Advice to Kaya Henderson

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would vote for teachers working All of June and July. July can be for PD and for planning.

And you know what? Teachers might agree to it if it is PD that is worth their time and planning time that is truly theres. As it is they already do PD and planning in June and July (School goes through almost to the end of June now) and starts back in August so July is the only full month off during the summer.

Many children in DC are so far below grade level that we could certainly call it a crisis. Also, advanced learners not getting the appropriate challenge. The school year for teachers needs to be longer. Imagine if the entire district spent July in PD and planning for every student, what a huge impact that would have. Teachers still would have off four weeks in the summer, two weeks at Winter Break and a week at Spring Break.

The are several problems with your idea---

1. In most schools no one knows who the students will be. Therefore, it's hard to predict who--if anyone--needs a more challenging curriculum, a less challenging one, etc.

2. Most schools don't even know who their teachers will be in July (or August). Many, many teachers resign from DC schools within the first week. So in comes new teachers who don't have the benefit of the July PDs.

DCPS must do something to stop the teacher hemorrhaging that happens all over this District. The turnover is insane. Once we have working conditions that true professionals are willing to work in, and our teachers are remaining in the same schools year after year, we may be able to propose something like that.


I am commenting on this because I am both a DC taxpayer and I have children who attended a DCPS elementary school. We are failing many of our children in the city and part of the solution is longer school days and a longer school year. I agree with you - we need to change the working conditions of teachers in the city. It needs to be a full year job because of the enormity of it.

On another note, why is a non-educator trying to dictate the work schedule of educators anyway?

Listen, under the current contract if DC teachers are "forced" to work a full year you will be scraping the bottom of the barrel to find qualified teachers. I can guarantee that. The principals in many of the schools (not all) are horrible to work with and create mountains of unnecessary paperwork to try to make themselves look good in Ms. Henderson's eyes. On paper they look like they are doing big things but in their buildings they are an absolute nightmare. There are schools where teachers get physically ill from the stress and toxicity of the work environment - not from the kids but from the administrators and their unwavering demands on even the best teachers. Do you really think that only the ineffective teachers are leaving the classroom? I wish we could get a complete picture of who is leaving DCPS and why.

+1000 and is not just the bad schools, some schools principals pacify parents by passing their kids along if they are vocal, wealthy, or connected. They no the other parents won't object. These kids aren't learning either, as is evident by the recent dismal PARC assessment. There is a culture of fear in DCPS from the top down. Most teachers are sick from the stress, young and old. Everything changes ever year, there are no books so there are mounds and mounds of copies made every day using the cornerstone and other DCPS curriculum that has to be downloaded and printed. It is a HOT mess, and unless you work in the trenches you wouldn't have a clue how bad it is because the spin machine is good!!!

[Anonymous]

Make sure the right principal is the right fit for the school. For instance, a dual language school should not employ someone who doesn't speak the second language.

Furthermore, some schools may need a strong micro manger leader who needs to make a name for themselves, while other schools do not.

Venting a little, but maybe our principal will move on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Make sure the right principal is the right fit for the school. For instance, a dual language school should not employ someone who doesn't speak the second language.

Furthermore, some schools may need a strong micro manger leader who needs to make a name for themselves, while other schools do not.

Venting a little, but maybe our principal will move on.

NO school needs a micromanager who needs to make a name for themselves. LOL

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would vote for teachers working All of June and July. July can be for PD and for planning.

And you know what? Teachers might agree to it if it is PD that is worth their time and planning time that is truly theres. As it is they already do PD and planning in June and July (School goes through almost to the end of June now) and starts back in August so July is the only full month off during the summer.

Many children in DC are so far below grade level that we could certainly call it a crisis. Also, advanced learners not getting the appropriate challenge. The school year for teachers needs to be longer. Imagine if the entire district spent July in PD and planning for every student, what a huge impact that would have. Teachers still would have off four weeks in the summer, two weeks at Winter Break and a week at Spring Break.

