Why do some people say schools will never go back to normal?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Precisely because I have lost hope in FCPS; the system is broken beyond repair.

And, I was becoming discouraged and frustrated with FCPS with each passing school year, well before COVID.

- overcrowded schools (trailers and modulars for decades, staff using storage rooms for offices)

- overcrowded classrooms (poor classroom management, constant distractions, shared supplies)

- focus on just about everything except academics (school name changes, unisex bathrooms, equity and diversity, SOL teaching to the test, no textbooks, school as social services, endless award ceremonies, surveys, assessments, "programming"...

- but with above-listed under consideration, woe to the parent of an "average" student who needs extra instruction in math, for example. Help is NOT available. Now, if it is nearly time for SOLs and your child is "at risk" for a low score or actually "fails" an SOL, then you'll get an offer of essentially test prep.

- DH has tutored DC in math all through ES. Then we hired a private tutor for balance of MS/HS.

- My 2DC learned more via a well-known tutoring center than they ever learned in FCPS.

+1 for first parts - FCPS does not focus on academics. Its getting ridiculous.

- FCPS spends crazy amounts of tax $s on over-the-top renovations for school buildings we aren't even using (seriously look at the renovations at Oakton - making the school look over the top modern$$$). Then leaving some buildings completely over capacity - requiring crazy amounts of trailers (again - not being used).

- Its time for them to start offering vouchers.

- If your kid is advanced in Math, you pretty much have to get outside enrichment. If your kid is behind in reading, you pretty much have to get a tutor. If your kid is average at anything, you need a tutor.

[Anonymous]

I'm the PP FCPS poster. Are my complaints specific to FCPS? Yes. DH and I are k-6 alumni of FCPS. We stayed in the area to raise our children with the benefit of an outstanding education that FCPS would afford. Perhaps we were naive.

Our parents moved to Fairfax County when the public schools were top notch. Word of mouth traveled fast among military and fed government workers; move here so your kids can go to this "best of the best" high school. There was tremendous school and community pride. We were well-prepared for college; DH was in one of the first GT cohorts and we both took the newer AP classes.

We've had a student in FCPS since 2004 and have witnessed a precipitous decline in academic rigor and school infrastructure, to name just two. Every.single.issue.gets politicized and overly complicated. School principals are loathe to intervene or hear complaints. They're too busy putting out small fires, figuring out how they can keep their federal and state funding for the almighty programs.

FCPS has become entangled in bureaucracy and now speaks collectively in jargon. I struggle to understand the school board's "messaging" and communications.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm the PP FCPS poster. Are my complaints specific to FCPS? Yes. DH and I are k-6 alumni of FCPS. We stayed in the area to raise our children with the benefit of an outstanding education that FCPS would afford. Perhaps we were naive.

Our parents moved to Fairfax County when the public schools were top notch. Word of mouth traveled fast among military and fed government workers; move here so your kids can go to this "best of the best" high school. There was tremendous school and community pride. We were well-prepared for college; DH was in one of the first GT cohorts and we both took the newer AP classes.

We've had a student in FCPS since 2004 and have witnessed a precipitous decline in academic rigor and school infrastructure, to name just two. Every.single.issue.gets politicized and overly complicated. School principals are loathe to intervene or hear complaints. They're too busy putting out small fires, figuring out how they can keep their federal and state funding for the almighty programs.

FCPS has become entangled in bureaucracy and now speaks collectively in jargon. I struggle to understand the school board's "messaging" and communications.

The demographic have changed that is the issue back in the 90s it was mostly middle class white or Asian

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hear people say this a lot but I don’t really know what they mean? Are people really saying that in 10 years we won’t have 5 day face to face school anymore? If so, why not? This pandemic won’t last forever. Why wouldn’t schools go back to normal after the pandemic passes?

Traditional public school served only a few types of children anyway. It was designed for middle class white cis girls without special needs. Everyone else is an afterthought. As a teacher, I did my best but I’m thrilled that parents and kids are figuring out better methods of education and won’t return to what did not work for them.

White cis girls???

different poster, but i'm guessing girls bc they are assumed to have more of an ability to sit quietly and do their work (boys more rambunctious?). I have studious boys who love to sit and do work, but those are the stereotypes.

