MCPS updated calendar is insane

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Grading and planning days are essential. You can get rid of them if you want but it will be to the detriment of students. Having the day off means we can carefully go through grades and make sure there are no mistakes. It also gives us a few hours to grade stuff. Finally it gives teachers time to reflect and do some planning for future lessons. Take it away and many of us will just hastily throw something together for planning purposes. Think of some of your kids teachers who you like and who do a good job. Good teaching doesn’t just happen. It takes a lot of planning and effort. And trying new things.

In HS there are 8 periods. Teachers have classes for 5-6 periods at most. The school day is exactly 7.5hrs.

Most salary employees work 9-10hrs a day. Many catch up at night too.

I think teachers do not get paid well enough and I would argue for more half days for grading. But full days off are not productive in my opinion. You just had 4 days off. There will be a long Spring Break in late March/early April. Being against April 15th is absolutely ridiculous. Could have made it half day easily.

When the teachers and MCPS are not flexible, why should the state be?

We may be at work for 7.5, but we are actively ON for 6 of those. This is not time to sit at a desk grading 170 papers or respond to 40 emails. We’re managing 30+ teenagers simultaneously, entertaining, presenting, and putting out fires. For that other 1.5 hours, we’re often called into meetings or covering other classes. So at the end of 7.5 hours, we are emotionally and physically exhausted and we haven’t even gotten a chance to start the other half of our job: planning and grading.

So I agree with the PP above who said that grading and planning time are essential. We rarely get time during our contracted work days to do it, so it’s almost all done on our off hours. And it represents half our job.

I’m not complaining. (I feel the need to write that because teacher explanations are almost always interpreted as complaints.) I’m pointing out the importance of keeping work days. They have an immeasurable impact on morale since they help us get caught up during actual work hours, and higher morale makes better teachers.

I'm a teacher, too. You know what's bad for morale? Going a whole extra week of school knowing there's not an extra paycheck for it.

And, yes, I know, we've already been paid for our time during the snow day, but that extra time takes away from our chance at supplemental income that many of us plan for. Or takes away from a needed break before starting ESY programs.

I also hate it when I am asked to do the job I was hired to do.

DP. Many of us do CONSIDERABLY more than what we were hired to do. That’s actually a major part of the problem. Teaching has grown exponentially harder in the past decade and we’re wearing too many hats.

[Anonymous]

Sunday night/Monday forecast is now for 3 inches with heavier amounts in some areas. If there is no school on Monday, is MCPS going to add another make up day?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sunday night/Monday forecast is now for 3 inches with heavier amounts in some areas. If there is no school on Monday, is MCPS going to add another make up day?

That would be my guess. Because if you don’t want to open because there is the possibility of a bus driver slipping on the road, don’t build more than 1 snow day into the calendar even as other Maryland school districts have 3-4, and refuse to use the 3 makeup days in the calendar, don’t prepare the virtual learning plan for snow emergencies that the state requires, this clusterf* is what you have.

[Anonymous]

What is the latest MCPS can go? Is there ever an end date?? What if we have a blizzard in March? Honestly just curious at this point.

[Anonymous]

Hopefully teachers weren’t planning on traveling for 4th of July.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sunday night/Monday forecast is now for 3 inches with heavier amounts in some areas. If there is no school on Monday, is MCPS going to add another make up day?

That would be my guess. Because if you don’t want to open because there is the possibility of a bus driver slipping on the road, don’t build more than 1 snow day into the calendar even as other Maryland school districts have 3-4, and refuse to use the 3 makeup days in the calendar, don’t prepare the virtual learning plan for snow emergencies that the state requires, this clusterf* is what you have.

Maybe it would make sense to cancel spring break instead of adding more days at the end of the school year. But since everyone has made spring break plans, this won’t be possible either..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sunday night/Monday forecast is now for 3 inches with heavier amounts in some areas. If there is no school on Monday, is MCPS going to add another make up day?

That would be my guess. Because if you don’t want to open because there is the possibility of a bus driver slipping on the road, don’t build more than 1 snow day into the calendar even as other Maryland school districts have 3-4, and refuse to use the 3 makeup days in the calendar, don’t prepare the virtual learning plan for snow emergencies that the state requires, this clusterf* is what you have.

Maybe it would make sense to cancel spring break instead of adding more days at the end of the school year. But since everyone has made spring break plans, this won’t be possible either..

Yeah no one is going to cancel spring break at this point. MCPS screwed up big time with its new planning on the calendar, same as last year. Hope the BoE and the Maryland House holds them accountable and that their waiver continues to get denied.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sunday night/Monday forecast is now for 3 inches with heavier amounts in some areas. If there is no school on Monday, is MCPS going to add another make up day?

