Incentives to Keep Teachers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In other countries, admin is called a head teacher. They actually still teach. That would go a long way toward keeping higher ups in touch with the realities of teaching.

We have that here too. Just more layers of administration.

But we don’t have that here. If we did, school-based administrators would still be teachers with their own classes to teach.

I am a huge fan of this model. I don’t understand why we have a system in which non-teachers (including admin, who become detached and rusty) make all the decisions for teachers.

We do. Every grade or department has a team lead.

[Anonymous]

We mean the principal and assistant principals still teaching. Not team leads.

[Anonymous]

I had a MCPS principal who came out of guidance. He had never taught a class, but thought he was an expert. I had a pretty wild class and his suggestion was “desist them”. I lost respect for him on the spot and realized MCPS admin are mostly clueless and detached from from actual teaching now.

[Anonymous]

Safety and basic respect.

[Anonymous]

Not harrassing and manipulating teachers is it's own incentive. In otherwords, we could do our jobs with autonomy and the system would be sued less and governed more fairly if admin positions simply did not exist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lots of county employees with tuff jobs. Why are teachers on a pedestal? Fix the problems in mcps and parents step up and parent your kids.

But other employees get overtime pay. MCPS openly admits teachers work more than 40 hour weeks.

Most professionals work more than 40 hours.

Most professionals get paid enough to make ends meet. My kids qualified for free meals the first few years I was a teacher. Ridiculous.

Same. Didn’t stop my principal from demanding every teacher join the PTA during preservice week in late August. $25 dues and we didn’t even get a full paycheck yet. Every year, I told him, “I can’t right now.” and every year he said “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” What did he think I and my kids were going to give up so that the PTA could have refreshments at the first meeting of the year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In other countries, admin is called a head teacher. They actually still teach. That would go a long way toward keeping higher ups in touch with the realities of teaching.

We have that here too. Just more layers of administration.

But we don’t have that here. If we did, school-based administrators would still be teachers with their own classes to teach.

I am a huge fan of this model. I don’t understand why we have a system in which non-teachers (including admin, who become detached and rusty) make all the decisions for teachers.

We do. Every grade or department has a team lead.

My department head has about a third of his high schoolers failing 2nd quarter. The kids passed with a C or greater 1st quarter so didn’t need to even bother with the second quarter to pass the semester. The kids just sit on their phones. Central office needs to raise the expectations for grading or teaching becomes impossible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In other countries, admin is called a head teacher. They actually still teach. That would go a long way toward keeping higher ups in touch with the realities of teaching.

We have that here too. Just more layers of administration.

But we don’t have that here. If we did, school-based administrators would still be teachers with their own classes to teach.

I am a huge fan of this model. I don’t understand why we have a system in which non-teachers (including admin, who become detached and rusty) make all the decisions for teachers.

We do. Every grade or department has a team lead.

Department heads and team leads don’t run schools. The people who run schools need to actually be teachers, not people who rushed out of the classroom at the first opportunity. Administrators are far removed from the classroom, and yet we have a model that makes them the experts.

We could clear up a ton of problems within education if the decision makers were actually people in classrooms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In other countries, admin is called a head teacher. They actually still teach. That would go a long way toward keeping higher ups in touch with the realities of teaching.

We have that here too. Just more layers of administration.

But we don’t have that here. If we did, school-based administrators would still be teachers with their own classes to teach.

I am a huge fan of this model. I don’t understand why we have a system in which non-teachers (including admin, who become detached and rusty) make all the decisions for teachers.

We do. Every grade or department has a team lead.

My department head has about a third of his high schoolers failing 2nd quarter. The kids passed with a C or greater 1st quarter so didn’t need to even bother with the second quarter to pass the semester. The kids just sit on their phones. Central office needs to raise the expectations for grading or teaching becomes impossible.

Teachers need to work with parents more. We had a teacher reach out to us and it was dealt with very quickly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In other countries, admin is called a head teacher. They actually still teach. That would go a long way toward keeping higher ups in touch with the realities of teaching.

We have that here too. Just more layers of administration.

But we don’t have that here. If we did, school-based administrators would still be teachers with their own classes to teach.

I am a huge fan of this model. I don’t understand why we have a system in which non-teachers (including admin, who become detached and rusty) make all the decisions for teachers.

We do. Every grade or department has a team lead.

