Deal teachers taking leave

[Anonymous]

I taught at Deal 25 years ago and left DCPS and the profession due to stressful working conditions. When I left, I had carefully avoided taking any leave, including working through minor illnesses. Guess how much I got as a payout for my accrued leave? Zero. Good for those teachers - their leave was negotiated through their contract and they should access all of the benefits they're eligible for in that underpaid, disrespected profession.

OP, you're yelling at the wrong people. I think part of what we are seeing in schools now, aside from the decades-long project of vilifying teachers and unions for not solving all of the ills of society with little funding and zero support, is that a historically feminized profession that has until now relied on (mostly) women sacrificing their personal time and resources to keep the institutions afloat is no longer sustainable. Women can get other jobs these days. Almost everyone who is a teacher is highly educated, and at these pay levels, almost anyone can make the same or more in another job.

I am also a parent of public school children (not in DC) and see the crash of our system too, so it's not that I am polyanna about the state of schools -- I just don't blame the teachers.

[Anonymous]

We loved the Deal teachers but left DCPS (pulled one out of Deal, one prior to JR) because of missing teachers. Over the years we had half years and even one full year with no instruction (just daily subs) in a core subject.

My kids are now in private with financial aid and they haven't missed a day of instruction since.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This was a constant frustration throughout the DCPS years. Teachers maxed out their benefits and planned to take leave during the school year. I understand that its a hard job, but when you have the summer off and your wife gives birth in July, I find it pretty frustrating that you plan to take paternity leave February-May during the school year . its very disruptive to the class and shows a clear lack of empathy for their students. This is what makes parents want to cut benefits of teachers and hate the union.

Yeah probably a great strategy to get more empathetic teachers who quit less. Good plan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My Deal eighth-grader now has three teachers out on leave, and another who talks incessantly to her students about how she's about to get fired (the principal apparently spends a lot of time observing her in the classroom, according to my kid). And often, they can't find substitutes so either they basically do nothing under the watch of an aide or a teacher from another team who is drafted into duty. My kid has never finished the year with the same science teacher in their three years at Deal: sixth grade, the teacher quit about two days before school began; seventh grade, the teacher quit right after school began; eighth grade, the teacher basically stopped grading all assignments -- resulting in all of her students getting horrid report-card grades until the prinicpal had to intervene -- and now is on leave.

I realize that teachers will need leave for dire circumstances, but it just seems like there's no coordination or planning for it.

This is the only really relevant issue. Teachers take leave for all kinds of reasons which are purely their own and which they are and should be allowed to take that leave.

However, the teacher talking to students about possibly being fired is absolutely inappropriate. That and the teacher who stopped teaching are examples of issues. Someone taking jury duty is not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My Deal eighth-grader now has three teachers out on leave, and another who talks incessantly to her students about how she's about to get fired (the principal apparently spends a lot of time observing her in the classroom, according to my kid). And often, they can't find substitutes so either they basically do nothing under the watch of an aide or a teacher from another team who is drafted into duty. My kid has never finished the year with the same science teacher in their three years at Deal: sixth grade, the teacher quit about two days before school began; seventh grade, the teacher quit right after school began; eighth grade, the teacher basically stopped grading all assignments -- resulting in all of her students getting horrid report-card grades until the prinicpal had to intervene -- and now is on leave.

I realize that teachers will need leave for dire circumstances, but it just seems like there's no coordination or planning for it.

This is the only really relevant issue. Teachers take leave for all kinds of reasons which are purely their own and which they are and should be allowed to take that leave.

However, the teacher talking to students about possibly being fired is absolutely inappropriate. That and the teacher who stopped teaching are examples of issues. Someone taking jury duty is not.

Even if she didn't mention it, the fact that Principal Neal is a constant visitor to her classroom to observe her teach would give the kids an idea that something is amiss. My kid says the vibe is really awkward in that class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My Deal eighth-grader now has three teachers out on leave, and another who talks incessantly to her students about how she's about to get fired (the principal apparently spends a lot of time observing her in the classroom, according to my kid). And often, they can't find substitutes so either they basically do nothing under the watch of an aide or a teacher from another team who is drafted into duty. My kid has never finished the year with the same science teacher in their three years at Deal: sixth grade, the teacher quit about two days before school began; seventh grade, the teacher quit right after school began; eighth grade, the teacher basically stopped grading all assignments -- resulting in all of her students getting horrid report-card grades until the prinicpal had to intervene -- and now is on leave.