The are several problems with your idea---

1. In most schools no one knows who the students will be. Therefore, it's hard to predict who--if anyone--needs a more challenging curriculum, a less challenging one, etc.

2. Most schools don't even know who their teachers will be in July (or August). Many, many teachers resign from DC schools within the first week. So in comes new teachers who don't have the benefit of the July PDs.

DCPS must do something to stop the teacher hemorrhaging that happens all over this District. The turnover is insane. Once we have working conditions that true professionals are willing to work in, and our teachers are remaining in the same schools year after year, we may be able to propose something like that.


I am commenting on this because I am both a DC taxpayer and I have children who attended a DCPS elementary school. We are failing many of our children in the city and part of the solution is longer school days and a longer school year. I agree with you - we need to change the working conditions of teachers in the city. It needs to be a full year job because of the enormity of it.

On another note, why is a non-educator trying to dictate the work schedule of educators anyway?

Listen, under the current contract if DC teachers are "forced" to work a full year you will be scraping the bottom of the barrel to find qualified teachers. I can guarantee that. The principals in many of the schools (not all) are horrible to work with and create mountains of unnecessary paperwork to try to make themselves look good in Ms. Henderson's eyes. On paper they look like they are doing big things but in their buildings they are an absolute nightmare. There are schools where teachers get physically ill from the stress and toxicity of the work environment - not from the kids but from the administrators and their unwavering demands on even the best teachers. Do you really think that only the ineffective teachers are leaving the classroom? I wish we could get a complete picture of who is leaving DCPS and why.

DC is already starting to scrape from the bottom of the barrel. Remember all the Ivy leaguers you could find throughout the schools just 5...hell 2-3...years ago? You can probably count the # of Ivy degrees in our schools on one hand now. Some may drizzle in because of the spin but they run out. And why not? They can get jobs anywhere. I know of two Ivy degrees (the last 2 I know of) and they're both interviewing in other places now. One in a totally different field. You guessed it. Asshole admin

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would vote for teachers working All of June and July. July can be for PD and for planning.

And you know what? Teachers might agree to it if it is PD that is worth their time and planning time that is truly theres. As it is they already do PD and planning in June and July (School goes through almost to the end of June now) and starts back in August so July is the only full month off during the summer.

Many children in DC are so far below grade level that we could certainly call it a crisis. Also, advanced learners not getting the appropriate challenge. The school year for teachers needs to be longer. Imagine if the entire district spent July in PD and planning for every student, what a huge impact that would have. Teachers still would have off four weeks in the summer, two weeks at Winter Break and a week at Spring Break.

The are several problems with your idea---

1. In most schools no one knows who the students will be. Therefore, it's hard to predict who--if anyone--needs a more challenging curriculum, a less challenging one, etc.

2. Most schools don't even know who their teachers will be in July (or August). Many, many teachers resign from DC schools within the first week. So in comes new teachers who don't have the benefit of the July PDs.

DCPS must do something to stop the teacher hemorrhaging that happens all over this District. The turnover is insane. Once we have working conditions that true professionals are willing to work in, and our teachers are remaining in the same schools year after year, we may be able to propose something like that.


I am commenting on this because I am both a DC taxpayer and I have children who attended a DCPS elementary school. We are failing many of our children in the city and part of the solution is longer school days and a longer school year. I agree with you - we need to change the working conditions of teachers in the city. It needs to be a full year job because of the enormity of it.

On another note, why is a non-educator trying to dictate the work schedule of educators anyway?

Listen, under the current contract if DC teachers are "forced" to work a full year you will be scraping the bottom of the barrel to find qualified teachers. I can guarantee that. The principals in many of the schools (not all) are horrible to work with and create mountains of unnecessary paperwork to try to make themselves look good in Ms. Henderson's eyes. On paper they look like they are doing big things but in their buildings they are an absolute nightmare. There are schools where teachers get physically ill from the stress and toxicity of the work environment - not from the kids but from the administrators and their unwavering demands on even the best teachers. Do you really think that only the ineffective teachers are leaving the classroom? I wish we could get a complete picture of who is leaving DCPS and why.

