Teacher workdays/school planning are ridiculous!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BTW the teachers union in NYC is amazingly powerful but even they don’t advocate for schedule disruptions/more “work days”

Perhaps they advocate for better conditions in other ways: teaching fewer classes, a cap on the number of total students, a reasonable retake/retest policy, more dedicated planning time, fewer non-teaching duties, fewer meetings.

There are many ways to show support to teachers.

And you’ve listed a few that aren’t at the expense of students. Pushing for more disruption and workdays, in addition to (clearly) alienating parents, also shows teachers as wholly out for themselves and not at all interested in whats best for their students— even when its things like missed meals, or whole days alone/unsupervised. Advocating a smaller classroom size at least has the appearance of recognizing that schools are supposed to care about students.

Smaller classroom size means more teachers, which means more funding, which means higher taxes. And the public already balks at that. So, direct your anger at those who deserve it - everyone.

The CBA isn’t making classroom size their issue, they’re making “planning time” their issue. They should focus on something that is better for students not clearly bad for students and families to benefit teachers.

Also, this schedule has higher costs for families. Higher costs spread across all of Fairfax is a lot saner than higher costs concentrated on households with children.

New Jersey has preferential hiring for residents into public jobs, that would be another change that would align teachers and parents better.

1- planning time benefits your child and you more than you think. Teachers can be trained in new techniques, or ways to identify disabilities or answer you emails with more planning time. They can grade papers and give more meaningful feedback etc, etc.

2- No teachers aren’t the ones pushing for this- it is coming from new curriculum initiatives and science of reading training.

3- If all you are concerned about is the amount you pay for camps, angle to get taxpayers to pay for school aged camp subsidies. ACPS used to sponsor minicamps. I”m going to bet you see that would be impossible, so instead you are choosing to pick on teachers who are the low hanging fruit for you. A group of women who don’t have much power and dedicated themselves to trying to teach your kids should be easy for you to steam roll. It is very maddening that you have to pay for camps and can’t tell them what to do.

You are hilarious if you think teachers in Greenwich don’t respond to emails, grade papers, etc. They just manage it without shutting down schools eight extra days every year. And their outcomes suggest their training is as good or better than what Fairfax gets.

Their outcomes suggest they teach kids who were born on third base. I teach students who haven’t made it out of the dugout.

And all the planning days off mean that those kids who “never make it out of the dugout” go hungry and unsupervised. It’s so nice to be able to fail at both ends of the economic extremes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a teacher and wish we had year round school.

Another teacher here and I am 100% in favor of it.

That’s what’s lost in this conversation. The lack of 5-day weeks isn’t the actual problem. It’s the long summer and the need to spend the first month reteaching all that was lost and reorienting students to school again.

I’ve actually considered moving somewhere with the year-round schooling because I don’t see it ever happening here.

They are both problems, and they are different problems.

And aren’t they both solved by year-round schooling? Doesn’t that achieve everything posters on this thread want?

More consistent, 5-day weeks. Check.
More routine and structure for students. Check.
Planning time for teachers can be built into the mini-breaks between quarters. No classroom time lost while teachers get to plan. Check.
More access to food and school support for populations in need. Check.

It answers all the concerns on this thread.

Many teachers need the extra income that summer employment gives them. Unless you’re going to pay us more, many of us won’t be able to pay our bills. All of the teachers in their first 10 years of teaching have either a second job, a summer job or both. Even older teachers like me have them too. The only ones who don’t have spouses who make a lot of money.

[Anonymous]

Year round schooling is a non-starter here. Its also meant as a distraction— as though the only option that allows for a rational schedule is an overhaul. Its not. There is no reason FCPS can’t follow a rational schedule like Prince William, next largest VA district, NYC certainly as diverse as FCPS, etc. It’s just a political choice to stop shifting resources away from children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BTW the teachers union in NYC is amazingly powerful but even they don’t advocate for schedule disruptions/more “work days”

Perhaps they advocate for better conditions in other ways: teaching fewer classes, a cap on the number of total students, a reasonable retake/retest policy, more dedicated planning time, fewer non-teaching duties, fewer meetings.

There are many ways to show support to teachers.

And you’ve listed a few that aren’t at the expense of students. Pushing for more disruption and workdays, in addition to (clearly) alienating parents, also shows teachers as wholly out for themselves and not at all interested in whats best for their students— even when its things like missed meals, or whole days alone/unsupervised. Advocating a smaller classroom size at least has the appearance of recognizing that schools are supposed to care about students.

