Burgundy Farm

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One of the biggest sorrows for me in this whole thing is just such disappointment in my fellow school parents. I get that people are grieving, angry and all the feelings, but you are embarrassing yourselves and us with so many ill informed and naive statements and points. Let’s do better than comparing a volunteer soccer coach to a professional teacher if you don’t know what goes into to teaching. Let’s not complain about reduced costs for running a school when remote (really you need to question the electrical bills) when you don’t know about annual planning and operating budgets. The list goes on and on. It’s really disappointing and frankly shocking to me. It’s making me question Burgundy far more than any mistakes the school may have made in this whole process. I hope you let your kids stay at burgundy so they can learn research and critical thinking.

+1

[Anonymous]

The situation at Burgundy is entirely the responsibility of the HOS and not at all at the feet of teachers. Teachers spent the last several months trying to get administrators to work with them to plan for the fall. There is no safe plan for in-person school at this point because the admin didn't collaborate with the experts - the teachers - on how to implement school on campus. It's disgusting that teachers are being thrown under the bus. They aren't lazy. Virtual learning requires significantly more work, especially when trying to apply a progressive lens to it. I agree that it's a very difficult ask to charge $35K in tuition for virtual learning, especially when the appeal of Burgundy is the campus. The mistake is laying this at the feet of teachers. It's inaccurate and unjustified.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“Under any circumstance this fall, teachers are basically having to completely re-train themselves. All the years of student teaching and advanced degrees did not train them to be online teachers or in-person teachers to students who are supposed to adhere to the mitigation strategies.“

Didn’t you have all summer to “re-train”? Isn’t the school providing resources to attend classes and seminars, etc. to train you how to teach online? Why would you have to re-train yourself this fall?

Teachers aren’t contacted to work in the summer.

Teachers often engage in professional development during the summer that is funded by the school. Is that not true at Burgundy?

Burgundy teachers have been working all summer. The administration has not been forthright with them or with the community. There is more to facilitating outdoor school than individual teachers doing professional development over the summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't see why Congressional can have in-person classes and Burgundy can't. I just don't get it.

Administration caved to pressure from teachers. It is a leadership failure. They failed to involve, rally, and lead the teachers. Must speak to long-standing communication and leadership from administration to teachers.

I'd rephrase this as "administration actually finally listened to teachers, but too late" and would agree with the rest. The admin is to blame here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has a clear plan for reopening been communicated? There are several detailed and thoughtful links on the page that reference a reopening plan released today. However, I cannot locate a plan of what is going to happen in 3 weeks. https://burgundyfarm.org/community/burgundy-preparations-for-reopening/

What am I missing?

Also, what's the contract language? Can I pull my kid or will I be sued by the school for nonpayment?

Burgundy has threatened and sued before.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“Under any circumstance this fall, teachers are basically having to completely re-train themselves. All the years of student teaching and advanced degrees did not train them to be online teachers or in-person teachers to students who are supposed to adhere to the mitigation strategies.“

Didn’t you have all summer to “re-train”? Isn’t the school providing resources to attend classes and seminars, etc. to train you how to teach online? Why would you have to re-train yourself this fall?

Teachers aren’t contacted to work in the summer.

Teachers often engage in professional development during the summer that is funded by the school. Is that not true at Burgundy?

Don't think so in most cases; at most, some partial summer prep. Bear in mind that a Burgundy teacher is paid about $10-$40k per year less than a public school teacher and many are not eligible for hiring by publics, some see it as a stepping stone or a hobby job. So there might or might not have been substantial preparation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“Under any circumstance this fall, teachers are basically having to completely re-train themselves. All the years of student teaching and advanced degrees did not train them to be online teachers or in-person teachers to students who are supposed to adhere to the mitigation strategies.“

Didn’t you have all summer to “re-train”? Isn’t the school providing resources to attend classes and seminars, etc. to train you how to teach online? Why would you have to re-train yourself this fall?

Teachers aren’t contacted to work in the summer.

Teachers often engage in professional development during the summer that is funded by the school. Is that not true at Burgundy?

Don't think so in most cases; at most, some partial summer prep. Bear in mind that a Burgundy teacher is paid about $10-$40k per year less than a public school teacher and many are not eligible for hiring by publics, some see it as a stepping stone or a hobby job. So there might or might not have been substantial preparation.

Many teachers engage in PD over the summer. Some paid by the school and some at their own expense. Burgundy typically shuts down school communication over the summer and teachers are encouraged to take that time off (as they are contracted for the school year only). This summer many teachers did trainings and worked more over the summer than is typical.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The situation at Burgundy is entirely the responsibility of the HOS and not at all at the feet of teachers. Teachers spent the last several months trying to get administrators to work with them to plan for the fall. There is no safe plan for in-person school at this point because the admin didn't collaborate with the experts - the teachers - on how to implement school on campus. It's disgusting that teachers are being thrown under the bus. They aren't lazy. Virtual learning requires significantly more work, especially when trying to apply a progressive lens to it. I agree that it's a very difficult ask to charge $35K in tuition for virtual learning, especially when the appeal of Burgundy is the campus. The mistake is laying this at the feet of teachers. It's inaccurate and unjustified.