That would be my guess. Because if you don’t want to open because there is the possibility of a bus driver slipping on the road, don’t build more than 1 snow day into the calendar even as other Maryland school districts have 3-4, and refuse to use the 3 makeup days in the calendar, don’t prepare the virtual learning plan for snow emergencies that the state requires, this clusterf* is what you have.

Maybe it would make sense to cancel spring break instead of adding more days at the end of the school year. But since everyone has made spring break plans, this won’t be possible either..

Not cancel spring break but probably pull back a day or two.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sunday night/Monday forecast is now for 3 inches with heavier amounts in some areas. If there is no school on Monday, is MCPS going to add another make up day?

That would be my guess. Because if you don’t want to open because there is the possibility of a bus driver slipping on the road, don’t build more than 1 snow day into the calendar even as other Maryland school districts have 3-4, and refuse to use the 3 makeup days in the calendar, don’t prepare the virtual learning plan for snow emergencies that the state requires, this clusterf* is what you have.

Maybe it would make sense to cancel spring break instead of adding more days at the end of the school year. But since everyone has made spring break plans, this won’t be possible either..

Not cancel spring break but probably pull back a day or two.

Well if it snows tomorrow then we might miss another day of school on Monday..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is the latest MCPS can go? Is there ever an end date?? What if we have a blizzard in March? Honestly just curious at this point.

Then they can apply for a waiver again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sunday night/Monday forecast is now for 3 inches with heavier amounts in some areas. If there is no school on Monday, is MCPS going to add another make up day?

That would be my guess. Because if you don’t want to open because there is the possibility of a bus driver slipping on the road, don’t build more than 1 snow day into the calendar even as other Maryland school districts have 3-4, and refuse to use the 3 makeup days in the calendar, don’t prepare the virtual learning plan for snow emergencies that the state requires, this clusterf* is what you have.

Maybe it would make sense to cancel spring break instead of adding more days at the end of the school year. But since everyone has made spring break plans, this won’t be possible either..

Not cancel spring break but probably pull back a day or two.

Although it ducks that Easter would be the last day they should use the Monday after if allowed AND April 15th!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was absolutely no teacher feedback requested for these changes in the calendar. No teachers want to go into June 25th.
Teachers work summer school, have other jobs etc. Keeping all of the school buildings open this late in the summer as well as providing buses and meals for students through that week will large added expenses for a school system that already claims to not have enough money.

Then you guys need to work with your union to have MCPS do better upfront planning and push them to use early contingency days. MCPS will say they can't because of the union. If that's not correct, or if the union isn't representing the best interest of the teachers, then you all need to speak up.

Ahh the typical Anti-Union moron is here.

No, PP is just reflecting reality. The union absolutely has the power here. If you don’t like going late I to June, you need the u ion to advocate for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So why does MCPS include makeup days in the calendar, and then not use them? 3/20 and 4/15 would have been preferable to these June days.

They are trying to get a waiver of the 180 days requirement. It’s a gambit. It appears so outrageous, and then they just want out of the days requirement. The state legislature may actually do it…even though they are not using the designated back up days.

It was already denied yesterday. The state has had it with MCPS entitlement

MCPS is pushing emergency bill right now in state legislature to override

It didn’t work last time they tried. All other counties in Maryland but us were operational after the week off weekend AND used some of their contingency days. PG even used Presidents Day when the state allowed it. MC did not. The teachers union refused to use April 15th. Muslims want their holiday.

Why should the state allow MCPS to go less days than every other f’ing county when they haven’t put ANY effort getting these kids the right number of days.

The problem now is that MCPS is getting the legislature to change the law just for them. What an embarrassment. Half our kids can’t read at grade level, and they are even worse at math, but MCPS is seeking to permanently get rid of the 180 day requirement — rather than commit to doing better planning moving forward.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was absolutely no teacher feedback requested for these changes in the calendar. No teachers want to go into June 25th.
Teachers work summer school, have other jobs etc. Keeping all of the school buildings open this late in the summer as well as providing buses and meals for students through that week will large added expenses for a school system that already claims to not have enough money.

Then you guys need to work with your union to have MCPS do better upfront planning and push them to use early contingency days. MCPS will say they can't because of the union. If that's not correct, or if the union isn't representing the best interest of the teachers, then you all need to speak up.

Ahh the typical Anti-Union moron is here.

No, PP is just reflecting reality. The union absolutely has the power here. If you don’t like going late I to June, you need the u ion to advocate for you.

What evidence is there that the BOE asked any union? The union didn't solicit any feedback from teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the latest MCPS can go? Is there ever an end date?? What if we have a blizzard in March? Honestly just curious at this point.

Then they can apply for a waiver again.

It will get denied because they refuse to use their contingency days.

They will use it as more evidence ce to the state legislature that they need to be exempted from the days requirement.