Received an email that DS teacher quit Friday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Really? 34 days left and she quits.

The email says they are looking for a permanent sub but they have been difficult to find.

So basically for the next month+ he'll just have a revolving door of subs it sounds like.

My favorite part of the email was actually for us to prepare the kids that their classroom will look different on Monday morning. I'm assuming because she took a bunch of decorations and furniture with her that she'd purchased.

He's so bummed and I'm bummed for him.

My DC has had a rotating door of subs for the last couple of weeks for a variety of reasons. Most recently is they've diverted class teachers to proctor AP exams so my kid sits in class and does nothing for entire periods. This is why the year needs to be shorter. They have SOLs coming up; then finals after that. THere's no new content. It's absurd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's sad, Just with the guy in Washington will do something about it. People are quoting left and right because they can get $600 dollars for being unemployment

Unemployment is the lowest it's ever been in decades. People are quitting because they are getting new higher paying jobs (as shown by the very, very low unemployment rate). And there are no longer any extra unemployment benefits like there were pre-vaccination during the pandemic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a good conversation about what is expected of teachers.

We have people expecting teachers, despite low pay and contract employment, to stay in a job until the end of the year and only look for new employment during a 2 month window of time in the year. Is that an expectation you set for yourself?

The pandemic showed us that people don't consider teachers to be professionals. Instead, they consider them doormats. They second-guess everything teachers do and say, and the governor has created tip sheets so that people can tattle on them. They blame them for the pandemic, and blame them for making policy decisions that are way above their pay grade (virtual learning) They consider teachers to be glorified babysitters who should martyr themselves, their own health, and the health of their families (they are parents, too) so that other parents can go to work or work out at the gym.

If you are going to treat teachers this way, expect them to leave. And if they do, you have no one to blame but yourselves. Do not set expectations of them that equal those of doctors, as someone in this thread has.

Here's the thing. I'm an attorney who works in state government. My annual pay is lower that a teacher with the same years of experience, and I don't get all of the breaks that teachers get during the school year. My professional responsibilities to my clients do not change based on how much money I make. I'm either a professional or I'm not. I might have months of leave, but I am not free to use it at times when it would injury my clients. None of this is to say that some teachers don't have good reasons for absences or quitting, but that doesn't mean some don't take advantage or that their inability to fulfill their job duties doesn't have a detrimental impact on students. Which is it? Are teachers professionals who deserve to be paid much more? Or are they workers whose only obligation is to fulfill the terms of their contracts as best they can, taking every hour of leave available to them, leaving mid-year if necessary, while at the same time working in a system that punishes kids for their late work and missed assignments in order to teach students about the "real world"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS doesn’t respect teachers. If they wanted to work on retaining teachers, teachers would get more than a T-shirt or Lanyard for years of service. Imagine after 5 years of service you got a $1,000 bonus? After 10 years a $3,000 bonus? Every teacher can list things the county wastes money on. It is time for parents to help raise teaching salaries!

That’s funny. I teach in a nearby district and after 15 years I got a paper certificate, like you would give a child, in my mailbox. I don’t even pick up the t-shirts anymore. They are terrible and went straight to the donation pile.

I got a pen after ten years of teaching....yippee

Sorry but what do you want? I just passed 15 years as a fed last winter. No one even commented on it and I didn't care. Most jobs don't give you anything more than a salary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a good conversation about what is expected of teachers.

We have people expecting teachers, despite low pay and contract employment, to stay in a job until the end of the year and only look for new employment during a 2 month window of time in the year. Is that an expectation you set for yourself?

The pandemic showed us that people don't consider teachers to be professionals. Instead, they consider them doormats. They second-guess everything teachers do and say, and the governor has created tip sheets so that people can tattle on them. They blame them for the pandemic, and blame them for making policy decisions that are way above their pay grade (virtual learning) They consider teachers to be glorified babysitters who should martyr themselves, their own health, and the health of their families (they are parents, too) so that other parents can go to work or work out at the gym.

If you are going to treat teachers this way, expect them to leave. And if they do, you have no one to blame but yourselves. Do not set expectations of them that equal those of doctors, as someone in this thread has.