+1000 and is not just the bad schools, some schools principals pacify parents by passing their kids along if they are vocal, wealthy, or connected. They no the other parents won't object. These kids aren't learning either, as is evident by the recent dismal PARC assessment. There is a culture of fear in DCPS from the top down. Most teachers are sick from the stress, young and old. Everything changes ever year, there are no books so there are mounds and mounds of copies made every day using the cornerstone and other DCPS curriculum that has to be downloaded and printed. It is a HOT mess, and unless you work in the trenches you wouldn't have a clue how bad it is because the spin machine is good!!!

As sad as it is, this post is spot on.

And some principals have the nerve to deny or harass teachers about taking leave. Idiots! The teachers are going to take their damned leave anyway!!!! They're just not going to submit the form for you to deny in advance. Their just gonna 'wake up sick' and call in. And your ass will be caught off guard and forced to find subs at the last minute!

Create a work environment that teachers want to work in. I know of two teachers who have to call and give each other a pep talk every Sunday just to be able to go in and work another week. One said he gets I'll thinking about what he has to return to.

It's sad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would vote for teachers working All of June and July. July can be for PD and for planning.

And you know what? Teachers might agree to it if it is PD that is worth their time and planning time that is truly theres. As it is they already do PD and planning in June and July (School goes through almost to the end of June now) and starts back in August so July is the only full month off during the summer.

Many children in DC are so far below grade level that we could certainly call it a crisis. Also, advanced learners not getting the appropriate challenge. The school year for teachers needs to be longer. Imagine if the entire district spent July in PD and planning for every student, what a huge impact that would have. Teachers still would have off four weeks in the summer, two weeks at Winter Break and a week at Spring Break.

The are several problems with your idea---

1. In most schools no one knows who the students will be. Therefore, it's hard to predict who--if anyone--needs a more challenging curriculum, a less challenging one, etc.

2. Most schools don't even know who their teachers will be in July (or August). Many, many teachers resign from DC schools within the first week. So in comes new teachers who don't have the benefit of the July PDs.

DCPS must do something to stop the teacher hemorrhaging that happens all over this District. The turnover is insane. Once we have working conditions that true professionals are willing to work in, and our teachers are remaining in the same schools year after year, we may be able to propose something like that.


I am commenting on this because I am both a DC taxpayer and I have children who attended a DCPS elementary school. We are failing many of our children in the city and part of the solution is longer school days and a longer school year. I agree with you - we need to change the working conditions of teachers in the city. It needs to be a full year job because of the enormity of it.

On another note, why is a non-educator trying to dictate the work schedule of educators anyway?

Listen, under the current contract if DC teachers are "forced" to work a full year you will be scraping the bottom of the barrel to find qualified teachers. I can guarantee that. The principals in many of the schools (not all) are horrible to work with and create mountains of unnecessary paperwork to try to make themselves look good in Ms. Henderson's eyes. On paper they look like they are doing big things but in their buildings they are an absolute nightmare. There are schools where teachers get physically ill from the stress and toxicity of the work environment - not from the kids but from the administrators and their unwavering demands on even the best teachers. Do you really think that only the ineffective teachers are leaving the classroom? I wish we could get a complete picture of who is leaving DCPS and why.

DC is already starting to scrape from the bottom of the barrel. Remember all the Ivy leaguers you could find throughout the schools just 5...hell 2-3...years ago? You can probably count the # of Ivy degrees in our schools on one hand now. Some may drizzle in because of the spin but they run out. And why not? They can get jobs anywhere. I know of two Ivy degrees (the last 2 I know of) and they're both interviewing in other places now. One in a totally different field. You guessed it. Asshole admin

First of all who pays Ivy league money to go into teaching? Any Ivy League person going into teaching is doing it as a stepping stone or as their gap year project. Also, most Ivy League degrees do not prepare someone to be successful in an inner city classroom. Book smarts don't translate into being able to manage a classroom of students who might not look or speak like you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would vote for teachers working All of June and July. July can be for PD and for planning.

