MCPS Parents -- What would you tell teachers if you could?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If parents knew what went on in public schools in America we would say that we appreciate teachers sacrifice and we wish our schools had a sustainable supportive system so teachers could be looked at as professionals and not have their careers ruined by mismanagement and political corruption.

We know what’s happening and we opted out.

It’s just as bad working for the county. Maybe worse.

I never said anything about working for the county.

Well, if you want to know really bad, try working for the county

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Question: why don’t you ask kids to turn in their homework? If it’s done electronically, why don’t you take a moment in class and say, “ok kids, let’s take a couple minutes and upload assignment three to your portal” or whatever? And the look and say, “Ryan, Melissa, John, why have you not turned in your homework?” Why are there no consequences other than a lower grade for kids who do not turn in hw?

When I was a kid, teachers asked for homework to be turned in and if you didn’t have it, they’d call you out on it in front of everyone and sometimes even call your parents

But it's the parents job to make sure the homework is in - not the teacher. Your kid has homework - you can easily find out what it is and then check to see whether it's been done. The teacher than grades your child accordingly. Take some responsibility. If you don't want to chase after your kid making sure their homework is done, why would a teacher?

Teachers use multiple platforms and there is no consistency. We check daily but even we miss things.

+1 I agree that it is the student's responsibility to manage hw after a certain age. But A simple reminder from.the teacher that assignment x is due today, please a moment to turn it in or complete it at home tonight is not a big burden on the teacher and we go a long way to support student success

Unfortunately not all kids are as perfect as yours and need a bit more support.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If parents knew what went on in public schools in America we would say that we appreciate teachers sacrifice and we wish our schools had a sustainable supportive system so teachers could be looked at as professionals and not have their careers ruined by mismanagement and political corruption.

Sacrifice?

Yes. Sacrifice.

I sacrifice every weekend of the school year to get my grading done. I sacrifice time with my own family to be prepared every work day. I sacrifice my own health since I can’t take easy leave to make it to appointments. I sacrifice my own money to purchase supplies - even classroom sets of books - for my classroom.

So yes, we sacrifice. And if we choose not to by demanding a work/life balance, we are told we are uncommitted and lazy.

100% of the teachers who have quit my school in the last 3 years have said they are leaving because they are tired of the emotional, physical, and financial toll. Most have gone on to jobs that pay more and require fewer hours. Those of us who are remaining (for now) see this. We’re also thinking of jumping ship because we know it can be done.

You understand this is the job you agreed to. You are welcome to find a different profession, which is why many leave. If you feel its best to jump ship, it sounds like a good move for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We respect you and appreciate you.

Thank you. That’s so helpful to hear. We also appreciate parents like you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If parents knew what went on in public schools in America we would say that we appreciate teachers sacrifice and we wish our schools had a sustainable supportive system so teachers could be looked at as professionals and not have their careers ruined by mismanagement and political corruption.

Sacrifice?

Yes. Sacrifice.

I sacrifice every weekend of the school year to get my grading done. I sacrifice time with my own family to be prepared every work day. I sacrifice my own health since I can’t take easy leave to make it to appointments. I sacrifice my own money to purchase supplies - even classroom sets of books - for my classroom.

So yes, we sacrifice. And if we choose not to by demanding a work/life balance, we are told we are uncommitted and lazy.

100% of the teachers who have quit my school in the last 3 years have said they are leaving because they are tired of the emotional, physical, and financial toll. Most have gone on to jobs that pay more and require fewer hours. Those of us who are remaining (for now) see this. We’re also thinking of jumping ship because we know it can be done.

You understand this is the job you agreed to. You are welcome to find a different profession, which is why many leave. If you feel its best to jump ship, it sounds like a good move for you.

Or…
We can make the demands of this job more reasonable. Perhaps we can change them so teachers only have to work 50 hours a week instead of 65. Perhaps we can give them a whole hour of uninterrupted planning/grading/email/data collecting/lunch/bathroom time a day instead of having teachers cram that into 30 minutes.

Teachers shouldn’t have to agree to being martyrs. That’s the problem with your statement. All I hear is “be a martyr for me or leave.” Why can’t I stay under reasonable expectations instead of Herculean ones?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We respect you and appreciate you.

Agree! We respect and appreciate you in our home also. (The appalling statements regarding teachers on DCUM are not representative of all of us.)