Here's the thing. I'm an attorney who works in state government. My annual pay is lower that a teacher with the same years of experience, and I don't get all of the breaks that teachers get during the school year. My professional responsibilities to my clients do not change based on how much money I make. I'm either a professional or I'm not. I might have months of leave, but I am not free to use it at times when it would injury my clients. None of this is to say that some teachers don't have good reasons for absences or quitting, but that doesn't mean some don't take advantage or that their inability to fulfill their job duties doesn't have a detrimental impact on students. Which is it? Are teachers professionals who deserve to be paid much more? Or are they workers whose only obligation is to fulfill the terms of their contracts as best they can, taking every hour of leave available to them, leaving mid-year if necessary, while at the same time working in a system that punishes kids for their late work and missed assignments in order to teach students about the "real world"?

+1. Amen. Most of us would face repercussions if we quit without finishing the work our client expected. Kids are the client of the teacher. Quitting 6 weeks before the end of the year with no substitute in place is unprofessional and uncaring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a good conversation about what is expected of teachers.

We have people expecting teachers, despite low pay and contract employment, to stay in a job until the end of the year and only look for new employment during a 2 month window of time in the year. Is that an expectation you set for yourself?

The pandemic showed us that people don't consider teachers to be professionals. Instead, they consider them doormats. They second-guess everything teachers do and say, and the governor has created tip sheets so that people can tattle on them. They blame them for the pandemic, and blame them for making policy decisions that are way above their pay grade (virtual learning) They consider teachers to be glorified babysitters who should martyr themselves, their own health, and the health of their families (they are parents, too) so that other parents can go to work or work out at the gym.

If you are going to treat teachers this way, expect them to leave. And if they do, you have no one to blame but yourselves. Do not set expectations of them that equal those of doctors, as someone in this thread has.

Here's the thing. I'm an attorney who works in state government. My annual pay is lower that a teacher with the same years of experience, and I don't get all of the breaks that teachers get during the school year. My professional responsibilities to my clients do not change based on how much money I make. I'm either a professional or I'm not. I might have months of leave, but I am not free to use it at times when it would injury my clients. None of this is to say that some teachers don't have good reasons for absences or quitting, but that doesn't mean some don't take advantage or that their inability to fulfill their job duties doesn't have a detrimental impact on students. Which is it? Are teachers professionals who deserve to be paid much more? Or are they workers whose only obligation is to fulfill the terms of their contracts as best they can, taking every hour of leave available to them, leaving mid-year if necessary, while at the same time working in a system that punishes kids for their late work and missed assignments in order to teach students about the "real world"?

+1. Amen. Most of us would face repercussions if we quit without finishing the work our client expected. Kids are the client of the teacher. Quitting 6 weeks before the end of the year with no substitute in place is unprofessional and uncaring.

You can insist this all you want, but the reality is 1 teaching position is going unfilled for every 2 offers while there are tons of unemployed and underemployed lawyers. You don't know her situation and you are not her employer nor are the children. Society has relied on teachers' professionalism for a long time without adequate support and they are rebelling and no one wants to fill their shoes. So unless all you lawyers want to hop on the fantabulous professional glory train that is being a teacher (alternative licensing would let you do this quickly!) you're just going to let your griping push more and more people out of the profession--ones who have been caring and professional all along, and ones who are not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a good conversation about what is expected of teachers.

We have people expecting teachers, despite low pay and contract employment, to stay in a job until the end of the year and only look for new employment during a 2 month window of time in the year. Is that an expectation you set for yourself?

The pandemic showed us that people don't consider teachers to be professionals. Instead, they consider them doormats. They second-guess everything teachers do and say, and the governor has created tip sheets so that people can tattle on them. They blame them for the pandemic, and blame them for making policy decisions that are way above their pay grade (virtual learning) They consider teachers to be glorified babysitters who should martyr themselves, their own health, and the health of their families (they are parents, too) so that other parents can go to work or work out at the gym.

If you are going to treat teachers this way, expect them to leave. And if they do, you have no one to blame but yourselves. Do not set expectations of them that equal those of doctors, as someone in this thread has.

Here's the thing. I'm an attorney who works in state government. My annual pay is lower that a teacher with the same years of experience, and I don't get all of the breaks that teachers get during the school year. My professional responsibilities to my clients do not change based on how much money I make. I'm either a professional or I'm not. I might have months of leave, but I am not free to use it at times when it would injury my clients. None of this is to say that some teachers don't have good reasons for absences or quitting, but that doesn't mean some don't take advantage or that their inability to fulfill their job duties doesn't have a detrimental impact on students. Which is it? Are teachers professionals who deserve to be paid much more? Or are they workers whose only obligation is to fulfill the terms of their contracts as best they can, taking every hour of leave available to them, leaving mid-year if necessary, while at the same time working in a system that punishes kids for their late work and missed assignments in order to teach students about the "real world"?

