What is happening at Hearst?

[Anonymous]

We are a current family with younger kids and had no idea there were any issues.We were shocked to see the news and all the parents are asking each other what is wrong with the school. The principal won't give us anymore information and we haven't heard anything from DCPS or other school leaders. Have no ideea what is going on and worried that more teachers will leave.

[Anonymous]

I am not the outgoing principal's biggest fan but these departures do not seem to signal of some sort of major trouble. And parents need to recognize that the Hearst school community has had a noticeable demographic shift over the past 8-10 years, which overlaps with the tenure of a lot of the teachers who are leaving. A few years ago the school lost a great math teacher who left Hearst to teach at a school with a more economically diverse student population. It's entirely possible these staff are leaving because of the change in parent/student population, which has nothing to do with school leadership. Parents on here have already said there's been a change in school culture. Isn't it possible that at good portion of that has to do with the make-up of the family population as much as anything else?

Of the departures, I am going to put aside the support staff who are leaving since those in support roles come and go a lot more. Plus classroom teachers have a much more direct impact on students. There are 4 main classroom teachers leaving plus a specials teacher. Specials teacher has a new baby and moving out of the area. One of the 4 classroom teachers is moving across country. 2 that are leaving are the current 5th grade teachers. One of the 5th grade teachers is new and said they are going to travel and try new things. The other has been at the school about 10 years, as has the younger grade teacher who is leaving. Both of those longer tenure teachers are close with each other. I don't think it's surprising in the teaching world for teacher pairs to leave together or for teachers who are close to leave at the same time. Those two have also recently switched what grades they teach, which could be another sign that they are just looking for a different challenge. I don't know the situation of the other staff who are leaving is going to work at the school where their child attends.

I would also want to know the tenure length of teachers in DCPS at any one school. Ten years seems to be a good amount of time to look for a new challenge. It also could be the time at which teachers hit burnout.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am not the outgoing principal's biggest fan but these departures do not seem to signal of some sort of major trouble. And parents need to recognize that the Hearst school community has had a noticeable demographic shift over the past 8-10 years, which overlaps with the tenure of a lot of the teachers who are leaving. A few years ago the school lost a great math teacher who left Hearst to teach at a school with a more economically diverse student population. It's entirely possible these staff are leaving because of the change in parent/student population, which has nothing to do with school leadership. Parents on here have already said there's been a change in school culture. Isn't it possible that at good portion of that has to do with the make-up of the family population as much as anything else?

Of the departures, I am going to put aside the support staff who are leaving since those in support roles come and go a lot more. Plus classroom teachers have a much more direct impact on students. There are 4 main classroom teachers leaving plus a specials teacher. Specials teacher has a new baby and moving out of the area. One of the 4 classroom teachers is moving across country. 2 that are leaving are the current 5th grade teachers. One of the 5th grade teachers is new and said they are going to travel and try new things. The other has been at the school about 10 years, as has the younger grade teacher who is leaving. Both of those longer tenure teachers are close with each other. I don't think it's surprising in the teaching world for teacher pairs to leave together or for teachers who are close to leave at the same time. Those two have also recently switched what grades they teach, which could be another sign that they are just looking for a different challenge. I don't know the situation of the other staff who are leaving is going to work at the school where their child attends.

I would also want to know the tenure length of teachers in DCPS at any one school. Ten years seems to be a good amount of time to look for a new challenge. It also could be the time at which teachers hit burnout.

A mansplaining hot take from someone who has no idea what goes on behind closed doors! The reality is the school culture is not what it once was. People don’t leave places when they’re happy. As parents we should be concerned by the exodus, and plan to be more involved in the school going forward to rebuild the school culture we all want for our kids. I think it’s safe to say the teacher/parent relationship was damaged during the pandemic. Maybe we should stop putting words into the mouth of the staff who are leaving, trust the words they wrote to us in the Bloomz messages, and focus on retaining the teachers who didn’t leave yet.

[Anonymous]

What did the departing teachers say?

