APS Parent - incredibly disappointed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m curious how you guys know what the teachers are doing when you don’t see them on the screen?

We have no idea.. but if they aren't with the students, and aren't grading assignments, it leaves some questions..

They're on the beach drinking mimosas. Duh.


/s

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m curious how you guys know what the teachers are doing when you don’t see them on the screen?

I can tell you:

- creating and differentiating materials for the never day since absolutely nothing we’ve used in the past can be used in this format without heavily adapting it for content and virtual completion
-tracking, compiling and submitting data for students who receive interventions
-attending endless GD meetings. Parent conferences , IEP reevaluations, LT, department, school faculty , mandatory monthly PD hours we have to log
-calling families of students who aren’t attending or completing work because heaven help us if we can’t show that we did everything short of going to their house and making them do the work
-creating videos and sending them to students who didn’t understand and need more help or can’t make it to class and need the instruction

thank you, you sound like an exceptional teacher and not one the OP is referencing here. This post doesn't apply to ALL teachers.

But truly this IS what most of us are doing with our time. Just because OP doesn’t see it doesn’t mean it isn’t happening. It’s not fair to claim teachers are “taking advantage” and “putting in minimal effort” when this is HOURS of invisible work we do every single day to make the few hours of instruction you actually see even possible.

Monday is an entire day committed to this, and at least at our school/grade, the entire grade of teachers takes turns creating weekly lessons and "recorded live reading". Sorry, but I see no excuse for the lack of more 1:1 and small group interaction T-Th.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just stop. It isn’t minimal effort. It isn’t teachers taking advantage. I’m so tired of you privileged APS whiners complaining.

Please support your statement with some data/facts as OP has.

Facts? These are OP’s feelings

"The "live" portion of instruction amounts to roughly 12 hours/week. Mondays are teacher workdays, Tues-Fri is 9-2:20 with more than half that time spent on breaks or independent learning. Even "live teacher reading" is recorded"
This sounds like facts to me.

None of that necessarily equates to teachers failing to do their best or not wanting to work. Do you have evidence of a better virtual learning plan?

The only way it can be better is with radically smaller classes, like 10 students. With cameras on. But we can’t support that.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m curious how you guys know what the teachers are doing when you don’t see them on the screen?

I can tell you:

- creating and differentiating materials for the never day since absolutely nothing we’ve used in the past can be used in this format without heavily adapting it for content and virtual completion
-tracking, compiling and submitting data for students who receive interventions
-attending endless GD meetings. Parent conferences , IEP reevaluations, LT, department, school faculty , mandatory monthly PD hours we have to log
-calling families of students who aren’t attending or completing work because heaven help us if we can’t show that we did everything short of going to their house and making them do the work
-creating videos and sending them to students who didn’t understand and need more help or can’t make it to class and need the instruction

thank you, you sound like an exceptional teacher and not one the OP is referencing here. This post doesn't apply to ALL teachers.

But truly this IS what most of us are doing with our time. Just because OP doesn’t see it doesn’t mean it isn’t happening. It’s not fair to claim teachers are “taking advantage” and “putting in minimal effort” when this is HOURS of invisible work we do every single day to make the few hours of instruction you actually see even possible.

Monday is an entire day committed to this, and at least at our school/grade, the entire grade of teachers takes turns creating weekly lessons and "recorded live reading". Sorry, but I see no excuse for the lack of more 1:1 and small group interaction T-Th.

Mondays for me are meetings from 8:30-12. All the various ones I listed above. Then I stop to eat (so lazy and taking advantage) and begin working on plans for the week around 12:30-1: I have to plan differentiated targeted instruction for two grade levels, 5 different classes, from 1 pm on Monday to, if I work to contract, 4 pm. Since it’s impossible right now to actually teach these classes all day, prep materials for them, grade them, and so all the other stuff listed in contract hours, we are doing 20+ hours a week beyond contract to get it all done. So just stop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's 2.5 months into distance learning, and my husband and I are so disappointed with the APS elementary instruction. The "live" portion of instruction amounts to roughly 12 hours/week. Mondays are teacher workdays, Tues-Fri is 9-2:20 with more than half that time spent on breaks or independent learning. Even "live teacher reading" is recorded, along with minimal grading and interaction with the teacher. We have lots of respect teachers and maybe it's just our school, but we are fed-up with the minimal effort here. Add in the 2 days of additional asynchronous learning in November for preparing for hybrid learning that was cancelled, the amount of effort put forth for our child's education right now is dismal.