Smaller classroom size means more teachers, which means more funding, which means higher taxes. And the public already balks at that. So, direct your anger at those who deserve it - everyone.

The CBA isn’t making classroom size their issue, they’re making “planning time” their issue. They should focus on something that is better for students not clearly bad for students and families to benefit teachers.

Also, this schedule has higher costs for families. Higher costs spread across all of Fairfax is a lot saner than higher costs concentrated on households with children.

New Jersey has preferential hiring for residents into public jobs, that would be another change that would align teachers and parents better.

1- planning time benefits your child and you more than you think. Teachers can be trained in new techniques, or ways to identify disabilities or answer you emails with more planning time. They can grade papers and give more meaningful feedback etc, etc.

2- No teachers aren’t the ones pushing for this- it is coming from new curriculum initiatives and science of reading training.

3- If all you are concerned about is the amount you pay for camps, angle to get taxpayers to pay for school aged camp subsidies. ACPS used to sponsor minicamps. I”m going to bet you see that would be impossible, so instead you are choosing to pick on teachers who are the low hanging fruit for you. A group of women who don’t have much power and dedicated themselves to trying to teach your kids should be easy for you to steam roll. It is very maddening that you have to pay for camps and can’t tell them what to do.

You are hilarious if you think teachers in Greenwich don’t respond to emails, grade papers, etc. They just manage it without shutting down schools eight extra days every year. And their outcomes suggest their training is as good or better than what Fairfax gets.

Their outcomes suggest they teach kids who were born on third base. I teach students who haven’t made it out of the dugout.

And all the planning days off mean that those kids who “never make it out of the dugout” go hungry and unsupervised. It’s so nice to be able to fail at both ends of the economic extremes.

Do you also worry about these children during the summer? Or is your concern only on teacher workdays?

Why aren’t you advocating for year-round school? Or summer programs to support these children?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Year round schooling is a non-starter here. Its also meant as a distraction— as though the only option that allows for a rational schedule is an overhaul. Its not. There is no reason FCPS can’t follow a rational schedule like Prince William, next largest VA district, NYC certainly as diverse as FCPS, etc. It’s just a political choice to stop shifting resources away from children.

Some of us see taking away planning time as ALSO shifting resources from students.

Students deserve prepared teachers who have time to write differentiated lessons and provide feedback on lessons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BTW the teachers union in NYC is amazingly powerful but even they don’t advocate for schedule disruptions/more “work days”

Perhaps they advocate for better conditions in other ways: teaching fewer classes, a cap on the number of total students, a reasonable retake/retest policy, more dedicated planning time, fewer non-teaching duties, fewer meetings.

There are many ways to show support to teachers.

And you’ve listed a few that aren’t at the expense of students. Pushing for more disruption and workdays, in addition to (clearly) alienating parents, also shows teachers as wholly out for themselves and not at all interested in whats best for their students— even when its things like missed meals, or whole days alone/unsupervised. Advocating a smaller classroom size at least has the appearance of recognizing that schools are supposed to care about students.

Smaller classroom size means more teachers, which means more funding, which means higher taxes. And the public already balks at that. So, direct your anger at those who deserve it - everyone.

The CBA isn’t making classroom size their issue, they’re making “planning time” their issue. They should focus on something that is better for students not clearly bad for students and families to benefit teachers.

Also, this schedule has higher costs for families. Higher costs spread across all of Fairfax is a lot saner than higher costs concentrated on households with children.

New Jersey has preferential hiring for residents into public jobs, that would be another change that would align teachers and parents better.

1- planning time benefits your child and you more than you think. Teachers can be trained in new techniques, or ways to identify disabilities or answer you emails with more planning time. They can grade papers and give more meaningful feedback etc, etc.

2- No teachers aren’t the ones pushing for this- it is coming from new curriculum initiatives and science of reading training.

3- If all you are concerned about is the amount you pay for camps, angle to get taxpayers to pay for school aged camp subsidies. ACPS used to sponsor minicamps. I”m going to bet you see that would be impossible, so instead you are choosing to pick on teachers who are the low hanging fruit for you. A group of women who don’t have much power and dedicated themselves to trying to teach your kids should be easy for you to steam roll. It is very maddening that you have to pay for camps and can’t tell them what to do.

