Why are there no textbooks in FCPS elementary?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is a textbook written specifically for Virginia Studies. It is quite good.

Why can't one be written to accommodate the Virginia Standards of Learning?

ETA the MATH standards of learning

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because teachers don't want them, only lazy teachers use them. Good teachers don't need them.

I will admit that so far, up until 3rd grade, my kids have had excellent teachers that have done a great job and clearly don't need textbooks. But probably their jobs would be easier with them.

Lazy, incompetent teachers use videos in the classroom.

This is not true. Well written textbooks can act as a good supplement in instruction. Some videos as quite useful, especially in social studies.

I love well written textbooks as a good supplement. It is true that lazy, incompetent teachers use videos for SS, Math and Reading.

[Anonymous]

It is so sad to read 3rd grade teachers posting they no longer assign homework. Research has shown assigning math homework is helpful. I used to teach third grade and every day we had a math quiz on whatever times table the student was working on right before lunch. I graded them during lunch and my students got 100 problems on that number for homework. So if the student took on 6's and passed they got 100 problems of multiplying 7. If they didn't pass they got 100 problems of multiplying 6's.

When my son was in third grade the teacher had the kids make flashcards and said go online to learn them. I had to dig out the multiplication sheets and made him practice. Pencil and paper practice is really effective in math. I was so disappointed after that year I sent him to parochial school for 4th grade where he has textbooks and everything is graded for accuracy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because teachers don't want them, only lazy teachers use them. Good teachers don't need them.

I will admit that so far, up until 3rd grade, my kids have had excellent teachers that have done a great job and clearly don't need textbooks. But probably their jobs would be easier with them.

Lazy, incompetent teachers use videos in the classroom.

This is not true. Well written textbooks can act as a good supplement in instruction. Some videos as quite useful, especially in social studies.

I love well written textbooks as a good supplement. It is true that lazy, incompetent teachers use videos for SS, Math and Reading.

How would one use videos for reading? Or even for math? For history, videos can definitely be useful as a supplement.

[Anonymous]

Another problem with the no textbook/ nothing gets sent home/ you had to be there for my super engaging lesson is that there is no way for kids with special needs who are getting pulled for services like speech therapy to access that sort of curriculum. And heaven help you if you ask for class notes as an accommodation- many of the teachers apparently don’t have any notes that are appropriate to summarize what was covered in a class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not sure about the middle and high schools, but the elementary school my dd attends does not use any textbooks. Does anyone know why this is?

It's like this everywhere. I think it's because the curriculum changes so much, the textbooks quickly become outdated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because teachers don't want them, only lazy teachers use them. Good teachers don't need them.

I will admit that so far, up until 3rd grade, my kids have had excellent teachers that have done a great job and clearly don't need textbooks. But probably their jobs would be easier with them.

This is another part of the problem. There is a stigma against using textbooks. Many teachers would love to be able to use a good textbook, but attitudes like those from the PP make them feel funny about using them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teachers spend a half an hour a day copying stuff they got off the internet, the volumes of paper used is huge. So schools are not spending money on textbooks but are definitely spending a lot on paper and copying.

I'm a former teacher, and this is so true. Instead of textbooks, teachers now spend hours on copyright infringement of workbook pages and sheets printed from online. They waste time, having kids cut and glue pages into notebooks, effectively creating their own crappier versions of textbooks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have been teaching for 26 years and for the most part we have never had textbooks. Many years ago we had hardbound math texts. We have other texts.

Has this been going on for that long? I graduated HS 29 years ago, and I always used textbooks growing up. I don't see what the problem is with them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teachers spend a half an hour a day copying stuff they got off the internet, the volumes of paper used is huge. So schools are not spending money on textbooks but are definitely spending a lot on paper and copying.

But schools still buy textbooks though, they just aren't used, basically because they become outdated quickly and there is a stigma against using them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fcps cant find a textbook that covers their wonky curriculum so they cherry pick here and there off the internet, have teacher enrichment days, and make kids glue stick ditto sheets into their gigantic spiral notebooks, and the like.
Math is so jumbled. I wish there was a textbook to give parents an insight of how this stuff is being taught. Apparently, the way we learned long division is not the preferred method - they teach it differently, for example. I couldnt help DS with the long division worksheet bc his teacher had a different approach, which I had never heard of, and it was confusing. And forget Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally (It's GEMDAS now).
Kids learn spelling and vocab through reading and writing. No rote memorization. No writing out the words 10x to learn them, etc. No handy vocab workbook to practice words.
VA history is nothing but worksheets, a few boring guest speakers, and a field trip to the Smithsonian

This is not unique to FFX schools, I taught in PWC and it was the same there. I have heard teachers throughout the country make the same complaints.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:schools with no books... is that funny or sad??

The schools do have textbooks. They are not used.

[Anonymous]

Some parents like text books so that they can “pre-teach” their kids the lessons. The. Hold then appears to be much smarter to the teacher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some parents like text books so that they can “pre-teach” their kids the lessons. The. Hold then appears to be much smarter to the teacher.

The child then appears...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Text books go out of date very quickly and they are expensive to replace. Good teachers don’t need them, and rarely use them when they do have them.

This attitude isn't making things better.