The PD video teachers must watch on Monday

[Anonymous]

I understand how this goofy lady living in her lily white hippy world is could get to this state. She's wrong but she's ingenuous and means well, like the church of Alfie Cohn.

But how does she have the ear of the admin?

Where is the union on this? Where's the teachers protesting this refusal to help children and refusal to support teachers doing their jobs?

McKnight was a teacher and a principal, and a member of the community. She knows what the problems are. Does she really not care? Does the Board not care? How are they winning elections with nesr unanimous opposition to their governance?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am dreading showing this to staff on Monday. We've had several staff hit by students this school year and the lack of accountability in terms of student behavior is out of control. If there is any advice I can give MCPS parents is that if you have children who are coming home commenting about behaviors at their school, believe your kids. Email the teacher, the principal, etc. I'm in a Title 1 school so we have smaller class sizes in K - 2nd grade. We have a first grade class with sixteen students but requires multiple adults to keep it somewhat under control. The teacher was punched two weeks ago in the face and the area director wouldn't allow the principal to suspend the student. The teacher, however, was supposed to just ignore the bruise on her face and come back the next day and continue on like nothing is wrong.

THIS IS NOT OKAY! Things in MCPS are terrible right now. We may get paid well (for educators) but the conditions are atrocious. This video we have to watch is insulting. The central office staff who have designed this PD and script need to be in schools more often to see what it looks like these days. Schools look so much different now than 2018.

X 1,000. I'm so disappointed that we continue to be directed by central office "instructional specialists" (who aren't specialists in anything) to sit through these trainings that are so out of touch with reality in actual schools these days. I'm at an elementary school in Gaithersburg and like PP mentioned, these aren't the same student behaviors we used to see five years ago. We have seven year olds who have learned that there are zero consequences. They can run the building, jump off furniture in class, throw things, etc. and nothing will happen. One lost recess one day but then just ran out of my principal's office and did laps around the building. Someone once said on here that schools are now trying to tackle societal issues and it's leaving us feeling helpless because we're not able to actually teach. I feel terrible for the kids who really want to learn but are constantly on edge by the behaviors they're witnessing. The sad thing is, we can't really voice our opinions because that's not being anti-racist. We, as teachers, must be doing something racist that's causing these issues. It's a lose-lose right now.

[Anonymous]

On this Indigenous Peoples Day, let's remember how Native Americans showed compassion and acceptance for "troublemakers", building a future where Native and Colonist live side by side in peace for centuries.

[Anonymous]

"running laps around the building" looks good to me. It's the sort of misbehaviour consequence that used to be normal but is now forbidden. It's great that kid took the initiative to apply it to self.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I consider myself to be politically liberal, though definitely on the moderate side, but this is blatant communist political programming masquerading as professional development.

I’m a parent and not a teacher, but if I were a teacher I would feel insulted and disrespected that this is what my school district is trying to pass off as professional development. This is abysmal.

Monifa has no shame.

Please share your definition of the word "communist".

You must have been stuck with a troublemaker disrupting your English and History classes.

If you watched that video and you missed the communist/socialist undertones, then I’m not going to do your critical thinking for you. But it wasn’t even disguised. She literally said education is political work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am dreading showing this to staff on Monday. We've had several staff hit by students this school year and the lack of accountability in terms of student behavior is out of control. If there is any advice I can give MCPS parents is that if you have children who are coming home commenting about behaviors at their school, believe your kids. Email the teacher, the principal, etc. I'm in a Title 1 school so we have smaller class sizes in K - 2nd grade. We have a first grade class with sixteen students but requires multiple adults to keep it somewhat under control. The teacher was punched two weeks ago in the face and the area director wouldn't allow the principal to suspend the student. The teacher, however, was supposed to just ignore the bruise on her face and come back the next day and continue on like nothing is wrong.

THIS IS NOT OKAY! Things in MCPS are terrible right now. We may get paid well (for educators) but the conditions are atrocious. This video we have to watch is insulting. The central office staff who have designed this PD and script need to be in schools more often to see what it looks like these days. Schools look so much different now than 2018.