Also, I’m happy to contribute to supplies if you’d let us know what items are needed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If parents knew what went on in public schools in America we would say that we appreciate teachers sacrifice and we wish our schools had a sustainable supportive system so teachers could be looked at as professionals and not have their careers ruined by mismanagement and political corruption.

Sacrifice?

Yes. Sacrifice.

I sacrifice every weekend of the school year to get my grading done. I sacrifice time with my own family to be prepared every work day. I sacrifice my own health since I can’t take easy leave to make it to appointments. I sacrifice my own money to purchase supplies - even classroom sets of books - for my classroom.

So yes, we sacrifice. And if we choose not to by demanding a work/life balance, we are told we are uncommitted and lazy.

100% of the teachers who have quit my school in the last 3 years have said they are leaving because they are tired of the emotional, physical, and financial toll. Most have gone on to jobs that pay more and require fewer hours. Those of us who are remaining (for now) see this. We’re also thinking of jumping ship because we know it can be done.

You understand this is the job you agreed to. You are welcome to find a different profession, which is why many leave. If you feel its best to jump ship, it sounds like a good move for you.

As an outsider looking in, it seems that teaching has changed a lot over the past few years as cell phones, technology, and social media have taken off. I am not sure that teachers have actually agreed to the job as it is now. As a parent, I want to find ways to make the job more sustainable so that good teachers stay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If parents knew what went on in public schools in America we would say that we appreciate teachers sacrifice and we wish our schools had a sustainable supportive system so teachers could be looked at as professionals and not have their careers ruined by mismanagement and political corruption.

Sacrifice?

Yes. Sacrifice.

I sacrifice every weekend of the school year to get my grading done. I sacrifice time with my own family to be prepared every work day. I sacrifice my own health since I can’t take easy leave to make it to appointments. I sacrifice my own money to purchase supplies - even classroom sets of books - for my classroom.

So yes, we sacrifice. And if we choose not to by demanding a work/life balance, we are told we are uncommitted and lazy.

100% of the teachers who have quit my school in the last 3 years have said they are leaving because they are tired of the emotional, physical, and financial toll. Most have gone on to jobs that pay more and require fewer hours. Those of us who are remaining (for now) see this. We’re also thinking of jumping ship because we know it can be done.

You understand this is the job you agreed to. You are welcome to find a different profession, which is why many leave. If you feel its best to jump ship, it sounds like a good move for you.

Or…
We can make the demands of this job more reasonable. Perhaps we can change them so teachers only have to work 50 hours a week instead of 65. Perhaps we can give them a whole hour of uninterrupted planning/grading/email/data collecting/lunch/bathroom time a day instead of having teachers cram that into 30 minutes.

Teachers shouldn’t have to agree to being martyrs. That’s the problem with your statement. All I hear is “be a martyr for me or leave.” Why can’t I stay under reasonable expectations instead of Herculean ones?

Lots of teachers only work their scheduled hours, a select group work much more and go above and beyond. This is not a parent issue. They need to address it with mcps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If parents knew what went on in public schools in America we would say that we appreciate teachers sacrifice and we wish our schools had a sustainable supportive system so teachers could be looked at as professionals and not have their careers ruined by mismanagement and political corruption.

Sacrifice?

Yes. Sacrifice.

I sacrifice every weekend of the school year to get my grading done. I sacrifice time with my own family to be prepared every work day. I sacrifice my own health since I can’t take easy leave to make it to appointments. I sacrifice my own money to purchase supplies - even classroom sets of books - for my classroom.

So yes, we sacrifice. And if we choose not to by demanding a work/life balance, we are told we are uncommitted and lazy.

100% of the teachers who have quit my school in the last 3 years have said they are leaving because they are tired of the emotional, physical, and financial toll. Most have gone on to jobs that pay more and require fewer hours. Those of us who are remaining (for now) see this. We’re also thinking of jumping ship because we know it can be done.

You understand this is the job you agreed to. You are welcome to find a different profession, which is why many leave. If you feel its best to jump ship, it sounds like a good move for you.

As an outsider looking in, it seems that teaching has changed a lot over the past few years as cell phones, technology, and social media have taken off. I am not sure that teachers have actually agreed to the job as it is now. As a parent, I want to find ways to make the job more sustainable so that good teachers stay.

Agree. They need to go back to traditional teaching.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If parents knew what went on in public schools in America we would say that we appreciate teachers sacrifice and we wish our schools had a sustainable supportive system so teachers could be looked at as professionals and not have their careers ruined by mismanagement and political corruption.