[Anonymous]

The departing teachers have said they love Hearst and are leaving for other opportunities, both personal and professional. That’s the tenor of every one of their departing messages posted on Bloomz yesterday. Not sure what PP is talking about.

[Anonymous]

Former Owl here and after talking to current staff I cannot think of a single person leaving whose decision to depart wasn’t based on the administration. Of course they are not going to write a Hearst Tell All on Bloomz (as delicious as that would be). You cannot possibly think they would be moronic enough to lay it all out like that. I wish them all the best and hope they land in a place where they are happy, respected, and developed! Change needs to occur at that school and FAST. I imagine there will be more resignations over the summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Former Owl here and after talking to current staff I cannot think of a single person leaving whose decision to depart wasn’t based on the administration. Of course they are not going to write a Hearst Tell All on Bloomz (as delicious as that would be). You cannot possibly think they would be moronic enough to lay it all out like that. I wish them all the best and hope they land in a place where they are happy, respected, and developed! Change needs to occur at that school and FAST. I imagine there will be more resignations over the summer.

current (soon to be) former staff +1

[Anonymous]

All this and no one has really said what decisions the principal has made that they don't like. I know some parents who were bent out of shape by prioritizing the economically neediest in returning to the building during the pandemic. Sure, that was inconvenient for me, but that's what educators should do. I wish that instead of just stirring up meanness, people would provide information that would allow others to make informed decisions about the school.

Also, as a former teacher, I'll say that there were plenty of years that lots of staff left that had nothing to do with the school itself. I'm sure some folks are leaving Hearst because they want what they think is a better environment and some, as a PP said, are leaving for various life reasons. Schools can have small staffs, and remember, there's one main season of departure for teachers. It may not be worth reading into this all too much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All this and no one has really said what decisions the principal has made that they don't like. I know some parents who were bent out of shape by prioritizing the economically neediest in returning to the building during the pandemic. Sure, that was inconvenient for me, but that's what educators should do. I wish that instead of just stirring up meanness, people would provide information that would allow others to make informed decisions about the school.

Also, as a former teacher, I'll say that there were plenty of years that lots of staff left that had nothing to do with the school itself. I'm sure some folks are leaving Hearst because they want what they think is a better environment and some, as a PP said, are leaving for various life reasons. Schools can have small staffs, and remember, there's one main season of departure for teachers. It may not be worth reading into this all too much.

The principal spends weeks giving death glares to staff and then cries in meetings bc ppl think she's cold. The AP is her handpicked successor. That's all you need to know

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am not the outgoing principal's biggest fan but these departures do not seem to signal of some sort of major trouble. And parents need to recognize that the Hearst school community has had a noticeable demographic shift over the past 8-10 years, which overlaps with the tenure of a lot of the teachers who are leaving. A few years ago the school lost a great math teacher who left Hearst to teach at a school with a more economically diverse student population. It's entirely possible these staff are leaving because of the change in parent/student population, which has nothing to do with school leadership. Parents on here have already said there's been a change in school culture. Isn't it possible that at good portion of that has to do with the make-up of the family population as much as anything else?

Of the departures, I am going to put aside the support staff who are leaving since those in support roles come and go a lot more. Plus classroom teachers have a much more direct impact on students. There are 4 main classroom teachers leaving plus a specials teacher. Specials teacher has a new baby and moving out of the area. One of the 4 classroom teachers is moving across country. 2 that are leaving are the current 5th grade teachers. One of the 5th grade teachers is new and said they are going to travel and try new things. The other has been at the school about 10 years, as has the younger grade teacher who is leaving. Both of those longer tenure teachers are close with each other. I don't think it's surprising in the teaching world for teacher pairs to leave together or for teachers who are close to leave at the same time. Those two have also recently switched what grades they teach, which could be another sign that they are just looking for a different challenge. I don't know the situation of the other staff who are leaving is going to work at the school where their child attends.

I would also want to know the tenure length of teachers in DCPS at any one school. Ten years seems to be a good amount of time to look for a new challenge. It also could be the time at which teachers hit burnout.

