Hardy MS 7th Grade Science Situation

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The science teacher just up and left. No notice to the school to allow them to find a replacement. No e-mail to the parents to give them a head’s up or explain why she was leaving. No apparent consideration given to how severely she was screwing over her students for the year. We understand that DCPS has its issues and that the school administration is a mess, but to take out one’s frustration on the students is really appalling.

You are pathetic. Every teacher is concerned about their students. If a teacher isn't concerned, then good riddance. Sadly the teacher weighed up their options and still decided that leaving was better than staying. Yes, it sucks for parents and students, but the teacher is only human and has to what is right for them.

Teachers who are concerned about their students don’t do what that teacher did. No one is asking for a lifetime commitment, only due notice. What exactly did they expect to happen after they decided to walk away from a class in the middle of a term? In no profession is it acceptable to leave one’s colleagues and clients in the lurch like this. But here you are offering up weak excuses for such behavior and calling others pathetic. I guess it must hit a bit too close to home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The science teacher just up and left. No notice to the school to allow them to find a replacement. No e-mail to the parents to give them a head’s up or explain why she was leaving. No apparent consideration given to how severely she was screwing over her students for the year. We understand that DCPS has its issues and that the school administration is a mess, but to take out one’s frustration on the students is really appalling.

You are pathetic. Every teacher is concerned about their students. If a teacher isn't concerned, then good riddance. Sadly the teacher weighed up their options and still decided that leaving was better than staying. Yes, it sucks for parents and students, but the teacher is only human and has to what is right for them.

Teachers who are concerned about their students don’t do what that teacher did. No one is asking for a lifetime commitment, only due notice. What exactly did they expect to happen after they decided to walk away from a class in the middle of a term? In no profession is it acceptable to leave one’s colleagues and clients in the lurch like this. But here you are offering up weak excuses for such behavior and calling others pathetic. I guess it must hit a bit too close to home.

You are calling this teacher pathetic when I doubt you have any understanding of their motivations. Hitting too close to home judge?

[Anonymous]

Send the kid to school with his/her own material and quiz the after school. There was nothing I learned in EU or in US in science that can't be learned just by reading it.
It's a middle school, you can do ti for any subject when a teacher is out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The science teacher just up and left. No notice to the school to allow them to find a replacement. No e-mail to the parents to give them a head’s up or explain why she was leaving. No apparent consideration given to how severely she was screwing over her students for the year. We understand that DCPS has its issues and that the school administration is a mess, but to take out one’s frustration on the students is really appalling.

You are pathetic. Every teacher is concerned about their students. If a teacher isn't concerned, then good riddance. Sadly the teacher weighed up their options and still decided that leaving was better than staying. Yes, it sucks for parents and students, but the teacher is only human and has to what is right for them.

Teachers who are concerned about their students don’t do what that teacher did. No one is asking for a lifetime commitment, only due notice. What exactly did they expect to happen after they decided to walk away from a class in the middle of a term? In no profession is it acceptable to leave one’s colleagues and clients in the lurch like this. But here you are offering up weak excuses for such behavior and calling others pathetic. I guess it must hit a bit too close to home.

You are calling this teacher pathetic when I doubt you have any understanding of their motivations. Hitting too close to home judge?

That we don’t know the motivations - other than that they moved to another school - is kinda the point. If you’re going to leave a class of students in the lurch in the middle of the term, at least have the respect to send the parents and students a note saying that you’re leaving and explaining why. No, they didn’t have any legal obligation to do so. But being a professional generally carries with it a responsibility to behave in a professional manner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Send the kid to school with his/her own material and quiz the after school. There was nothing I learned in EU or in US in science that can't be learned just by reading it.
It's a middle school, you can do ti for any subject when a teacher is out.

However, it is more fun to learn it with friends and to have experiences that go with it. Hope the science situation is handled soon! It is a tough time and Hardy is not the only school without a science teacher. I know a vacancy that has been there since the first day of school. (The school does have a plan though so students aren't just sitting there.)

[Anonymous]

Duke Ellington recently had a Biology teacher quit

[Anonymous]

For the poster asking why a teacher didn’t explain why they left- we often are not allowed to. The school wants to handle the messaging, or lack of messaging.
DCPS teachers have for years been telling people what is burning them out (IMPACT, unchecked student behavior, weekly new initiatives, 25 year old administrators who have zero management skills) We are finally just moving on from DCPS and taking action.
In a toxic organization good people leave first. Then you are left with bad actors and hostages. What you are seeing is the people who thought they were hostage, breaking out.

I left DCPS for a Big 3 private. I intend on helping as many dc teachers as I can to make the jump.

[Anonymous]

Deal had a sixth-grade science teacher quit a week before school started, after schedules were created. They just spread her students into other science classes. They said at back to school night that they were close to hiring a replacement but here we are at the end of the first term and it stoll hasn't happened.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The science teacher just up and left. No notice to the school to allow them to find a replacement. No e-mail to the parents to give them a head’s up or explain why she was leaving. No apparent consideration given to how severely she was screwing over her students for the year. We understand that DCPS has its issues and that the school administration is a mess, but to take out one’s frustration on the students is really appalling.

You are pathetic. Every teacher is concerned about their students. If a teacher isn't concerned, then good riddance. Sadly the teacher weighed up their options and still decided that leaving was better than staying. Yes, it sucks for parents and students, but the teacher is only human and has to what is right for them.