You are hilarious if you think teachers in Greenwich don’t respond to emails, grade papers, etc. They just manage it without shutting down schools eight extra days every year. And their outcomes suggest their training is as good or better than what Fairfax gets.

Their outcomes suggest they teach kids who were born on third base. I teach students who haven’t made it out of the dugout.

And all the planning days off mean that those kids who “never make it out of the dugout” go hungry and unsupervised. It’s so nice to be able to fail at both ends of the economic extremes.

Do you also worry about these children during the summer? Or is your concern only on teacher workdays?

Why aren’t you advocating for year-round school? Or summer programs to support these children?

There *is* summer programming to support these kids. There ARE summer opportunities for kids who qualify for FARMS. Thats why the shortened summer is so doubly problematic— it creates a bunch of random days where there is no support and it shortens the time where there is reliable, consistent support.

Amazing that camp counselors, even at elite educational camps like Hopkins, make it through whole months without taking random days off to “plan”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Year round schooling is a non-starter here. Its also meant as a distraction— as though the only option that allows for a rational schedule is an overhaul. Its not. There is no reason FCPS can’t follow a rational schedule like Prince William, next largest VA district, NYC certainly as diverse as FCPS, etc. It’s just a political choice to stop shifting resources away from children.

Some of us see taking away planning time as ALSO shifting resources from students.

Students deserve prepared teachers who have time to write differentiated lessons and provide feedback on lessons.

Yes I agree, but they don’t need that at expense of THEIR education. Its at the adults expense, because schools are designed to serve children not adults.

Somehow the Northeast schools can deliver without keeping kids out of school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Year round schooling is a non-starter here. Its also meant as a distraction— as though the only option that allows for a rational schedule is an overhaul. Its not. There is no reason FCPS can’t follow a rational schedule like Prince William, next largest VA district, NYC certainly as diverse as FCPS, etc. It’s just a political choice to stop shifting resources away from children.

Some of us see taking away planning time as ALSO shifting resources from students.

Students deserve prepared teachers who have time to write differentiated lessons and provide feedback on lessons.

Yes I agree, but they don’t need that at expense of THEIR education. Its at the adults expense, because schools are designed to serve children not adults.

Somehow the Northeast schools can deliver without keeping kids out of school.

So tell me: what is your solution? When should this work occur? Because right now it’s getting done at night and on weekends, to the tune of 20+ hours a week for many of us. Is that the “expense” reference above, when you say planning should come at our expense?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Year round schooling is a non-starter here. Its also meant as a distraction— as though the only option that allows for a rational schedule is an overhaul. Its not. There is no reason FCPS can’t follow a rational schedule like Prince William, next largest VA district, NYC certainly as diverse as FCPS, etc. It’s just a political choice to stop shifting resources away from children.

Some of us see taking away planning time as ALSO shifting resources from students.

Students deserve prepared teachers who have time to write differentiated lessons and provide feedback on lessons.

Yes I agree, but they don’t need that at expense of THEIR education. Its at the adults expense, because schools are designed to serve children not adults.

Somehow the Northeast schools can deliver without keeping kids out of school.

So tell me: what is your solution? When should this work occur? Because right now it’s getting done at night and on weekends, to the tune of 20+ hours a week for many of us. Is that the “expense” reference above, when you say planning should come at our expense?

Fairfax had a ton of teacher planning days this year, early dismissal in elementary, plus two extras for elections. You’re saying that was *inadequate*?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BTW the teachers union in NYC is amazingly powerful but even they don’t advocate for schedule disruptions/more “work days”

Perhaps they advocate for better conditions in other ways: teaching fewer classes, a cap on the number of total students, a reasonable retake/retest policy, more dedicated planning time, fewer non-teaching duties, fewer meetings.

There are many ways to show support to teachers.

And you’ve listed a few that aren’t at the expense of students. Pushing for more disruption and workdays, in addition to (clearly) alienating parents, also shows teachers as wholly out for themselves and not at all interested in whats best for their students— even when its things like missed meals, or whole days alone/unsupervised. Advocating a smaller classroom size at least has the appearance of recognizing that schools are supposed to care about students.

Smaller classroom size means more teachers, which means more funding, which means higher taxes. And the public already balks at that. So, direct your anger at those who deserve it - everyone.