One of those teachers, who we loved beforehand, was one of the most vocal about not coming back. She kept pushing the requirements and her definition of safe. It’s her right to be outspoken. But when the parents of kids who basically got the minimal education for 18 months are ticked; she has to own her part in that. We wish her well and a fresh start elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All this and no one has really said what decisions the principal has made that they don't like. I know some parents who were bent out of shape by prioritizing the economically neediest in returning to the building during the pandemic. Sure, that was inconvenient for me, but that's what educators should do. I wish that instead of just stirring up meanness, people would provide information that would allow others to make informed decisions about the school.

Also, as a former teacher, I'll say that there were plenty of years that lots of staff left that had nothing to do with the school itself. I'm sure some folks are leaving Hearst because they want what they think is a better environment and some, as a PP said, are leaving for various life reasons. Schools can have small staffs, and remember, there's one main season of departure for teachers. It may not be worth reading into this all too much.

The principal spends weeks giving death glares to staff and then cries in meetings bc ppl think she's cold. The AP is her handpicked successor. That's all you need to know

NP. You sound like a child. Someone looked at you in a way you don't like? That's the best you can muster in terms of reasons people are leaving?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am not the outgoing principal's biggest fan but these departures do not seem to signal of some sort of major trouble. And parents need to recognize that the Hearst school community has had a noticeable demographic shift over the past 8-10 years, which overlaps with the tenure of a lot of the teachers who are leaving. A few years ago the school lost a great math teacher who left Hearst to teach at a school with a more economically diverse student population. It's entirely possible these staff are leaving because of the change in parent/student population, which has nothing to do with school leadership. Parents on here have already said there's been a change in school culture. Isn't it possible that at good portion of that has to do with the make-up of the family population as much as anything else?

Of the departures, I am going to put aside the support staff who are leaving since those in support roles come and go a lot more. Plus classroom teachers have a much more direct impact on students. There are 4 main classroom teachers leaving plus a specials teacher. Specials teacher has a new baby and moving out of the area. One of the 4 classroom teachers is moving across country. 2 that are leaving are the current 5th grade teachers. One of the 5th grade teachers is new and said they are going to travel and try new things. The other has been at the school about 10 years, as has the younger grade teacher who is leaving. Both of those longer tenure teachers are close with each other. I don't think it's surprising in the teaching world for teacher pairs to leave together or for teachers who are close to leave at the same time. Those two have also recently switched what grades they teach, which could be another sign that they are just looking for a different challenge. I don't know the situation of the other staff who are leaving is going to work at the school where their child attends.

I would also want to know the tenure length of teachers in DCPS at any one school. Ten years seems to be a good amount of time to look for a new challenge. It also could be the time at which teachers hit burnout.

DC School Report Cards used to include school specific data but the latest (2021) either doesn’t or it’s just not displaying correctly on my phone. They have DCPS overall and broken down by high and low poverty schools but I didn’t see specifically for the school.

Here’s the most recent data I can find for Hearst: https://dcschoolreportcard.org/schools/1-0258/teacher-health-staff

[Anonymous]

Regardless of the differing opinions on why so many staff members are suddenly jumping ship, I think it is evident that we all love that school and we can all agree the ship is sinking. So what can we do to protect the students and staff still aboard? How do we repair the severed pandemic relationships and rebuild strong relationships with the teachers again?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are a current family with younger kids and had no idea there were any issues.We were shocked to see the news and all the parents are asking each other what is wrong with the school. The principal won't give us anymore information and we haven't heard anything from DCPS or other school leaders. Have no ideea what is going on and worried that more teachers will leave.

As a long-time Hearst parent (one alum, one still there), I would take all of this with a grain of salt. If your kid is having a good experience, that's what matters. This thread could very well be a few disgruntled parents stirring the pot - easy to do anonymously. I've seen this cycle of beloved staff leaving before. There's a lot of emotions and panic initially, then new teachers come in and almost always work out, and everyone settles down. That's not always the case, but it's been my experience in 10 years at the school.

[Anonymous]

A new principal, assistant principal, business manager, clerk, foreman, and coach is unprecedented. No, we have not seen this before.