And you know what? Teachers might agree to it if it is PD that is worth their time and planning time that is truly theres. As it is they already do PD and planning in June and July (School goes through almost to the end of June now) and starts back in August so July is the only full month off during the summer.

Many children in DC are so far below grade level that we could certainly call it a crisis. Also, advanced learners not getting the appropriate challenge. The school year for teachers needs to be longer. Imagine if the entire district spent July in PD and planning for every student, what a huge impact that would have. Teachers still would have off four weeks in the summer, two weeks at Winter Break and a week at Spring Break.

The are several problems with your idea---

1. In most schools no one knows who the students will be. Therefore, it's hard to predict who--if anyone--needs a more challenging curriculum, a less challenging one, etc.

2. Most schools don't even know who their teachers will be in July (or August). Many, many teachers resign from DC schools within the first week. So in comes new teachers who don't have the benefit of the July PDs.

DCPS must do something to stop the teacher hemorrhaging that happens all over this District. The turnover is insane. Once we have working conditions that true professionals are willing to work in, and our teachers are remaining in the same schools year after year, we may be able to propose something like that.


I am commenting on this because I am both a DC taxpayer and I have children who attended a DCPS elementary school. We are failing many of our children in the city and part of the solution is longer school days and a longer school year. I agree with you - we need to change the working conditions of teachers in the city. It needs to be a full year job because of the enormity of it.

On another note, why is a non-educator trying to dictate the work schedule of educators anyway?

Listen, under the current contract if DC teachers are "forced" to work a full year you will be scraping the bottom of the barrel to find qualified teachers. I can guarantee that. The principals in many of the schools (not all) are horrible to work with and create mountains of unnecessary paperwork to try to make themselves look good in Ms. Henderson's eyes. On paper they look like they are doing big things but in their buildings they are an absolute nightmare. There are schools where teachers get physically ill from the stress and toxicity of the work environment - not from the kids but from the administrators and their unwavering demands on even the best teachers. Do you really think that only the ineffective teachers are leaving the classroom? I wish we could get a complete picture of who is leaving DCPS and why.

+1000 and is not just the bad schools, some schools principals pacify parents by passing their kids along if they are vocal, wealthy, or connected. They no the other parents won't object. These kids aren't learning either, as is evident by the recent dismal PARC assessment. There is a culture of fear in DCPS from the top down. Most teachers are sick from the stress, young and old. Everything changes ever year, there are no books so there are mounds and mounds of copies made every day using the cornerstone and other DCPS curriculum that has to be downloaded and printed. It is a HOT mess, and unless you work in the trenches you wouldn't have a clue how bad it is because the spin machine is good!!!

As sad as it is, this post is spot on.

And some principals have the nerve to deny or harass teachers about taking leave. Idiots! The teachers are going to take their damned leave anyway!!!! They're just not going to submit the form for you to deny in advance. Their just gonna 'wake up sick' and call in. And your ass will be caught off guard and forced to find subs at the last minute!

Create a work environment that teachers want to work in. I know of two teachers who have to call and give each other a pep talk every Sunday just to be able to go in and work another week. One said he gets I'll thinking about what he has to return to.

It's sad.

The holidays are coming up and this is when you really start to see the exodus begin. People wake up the morning after a holiday and say "I can't do this anymore. Life is too short for this B.S." And no, the money doesn't make a difference. First of all D.C. is over-priced and second many people would rather have a work environment that is not hostile and less competitive than to earn a few extra bucks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would vote for teachers working All of June and July. July can be for PD and for planning.

And you know what? Teachers might agree to it if it is PD that is worth their time and planning time that is truly theres. As it is they already do PD and planning in June and July (School goes through almost to the end of June now) and starts back in August so July is the only full month off during the summer.

Many children in DC are so far below grade level that we could certainly call it a crisis. Also, advanced learners not getting the appropriate challenge. The school year for teachers needs to be longer. Imagine if the entire district spent July in PD and planning for every student, what a huge impact that would have. Teachers still would have off four weeks in the summer, two weeks at Winter Break and a week at Spring Break.