+1. Amen. Most of us would face repercussions if we quit without finishing the work our client expected. Kids are the client of the teacher. Quitting 6 weeks before the end of the year with no substitute in place is unprofessional and uncaring.

You can insist this all you want, but the reality is 1 teaching position is going unfilled for every 2 offers while there are tons of unemployed and underemployed lawyers. You don't know her situation and you are not her employer nor are the children. Society has relied on teachers' professionalism for a long time without adequate support and they are rebelling and no one wants to fill their shoes. So unless all you lawyers want to hop on the fantabulous professional glory train that is being a teacher (alternative licensing would let you do this quickly!) you're just going to let your griping push more and more people out of the profession--ones who have been caring and professional all along, and ones who are not.

Because posts on DCUM complaining about teachers who quit in May are the reason for the teacher shortage locally and nationwide...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a good conversation about what is expected of teachers.

We have people expecting teachers, despite low pay and contract employment, to stay in a job until the end of the year and only look for new employment during a 2 month window of time in the year. Is that an expectation you set for yourself?

The pandemic showed us that people don't consider teachers to be professionals. Instead, they consider them doormats. They second-guess everything teachers do and say, and the governor has created tip sheets so that people can tattle on them. They blame them for the pandemic, and blame them for making policy decisions that are way above their pay grade (virtual learning) They consider teachers to be glorified babysitters who should martyr themselves, their own health, and the health of their families (they are parents, too) so that other parents can go to work or work out at the gym.

If you are going to treat teachers this way, expect them to leave. And if they do, you have no one to blame but yourselves. Do not set expectations of them that equal those of doctors, as someone in this thread has.

Here's the thing. I'm an attorney who works in state government. My annual pay is lower that a teacher with the same years of experience, and I don't get all of the breaks that teachers get during the school year. My professional responsibilities to my clients do not change based on how much money I make. I'm either a professional or I'm not. I might have months of leave, but I am not free to use it at times when it would injury my clients. None of this is to say that some teachers don't have good reasons for absences or quitting, but that doesn't mean some don't take advantage or that their inability to fulfill their job duties doesn't have a detrimental impact on students. Which is it? Are teachers professionals who deserve to be paid much more? Or are they workers whose only obligation is to fulfill the terms of their contracts as best they can, taking every hour of leave available to them, leaving mid-year if necessary, while at the same time working in a system that punishes kids for their late work and missed assignments in order to teach students about the "real world"?

+1. Amen. Most of us would face repercussions if we quit without finishing the work our client expected. Kids are the client of the teacher. Quitting 6 weeks before the end of the year with no substitute in place is unprofessional and uncaring.

You can insist this all you want, but the reality is 1 teaching position is going unfilled for every 2 offers while there are tons of unemployed and underemployed lawyers. You don't know her situation and you are not her employer nor are the children. Society has relied on teachers' professionalism for a long time without adequate support and they are rebelling and no one wants to fill their shoes. So unless all you lawyers want to hop on the fantabulous professional glory train that is being a teacher (alternative licensing would let you do this quickly!) you're just going to let your griping push more and more people out of the profession--ones who have been caring and professional all along, and ones who are not.

We can both be right, and respect goes both ways. If teaching is only a matter of employment terms and conditions to be discussed between administrators and teachers, then you should not expect that parents view themselves as partners with teachers in the education of students. Parents didn't cause this unhealthy situation in the schools either. The disillusionment of almost every teacher I know begins with administration and the overall lack of respect and autonomy teachers experience in their workplaces. Parent's can't control what administrators do, including the fact that the system has no built in backup for the bad teachers, the ones that have to leave or take extra leave due to illness or family demands. You are not going to generate respect for the profession by holding students and parents hostage by saying that if you complain about anything, people will quit. You can't have a partnership with a partner who is phoning it in or has one foot out the door. Sad, but true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a good conversation about what is expected of teachers.

We have people expecting teachers, despite low pay and contract employment, to stay in a job until the end of the year and only look for new employment during a 2 month window of time in the year. Is that an expectation you set for yourself?

