INSTRUCTIONAL EQUITY WORKSHOP May 2

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They need better teachers, and better training for them once hired. THIS is what DEI should actually mean, for goodness' sakes!

Take my kids' math experience, for ex:

1. My son's 12th grade AP Calc BC teacher was awful last year. He didn't explain any of it clearly. The students who did well were very strong in math to begin with. We hired an expensive, and excellent math tutor, so DS could keep up. How on earth is this equitable?

2. My daughter's Algebra 2 teacher is similar. She doesn't explain anything on the tests unless kids show up to her office hours, which some kids can't do. Kids twiddled their thumbs for TWO days, and were told to do whatever they wanted during class, the week the notes were late. Apparently she doesn't write them herself, the math team does, and she just reads through them or something. Thankfully my daughter is naturally strong in math, and doesn't actually need much guidance. But if my son was in that class, he'd fail miserably. How is that equitable?!

I could cite you some other examples from my son's AP Computer Science Principles teacher, or his AP World History teacher. Or some of my kids' friends' experiences with abysmal world language teachers. One who long-termed subbed for a year and who didn't even speak the language! Talk about setting kids back...

This is the most basic requirement: that teachers actually know how to teach.

That requirement is not being met right now, and it should be met 100% of the time.

And look at other thread about teacher cuts. We are in a do-it-yourself teaching (or be tutored) generation...

Part of the issue here is the lack of textbooks.

My MS kid often comes home with random Science assignments where he is expected to just Google around for the answers. It's a waste of time and so ineffective.

Or, for Spanish, there is a random mish mash of photocopied worksheets. Useless. A workbook would be a million times better and the kids could refer back to previous units.

MCPS is a mess.

Oh, but a textbook is so heavy. Chromebooks much lighter with all of the world's information. !!!

Yes, textbooks are obsolete. They have this thing called the internet which is like 1,000,000 textbooks but better.

The internet does not present the information in a structured, laddered way that enables someone to learn content. That’s what a textbook can do.

Sending a child to the internet to learn is like throwing a thirsty person into the middle of the ocean. What they need is there, but it can’t be accessed in a usable way.

Well said.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So a poor kid sitting next to a rich kid in the same class scores lower on tests. Surely the problem is the teacher!

Thank you! What we have been hearing lately from our administrators is that we just need to give more more more more time and energy to the poo student until the results are equal, but we are now completely out of time and energy and the results still aren’t equal.

[Anonymous]

*poor

[Anonymous]

Schools will never be able to fix parents. Waste of time and resources.

[Anonymous]

My kid got a textbook because the school was throwing them out so they invited parents to bring the book home on parent-teacher night 🤡

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So a poor kid sitting next to a rich kid in the same class scores lower on tests. Surely the problem is the teacher!

Thank you! What we have been hearing lately from our administrators is that we just need to give more more more more time and energy to the poo student until the results are equal, but we are now completely out of time and energy and the results still aren’t equal.

The current trend in education is to focus 95% of all resources on the bottom 20%. The problem is the bottom 20% rarely even cares so this isn't really helping anyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So a poor kid sitting next to a rich kid in the same class scores lower on tests. Surely the problem is the teacher!

Thank you! What we have been hearing lately from our administrators is that we just need to give more more more more time and energy to the poo student until the results are equal, but we are now completely out of time and energy and the results still aren’t equal.

The admin know that ain't going to work too. They just tell you to check off their own box saying they told you. But more quality time tutoring the students needing it does pay off for that student. At what cost to other students though?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They need better teachers, and better training for them once hired. THIS is what DEI should actually mean, for goodness' sakes!

Take my kids' math experience, for ex:

1. My son's 12th grade AP Calc BC teacher was awful last year. He didn't explain any of it clearly. The students who did well were very strong in math to begin with. We hired an expensive, and excellent math tutor, so DS could keep up. How on earth is this equitable?

2. My daughter's Algebra 2 teacher is similar. She doesn't explain anything on the tests unless kids show up to her office hours, which some kids can't do. Kids twiddled their thumbs for TWO days, and were told to do whatever they wanted during class, the week the notes were late. Apparently she doesn't write them herself, the math team does, and she just reads through them or something. Thankfully my daughter is naturally strong in math, and doesn't actually need much guidance. But if my son was in that class, he'd fail miserably. How is that equitable?!

I could cite you some other examples from my son's AP Computer Science Principles teacher, or his AP World History teacher. Or some of my kids' friends' experiences with abysmal world language teachers. One who long-termed subbed for a year and who didn't even speak the language! Talk about setting kids back...

This is the most basic requirement: that teachers actually know how to teach.

That requirement is not being met right now, and it should be met 100% of the time.

And look at other thread about teacher cuts. We are in a do-it-yourself teaching (or be tutored) generation...

Part of the issue here is the lack of textbooks.

My MS kid often comes home with random Science assignments where he is expected to just Google around for the answers. It's a waste of time and so ineffective.

Or, for Spanish, there is a random mish mash of photocopied worksheets. Useless. A workbook would be a million times better and the kids could refer back to previous units.

MCPS is a mess.

Oh, but a textbook is so heavy. Chromebooks much lighter with all of the world's information. !!!

Yes, textbooks are obsolete. They have this thing called the internet which is like 1,000,000 textbooks but better.