I realize that teachers will need leave for dire circumstances, but it just seems like there's no coordination or planning for it.

This is the only really relevant issue. Teachers take leave for all kinds of reasons which are purely their own and which they are and should be allowed to take that leave.

However, the teacher talking to students about possibly being fired is absolutely inappropriate. That and the teacher who stopped teaching are examples of issues. Someone taking jury duty is not.

Even if she didn't mention it, the fact that Principal Neal is a constant visitor to her classroom to observe her teach would give the kids an idea that something is amiss. My kid says the vibe is really awkward in that class.

Yeah I think this particular class is some cause for concern that is affecting students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow—that a nightmare.

Deal is falling apart.

Other options?

It's still better than most that is offered in the city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If school adults were required to put their own cell phones into those Yondr pouches, a few weeks with a sub would be a great opportunity for students and subs.
Instead it's deplorable modeling of self-indulgent negligent sloth.

how about you take your own advice, put down your phone and connect with your kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow—that a nightmare.

Deal is falling apart.

Other options?

Sounds like you would thrive home schooling your kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I taught at Deal 25 years ago and left DCPS and the profession due to stressful working conditions. When I left, I had carefully avoided taking any leave, including working through minor illnesses. Guess how much I got as a payout for my accrued leave? Zero. Good for those teachers - their leave was negotiated through their contract and they should access all of the benefits they're eligible for in that underpaid, disrespected profession.

OP, you're yelling at the wrong people. I think part of what we are seeing in schools now, aside from the decades-long project of vilifying teachers and unions for not solving all of the ills of society with little funding and zero support, is that a historically feminized profession that has until now relied on (mostly) women sacrificing their personal time and resources to keep the institutions afloat is no longer sustainable. Women can get other jobs these days. Almost everyone who is a teacher is highly educated, and at these pay levels, almost anyone can make the same or more in another job.

I am also a parent of public school children (not in DC) and see the crash of our system too, so it's not that I am polyanna about the state of schools -- I just don't blame the teachers.

^^^^
This right here! Couldn’t agree more!

[Anonymous]

Who are they going to hire?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Paternity leave is a feminist issue. Let’s support that as much as possible.

OP, in sixth grade your student had a teacher that was different than expected. That’s not the same as the teacher leaving in a disruptive way while the school year is underway. The next year, it sounds like the teacher left shortly after the school year began, so again that isn’t terribly disruptive.

You have no idea how disruptive it was, so I'm not sure why you're even commenting here. They had to disperse all these students to already overcrowded classrooms elsewhere, and in one of the years, dispersed them again mid-year.

Have you brought this up at the PTA meetings? Have you talk with OSSE? Sounds like you’re just complaining and not trying to help solve the issue.

[Anonymous]

We experienced the teachers quitting either just before or just after school began and having no permanent teacher for months. It was one of the main reasons we are no longer in DCPS. I can sympathize with the demands being placed on teachers but I’m not hving my kids be the ones to suffer for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This was a constant frustration throughout the DCPS years. Teachers maxed out their benefits and planned to take leave during the school year. I understand that its a hard job, but when you have the summer off and your wife gives birth in July, I find it pretty frustrating that you plan to take paternity leave February-May during the school year . its very disruptive to the class and shows a clear lack of empathy for their students. This is what makes parents want to cut benefits of teachers and hate the union.

Benefits are there for a reason. We only get one life and I am sorry that your kid’s teacher doesn’t want to be around their snot all day when they have an infant. As someone else said very beautifully in this forum, childcare is very expensive and it doesn’t make much sense for both parents to take their leave at the same time. I think it’s so beautiful that this man is able to take the quality time to care of their infant and support their wife’s career (obviously something that didn’t happen in your household). Maybe the issue isn’t teachers using their benefits but rather the institution lacking the support to have an easier transition for the kids.

Benefits and unions are necessary for protection of teachers and you should be ashamed of yourself for wanting them to go away.

[Anonymous]

I worked at Deal for two years and rarely missed a day of work. But I couldn't go back. Most of the students were terrific, but a couple of serious knuckleheads made teaching close to impossible. The first thing administrators say to you if you have a student act up is, "what did YOU do?" I have tremendous respect for any teacher that stays at Deal. They are real heroes in my book.