The are several problems with your idea---

1. In most schools no one knows who the students will be. Therefore, it's hard to predict who--if anyone--needs a more challenging curriculum, a less challenging one, etc.

2. Most schools don't even know who their teachers will be in July (or August). Many, many teachers resign from DC schools within the first week. So in comes new teachers who don't have the benefit of the July PDs.

DCPS must do something to stop the teacher hemorrhaging that happens all over this District. The turnover is insane. Once we have working conditions that true professionals are willing to work in, and our teachers are remaining in the same schools year after year, we may be able to propose something like that.


I am commenting on this because I am both a DC taxpayer and I have children who attended a DCPS elementary school. We are failing many of our children in the city and part of the solution is longer school days and a longer school year. I agree with you - we need to change the working conditions of teachers in the city. It needs to be a full year job because of the enormity of it.

On another note, why is a non-educator trying to dictate the work schedule of educators anyway?

Listen, under the current contract if DC teachers are "forced" to work a full year you will be scraping the bottom of the barrel to find qualified teachers. I can guarantee that. The principals in many of the schools (not all) are horrible to work with and create mountains of unnecessary paperwork to try to make themselves look good in Ms. Henderson's eyes. On paper they look like they are doing big things but in their buildings they are an absolute nightmare. There are schools where teachers get physically ill from the stress and toxicity of the work environment - not from the kids but from the administrators and their unwavering demands on even the best teachers. Do you really think that only the ineffective teachers are leaving the classroom? I wish we could get a complete picture of who is leaving DCPS and why.

+1000 and is not just the bad schools, some schools principals pacify parents by passing their kids along if they are vocal, wealthy, or connected. They no the other parents won't object. These kids aren't learning either, as is evident by the recent dismal PARC assessment. There is a culture of fear in DCPS from the top down. Most teachers are sick from the stress, young and old. Everything changes ever year, there are no books so there are mounds and mounds of copies made every day using the cornerstone and other DCPS curriculum that has to be downloaded and printed. It is a HOT mess, and unless you work in the trenches you wouldn't have a clue how bad it is because the spin machine is good!!!

As sad as it is, this post is spot on.

And some principals have the nerve to deny or harass teachers about taking leave. Idiots! The teachers are going to take their damned leave anyway!!!! They're just not going to submit the form for you to deny in advance. Their just gonna 'wake up sick' and call in. And your ass will be caught off guard and forced to find subs at the last minute!

Create a work environment that teachers want to work in. I know of two teachers who have to call and give each other a pep talk every Sunday just to be able to go in and work another week. One said he gets I'll thinking about what he has to return to.

It's sad.

The holidays are coming up and this is when you really start to see the exodus begin. People wake up the morning after a holiday and say "I can't do this anymore. Life is too short for this B.S." And no, the money doesn't make a difference. First of all D.C. is over-priced and second many people would rather have a work environment that is not hostile and less competitive than to earn a few extra bucks.

I agree that mid-year is when you really see the exodus. For one, that's likely when more positions become available elsewhere. But the resignations begin a day or two after the school year starts. I know of several schools that have lost teachers already. Some by week 2. A few schools have hired new teachers to replace old ones---only to have them leave after a week or two. So now those kids are on their 3rd teacher in November!!!

And you're right. The money isn't that great that it's worth a person's health and happiness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would vote for teachers working All of June and July. July can be for PD and for planning.

And you know what? Teachers might agree to it if it is PD that is worth their time and planning time that is truly theres. As it is they already do PD and planning in June and July (School goes through almost to the end of June now) and starts back in August so July is the only full month off during the summer.

Many children in DC are so far below grade level that we could certainly call it a crisis. Also, advanced learners not getting the appropriate challenge. The school year for teachers needs to be longer. Imagine if the entire district spent July in PD and planning for every student, what a huge impact that would have. Teachers still would have off four weeks in the summer, two weeks at Winter Break and a week at Spring Break.