Totally! Many of these posters just work for the textbook lobby.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They need better teachers, and better training for them once hired. THIS is what DEI should actually mean, for goodness' sakes!

Take my kids' math experience, for ex:

1. My son's 12th grade AP Calc BC teacher was awful last year. He didn't explain any of it clearly. The students who did well were very strong in math to begin with. We hired an expensive, and excellent math tutor, so DS could keep up. How on earth is this equitable?

2. My daughter's Algebra 2 teacher is similar. She doesn't explain anything on the tests unless kids show up to her office hours, which some kids can't do. Kids twiddled their thumbs for TWO days, and were told to do whatever they wanted during class, the week the notes were late. Apparently she doesn't write them herself, the math team does, and she just reads through them or something. Thankfully my daughter is naturally strong in math, and doesn't actually need much guidance. But if my son was in that class, he'd fail miserably. How is that equitable?!

I could cite you some other examples from my son's AP Computer Science Principles teacher, or his AP World History teacher. Or some of my kids' friends' experiences with abysmal world language teachers. One who long-termed subbed for a year and who didn't even speak the language! Talk about setting kids back...

This is the most basic requirement: that teachers actually know how to teach.

That requirement is not being met right now, and it should be met 100% of the time.

And look at other thread about teacher cuts. We are in a do-it-yourself teaching (or be tutored) generation...

Part of the issue here is the lack of textbooks.

My MS kid often comes home with random Science assignments where he is expected to just Google around for the answers. It's a waste of time and so ineffective.

Or, for Spanish, there is a random mish mash of photocopied worksheets. Useless. A workbook would be a million times better and the kids could refer back to previous units.

MCPS is a mess.

Oh, but a textbook is so heavy. Chromebooks much lighter with all of the world's information. !!!

Yes, textbooks are obsolete. They have this thing called the internet which is like 1,000,000 textbooks but better.

Totally! Many of these posters just work for the textbook lobby.

I hate that I can’t tell who’s being sincere and who’s being sarcastic anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They need better teachers, and better training for them once hired. THIS is what DEI should actually mean, for goodness' sakes!

Take my kids' math experience, for ex:

1. My son's 12th grade AP Calc BC teacher was awful last year. He didn't explain any of it clearly. The students who did well were very strong in math to begin with. We hired an expensive, and excellent math tutor, so DS could keep up. How on earth is this equitable?

2. My daughter's Algebra 2 teacher is similar. She doesn't explain anything on the tests unless kids show up to her office hours, which some kids can't do. Kids twiddled their thumbs for TWO days, and were told to do whatever they wanted during class, the week the notes were late. Apparently she doesn't write them herself, the math team does, and she just reads through them or something. Thankfully my daughter is naturally strong in math, and doesn't actually need much guidance. But if my son was in that class, he'd fail miserably. How is that equitable?!

I could cite you some other examples from my son's AP Computer Science Principles teacher, or his AP World History teacher. Or some of my kids' friends' experiences with abysmal world language teachers. One who long-termed subbed for a year and who didn't even speak the language! Talk about setting kids back...

This is the most basic requirement: that teachers actually know how to teach.

That requirement is not being met right now, and it should be met 100% of the time.

And look at other thread about teacher cuts. We are in a do-it-yourself teaching (or be tutored) generation...

Part of the issue here is the lack of textbooks.

My MS kid often comes home with random Science assignments where he is expected to just Google around for the answers. It's a waste of time and so ineffective.

Or, for Spanish, there is a random mish mash of photocopied worksheets. Useless. A workbook would be a million times better and the kids could refer back to previous units.

MCPS is a mess.

Same for French. No textbook, and they link to an online textbook that does not have any content. I emailed the teacher to ask about it and she said it just doesn't work, and central office won't fix it. So we get a bunch of random handouts.

I feel for the teachers - it must be impossible to teach with so little support.

It is. I would love to have textbooks with student workbooks.

[Anonymous]

MCPS needs to go back to the basics.
Text books and paper assignments and ban cell phones. Student teacher ratio should be 20:1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So a poor kid sitting next to a rich kid in the same class scores lower on tests. Surely the problem is the teacher!

Thank you! What we have been hearing lately from our administrators is that we just need to give more more more more time and energy to the poo student until the results are equal, but we are now completely out of time and energy and the results still aren’t equal.

The current trend in education is to focus 95% of all resources on the bottom 20%. The problem is the bottom 20% rarely even cares so this isn't really helping anyone.

Unfortunately, this.

I grew up lower income. I knew the path to get out of poverty was an education, so I did well in school; took AP classes. I had to pay for my AP tests, so I only could afford one. Today in MCPS, they pay for AP tests; they offer SAT tutoring. I did not do any tutoring, or even practice tests. I just went in cold turkey (and I did not do well).

If I had all the supports that MCPS provides, I think I could've done so much better. But, the student has to care. My parents did not care if I went to college, so it was all me, with no help from parents or even a college counselor.

This is very much a "lead a horse to water" situation. Throwing more money at the problem isn't going to fix the issue.

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCPS needs to go back to the basics.
Text books and paper assignments and ban cell phones. Student teacher ratio should be 20:1

How will your suggestions allow progressives to feel virtuous?

[Anonymous]

Why is MCCPTA doing MCPS's work? Where is the MCPS curriculum office or whatever they are called? MCCPTA is volunteer run.