I agree and I will defend our teachers. I think it's just a few vocal bad apples on this thread who are blaming teachers. I admit that I was initially frustrated when I heard that the on-campus plans changed at the last minute because of staffing issues. However, I didn't understand the whole story at the time.

To all the Burgundy teachers: our children adore you, and we love you! Thank you for all you do, and I am so, so sorry that you are in this position. The vast majority of us do not feel the way as these few bad apples.

[Anonymous]

Hobby jobs? Do you know anything about the teachers there? Sorry if I’m feeding a late night troll by responding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The situation at Burgundy is entirely the responsibility of the HOS and not at all at the feet of teachers. Teachers spent the last several months trying to get administrators to work with them to plan for the fall. There is no safe plan for in-person school at this point because the admin didn't collaborate with the experts - the teachers - on how to implement school on campus. It's disgusting that teachers are being thrown under the bus. They aren't lazy. Virtual learning requires significantly more work, especially when trying to apply a progressive lens to it. I agree that it's a very difficult ask to charge $35K in tuition for virtual learning, especially when the appeal of Burgundy is the campus. The mistake is laying this at the feet of teachers. It's inaccurate and unjustified.

I agree and I will defend our teachers. I think it's just a few vocal bad apples on this thread who are blaming teachers. I admit that I was initially frustrated when I heard that the on-campus plans changed at the last minute because of staffing issues. However, I didn't understand the whole story at the time.

To all the Burgundy teachers: our children adore you, and we love you! Thank you for all you do, and I am so, so sorry that you are in this position. The vast majority of us do not feel the way as these few bad apples.

Agreed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“Under any circumstance this fall, teachers are basically having to completely re-train themselves. All the years of student teaching and advanced degrees did not train them to be online teachers or in-person teachers to students who are supposed to adhere to the mitigation strategies.“

Didn’t you have all summer to “re-train”? Isn’t the school providing resources to attend classes and seminars, etc. to train you how to teach online? Why would you have to re-train yourself this fall?

Teachers aren’t contacted to work in the summer.

Teachers often engage in professional development during the summer that is funded by the school. Is that not true at Burgundy?

Don't think so in most cases; at most, some partial summer prep. Bear in mind that a Burgundy teacher is paid about $10-$40k per year less than a public school teacher and many are not eligible for hiring by publics, some see it as a stepping stone or a hobby job. So there might or might not have been substantial preparation.

Former teacher here- to say someone is in teaching as a “hobby job” is incredibly disrespectful.

[Anonymous]

Let’s do better than comparing a volunteer soccer coach to a professional teacher if you don’t know what goes into to teaching. Let’s not complain about reduced costs for running a school when remote (really you need to question the electrical bills) when you don’t know about annual planning and operating budgets.

Whoa! I don't think that the soccer coach analogy is apt due to the different in environments in which they operate (outdoors, for a shorter amount of time). But I believe that the person was referring to a professional soccer coach for a travel team. That requires a series of licenses and training - my husband is one. While I don't support bashing teachers at all, you are pretty much doing the same thing to soccer coaches - saying that they don't require training and expertise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Let’s do better than comparing a volunteer soccer coach to a professional teacher if you don’t know what goes into to teaching. Let’s not complain about reduced costs for running a school when remote (really you need to question the electrical bills) when you don’t know about annual planning and operating budgets.

Whoa! I don't think that the soccer coach analogy is apt due to the different in environments in which they operate (outdoors, for a shorter amount of time). But I believe that the person was referring to a professional soccer coach for a travel team. That requires a series of licenses and training - my husband is one. While I don't support bashing teachers at all, you are pretty much doing the same thing to soccer coaches - saying that they don't require training and expertise.

Yes it was a paid experienced soccer coach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The situation at Burgundy is entirely the responsibility of the HOS and not at all at the feet of teachers. Teachers spent the last several months trying to get administrators to work with them to plan for the fall. There is no safe plan for in-person school at this point because the admin didn't collaborate with the experts - the teachers - on how to implement school on campus. It's disgusting that teachers are being thrown under the bus. They aren't lazy. Virtual learning requires significantly more work, especially when trying to apply a progressive lens to it. I agree that it's a very difficult ask to charge $35K in tuition for virtual learning, especially when the appeal of Burgundy is the campus. The mistake is laying this at the feet of teachers. It's inaccurate and unjustified.

I agree and I will defend our teachers. I think it's just a few vocal bad apples on this thread who are blaming teachers. I admit that I was initially frustrated when I heard that the on-campus plans changed at the last minute because of staffing issues. However, I didn't understand the whole story at the time.

To all the Burgundy teachers: our children adore you, and we love you! Thank you for all you do, and I am so, so sorry that you are in this position. The vast majority of us do not feel the way as these few bad apples.

I like the teachers but I do not think they have gone about this the right way. They were on task forces. They have agency. They saw all the emails and comms from the school about the intent to be back in-person full time. They could have spoken up earlier and collaborated more. They could have contributed to the solutions. They could have suggested plans.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't see why Congressional can have in-person classes and Burgundy can't. I just don't get it.

Administration caved to pressure from teachers. It is a leadership failure. They failed to involve, rally, and lead the teachers. Must speak to long-standing communication and leadership from administration to teachers.

I'd rephrase this as "administration actually finally listened to teachers, but too late" and would agree with the rest. The admin is to blame here.

So they listened to the teachers and where does that leave us. What’s the solution?