The pandemic showed us that people don't consider teachers to be professionals. Instead, they consider them doormats. They second-guess everything teachers do and say, and the governor has created tip sheets so that people can tattle on them. They blame them for the pandemic, and blame them for making policy decisions that are way above their pay grade (virtual learning) They consider teachers to be glorified babysitters who should martyr themselves, their own health, and the health of their families (they are parents, too) so that other parents can go to work or work out at the gym.

If you are going to treat teachers this way, expect them to leave. And if they do, you have no one to blame but yourselves. Do not set expectations of them that equal those of doctors, as someone in this thread has.

Here's the thing. I'm an attorney who works in state government. My annual pay is lower that a teacher with the same years of experience, and I don't get all of the breaks that teachers get during the school year. My professional responsibilities to my clients do not change based on how much money I make. I'm either a professional or I'm not. I might have months of leave, but I am not free to use it at times when it would injury my clients. None of this is to say that some teachers don't have good reasons for absences or quitting, but that doesn't mean some don't take advantage or that their inability to fulfill their job duties doesn't have a detrimental impact on students. Which is it? Are teachers professionals who deserve to be paid much more? Or are they workers whose only obligation is to fulfill the terms of their contracts as best they can, taking every hour of leave available to them, leaving mid-year if necessary, while at the same time working in a system that punishes kids for their late work and missed assignments in order to teach students about the "real world"?

What is your point? Teachers are not indentured servants. They are free to leave whenever they want. They just never used to do so (but I get why they do now, even if I wish they didn't). You are also free to leave your position at any time.

And fwiw, I have no problem taking every single bit of leave available to me. I've earned it. It's mine to use. And you shouldn't either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a good conversation about what is expected of teachers.

We have people expecting teachers, despite low pay and contract employment, to stay in a job until the end of the year and only look for new employment during a 2 month window of time in the year. Is that an expectation you set for yourself?

The pandemic showed us that people don't consider teachers to be professionals. Instead, they consider them doormats. They second-guess everything teachers do and say, and the governor has created tip sheets so that people can tattle on them. They blame them for the pandemic, and blame them for making policy decisions that are way above their pay grade (virtual learning) They consider teachers to be glorified babysitters who should martyr themselves, their own health, and the health of their families (they are parents, too) so that other parents can go to work or work out at the gym.

If you are going to treat teachers this way, expect them to leave. And if they do, you have no one to blame but yourselves. Do not set expectations of them that equal those of doctors, as someone in this thread has.

Here's the thing. I'm an attorney who works in state government. My annual pay is lower that a teacher with the same years of experience, and I don't get all of the breaks that teachers get during the school year. My professional responsibilities to my clients do not change based on how much money I make. I'm either a professional or I'm not. I might have months of leave, but I am not free to use it at times when it would injury my clients. None of this is to say that some teachers don't have good reasons for absences or quitting, but that doesn't mean some don't take advantage or that their inability to fulfill their job duties doesn't have a detrimental impact on students. Which is it? Are teachers professionals who deserve to be paid much more? Or are they workers whose only obligation is to fulfill the terms of their contracts as best they can, taking every hour of leave available to them, leaving mid-year if necessary, while at the same time working in a system that punishes kids for their late work and missed assignments in order to teach students about the "real world"?

+1. Amen. Most of us would face repercussions if we quit without finishing the work our client expected. Kids are the client of the teacher. Quitting 6 weeks before the end of the year with no substitute in place is unprofessional and uncaring.

You can insist this all you want, but the reality is 1 teaching position is going unfilled for every 2 offers while there are tons of unemployed and underemployed lawyers. You don't know her situation and you are not her employer nor are the children. Society has relied on teachers' professionalism for a long time without adequate support and they are rebelling and no one wants to fill their shoes. So unless all you lawyers want to hop on the fantabulous professional glory train that is being a teacher (alternative licensing would let you do this quickly!) you're just going to let your griping push more and more people out of the profession--ones who have been caring and professional all along, and ones who are not.