I'm sorry to write this, but I feel that "some" teachers are taking advantage of this situation and a very large proportion of these teachers are also hoping to remain with DL. Teachers should be considered essential workers and the hybrid model has to become a priority for early 2021.

When the world is in the middle of a pandemic that leaves many dead or with long term issues, teachers are NOT essential employees.

People like doctors, nurses, scientists, grocery employees, food factory workers, etc. ARE essential.

Making sure people are in good health, have food, have water, and have shelter are the priorities. You know, things that help keep your fellow humans alive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The ones who you think are “taking advantage” of the distance learning format were probably crappy teachers anyway. There are always people who are unmotivated and bad at their jobs. So yeah there is no connection to the amount of in-person time our kids get and the quality of the teacher.

Also when my child is doing independent work, the teacher is usually working in small groups with other kids. Just because you don’t see the teacher on the screen doesn’t mean the teacher isn’t working!

So one of my kids teachers JUST started small groups this week— and it’s only for math. She said at our conference that she had no evidence for determining his reading level or if he was meeting expectations for writing. That’s shocking! I get she’s overwhelmed but what reading instruction has my kid been getting for the past eight weeks?
There is such a discrepancy between schools that I don’t think you can really compare...

How come you didn't ask the teacher for evidence of their progress? Work samples? Anything?

Like... do people just let the teacher talk and then never ask questions? Is getting mad online your only recourse?

[Anonymous]

Tell Syphax to choose a platform other than MS Teams so the teachers can actually see the students when they do into all the apps needed to omplete the work. Tell Syphax that 22 students is too big for a virtual room and the idea that VL clasrooms may get bigger is going to kill any productivity that currently exists. Tell parents that their kids have to have the cameras on so the teacher can actually see them, like they would in a physical school. Also, tell parents to take away the gameboys or nintendo switches so they don't have the distraction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's 2.5 months into distance learning, and my husband and I are so disappointed with the APS elementary instruction. The "live" portion of instruction amounts to roughly 12 hours/week. Mondays are teacher workdays, Tues-Fri is 9-2:20 with more than half that time spent on breaks or independent learning. Even "live teacher reading" is recorded, along with minimal grading and interaction with the teacher. We have lots of respect teachers and maybe it's just our school, but we are fed-up with the minimal effort here. Add in the 2 days of additional asynchronous learning in November for preparing for hybrid learning that was cancelled, the amount of effort put forth for our child's education right now is dismal.

I'm sorry to write this, but I feel that "some" teachers are taking advantage of this situation and a very large proportion of these teachers are also hoping to remain with DL. Teachers should be considered essential workers and the hybrid model has to become a priority for early 2021.

If DL isn't working for your family, stop complaining and either switch to homeschool or private. Your "disappointed" thread is literally the 10th one just to day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's 2.5 months into distance learning, and my husband and I are so disappointed with the APS elementary instruction. The "live" portion of instruction amounts to roughly 12 hours/week. Mondays are teacher workdays, Tues-Fri is 9-2:20 with more than half that time spent on breaks or independent learning. Even "live teacher reading" is recorded, along with minimal grading and interaction with the teacher. We have lots of respect teachers and maybe it's just our school, but we are fed-up with the minimal effort here. Add in the 2 days of additional asynchronous learning in November for preparing for hybrid learning that was cancelled, the amount of effort put forth for our child's education right now is dismal.

I'm sorry to write this, but I feel that "some" teachers are taking advantage of this situation and a very large proportion of these teachers are also hoping to remain with DL. Teachers should be considered essential workers and the hybrid model has to become a priority for early 2021.

When the world is in the middle of a pandemic that leaves many dead or with long term issues, teachers are NOT essential employees.

People like doctors, nurses, scientists, grocery employees, food factory workers, etc. ARE essential.

Making sure people are in good health, have food, have water, and have shelter are the priorities. You know, things that help keep your fellow humans alive.

Yeah, restaurants/bars are definitely more essential than schools opening..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's 2.5 months into distance learning, and my husband and I are so disappointed with the APS elementary instruction. The "live" portion of instruction amounts to roughly 12 hours/week. Mondays are teacher workdays, Tues-Fri is 9-2:20 with more than half that time spent on breaks or independent learning. Even "live teacher reading" is recorded, along with minimal grading and interaction with the teacher. We have lots of respect teachers and maybe it's just our school, but we are fed-up with the minimal effort here. Add in the 2 days of additional asynchronous learning in November for preparing for hybrid learning that was cancelled, the amount of effort put forth for our child's education right now is dismal.