The CBA isn’t making classroom size their issue, they’re making “planning time” their issue. They should focus on something that is better for students not clearly bad for students and families to benefit teachers.

Also, this schedule has higher costs for families. Higher costs spread across all of Fairfax is a lot saner than higher costs concentrated on households with children.

New Jersey has preferential hiring for residents into public jobs, that would be another change that would align teachers and parents better.

1- planning time benefits your child and you more than you think. Teachers can be trained in new techniques, or ways to identify disabilities or answer you emails with more planning time. They can grade papers and give more meaningful feedback etc, etc.

2- No teachers aren’t the ones pushing for this- it is coming from new curriculum initiatives and science of reading training.

3- If all you are concerned about is the amount you pay for camps, angle to get taxpayers to pay for school aged camp subsidies. ACPS used to sponsor minicamps. I”m going to bet you see that would be impossible, so instead you are choosing to pick on teachers who are the low hanging fruit for you. A group of women who don’t have much power and dedicated themselves to trying to teach your kids should be easy for you to steam roll. It is very maddening that you have to pay for camps and can’t tell them what to do.

You are hilarious if you think teachers in Greenwich don’t respond to emails, grade papers, etc. They just manage it without shutting down schools eight extra days every year. And their outcomes suggest their training is as good or better than what Fairfax gets.

Greenwich has Tuesday march 24th 2026 as an early release for professional development. They had an earlier March half day as well. Their test scores are better because of higher income families make up the single high school district. My sister lives in Brookline MA which is very high performing. My Kindergarten niece is being taught using Lucy Caulkins. As a teacher who taught in VA vs Brookline she reports the teachers there are very out of date as is the overall curriculum. The district does well because the parents are rich.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BTW the teachers union in NYC is amazingly powerful but even they don’t advocate for schedule disruptions/more “work days”

Perhaps they advocate for better conditions in other ways: teaching fewer classes, a cap on the number of total students, a reasonable retake/retest policy, more dedicated planning time, fewer non-teaching duties, fewer meetings.

There are many ways to show support to teachers.

And you’ve listed a few that aren’t at the expense of students. Pushing for more disruption and workdays, in addition to (clearly) alienating parents, also shows teachers as wholly out for themselves and not at all interested in whats best for their students— even when its things like missed meals, or whole days alone/unsupervised. Advocating a smaller classroom size at least has the appearance of recognizing that schools are supposed to care about students.

Smaller classroom size means more teachers, which means more funding, which means higher taxes. And the public already balks at that. So, direct your anger at those who deserve it - everyone.

The CBA isn’t making classroom size their issue, they’re making “planning time” their issue. They should focus on something that is better for students not clearly bad for students and families to benefit teachers.

Also, this schedule has higher costs for families. Higher costs spread across all of Fairfax is a lot saner than higher costs concentrated on households with children.

New Jersey has preferential hiring for residents into public jobs, that would be another change that would align teachers and parents better.

1- planning time benefits your child and you more than you think. Teachers can be trained in new techniques, or ways to identify disabilities or answer you emails with more planning time. They can grade papers and give more meaningful feedback etc, etc.

2- No teachers aren’t the ones pushing for this- it is coming from new curriculum initiatives and science of reading training.

3- If all you are concerned about is the amount you pay for camps, angle to get taxpayers to pay for school aged camp subsidies. ACPS used to sponsor minicamps. I”m going to bet you see that would be impossible, so instead you are choosing to pick on teachers who are the low hanging fruit for you. A group of women who don’t have much power and dedicated themselves to trying to teach your kids should be easy for you to steam roll. It is very maddening that you have to pay for camps and can’t tell them what to do.

You are hilarious if you think teachers in Greenwich don’t respond to emails, grade papers, etc. They just manage it without shutting down schools eight extra days every year. And their outcomes suggest their training is as good or better than what Fairfax gets.

Greenwich has Tuesday march 24th 2026 as an early release for professional development. They had an earlier March half day as well. Their test scores are better because of higher income families make up the single high school district. My sister lives in Brookline MA which is very high performing. My Kindergarten niece is being taught using Lucy Caulkins. As a teacher who taught in VA vs Brookline she reports the teachers there are very out of date as is the overall curriculum. The district does well because the parents are rich.

Two early release vs. quarterly early release and monthly early. Your niece isn’t in Connecticut which updated its reading curriculum in the last three years.