Sacrifice?

Yes. Sacrifice.

I sacrifice every weekend of the school year to get my grading done. I sacrifice time with my own family to be prepared every work day. I sacrifice my own health since I can’t take easy leave to make it to appointments. I sacrifice my own money to purchase supplies - even classroom sets of books - for my classroom.

So yes, we sacrifice. And if we choose not to by demanding a work/life balance, we are told we are uncommitted and lazy.

100% of the teachers who have quit my school in the last 3 years have said they are leaving because they are tired of the emotional, physical, and financial toll. Most have gone on to jobs that pay more and require fewer hours. Those of us who are remaining (for now) see this. We’re also thinking of jumping ship because we know it can be done.

You understand this is the job you agreed to. You are welcome to find a different profession, which is why many leave. If you feel its best to jump ship, it sounds like a good move for you.

Or…
We can make the demands of this job more reasonable. Perhaps we can change them so teachers only have to work 50 hours a week instead of 65. Perhaps we can give them a whole hour of uninterrupted planning/grading/email/data collecting/lunch/bathroom time a day instead of having teachers cram that into 30 minutes.

Teachers shouldn’t have to agree to being martyrs. That’s the problem with your statement. All I hear is “be a martyr for me or leave.” Why can’t I stay under reasonable expectations instead of Herculean ones?

Lots of teachers only work their scheduled hours, a select group work much more and go above and beyond. This is not a parent issue. They need to address it with mcps.

Not all subjects and levels of teaching are the same. Some take more time than others. Also, are you satisfied with the work of those who are not going above and beyond?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If parents knew what went on in public schools in America we would say that we appreciate teachers sacrifice and we wish our schools had a sustainable supportive system so teachers could be looked at as professionals and not have their careers ruined by mismanagement and political corruption.

Sacrifice?

Yes. Sacrifice.

I sacrifice every weekend of the school year to get my grading done. I sacrifice time with my own family to be prepared every work day. I sacrifice my own health since I can’t take easy leave to make it to appointments. I sacrifice my own money to purchase supplies - even classroom sets of books - for my classroom.

So yes, we sacrifice. And if we choose not to by demanding a work/life balance, we are told we are uncommitted and lazy.

100% of the teachers who have quit my school in the last 3 years have said they are leaving because they are tired of the emotional, physical, and financial toll. Most have gone on to jobs that pay more and require fewer hours. Those of us who are remaining (for now) see this. We’re also thinking of jumping ship because we know it can be done.

You understand this is the job you agreed to. You are welcome to find a different profession, which is why many leave. If you feel its best to jump ship, it sounds like a good move for you.

My spouse became a teacher later in life because she really wanted to make a difference and have a positive impact in children’s lives. MCPS leadership, the Board of Education, the parents and the students, in total, make it nearly impossible. The only reason she stays is because she is too invested at this point. And without exaggeration, I would say 95% of the teachers presently at her school would leave if they could.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If parents knew what went on in public schools in America we would say that we appreciate teachers sacrifice and we wish our schools had a sustainable supportive system so teachers could be looked at as professionals and not have their careers ruined by mismanagement and political corruption.

Sacrifice?

Yes. Sacrifice.

I sacrifice every weekend of the school year to get my grading done. I sacrifice time with my own family to be prepared every work day. I sacrifice my own health since I can’t take easy leave to make it to appointments. I sacrifice my own money to purchase supplies - even classroom sets of books - for my classroom.

So yes, we sacrifice. And if we choose not to by demanding a work/life balance, we are told we are uncommitted and lazy.

100% of the teachers who have quit my school in the last 3 years have said they are leaving because they are tired of the emotional, physical, and financial toll. Most have gone on to jobs that pay more and require fewer hours. Those of us who are remaining (for now) see this. We’re also thinking of jumping ship because we know it can be done.

You understand this is the job you agreed to. You are welcome to find a different profession, which is why many leave. If you feel its best to jump ship, it sounds like a good move for you.

That’s such a ridiculous response. If this teacher and others choose to leave, who will teach our kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If parents knew what went on in public schools in America we would say that we appreciate teachers sacrifice and we wish our schools had a sustainable supportive system so teachers could be looked at as professionals and not have their careers ruined by mismanagement and political corruption.

Sacrifice?

