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

[Anonymous]

The county could cancel every nonessential meeting and let the teachers set up. Win win. Those meetings are a waste anyway. They can do that after school is back in person, too, so they can continue setting up once they have a better sense of the lay of the land.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The county could cancel every nonessential meeting and let the teachers set up. Win win. Those meetings are a waste anyway. They can do that after school is back in person, too, so they can continue setting up once they have a better sense of the lay of the land.

The meetings I attend are cohort planning or SPED. Neither is non-essential.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Again, why are pretending that MCPS will open?

Everyone knows they will not.

Wrong. It’s happening.

Why? Because they gave a date? You are late to the party. These jokers have been giving dates since August.
This is another stall tactic and will serve as a reason to show that they were REALLY serious about opening up this time... but those pesky bulletin boards.

Man you guys are really fixated on bulletin boards it's like the new basement dweller

And yet DCUM lost its sh!t when a few teachers said they would not decorate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:i don't need time. I will roll in the air purifier, put up my plexi glass partitions and setup my cleaning materials and practice wearing my hazmat suit w/ oxygen while talking. No bulletin boards! It probably harbors viruses. I will put up my clear strings of lights for decoration and safety/ cleaning posters. Now, waiting for my Steam Shark and clothes steamer to arrive....

Steam cleaner and clothing cleaner isn't helpful. Wash your clothing and take a shower as soon as you get home and regularly wipe down everything with cleaner. No sharing supplies either.

Again, I hope neither of you is responsible for teaching science. Surface transmission from clothes? Are you kidding? I know you are kidding about the oxygen, but get a grip. I have been teaching highschoolers, in-person, all school year; everyone in masks; and it has been just fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:i don't need time. I will roll in the air purifier, put up my plexi glass partitions and setup my cleaning materials and practice wearing my hazmat suit w/ oxygen while talking. No bulletin boards! It probably harbors viruses. I will put up my clear strings of lights for decoration and safety/ cleaning posters. Now, waiting for my Steam Shark and clothes steamer to arrive....

Steam cleaner and clothing cleaner isn't helpful. Wash your clothing and take a shower as soon as you get home and regularly wipe down everything with cleaner. No sharing supplies either.

Again, I hope neither of you is responsible for teaching science. Surface transmission from clothes? Are you kidding? I know you are kidding about the oxygen, but get a grip. I have been teaching highschoolers, in-person, all school year; everyone in masks; and it has been just fine.

Your teaching at a private is very different and it’s really selfish to be in person right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:i don't need time. I will roll in the air purifier, put up my plexi glass partitions and setup my cleaning materials and practice wearing my hazmat suit w/ oxygen while talking. No bulletin boards! It probably harbors viruses. I will put up my clear strings of lights for decoration and safety/ cleaning posters. Now, waiting for my Steam Shark and clothes steamer to arrive....

Steam cleaner and clothing cleaner isn't helpful. Wash your clothing and take a shower as soon as you get home and regularly wipe down everything with cleaner. No sharing supplies either.

Again, I hope neither of you is responsible for teaching science. Surface transmission from clothes? Are you kidding? I know you are kidding about the oxygen, but get a grip. I have been teaching highschoolers, in-person, all school year; everyone in masks; and it has been just fine.

Your teaching at a private is very different and it’s really selfish to be in person right now.

Actually, it's not and it's not. It is science-based.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven't read this whole thread but-MCPS was denied the ability to waive 4 of the 180 required teaching days and they did not modify the calendar to add 4 days to the end of the year. All they gotta do is extend the school year like they do when there's lots of snow days. I would think everyone would be happy the state is protecting every single teaching day possible.

The issue with just adding days to the calendar is that you then have to pay teachers for those additional days, which haven't been budgeted for or negotiated about. Regardless of what the days are used for (additional teaching or time to set up the room or a combination of both), you can't ask any professional to work additional days without pay. You might think that the teachers SHOULD work without pay, but that's not going to happen.

Instead a compromise needs to be made, waive 2 of the required 180 teaching days? find money in the budget to pay for teachers for a few extra days? mandate that teachers cannot have required meetings a few Wednesdays in row so they can go in and set up?

But yet they were paid for a few weeks to do nothing last March, correct?

You are aware that not working for the two weeks last March wasn't a teacher decision? That came from MCPS Admin not individual teachers who decided not to work randomly.

But they say on their butts and got paid. So working 4 days unpaid if they want that to decorate their rooms sounds extremely reasonable.

I work weekends and late nights all of the time. Get real with this BS

Should all of the first year teachers and other new hires, who didn't get those two weeks off in March, just work for free? You are suggesting that it's an okay trade-off because the teachers were paid in March for "sitting on their butts". That certainly wouldn't be fair, or legal, to do unilaterally. The county would be asking to be sued.

