgraceful. If you think it is such a cushy, easy job than why didn't you become a teacher? If you want your child to learn, it isn't about returning to school in person- it is about respect. If you think this away about their teachers, what attitude do you think they have towards their teachers. I am sure it is challenging to learn when you feel that you already know everything. If you think it is so easy to unpack and set up a classroom, then you should volunteer to go and help your child's teacher. This is really ugly, and this is the problem, not where we are learning, but the community speaking and writing this ugly rehetoric.

I agree with you PP, the way teachers are talked about is disgusting.

Similarly, the way teachers are talking is disgusting. It's hard to have good-faith discussions when the teachers unions aren't acting or speaking in good faith.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Enjoy your uncredentialed substitutes and teachers on visas because that's where this is going to go if you keep this up these terrible attitudes towards teachers. It's been a rough year, why do people need to insist on making it worse? Glad I left the profession I felt guilty at first but now I see that my compassion was just being taken advantage of. You'll get what you get even if you pitch a fit.

Retention of teachers was low 5 years ago, I can’t imagine what it is currently.

Surprisingly high - you can work from home. Get a great pension and other benefits and only have to work 8 months of the year.

Oh, and it’s 10 months paid. Summers are not paid. It’s like being laid off.

Really? So they lose their health insurance over the summer, or have to go on COBRA?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seems like there are too many ridiculous anti-teacher comments to be one person and her sock puppets. Depressing.

It's one guy. Maybe two. I am suspicious that the main hater is my neighbor, new transplant from a red state, the rest of the block is waiting for him to realize he made a bad move and go home before the pandemic is over and we have bbqs again

Well, you just earned yourself another hater... Me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I pray someone from Central office with any authority is reading this thread. For gods sake, you’ve had a YEAR to plan for this and you act like you’re surprised we might actually return to a school building, like ever. I never thought I’d have to beg for the CHOICE to send my kid to school.

New poster here. I agree with nearly everyone here. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. Open the schools, teachers can prepare any afternoon after classes end - or before 9am when classes start. You're only teaching like 4-5 hours a day.

Honestly, rooms just won’t get set up then.

If I told my boss, “you are not giving me extra time off to do something that is essential for my job, so I’m just going to ship it,” I would get fired. I work for a nonprofit and don’t get paid a lot, but I am a professional. I am salaried and do what it takes to get my job done. This past year has been a nightmare and work got much busier than usual because I work on issues related to the pandemic. I worked late into the night most nights to get the work done, with no extra time off and no extra pay.

Thankfully, not all teachers have your attitude.

Except teachers are not asking for “time off”, they are asking for time to set up rooms for in-person instruction that you demanded. I’m a career-changer. I used to work a salaried position in two different state governments. If we had a physical setup for events ( time sensitive) to complete that took us away from a public-facing duty, we got the time. We were not told to come in on a Saturday or work from 5 pm until whenever multiple nights.

Setting up a classroom is not the same as an extra intellectual task. It’s physical labor.

There are multiple teachers telling you that rooms will not get set up. It’s the logical outcome of not having sufficient time provided for the task. Personally, I don’t think my students need more than a desk and a screen. They will have to stay seated in their taped off square anyway. The walls will stay bare and it will be okay. Because, according to you, in-school is automatically thousands of times better instruction somehow. This is the product you purchased.

Sorry, but using state government as a comparison is a joke. Also controlled by public sector unions, and there may be 5 people in every agency who stay after 4:59 p.m. to actually get work done. Yes, I was a state government employee. If you are a "professional" and care about doing a job well, you will work the extra hours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What I'm seeing on this forum is very interesting. Teachers are saying that they are working hard to maintain DL and some parents are denying it. Parents are saying that DL is not working for their child and some teachers are denying it. Both of these things can be true. Teachers can be working hard and DL can also not work for everybody. Trash-talking parents and teachers for trying their hardest doesn't help anybody in this situation and only leads to an adversarial relationship with resentment on both sides. Ultimately, both "sides" want the same thing, for students to receive an education.