Teachers who are concerned about their students don’t do what that teacher did. No one is asking for a lifetime commitment, only due notice. What exactly did they expect to happen after they decided to walk away from a class in the middle of a term? In no profession is it acceptable to leave one’s colleagues and clients in the lurch like this. But here you are offering up weak excuses for such behavior and calling others pathetic. I guess it must hit a bit too close to home.

Nowhere near home. But I guess you are way off base. The teacher quit. Deal with it. Welcome to 2022 post-pandemic world where teachers are leaving because they have had enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The science teacher just up and left. No notice to the school to allow them to find a replacement. No e-mail to the parents to give them a head’s up or explain why she was leaving. No apparent consideration given to how severely she was screwing over her students for the year. We understand that DCPS has its issues and that the school administration is a mess, but to take out one’s frustration on the students is really appalling.

You are pathetic. Every teacher is concerned about their students. If a teacher isn't concerned, then good riddance. Sadly the teacher weighed up their options and still decided that leaving was better than staying. Yes, it sucks for parents and students, but the teacher is only human and has to what is right for them.

Teachers who are concerned about their students don’t do what that teacher did. No one is asking for a lifetime commitment, only due notice. What exactly did they expect to happen after they decided to walk away from a class in the middle of a term? In no profession is it acceptable to leave one’s colleagues and clients in the lurch like this. But here you are offering up weak excuses for such behavior and calling others pathetic. I guess it must hit a bit too close to home.

You are calling this teacher pathetic when I doubt you have any understanding of their motivations. Hitting too close to home judge?

That we don’t know the motivations - other than that they moved to another school - is kinda the point. If you’re going to leave a class of students in the lurch in the middle of the term, at least have the respect to send the parents and students a note saying that you’re leaving and explaining why. No, they didn’t have any legal obligation to do so. But being a professional generally carries with it a responsibility to behave in a professional manner.

Have you ever heard of ghosting? It is absolutely the norm nowadays. The teacher owes you nothing. I'm sick of entitled parents complaining how much this teacher needs to do. Maybe that is one of the reasons why the teacher left?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Deal had a sixth-grade science teacher quit a week before school started, after schedules were created. They just spread her students into other science classes. They said at back to school night that they were close to hiring a replacement but here we are at the end of the first term and it still hasn't happened.

I'm a currently employed science teacher in DCPS. I know it is extremely difficult finding a qualified science teacher at the best of times, let alone in October. Be lucky with what you have, a solution. It's not ideal but if it works be grateful. It could always be worse. Maybe if teachers were paid more, then fewer would leave?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For the poster asking why a teacher didn’t explain why they left- we often are not allowed to. The school wants to handle the messaging, or lack of messaging.
DCPS teachers have for years been telling people what is burning them out (IMPACT, unchecked student behavior, weekly new initiatives, 25 year old administrators who have zero management skills) We are finally just moving on from DCPS and taking action.
In a toxic organization good people leave first. Then you are left with bad actors and hostages. What you are seeing is the people who thought they were hostage, breaking out.

I left DCPS for a Big 3 private. I intend on helping as many dc teachers as I can to make the jump.

How is it going for you in private?
I teach in DCPS and felt I was committed to public school but I’m getting completely burned out.
Contemplating applying to private for next year. Never thought I would do that but public school teaching has become untenable.
Zero accountability for kids. I work 12 hour days yet parents complain that I don’t help their kid enough. More and more busy work being assigned to us by school administrators and central office. Lots of time consuming special Ed paperwork and meetings. It is all too much

[Anonymous]

Honestly, it’s going awesome in private schools. I too, was incredibly committed to public education. But I had to just walk away. The class sizes are small and private schools. So you can actually give the kind of attention in public school parents demand when you have 30 kids in your class. The parents are helpful. The administrators realize that teachers are the ones you draw in applicants and students I have convinced myself that going to a private school was selling out. But every kid deserves a good teacher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, it’s going awesome in private schools. I too, was incredibly committed to public education. But I had to just walk away. The class sizes are small and private schools. So you can actually give the kind of attention in public school parents demand when you have 30 kids in your class. The parents are helpful. The administrators realize that teachers are the ones you draw in applicants and students I have convinced myself that going to a private school was selling out. But every kid deserves a good teacher.

Interesting that you say how great the small class sizes are and say every kid deserves a good teacher and yet defend teachers who - overnight - leave kids either with no teacher or a solution that puts 30+ kids in a classroom. Do you think the extra workload created by teachers leaving abruptly contributes to the burnout their former colleagues experience in their wake?

People need to do what’s best for their own families but there is fallout.

- teacher

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, it’s going awesome in private schools. I too, was incredibly committed to public education. But I had to just walk away. The class sizes are small and private schools. So you can actually give the kind of attention in public school parents demand when you have 30 kids in your class. The parents are helpful. The administrators realize that teachers are the ones you draw in applicants and students I have convinced myself that going to a private school was selling out. But every kid deserves a good teacher.

I’m the pp above who asked how it is going in private?
Class sizes are way too big in public high schools.
I have 30+ kids in every class. Every single student needs and deserves attention whether they have special needs or not.
It is impossible to give all students what they need. Smaller class sizes would make a huge difference for student and teacher well being. Yet school systems will throw money at everything else but that