The are several problems with your idea---

1. In most schools no one knows who the students will be. Therefore, it's hard to predict who--if anyone--needs a more challenging curriculum, a less challenging one, etc.

2. Most schools don't even know who their teachers will be in July (or August). Many, many teachers resign from DC schools within the first week. So in comes new teachers who don't have the benefit of the July PDs.

DCPS must do something to stop the teacher hemorrhaging that happens all over this District. The turnover is insane. Once we have working conditions that true professionals are willing to work in, and our teachers are remaining in the same schools year after year, we may be able to propose something like that.


I am commenting on this because I am both a DC taxpayer and I have children who attended a DCPS elementary school. We are failing many of our children in the city and part of the solution is longer school days and a longer school year. I agree with you - we need to change the working conditions of teachers in the city. It needs to be a full year job because of the enormity of it.

On another note, why is a non-educator trying to dictate the work schedule of educators anyway?

Listen, under the current contract if DC teachers are "forced" to work a full year you will be scraping the bottom of the barrel to find qualified teachers. I can guarantee that. The principals in many of the schools (not all) are horrible to work with and create mountains of unnecessary paperwork to try to make themselves look good in Ms. Henderson's eyes. On paper they look like they are doing big things but in their buildings they are an absolute nightmare. There are schools where teachers get physically ill from the stress and toxicity of the work environment - not from the kids but from the administrators and their unwavering demands on even the best teachers. Do you really think that only the ineffective teachers are leaving the classroom? I wish we could get a complete picture of who is leaving DCPS and why.

DC is already starting to scrape from the bottom of the barrel. Remember all the Ivy leaguers you could find throughout the schools just 5...hell 2-3...years ago? You can probably count the # of Ivy degrees in our schools on one hand now. Some may drizzle in because of the spin but they run out. And why not? They can get jobs anywhere. I know of two Ivy degrees (the last 2 I know of) and they're both interviewing in other places now. One in a totally different field. You guessed it. Asshole admin

First of all who pays Ivy league money to go into teaching? Any Ivy League person going into teaching is doing it as a stepping stone or as their gap year project. Also, most Ivy League degrees do not prepare someone to be successful in an inner city classroom. Book smarts don't translate into being able to manage a classroom of students who might not look or speak like you.

So now whites are the only ones who go ivy?????

Two, ivy schools of education are geared towards work in inner city schools. Not the suburbs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would vote for teachers working All of June and July. July can be for PD and for planning.

And you know what? Teachers might agree to it if it is PD that is worth their time and planning time that is truly theres. As it is they already do PD and planning in June and July (School goes through almost to the end of June now) and starts back in August so July is the only full month off during the summer.

Many children in DC are so far below grade level that we could certainly call it a crisis. Also, advanced learners not getting the appropriate challenge. The school year for teachers needs to be longer. Imagine if the entire district spent July in PD and planning for every student, what a huge impact that would have. Teachers still would have off four weeks in the summer, two weeks at Winter Break and a week at Spring Break.

The are several problems with your idea---

1. In most schools no one knows who the students will be. Therefore, it's hard to predict who--if anyone--needs a more challenging curriculum, a less challenging one, etc.

2. Most schools don't even know who their teachers will be in July (or August). Many, many teachers resign from DC schools within the first week. So in comes new teachers who don't have the benefit of the July PDs.

DCPS must do something to stop the teacher hemorrhaging that happens all over this District. The turnover is insane. Once we have working conditions that true professionals are willing to work in, and our teachers are remaining in the same schools year after year, we may be able to propose something like that.


I am commenting on this because I am both a DC taxpayer and I have children who attended a DCPS elementary school. We are failing many of our children in the city and part of the solution is longer school days and a longer school year. I agree with you - we need to change the working conditions of teachers in the city. It needs to be a full year job because of the enormity of it.

On another note, why is a non-educator trying to dictate the work schedule of educators anyway?