We can both be right, and respect goes both ways. If teaching is only a matter of employment terms and conditions to be discussed between administrators and teachers, then you should not expect that parents view themselves as partners with teachers in the education of students. Parents didn't cause this unhealthy situation in the schools either. The disillusionment of almost every teacher I know begins with administration and the overall lack of respect and autonomy teachers experience in their workplaces. Parent's can't control what administrators do, including the fact that the system has no built in backup for the bad teachers, the ones that have to leave or take extra leave due to illness or family demands. You are not going to generate respect for the profession by holding students and parents hostage by saying that if you complain about anything, people will quit. You can't have a partnership with a partner who is phoning it in or has one foot out the door. Sad, but true.

Parents already don't feel like they are partners. They want to dictate the classroom.
Fact.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a good conversation about what is expected of teachers.

We have people expecting teachers, despite low pay and contract employment, to stay in a job until the end of the year and only look for new employment during a 2 month window of time in the year. Is that an expectation you set for yourself?

The pandemic showed us that people don't consider teachers to be professionals. Instead, they consider them doormats. They second-guess everything teachers do and say, and the governor has created tip sheets so that people can tattle on them. They blame them for the pandemic, and blame them for making policy decisions that are way above their pay grade (virtual learning) They consider teachers to be glorified babysitters who should martyr themselves, their own health, and the health of their families (they are parents, too) so that other parents can go to work or work out at the gym.

If you are going to treat teachers this way, expect them to leave. And if they do, you have no one to blame but yourselves. Do not set expectations of them that equal those of doctors, as someone in this thread has.

Here's the thing. I'm an attorney who works in state government. My annual pay is lower that a teacher with the same years of experience, and I don't get all of the breaks that teachers get during the school year. My professional responsibilities to my clients do not change based on how much money I make. I'm either a professional or I'm not. I might have months of leave, but I am not free to use it at times when it would injury my clients. None of this is to say that some teachers don't have good reasons for absences or quitting, but that doesn't mean some don't take advantage or that their inability to fulfill their job duties doesn't have a detrimental impact on students. Which is it? Are teachers professionals who deserve to be paid much more? Or are they workers whose only obligation is to fulfill the terms of their contracts as best they can, taking every hour of leave available to them, leaving mid-year if necessary, while at the same time working in a system that punishes kids for their late work and missed assignments in order to teach students about the "real world"?

+1. Amen. Most of us would face repercussions if we quit without finishing the work our client expected. Kids are the client of the teacher. Quitting 6 weeks before the end of the year with no substitute in place is unprofessional and uncaring.

Um, no. That work would be given to someone else.
-also an attorney here

[Anonymous]

My niece will graduate next weekend with a degree in Early Childhood Education. She's no longer going into teaching. She's graduating with 800 hours of in-classroom experience and she said that's 760 hours too many.

She lined up a job as a Social Media Marketing Specialist for a minor league sports team that will start training in June.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My niece will graduate next weekend with a degree in Early Childhood Education. She's no longer going into teaching. She's graduating with 800 hours of in-classroom experience and she said that's 760 hours too many.

She lined up a job as a Social Media Marketing Specialist for a minor league sports team that will start training in June.

Great news! Someone who doesn't want to go into teaching is not going into teaching, glad she figured this out now rather than midyear as a teacher.

FWIW, this is true of every profession that I know about. Doctors hate it, nurses hate it, lawyers hate it, veterinarians and vet techs hate it, teachers and IAs hate it. Everyone hates their profession and lots of people are quitting their careers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My niece will graduate next weekend with a degree in Early Childhood Education. She's no longer going into teaching. She's graduating with 800 hours of in-classroom experience and she said that's 760 hours too many.

She lined up a job as a Social Media Marketing Specialist for a minor league sports team that will start training in June.

Great news! Someone who doesn't want to go into teaching is not going into teaching, glad she figured this out now rather than midyear as a teacher.

FWIW, this is true of every profession that I know about. Doctors hate it, nurses hate it, lawyers hate it, veterinarians and vet techs hate it, teachers and IAs hate it. Everyone hates their profession and lots of people are quitting their careers.

We are hearing about how professional and amateur athletes hate it, professors hate it, writers and actors hate it, editors and copywriters and proofreaders either hate it or have all been fired. Who doesn't hate their career now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My niece will graduate next weekend with a degree in Early Childhood Education. She's no longer going into teaching. She's graduating with 800 hours of in-classroom experience and she said that's 760 hours too many.

She lined up a job as a Social Media Marketing Specialist for a minor league sports team that will start training in June.

That's sad, its all about the money....