Yes. Sacrifice.

I sacrifice every weekend of the school year to get my grading done. I sacrifice time with my own family to be prepared every work day. I sacrifice my own health since I can’t take easy leave to make it to appointments. I sacrifice my own money to purchase supplies - even classroom sets of books - for my classroom.

So yes, we sacrifice. And if we choose not to by demanding a work/life balance, we are told we are uncommitted and lazy.

100% of the teachers who have quit my school in the last 3 years have said they are leaving because they are tired of the emotional, physical, and financial toll. Most have gone on to jobs that pay more and require fewer hours. Those of us who are remaining (for now) see this. We’re also thinking of jumping ship because we know it can be done.

You understand this is the job you agreed to. You are welcome to find a different profession, which is why many leave. If you feel its best to jump ship, it sounds like a good move for you.

Most teachers I know do everything online, so there's almost 0 grading. Also, most are chronically absent. I just don't get all this complaining by people who work at best 160 real days a year with all the personal days off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If parents knew what went on in public schools in America we would say that we appreciate teachers sacrifice and we wish our schools had a sustainable supportive system so teachers could be looked at as professionals and not have their careers ruined by mismanagement and political corruption.

Sacrifice?

Yes. Sacrifice.

I sacrifice every weekend of the school year to get my grading done. I sacrifice time with my own family to be prepared every work day. I sacrifice my own health since I can’t take easy leave to make it to appointments. I sacrifice my own money to purchase supplies - even classroom sets of books - for my classroom.

So yes, we sacrifice. And if we choose not to by demanding a work/life balance, we are told we are uncommitted and lazy.

100% of the teachers who have quit my school in the last 3 years have said they are leaving because they are tired of the emotional, physical, and financial toll. Most have gone on to jobs that pay more and require fewer hours. Those of us who are remaining (for now) see this. We’re also thinking of jumping ship because we know it can be done.

You understand this is the job you agreed to. You are welcome to find a different profession, which is why many leave. If you feel its best to jump ship, it sounds like a good move for you.

Most teachers I know do everything online, so there's almost 0 grading. Also, most are chronically absent. I just don't get all this complaining by people who work at best 160 real days a year with all the personal days off.

Okay. Let’s say I have 140 students in my class. When they submit papers, I now have 140 papers to comment on and score. Let’s assume it takes an average of 15 minutes a paper. That’s 30 HOURS of uninterrupted grading. I don’t get ANY additional time at work to get this done. If I only use my paltry 30 minutes of uninterrupted time during the work day, it’s going to take me 60 work days to get those graded and I won’t be using planning periods to plan, grade other assignments, answer emails, eat lunch, attend meetings, or do anything else I have to get done during that time.

Therefore, I have to use my weekends. I devote a Friday and ALL DAY Saturday and Sunday to getting them done so I can return them in a week. I hate that I have to do that, but the alternative is students will wait for many weeks before they get that paper back. How can they learn from mistakes and grow if I take that much time?

That’s what I want parents to know. When you see papers come home with comments, that happened on a teacher’s Friday night or on a Saturday when she missed her own child’s sporting event to grade.

This is ultimately why I’ll be quitting. The workload isn’t sustainable. If I want to be the teacher the students deserve, I have to give up too much. I’m starting to resent it, and I’m starting to take back my life. That’s why I won’t be assigning so many papers in AP, and that’s why your children won’t get as much instruction and writing support.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If parents knew what went on in public schools in America we would say that we appreciate teachers sacrifice and we wish our schools had a sustainable supportive system so teachers could be looked at as professionals and not have their careers ruined by mismanagement and political corruption.

Sacrifice?

Yes. Sacrifice.

I sacrifice every weekend of the school year to get my grading done. I sacrifice time with my own family to be prepared every work day. I sacrifice my own health since I can’t take easy leave to make it to appointments. I sacrifice my own money to purchase supplies - even classroom sets of books - for my classroom.

So yes, we sacrifice. And if we choose not to by demanding a work/life balance, we are told we are uncommitted and lazy.

100% of the teachers who have quit my school in the last 3 years have said they are leaving because they are tired of the emotional, physical, and financial toll. Most have gone on to jobs that pay more and require fewer hours. Those of us who are remaining (for now) see this. We’re also thinking of jumping ship because we know it can be done.

This is such a strange perspective. I do all these things for my job but I don't feel the need to act like a martyr.