Ok, but what is cis?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm the PP FCPS poster. Are my complaints specific to FCPS? Yes. DH and I are k-6 alumni of FCPS. We stayed in the area to raise our children with the benefit of an outstanding education that FCPS would afford. Perhaps we were naive.

Our parents moved to Fairfax County when the public schools were top notch. Word of mouth traveled fast among military and fed government workers; move here so your kids can go to this "best of the best" high school. There was tremendous school and community pride. We were well-prepared for college; DH was in one of the first GT cohorts and we both took the newer AP classes.

We've had a student in FCPS since 2004 and have witnessed a precipitous decline in academic rigor and school infrastructure, to name just two. Every.single.issue.gets politicized and overly complicated. School principals are loathe to intervene or hear complaints. They're too busy putting out small fires, figuring out how they can keep their federal and state funding for the almighty programs.

FCPS has become entangled in bureaucracy and now speaks collectively in jargon. I struggle to understand the school board's "messaging" and communications.

What made you think the education provided by FCPS would be “outstanding”? Why would it be any different than what any other school system offers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hear people say this a lot but I don’t really know what they mean? Are people really saying that in 10 years we won’t have 5 day face to face school anymore? If so, why not? This pandemic won’t last forever. Why wouldn’t schools go back to normal after the pandemic passes?

Traditional public school served only a few types of children anyway. It was designed for middle class white cis girls without special needs. Everyone else is an afterthought. As a teacher, I did my best but I’m thrilled that parents and kids are figuring out better methods of education and won’t return to what did not work for them.

White cis girls???

different poster, but i'm guessing girls bc they are assumed to have more of an ability to sit quietly and do their work (boys more rambunctious?). I have studious boys who love to sit and do work, but those are the stereotypes.

Ok, but what is cis?

A girl who knows and accepts her biology, who doesn't think or feel that she is a boy.

In other words, what we used to just call a "girl" for all of human history until about two years ago.

[Anonymous]

Maybe if we focused less on mindfulness and more on teaching we would be better off as well.
We got away from educating our kids and filling it with mindless waste of time things like
Studying an artist of the month etc

[Anonymous]

If every kid was handed $10k for schooling, why wouldn’t private schools just increase tuition by $10k? The rich will always have access to more. Charter schools have been thoroughly shown not to increase student achievement among similar demographics.

Honestly, I hope this pandemic takes away the stigma of homeschooling and proves that many parents are capable of teaching their own child to a satisfactory level. It’s not hard to teach one kid at a time better than a teacher can teach 30.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hear people say this a lot but I don’t really know what they mean? Are people really saying that in 10 years we won’t have 5 day face to face school anymore? If so, why not? This pandemic won’t last forever. Why wouldn’t schools go back to normal after the pandemic passes?

Traditional public school served only a few types of children anyway. It was designed for middle class white cis girls without special needs. Everyone else is an afterthought. As a teacher, I did my best but I’m thrilled that parents and kids are figuring out better methods of education and won’t return to what did not work for them.

Right here folks, this is the problem with public school teachers in a nutshell. “Cis white girls” okay 😫

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd be cool with a voucher, it would create competition and make fcps step up

I don't know how educators are supposed to compete.

[Anonymous]

So if we don’t need to live somewhere because of schools or commute- pop - there goes your property value.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If every kid was handed $10k for schooling, why wouldn’t private schools just increase tuition by $10k? The rich will always have access to more. Charter schools have been thoroughly shown not to increase student achievement among similar demographics.

Honestly, I hope this pandemic takes away the stigma of homeschooling and proves that many parents are capable of teaching their own child to a satisfactory level. It’s not hard to teach one kid at a time better than a teacher can teach 30.

I feel the opposite about homeschooling. This heightens the childcare crisis in this country and puts women at a significant disadvantage in their careers.

[Anonymous]

Schools will go back to normal, most of the country is going back, at least with a hybrid model part time in school/part time DL. European countries have gone back already without incident. Look at all the daycares that have opened.

[Anonymous]

Because people love mystery and drama. Of course schools will go back to normal.

[Anonymous]

European and Asian countries are able to open schools because they aren’t politicizing the virus like we Americans are.