Wow, you sure are stretching this lazy teacher. LOL

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:i don't need time. I will roll in the air purifier, put up my plexi glass partitions and setup my cleaning materials and practice wearing my hazmat suit w/ oxygen while talking. No bulletin boards! It probably harbors viruses. I will put up my clear strings of lights for decoration and safety/ cleaning posters. Now, waiting for my Steam Shark and clothes steamer to arrive....

Oh wow look. Another dramatic drippy whiny teacher. Shocker

Seriously, look in the mirror. You’re not any better.

Yes, at least I am looking forward and getting ready for in-person school. At least I have the safety of my students in mind and am taking measures into my own hands with my own wallet to keep my kids safe, clean, healthy and ready to learn. But, I am a teacher, so I am sure I will be flamed for whatever decision I make anyhow. I look forward to finishing this year with my babies and then switching to a career in which I am not a pariah and have to lie about my job to avoid any negative ,unwarranted feedback.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven't read this whole thread but-MCPS was denied the ability to waive 4 of the 180 required teaching days and they did not modify the calendar to add 4 days to the end of the year. All they gotta do is extend the school year like they do when there's lots of snow days. I would think everyone would be happy the state is protecting every single teaching day possible.

The issue with just adding days to the calendar is that you then have to pay teachers for those additional days, which haven't been budgeted for or negotiated about. Regardless of what the days are used for (additional teaching or time to set up the room or a combination of both), you can't ask any professional to work additional days without pay. You might think that the teachers SHOULD work without pay, but that's not going to happen.

Instead a compromise needs to be made, waive 2 of the required 180 teaching days? find money in the budget to pay for teachers for a few extra days? mandate that teachers cannot have required meetings a few Wednesdays in row so they can go in and set up?

But yet they were paid for a few weeks to do nothing last March, correct?

You are aware that not working for the two weeks last March wasn't a teacher decision? That came from MCPS Admin not individual teachers who decided not to work randomly.

But they say on their butts and got paid. So working 4 days unpaid if they want that to decorate their rooms sounds extremely reasonable.

I work weekends and late nights all of the time. Get real with this BS

And yet I had to go into my classroom after the school year was over to pack up everything as I was told I was changing rooms. Yes, in my personal time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:WEDNESDAYS! Cancel all staff meetings! Give teachers time in their classrooms!

Also - no frills this year. Kids don’t need fancy bulletin boards and center activities and so on. They need human interaction.

Should I cancel my instruction too?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:i don't need time. I will roll in the air purifier, put up my plexi glass partitions and setup my cleaning materials and practice wearing my hazmat suit w/ oxygen while talking. No bulletin boards! It probably harbors viruses. I will put up my clear strings of lights for decoration and safety/ cleaning posters. Now, waiting for my Steam Shark and clothes steamer to arrive....

Steam cleaner and clothing cleaner isn't helpful. Wash your clothing and take a shower as soon as you get home and regularly wipe down everything with cleaner. No sharing supplies either.

Again, I hope neither of you is responsible for teaching science. Surface transmission from clothes? Are you kidding? I know you are kidding about the oxygen, but get a grip. I have been teaching highschoolers, in-person, all school year; everyone in masks; and it has been just fine.

Your teaching at a private is very different and it’s really selfish to be in person right now.

Actually, it's not and it's not. It is science-based.

Depends on which science you look at. You can always find a study or justification but if you look at real numbers schools, camps and other group care helps the spread. Thanks for being part of the problem and not part of the solution.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:i don't need time. I will roll in the air purifier, put up my plexi glass partitions and setup my cleaning materials and practice wearing my hazmat suit w/ oxygen while talking. No bulletin boards! It probably harbors viruses. I will put up my clear strings of lights for decoration and safety/ cleaning posters. Now, waiting for my Steam Shark and clothes steamer to arrive....

Steam cleaner and clothing cleaner isn't helpful. Wash your clothing and take a shower as soon as you get home and regularly wipe down everything with cleaner. No sharing supplies either.

Again, I hope neither of you is responsible for teaching science. Surface transmission from clothes? Are you kidding? I know you are kidding about the oxygen, but get a grip. I have been teaching highschoolers, in-person, all school year; everyone in masks; and it has been just fine.

Your teaching at a private is very different and it’s really selfish to be in person right now.

Actually, it's not and it's not. It is science-based.

Depends on which science you look at. You can always find a study or justification but if you look at real numbers schools, camps and other group care helps the spread. Thanks for being part of the problem and not part of the solution.

You can find studies that say that, but the meta-analyses say otherwise.

Yes, there's an individual risk to going to school in-person. If you would otherwise stay home, it's going to be riskier for you to go to school.

But from a broader perspective, reopening schools does not have a significant effect on the total number of cases in the community. There's no *public* health reason to keep schools closed.