I'm sorry to write this, but I feel that "some" teachers are taking advantage of this situation and a very large proportion of these teachers are also hoping to remain with DL. Teachers should be considered essential workers and the hybrid model has to become a priority for early 2021.

To be fair there is a lot of independent work when classes are face to face, too. It’s like you have some idea that teachers should be constantly lecturing.

I have a suggestion for you: stop monitoring and let the professionals do their job. You have zero standing to critique them. You are only a parent. You know nothing about pedagogy, and you don’t know what you don’t know. Take a seat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just stop. It isn’t minimal effort. It isn’t teachers taking advantage. I’m so tired of you privileged APS whiners complaining.

Please support your statement with some data/facts as OP has.

Facts? These are OP’s feelings

OP’s “feelings” are invalid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's 2.5 months into distance learning, and my husband and I are so disappointed with the APS elementary instruction. The "live" portion of instruction amounts to roughly 12 hours/week. Mondays are teacher workdays, Tues-Fri is 9-2:20 with more than half that time spent on breaks or independent learning. Even "live teacher reading" is recorded, along with minimal grading and interaction with the teacher. We have lots of respect teachers and maybe it's just our school, but we are fed-up with the minimal effort here. Add in the 2 days of additional asynchronous learning in November for preparing for hybrid learning that was cancelled, the amount of effort put forth for our child's education right now is dismal.

I'm sorry to write this, but I feel that "some" teachers are taking advantage of this situation and a very large proportion of these teachers are also hoping to remain with DL. Teachers should be considered essential workers and the hybrid model has to become a priority for early 2021.

Why do you assume teachers would keep working after being made essential workers and made to go back to work? Newsflash: a lot won't because they care more about their families and kids than yours. Some teachers would retire, some would become SAHP, some would switch to a different industry. The result would still be DL because there wouldn't be enough teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's 2.5 months into distance learning, and my husband and I are so disappointed with the APS elementary instruction. The "live" portion of instruction amounts to roughly 12 hours/week. Mondays are teacher workdays, Tues-Fri is 9-2:20 with more than half that time spent on breaks or independent learning. Even "live teacher reading" is recorded, along with minimal grading and interaction with the teacher. We have lots of respect teachers and maybe it's just our school, but we are fed-up with the minimal effort here. Add in the 2 days of additional asynchronous learning in November for preparing for hybrid learning that was cancelled, the amount of effort put forth for our child's education right now is dismal.

I'm sorry to write this, but I feel that "some" teachers are taking advantage of this situation and a very large proportion of these teachers are also hoping to remain with DL. Teachers should be considered essential workers and the hybrid model has to become a priority for early 2021.

To be fair there is a lot of independent work when classes are face to face, too. It’s like you have some idea that teachers should be constantly lecturing.

I have a suggestion for you: stop monitoring and let the professionals do their job. You have zero standing to critique them. You are only a parent. You know nothing about pedagogy, and you don’t know what you don’t know. Take a seat.

stop monitoring? Seriously? Yeah, I should just leave my young child to his own devices all day..

[Anonymous]

The Op says they are disappointed with an entire school system, when what they really meant is they are disappointed with a teacher.

For some reason teachers have to be flawless individual professionals with no room for error, growth or anything that doesn't result in the parent feeling justified for thinking their taxes are actually a tuition payment. After all, teachers take a vow of poverty for their livelihood and should be treated as such.

You got a shitty teacher OP. You'll have more. Every profession has people who are bad at their job.

It's a sin here, but those people preach also take zero follow through responsibility. Maybe the ratio of crappy teachers to shitty parents is 1:1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Op says they are disappointed with an entire school system, when what they really meant is they are disappointed with a teacher.

For some reason teachers have to be flawless individual professionals with no room for error, growth or anything that doesn't result in the parent feeling justified for thinking their taxes are actually a tuition payment. After all, teachers take a vow of poverty for their livelihood and should be treated as such.

You got a shitty teacher OP. You'll have more. Every profession has people who are bad at their job.

It's a sin here, but those people preach also take zero follow through responsibility. Maybe the ratio of crappy teachers to shitty parents is 1:1.

Aren't Arlington teachers some of the highest-paid in the state, even country?