And still has five day weeks, and two full days vs Fairfax’s ELEVEN training days. We are an embarassment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Year round schooling is a non-starter here. Its also meant as a distraction— as though the only option that allows for a rational schedule is an overhaul. Its not. There is no reason FCPS can’t follow a rational schedule like Prince William, next largest VA district, NYC certainly as diverse as FCPS, etc. It’s just a political choice to stop shifting resources away from children.

Some of us see taking away planning time as ALSO shifting resources from students.

Students deserve prepared teachers who have time to write differentiated lessons and provide feedback on lessons.

Yes I agree, but they don’t need that at expense of THEIR education. Its at the adults expense, because schools are designed to serve children not adults.

Somehow the Northeast schools can deliver without keeping kids out of school.

So tell me: what is your solution? When should this work occur? Because right now it’s getting done at night and on weekends, to the tune of 20+ hours a week for many of us. Is that the “expense” reference above, when you say planning should come at our expense?

Fairfax had a ton of teacher planning days this year, early dismissal in elementary, plus two extras for elections. You’re saying that was *inadequate*?

I am high school. And no, it isn’t adequate. I suspect you don’t know what a teacher’s load looks like.

We happen to be in the midst of a national teacher shortage. There are plenty of people with teacher certification who refuse to go back into the classroom because of workload and conditions. That number is growing each year and colleges aren’t sending us enough new teachers. The kids see it. I had a senior ask me just last week why I do a job that requires this much work.

So if the calendar is changed to reduce teacher work time, what is your solution?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BTW the teachers union in NYC is amazingly powerful but even they don’t advocate for schedule disruptions/more “work days”

Perhaps they advocate for better conditions in other ways: teaching fewer classes, a cap on the number of total students, a reasonable retake/retest policy, more dedicated planning time, fewer non-teaching duties, fewer meetings.

There are many ways to show support to teachers.

And you’ve listed a few that aren’t at the expense of students. Pushing for more disruption and workdays, in addition to (clearly) alienating parents, also shows teachers as wholly out for themselves and not at all interested in whats best for their students— even when its things like missed meals, or whole days alone/unsupervised. Advocating a smaller classroom size at least has the appearance of recognizing that schools are supposed to care about students.

Smaller classroom size means more teachers, which means more funding, which means higher taxes. And the public already balks at that. So, direct your anger at those who deserve it - everyone.

The CBA isn’t making classroom size their issue, they’re making “planning time” their issue. They should focus on something that is better for students not clearly bad for students and families to benefit teachers.

Also, this schedule has higher costs for families. Higher costs spread across all of Fairfax is a lot saner than higher costs concentrated on households with children.

New Jersey has preferential hiring for residents into public jobs, that would be another change that would align teachers and parents better.

1- planning time benefits your child and you more than you think. Teachers can be trained in new techniques, or ways to identify disabilities or answer you emails with more planning time. They can grade papers and give more meaningful feedback etc, etc.

2- No teachers aren’t the ones pushing for this- it is coming from new curriculum initiatives and science of reading training.

3- If all you are concerned about is the amount you pay for camps, angle to get taxpayers to pay for school aged camp subsidies. ACPS used to sponsor minicamps. I”m going to bet you see that would be impossible, so instead you are choosing to pick on teachers who are the low hanging fruit for you. A group of women who don’t have much power and dedicated themselves to trying to teach your kids should be easy for you to steam roll. It is very maddening that you have to pay for camps and can’t tell them what to do.

You are hilarious if you think teachers in Greenwich don’t respond to emails, grade papers, etc. They just manage it without shutting down schools eight extra days every year. And their outcomes suggest their training is as good or better than what Fairfax gets.

Greenwich has Tuesday march 24th 2026 as an early release for professional development. They had an earlier March half day as well. Their test scores are better because of higher income families make up the single high school district. My sister lives in Brookline MA which is very high performing. My Kindergarten niece is being taught using Lucy Caulkins. As a teacher who taught in VA vs Brookline she reports the teachers there are very out of date as is the overall curriculum. The district does well because the parents are rich.

Two early release vs. quarterly early release and monthly early. Your niece isn’t in Connecticut which updated its reading curriculum in the last three years.

And still has five day weeks, and two full days vs Fairfax’s ELEVEN training days. We are an embarassment.