Should teachers get 4 days to set up their classroom? I have no idea. But I do know that both parents and teachers are working really hard and are reaching a point where they feel like they are burning out and that's it's just easier to blame somebody else. It is possible for both groups to feel the same way, but for different reasons.

I like you, rational poster.

I'm a working parent who is not burned out at all. My kids are getting straight A's. But they should be in school right now.

And I still think it's pathetic that MCPS teachers are teaching four days a week, for about five hours a day. That's not a full-time job. And they do not spend the rest of the time preparing for anything. Believe me, I listen to my kids' classes, and there's nothing special going on.

So I think it's time for teachers to stop accusing parents of not parenting their kids. That's not the issue here. The issue is that you need to reopen schools. Especially after Biden just reiterated it about half an hour ago. There is NO meaningful spread through smartly open schools, and I'm sick of my kids falling behind all of their friends in privates who have been at school all year.

You realize there is much more to to being a teacher than just teaching live. Nothing special goes in in person either but the difference is you just don't know about it.

Many of us aren't teachers commenting that parents need to step up more. Stop accusing teachers as you are out of line.

If private is better, send them to private. You have that option.

There is meaningful spread in the schools. And, it spreads between families. And, part of that spread is individual choices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What I'm seeing on this forum is very interesting. Teachers are saying that they are working hard to maintain DL and some parents are denying it. Parents are saying that DL is not working for their child and some teachers are denying it. Both of these things can be true. Teachers can be working hard and DL can also not work for everybody. Trash-talking parents and teachers for trying their hardest doesn't help anybody in this situation and only leads to an adversarial relationship with resentment on both sides. Ultimately, both "sides" want the same thing, for students to receive an education.

Should teachers get 4 days to set up their classroom? I have no idea. But I do know that both parents and teachers are working really hard and are reaching a point where they feel like they are burning out and that's it's just easier to blame somebody else. It is possible for both groups to feel the same way, but for different reasons.

I like you, rational poster.

I'm a working parent who is not burned out at all. My kids are getting straight A's. But they should be in school right now.

And I still think it's pathetic that MCPS teachers are teaching four days a week, for about five hours a day. That's not a full-time job. And they do not spend the rest of the time preparing for anything. Believe me, I listen to my kids' classes, and there's nothing special going on.

So I think it's time for teachers to stop accusing parents of not parenting their kids. That's not the issue here. The issue is that you need to reopen schools. Especially after Biden just reiterated it about half an hour ago. There is NO meaningful spread through smartly open schools, and I'm sick of my kids falling behind all of their friends in privates who have been at school all year.

You realize there is much more to to being a teacher than just teaching live. Nothing special goes in in person either but the difference is you just don't know about it.

Many of us aren't teachers commenting that parents need to step up more. Stop accusing teachers as you are out of line.

If private is better, send them to private. You have that option.

There is meaningful spread in the schools. And, it spreads between families. And, part of that spread is individual choices.

The hyper-privileged parent loves to say how they're going private if they don't get their way. It's a constant theme on this board but very few actual people do that. I think there was something like a 1% reduction in enrollment this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait- is MCPS pretending they are coming back?

Is anyone buying this?

I wasn't until other MD districts announced actual plans. Now I think they may try something to say 'well we tried!'

They should just stop paying teachers.

Can you imagine the fits parents would have if they actually have to teach their kids and provide the materials.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Really? So they lose their health insurance over the summer, or have to go on COBRA?

A year's worth of health insurance premiums are prorated across 10 months.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What I'm seeing on this forum is very interesting. Teachers are saying that they are working hard to maintain DL and some parents are denying it. Parents are saying that DL is not working for their child and some teachers are denying it. Both of these things can be true. Teachers can be working hard and DL can also not work for everybody. Trash-talking parents and teachers for trying their hardest doesn't help anybody in this situation and only leads to an adversarial relationship with resentment on both sides. Ultimately, both "sides" want the same thing, for students to receive an education.