X 1,000. I'm so disappointed that we continue to be directed by central office "instructional specialists" (who aren't specialists in anything) to sit through these trainings that are so out of touch with reality in actual schools these days. I'm at an elementary school in Gaithersburg and like PP mentioned, these aren't the same student behaviors we used to see five years ago. We have seven year olds who have learned that there are zero consequences. They can run the building, jump off furniture in class, throw things, etc. and nothing will happen. One lost recess one day but then just ran out of my principal's office and did laps around the building. Someone once said on here that schools are now trying to tackle societal issues and it's leaving us feeling helpless because we're not able to actually teach. I feel terrible for the kids who really want to learn but are constantly on edge by the behaviors they're witnessing. The sad thing is, we can't really voice our opinions because that's not being anti-racist. We, as teachers, must be doing something racist that's causing these issues. It's a lose-lose right now.

David W. Adams (Acting Associate Superintendent) is forbidding suspensions. In the area his directors supervise, which include Gaithersburg.

[Anonymous]

Does the MCEA have no say in the PD material that MCPS purchases to train them? Did the MCEA sign off on this lady and her kooky “training”?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does the MCEA have no say in the PD material that MCPS purchases to train them? Did the MCEA sign off on this lady and her kooky “training”?

My sister is a SDT in MCPS. It's my understanding that the training slides and script for the three-hour training were written by central office staff. The only additional funds were spent on securing that hour long video from Dr. Carla Shalaby. I've seen the materials and quite honestly, it misses the mark for what schools need right now. The materials weren't quite final until Thursday and my sister has been trying to refine the script and PowerPoint she has to read in order to squeeze all of the content into the three hours. I know when I worked for MCPS we used to get quarterly planning days and we could meet with our team and long-range plan. The time was invaluable for planning for all of our students' needs. Weekly planning doesn't give teachers enough time to differentiate and scaffold for students. My sister and I both think MCPS should have made Monday a day for teams to report to school to do this type of long range planning. Let the teachers dig into the curriculum, made modifications, and plan lessons that would be more engaging and relevant than the drivel Benchmark puts out.

Instead, my sister gets to stand in front of her staff and deliver a scripted training with content she knows isn't timely or relevant for her staff. How many times can teachers be told that they're the problem, that they need to counter white supremacy, etc.?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can't wait to see what news outlets think of this teacher "training"

Why would news outlets care one lick? There’s nothing newsworthy about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I consider myself to be politically liberal, though definitely on the moderate side, but this is blatant communist political programming masquerading as professional development.

I’m a parent and not a teacher, but if I were a teacher I would feel insulted and disrespected that this is what my school district is trying to pass off as professional development. This is abysmal.

Monifa has no shame.

Please share your definition of the word "communist".

You must have been stuck with a troublemaker disrupting your English and History classes.

If you watched that video and you missed the communist/socialist undertones, then I’m not going to do your critical thinking for you. But it wasn’t even disguised. She literally said education is political work.

Of course education is political work. All these nutso insane parents in the last couple of years have made it so.

[Anonymous]

Our school told us we will be in PD from 9 am-3 pm with a 30 minute lunch break. I’m pissed. I teach HS and brought home 150 papers to grade. I also have 25 college recommendations to write, many of which have a Nov 1 deadline. I also need to prepare for my classes next week. And they could not give us half a day to catch up on stuff?

[Anonymous]

I think McKnight is overwhelmed and in over her head. It is a big job and she obviously cannot keep up

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our school told us we will be in PD from 9 am-3 pm with a 30 minute lunch break. I’m pissed. I teach HS and brought home 150 papers to grade. I also have 25 college recommendations to write, many of which have a Nov 1 deadline. I also need to prepare for my classes next week. And they could not give us half a day to catch up on stuff?

Our school is honoring teachers by trying to work in planning time.

[Anonymous]

Wow. It would be better for teachers to just have a paid mental health day off on Monday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow. It would be better for teachers to just have a paid mental health day off on Monday.

I was previous poster, and I agree. I am just stating that my school is trying to meet an absurd ask AND give something of value to the teachers.