One. High. School.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Year round schooling is a non-starter here. Its also meant as a distraction— as though the only option that allows for a rational schedule is an overhaul. Its not. There is no reason FCPS can’t follow a rational schedule like Prince William, next largest VA district, NYC certainly as diverse as FCPS, etc. It’s just a political choice to stop shifting resources away from children.

Some of us see taking away planning time as ALSO shifting resources from students.

Students deserve prepared teachers who have time to write differentiated lessons and provide feedback on lessons.

Yes I agree, but they don’t need that at expense of THEIR education. Its at the adults expense, because schools are designed to serve children not adults.

Somehow the Northeast schools can deliver without keeping kids out of school.

So tell me: what is your solution? When should this work occur? Because right now it’s getting done at night and on weekends, to the tune of 20+ hours a week for many of us. Is that the “expense” reference above, when you say planning should come at our expense?

Fairfax had a ton of teacher planning days this year, early dismissal in elementary, plus two extras for elections. You’re saying that was *inadequate*?

I am high school. And no, it isn’t adequate. I suspect you don’t know what a teacher’s load looks like.

We happen to be in the midst of a national teacher shortage. There are plenty of people with teacher certification who refuse to go back into the classroom because of workload and conditions. That number is growing each year and colleges aren’t sending us enough new teachers. The kids see it. I had a senior ask me just last week why I do a job that requires this much work.

So if the calendar is changed to reduce teacher work time, what is your solution?

You got eleven days off for planning this year. Not counting the ones before the year started. Your colleagues in the Northeast got two. I’m sorry this is now a you problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BTW the teachers union in NYC is amazingly powerful but even they don’t advocate for schedule disruptions/more “work days”

Perhaps they advocate for better conditions in other ways: teaching fewer classes, a cap on the number of total students, a reasonable retake/retest policy, more dedicated planning time, fewer non-teaching duties, fewer meetings.

There are many ways to show support to teachers.

And you’ve listed a few that aren’t at the expense of students. Pushing for more disruption and workdays, in addition to (clearly) alienating parents, also shows teachers as wholly out for themselves and not at all interested in whats best for their students— even when its things like missed meals, or whole days alone/unsupervised. Advocating a smaller classroom size at least has the appearance of recognizing that schools are supposed to care about students.

Smaller classroom size means more teachers, which means more funding, which means higher taxes. And the public already balks at that. So, direct your anger at those who deserve it - everyone.

The CBA isn’t making classroom size their issue, they’re making “planning time” their issue. They should focus on something that is better for students not clearly bad for students and families to benefit teachers.

Also, this schedule has higher costs for families. Higher costs spread across all of Fairfax is a lot saner than higher costs concentrated on households with children.

New Jersey has preferential hiring for residents into public jobs, that would be another change that would align teachers and parents better.

1- planning time benefits your child and you more than you think. Teachers can be trained in new techniques, or ways to identify disabilities or answer you emails with more planning time. They can grade papers and give more meaningful feedback etc, etc.

2- No teachers aren’t the ones pushing for this- it is coming from new curriculum initiatives and science of reading training.

3- If all you are concerned about is the amount you pay for camps, angle to get taxpayers to pay for school aged camp subsidies. ACPS used to sponsor minicamps. I”m going to bet you see that would be impossible, so instead you are choosing to pick on teachers who are the low hanging fruit for you. A group of women who don’t have much power and dedicated themselves to trying to teach your kids should be easy for you to steam roll. It is very maddening that you have to pay for camps and can’t tell them what to do.

You are hilarious if you think teachers in Greenwich don’t respond to emails, grade papers, etc. They just manage it without shutting down schools eight extra days every year. And their outcomes suggest their training is as good or better than what Fairfax gets.

Greenwich has Tuesday march 24th 2026 as an early release for professional development. They had an earlier March half day as well. Their test scores are better because of higher income families make up the single high school district. My sister lives in Brookline MA which is very high performing. My Kindergarten niece is being taught using Lucy Caulkins. As a teacher who taught in VA vs Brookline she reports the teachers there are very out of date as is the overall curriculum. The district does well because the parents are rich.

Two early release vs. quarterly early release and monthly early. Your niece isn’t in Connecticut which updated its reading curriculum in the last three years.

And still has five day weeks, and two full days vs Fairfax’s ELEVEN training days. We are an embarassment.

One. High. School.

How many High Schools in the NYC public system?