Should teachers get 4 days to set up their classroom? I have no idea. But I do know that both parents and teachers are working really hard and are reaching a point where they feel like they are burning out and that's it's just easier to blame somebody else. It is possible for both groups to feel the same way, but for different reasons.

I like you, rational poster.

Agreed, although as a working parent, I burned out a long, long time ago. I imagine many teachers did, too.

I really wish we could be matter of fact about these issues. It's not a personal criticism of teachers' hard work to state that the DL model doesn't work for many kids. It's also not a personal criticism of parents to state that teachers are working hard and doing their best to educate students remotely. As PP said, both are true.

+1 Agreed and realize many teachers are parents that can agree DL isn’t working for their kids either. That’s a decision we really can’t control and that’s the problem because that is what has been handed to us all.

For distance learning to work, you need good strong teachers and parental support. If students aren't logging on or paying attention or doing the work, only so much teachers can do. Likewise, for younger grades, parents need to be more involved and hands on teaching the foundation stuff, which many prefer to leave to the school. Kids who are supplemented at home generally do better as they have that support. It doesn't take much to supplement in the k-3 years.

We are in MS and its working well. Our big complaint is the lack of homework and teachers having the kids do the assignments they don't do otherwise in class time so there is less class time because of it. I think they should fail kids who don't log on, participate or do the work. They aren't helping anyone by passing them, especially the students.

[Anonymous]

It's totally silly that they wouldn't give them the days to prepare. That's been one of the issues with transitioning - it isn't easy to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What I'm seeing on this forum is very interesting. Teachers are saying that they are working hard to maintain DL and some parents are denying it. Parents are saying that DL is not working for their child and some teachers are denying it. Both of these things can be true. Teachers can be working hard and DL can also not work for everybody. Trash-talking parents and teachers for trying their hardest doesn't help anybody in this situation and only leads to an adversarial relationship with resentment on both sides. Ultimately, both "sides" want the same thing, for students to receive an education.

Should teachers get 4 days to set up their classroom? I have no idea. But I do know that both parents and teachers are working really hard and are reaching a point where they feel like they are burning out and that's it's just easier to blame somebody else. It is possible for both groups to feel the same way, but for different reasons.

I like you, rational poster.

I'm a working parent who is not burned out at all. My kids are getting straight A's. But they should be in school right now.

And I still think it's pathetic that MCPS teachers are teaching four days a week, for about five hours a day. That's not a full-time job. And they do not spend the rest of the time preparing for anything. Believe me, I listen to my kids' classes, and there's nothing special going on.

So I think it's time for teachers to stop accusing parents of not parenting their kids. That's not the issue here. The issue is that you need to reopen schools. Especially after Biden just reiterated it about half an hour ago. There is NO meaningful spread through smartly open schools, and I'm sick of my kids falling behind all of their friends in privates who have been at school all year.

You realize there is much more to to being a teacher than just teaching live. Nothing special goes in in person either but the difference is you just don't know about it.

Many of us aren't teachers commenting that parents need to step up more. Stop accusing teachers as you are out of line.

If private is better, send them to private. You have that option.

There is meaningful spread in the schools. And, it spreads between families. And, part of that spread is individual choices.

The hyper-privileged parent loves to say how they're going private if they don't get their way. It's a constant theme on this board but very few actual people do that. I think there was something like a 1% reduction in enrollment this year.

The difference with DL and in person is they can see how bad it is. Its equally bad in person, depending on the school and teacher and in person we heavily supplemented all through ES to make it work. They are saying they don't want their kids home and for the school to do it all, which you get in private, so they need to follow up and send their kids to private. Public cannot be everything to everyone and never will be. There are advantages and disadvantages. However, we are in a pandemic. Those willing to send their kids back aren't willing to make any sacrifices to get all our kids back so this virus will continue to spread for many more years. We don't know how effective the vaccine is or how long it will last. Nor do most of us even have access to it. So, either people change their behavior to help stop the spread or they can keep complaining and continue in DL.