Explain ridiculously early 2023/24 start date?
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Anonymous
Same. Spring break should be tied to quarter end, PERIOD. |
Anonymous
I agree with this, but the reason they tie it to Easter is to match up with surrounding counties which also tie to Easter. The teachers overwhelmingly wanted this because a lot teach in one district but have children in a different district. So if FCPS, Loudon, Arlington, ACPS all broke from Easter I think it would be supported. But I'm guessing we don't all end 3rd quarter at the same time. |
Anonymous
My spouse is actually a teacher (career switcher) - and I said - you have to teach in FCPS so you have the same school calendar as our kids. So those people can cry me a river, LOL. |
Anonymous
I went to Carholic school. Our diocese spring break was not tied to Easter. We had school on Holy Thursday and went to Mass that evening after school. Good Friday was off. But that was not spring break. However, the rest of Northern Virginia attaches spring break to Easter. As a result, FCPS should have spring break attached to Easter too, unless they can get the 4 other public school districts in the area to change their spring breaks. It was too difficult for many support staff and teachers to have a spring break detatched from Easter, as many of them live out of the district with their own kids in districts with spring break tied to Easter. I think most of the practicing Christians and Catholics prefer spring break not be tied to Easter, as we are attending the holy day services and Masses, not vacationing. The holy week leading up to Easter is a time of fasting and somber reflection for practicing Christians and Catholics, not partying on the beach. A spring break not tied to Easter is actually better for most practicing Christians, while a spring break tied to Easter is more favorable to secular people for whom "easter" is about bunnies and egg hunts. Claiming a spring break tied to Easter is all about favoring Christians is not quite accurate. |
Anonymous
“Those people” represent about 40% of the teaching staff. |
Anonymous
No dog in this hunt--my kids are post grad high school--but I think it makes sense to tie it to other counties. This could lead to teachers leaving FCPS for other counties. |
Anonymous
And some of that 40% are people who live outside of Fairfax county because they can’t afford to live where they work. |
Anonymous
Ah but then all the families that want to travel to Europe and Asia over the winter break would be inconvenienced and we can’t have that. The calendar is centered around connivence not what is best for the students. If we actually aimed for a schedule that worked best for the kids, we would prioritize 5 day school weeks and breaks that make sense, like after the end of a quarter. Instead the calendar needs to meet niche group X travel needs and y groups religious needs and z groups cultural needs and every federal holiday and squeeze in professional development and teacher work days. Christmas is part of winter break because it is a federal holiday. It is a federal holiday because the vast majority of the federal work force takes vacation during that time. It is also the reason why there are industries that simply shut down for the week between Christmas and New Years. A large percentage of the population takes that time off. Yes, it is because of Christmas but that doesn’t change the fact that the number of people taking time off is enough to shut down the government and businesses. No other religious holiday in the US, to include Easter, comes even close to number of people taking vacation. The religious holidays that are days off now did not effect a large percentage of the population. I would guess that the absence rates for the religious days off, baring Christmas, were under 10%, probably closer to 5%. Professional Development days and Teacher Work days should be scheduled at the end of each quarter. Make it a week off then. Parents can take their kids on vacation if they want, the prices would probably be more affordable, and it is enough time off that plenty of camps would spring up for families needing child care. Teachers might like the idea of a quite week at school to get their work done. Oh, and make the professional development days useful. Like actual development and not useless meetings that none of my Teacher friends appreciate. Remove some of the Federal Holidays from the schedule. There are plenty of places in the country that don’t close for every federal holiday. Use those days as teaching elements. Kids could be in school on Veterans Day, Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples Day, MLK Day, Presidents Day. Or use them as PD day or TW days but it would be better not to have them off. We have a schedule that is massively disrupted and disjointed. Stop the madness. Find a way to get in 5 day long weeks. Stop trying to cater to every special interest group. |
Anonymous
You have my vote for Supreme Leader and Most Honorable Dictator of FCPS. |
Anonymous
Random days off during a school year disrupt learning less than a longer summer. |
Anonymous
Are you advocating for a two week fall or spring break? |
Anonymous
No. As a teacher, those random days break into routine and instruction. Sure, there is learning loss in the summer, but to have loss you must first have gain. It is really hard to make progress when there are constant interruptions. |
Anonymous
It is astounding how parents and the school board just do not grasp the importance of listening to teachers. Many teachers dislike the new calendar due to all the disruptions and the fact that it shortens summer by a week. There is no substitute for being done with a school year. Random days off are not as restorative as a longer summer. We are losing teachers left and right and instead of listening to them we are making the job increasingly less desirable. And yea I know there are like two teachers here who say they like the new calendar blah blah blah. You are very much in the minority and you know it. |
Anonymous
Agree and most teachers do! This profession is getting gutted by school boards and admin. I fear for the future of education in this country. Look at the numbers for education majors undergrad and graduate. We are screwed. |
Anonymous
+1 Biggest problem most places are incompetent school boards, followed by administrators being to far removed from teaching chasing that magic bullet new system that will save the day, and the oversized unnecessary middle management layers that make front-line teachers jobs impossible. Fairfax residents vote out those school board members that haven’t left voluntarily, don’t elect any retreads that are running, vote for the most competent people left. Start write-in campaigns if needed. Get people who can get Dr Reid on track or out the door, cut Gatehouse staff by 50%. Get front-line teachers help in the classroom and have staff on hand to restore discipline. Rant over, but come on people the problems are obvious. |