Springbrook HS Staff Letter

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m curious - How is SB celebrating teacher appreciation week?

It was heralded as “Staff Appreciation Week.” Security, counseling, and the nurse won some award at the end of the day Friday. While we appreciate all of them, they each have their own weeks of recognition. This seemed like an intentional slight to downplay TEACHER Appreciation Week. A promise of ice cream, only to walk into a room with a table full of old Halloween Candy. Teachers were given expired chips and expired drinks. It was the perfect representation of how SV feels about the teachers at this school.

Usually the PTA does staff appreciation.

Usually there are efforts by both the school and the PTSA. Though I guess in schools where the PTSA is well resourced, they could very well handle all of the teacher appreciation week events.

At all the schools, we've been at the PTA does it. Our PTA does very little.

[Anonymous]

We had a pta that contributed to teacher job loss as many pta parents are complainers and it takes its toll as another factor that contributes to the teacher shortage.

[Anonymous]

There are two types of educator. The ones who work 80 hours per week and it turns teaching into a minimum wage job and those who devalue harass and push teachers for grade inflation while simultaneously writing negative reviews on them. Gym teachers turned admin would blame teachers for not being able to do the job in 40 hrs per week as they ignore the chaos in the classroom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When I was in college working volunteer with staff from mcps I got rave reviews and a 4.0 at UM whole working 1000 hours double time. When I was hired I pushed my 70 hours per week and couldn't get a positive review to save my life. Violence everyday and one of my students was raped by a sports team so some victims, rapists, and gang members were students. I felt powerless, unsupported, and retaliated for trying to help. Admin got promotions for covering up. Many teachers got fired for trying to help 😭. I will not return to education in America. Seems to be a money making fraud.

I think you nailed it. Our public schools do seem to be a money making scheme, robbing endless cash from hard working taxpayers.

The kids and teachers aren’t even safe in the schools. It’s more like a war zone.

Most kids can’t learn when they feel unsafe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here’s how MCPS works:
1. Bad teachers become principals
2. Bad principals get moved to Central Office
3. Central Office supervises principals
4. The cycle continues until something ends up on the front page of the Washington Post

I encourage the Springbrook staff to reach out to Alexandra Robbins. Anyone else with toxic school leadership should also speak to the media.

On point, on point. And when you look at how MCPS seems to look at this concept, they throw it all in the garbage can. There are some people who would work as good principals when you look at something like their LinkedIn, but who cares about that!

The only way to fix this is to incentivize great teachers by paying them more than APs and principals, it could work because for most of these people being out of the classroom is incentive enough to take less pay; most were horrible teachers and couldn’t hack it in the classroom. Alternatively, make it so only the finest teachers have a shot at leadership. There shouldn’t be a single AP or principal who isn’t at a minimum a nationally board certified teacher first. You’d get rid of the trash we have now and fill leadership with the cream of the crop.

My understanding is that Teachers in MoCo makes a lot more than schools in surrounding counties. Isn't it the case? Throwing money on a problem is never a solution. It should be merit/performance based

Research has debunked the impact that merit-based teacher pay has on student achievement.

[Anonymous]

Another Assistant Principal position posted for Springbrook today. That makes 3 APs leaving. Definitely a sign of toxic climate and no real change occurring in the school.

[Anonymous]

One is going to Paint Branch. Do we know where the others are going?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another Assistant Principal position posted for Springbrook today. That makes 3 APs leaving. Definitely a sign of toxic climate and no real change occurring in the school.

MCPS truly does not care about its staff or the culture of respect it touts. They aren’t dealing with the problem. Next year, it will be another round of APs that will flee as this school climate will continue to plummet. How dense can CO be?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One is going to Paint Branch. Do we know where the others are going?

One on long term leave probably because she couldn’t deal anymore
Rumor is the other is going to SSIMS

[Anonymous]

To the Springbrook HS staff: MCPS is fully backing Principal Valentine despite your complaints.

Taylor posted a photo of him cheesing with her at Springbrook's graduation alongside Chief of Schools Peter Moran, Associate Superintendent Donna Redmond-Jones:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DKxkm1TpQeo/?api=postMessage&img_index=4

Pay attention to people's actions and not just their words. I encourage Springbrook HS staff to go to the media with their complaints. There's no working inside the system to resolve these issues. MCPS always closes rank on their leadership circle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To the Springbrook HS staff: MCPS is fully backing Principal Valentine despite your complaints.

Taylor posted a photo of him cheesing with her at Springbrook's graduation alongside Chief of Schools Peter Moran, Associate Superintendent Donna Redmond-Jones:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DKxkm1TpQeo/?api=postMessage&img_index=4

Pay attention to people's actions and not just their words. I encourage Springbrook HS staff to go to the media with their complaints. There's no working inside the system to resolve these issues. MCPS always closes rank on their leadership circle.

Wow that photo is really telling. They are NOT showing up like that at other graduations. Why post it? Seems very insensitive of TT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To the Springbrook HS staff: MCPS is fully backing Principal Valentine despite your complaints.

Taylor posted a photo of him cheesing with her at Springbrook's graduation alongside Chief of Schools Peter Moran, Associate Superintendent Donna Redmond-Jones:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DKxkm1TpQeo/?api=postMessage&img_index=4

Pay attention to people's actions and not just their words. I encourage Springbrook HS staff to go to the media with their complaints. There's no working inside the system to resolve these issues. MCPS always closes rank on their leadership circle.

Wow that photo is really telling. They are NOT showing up like that at other graduations. Why post it? Seems very insensitive of TT.

Yeah they are

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To the Springbrook HS staff: MCPS is fully backing Principal Valentine despite your complaints.

Taylor posted a photo of him cheesing with her at Springbrook's graduation alongside Chief of Schools Peter Moran, Associate Superintendent Donna Redmond-Jones:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DKxkm1TpQeo/?api=postMessage&img_index=4

Pay attention to people's actions and not just their words. I encourage Springbrook HS staff to go to the media with their complaints. There's no working inside the system to resolve these issues. MCPS always closes rank on their leadership circle.

What a slap in the face to the Springbrook teachers. So much for that climate survey.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To the Springbrook HS staff: MCPS is fully backing Principal Valentine despite your complaints.

Taylor posted a photo of him cheesing with her at Springbrook's graduation alongside Chief of Schools Peter Moran, Associate Superintendent Donna Redmond-Jones:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DKxkm1TpQeo/?api=postMessage&img_index=4

Pay attention to people's actions and not just their words. I encourage Springbrook HS staff to go to the media with their complaints. There's no working inside the system to resolve these issues. MCPS always closes rank on their leadership circle.

Wow that photo is really telling. They are NOT showing up like that at other graduations. Why post it? Seems very insensitive of TT.

Yeah they are

No they aren’t. I’ve been to two already this year and this line-up was not present.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To the Springbrook HS staff: MCPS is fully backing Principal Valentine despite your complaints.

Taylor posted a photo of him cheesing with her at Springbrook's graduation alongside Chief of Schools Peter Moran, Associate Superintendent Donna Redmond-Jones:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DKxkm1TpQeo/?api=postMessage&img_index=4

Pay attention to people's actions and not just their words. I encourage Springbrook HS staff to go to the media with their complaints. There's no working inside the system to resolve these issues. MCPS always closes rank on their leadership circle.

Wow that photo is really telling. They are NOT showing up like that at other graduations. Why post it? Seems very insensitive of TT.

Yeah they are

No they aren’t. I’ve been to two already this year and this line-up was not present.

MCPS has more than 24 graduations. They all can't go to all of them, but yes line-ups like that are attending many of them.