My department head has about a third of his high schoolers failing 2nd quarter. The kids passed with a C or greater 1st quarter so didn’t need to even bother with the second quarter to pass the semester. The kids just sit on their phones. Central office needs to raise the expectations for grading or teaching becomes impossible.

Teachers need to work with parents more. We had a teacher reach out to us and it was dealt with very quickly.

Teachers need time in order for that to happen. Most teachers have very, very little time and spend days running from one obligation to another. It’s hard to find time to eat and run to the bathroom, so it’s certainly hard to find time for parent contacts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not harrassing and manipulating teachers is it's own incentive. In otherwords, we could do our jobs with autonomy and the system would be sued less and governed more fairly if admin positions simply did not exist.

😂🤣😂🤣. That would be a fun experiment to watch. They should actually simulate that out with teachers, parents and a facilitator across a couple weeks.

I’d like to see who would rise up to become the defacto admins, community chairs, and collaborators.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^ nailed it

One more: respect from parents - free

Respect is earned. After watching you all during the pandemic, I have zero respect for how you handled yourselves. It was far worse than I could have ever imagined.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not harrassing and manipulating teachers is it's own incentive. In otherwords, we could do our jobs with autonomy and the system would be sued less and governed more fairly if admin positions simply did not exist.

😂🤣😂🤣. That would be a fun experiment to watch. They should actually simulate that out with teachers, parents and a facilitator across a couple weeks.

I’d like to see who would rise up to become the defacto admins, community chairs, and collaborators.

As long as the de facto admins remain teachers instead of stepping full-time into an office, the experiment would be a success.

It’s when people leave the classroom but continue to be “experts” that we fall into the mess we have now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In other countries, admin is called a head teacher. They actually still teach. That would go a long way toward keeping higher ups in touch with the realities of teaching.

We have that here too. Just more layers of administration.

But we don’t have that here. If we did, school-based administrators would still be teachers with their own classes to teach.

I am a huge fan of this model. I don’t understand why we have a system in which non-teachers (including admin, who become detached and rusty) make all the decisions for teachers.

We do. Every grade or department has a team lead.

My department head has about a third of his high schoolers failing 2nd quarter. The kids passed with a C or greater 1st quarter so didn’t need to even bother with the second quarter to pass the semester. The kids just sit on their phones. Central office needs to raise the expectations for grading or teaching becomes impossible.

Teachers need to work with parents more. We had a teacher reach out to us and it was dealt with very quickly.

Teachers need time in order for that to happen. Most teachers have very, very little time and spend days running from one obligation to another. It’s hard to find time to eat and run to the bathroom, so it’s certainly hard to find time for parent contacts.

Then, not sure what teachers expect parents to do when teachers refuse to communicate with parents. I reach out to my kids teachers to make sure things are ok, especially after we got an email from one teacher. Only one responded. So, as a parent, I cannot fix a problem that I don't know about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In other countries, admin is called a head teacher. They actually still teach. That would go a long way toward keeping higher ups in touch with the realities of teaching.

We have that here too. Just more layers of administration.

But we don’t have that here. If we did, school-based administrators would still be teachers with their own classes to teach.

I am a huge fan of this model. I don’t understand why we have a system in which non-teachers (including admin, who become detached and rusty) make all the decisions for teachers.

We do. Every grade or department has a team lead.

My department head has about a third of his high schoolers failing 2nd quarter. The kids passed with a C or greater 1st quarter so didn’t need to even bother with the second quarter to pass the semester. The kids just sit on their phones. Central office needs to raise the expectations for grading or teaching becomes impossible.

Teachers need to work with parents more. We had a teacher reach out to us and it was dealt with very quickly.

Teachers need time in order for that to happen. Most teachers have very, very little time and spend days running from one obligation to another. It’s hard to find time to eat and run to the bathroom, so it’s certainly hard to find time for parent contacts.

Then, not sure what teachers expect parents to do when teachers refuse to communicate with parents. I reach out to my kids teachers to make sure things are ok, especially after we got an email from one teacher. Only one responded. So, as a parent, I cannot fix a problem that I don't know about.

It isn’t about refusing to work with parents. It’s about TIME. I have 150 students and I get 28ish minutes a day to plan, grade, and respond to all emails. It’s overwhelming. This thread is about how to keep teachers. Here’s one answer: give us TIME to get our work done. I’d take time over higher pay.