Listen, under the current contract if DC teachers are "forced" to work a full year you will be scraping the bottom of the barrel to find qualified teachers. I can guarantee that. The principals in many of the schools (not all) are horrible to work with and create mountains of unnecessary paperwork to try to make themselves look good in Ms. Henderson's eyes. On paper they look like they are doing big things but in their buildings they are an absolute nightmare. There are schools where teachers get physically ill from the stress and toxicity of the work environment - not from the kids but from the administrators and their unwavering demands on even the best teachers. Do you really think that only the ineffective teachers are leaving the classroom? I wish we could get a complete picture of who is leaving DCPS and why.

DC is already starting to scrape from the bottom of the barrel. Remember all the Ivy leaguers you could find throughout the schools just 5...hell 2-3...years ago? You can probably count the # of Ivy degrees in our schools on one hand now. Some may drizzle in because of the spin but they run out. And why not? They can get jobs anywhere. I know of two Ivy degrees (the last 2 I know of) and they're both interviewing in other places now. One in a totally different field. You guessed it. Asshole admin

First of all who pays Ivy league money to go into teaching? Any Ivy League person going into teaching is doing it as a stepping stone or as their gap year project. Also, most Ivy League degrees do not prepare someone to be successful in an inner city classroom. Book smarts don't translate into being able to manage a classroom of students who might not look or speak like you.

So now whites are the only ones who go ivy?????

Two, ivy schools of education are geared towards work in inner city schools. Not the suburbs.

Keep on topic, who cares white, black, Latino, other, young, old - all are stressed out is the point that is being made. When TFA was king, or queen, there were many "bright young things" (mainly white) at DCPS. Since then TFA acknowledged they had not been reaching out to minorities and HBUs so they changed plan, the new teachers are more diverse but just as stressed and ready to leave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would vote for teachers working All of June and July. July can be for PD and for planning.

And you know what? Teachers might agree to it if it is PD that is worth their time and planning time that is truly theres. As it is they already do PD and planning in June and July (School goes through almost to the end of June now) and starts back in August so July is the only full month off during the summer.

Many children in DC are so far below grade level that we could certainly call it a crisis. Also, advanced learners not getting the appropriate challenge. The school year for teachers needs to be longer. Imagine if the entire district spent July in PD and planning for every student, what a huge impact that would have. Teachers still would have off four weeks in the summer, two weeks at Winter Break and a week at Spring Break.

The are several problems with your idea---

1. In most schools no one knows who the students will be. Therefore, it's hard to predict who--if anyone--needs a more challenging curriculum, a less challenging one, etc.

2. Most schools don't even know who their teachers will be in July (or August). Many, many teachers resign from DC schools within the first week. So in comes new teachers who don't have the benefit of the July PDs.

DCPS must do something to stop the teacher hemorrhaging that happens all over this District. The turnover is insane. Once we have working conditions that true professionals are willing to work in, and our teachers are remaining in the same schools year after year, we may be able to propose something like that.


I am commenting on this because I am both a DC taxpayer and I have children who attended a DCPS elementary school. We are failing many of our children in the city and part of the solution is longer school days and a longer school year. I agree with you - we need to change the working conditions of teachers in the city. It needs to be a full year job because of the enormity of it.

On another note, why is a non-educator trying to dictate the work schedule of educators anyway?

Listen, under the current contract if DC teachers are "forced" to work a full year you will be scraping the bottom of the barrel to find qualified teachers. I can guarantee that. The principals in many of the schools (not all) are horrible to work with and create mountains of unnecessary paperwork to try to make themselves look good in Ms. Henderson's eyes. On paper they look like they are doing big things but in their buildings they are an absolute nightmare. There are schools where teachers get physically ill from the stress and toxicity of the work environment - not from the kids but from the administrators and their unwavering demands on even the best teachers. Do you really think that only the ineffective teachers are leaving the classroom? I wish we could get a complete picture of who is leaving DCPS and why.

DC is already starting to scrape from the bottom of the barrel. Remember all the Ivy leaguers you could find throughout the schools just 5...hell 2-3...years ago? You can probably count the # of Ivy degrees in our schools on one hand now. Some may drizzle in because of the spin but they run out. And why not? They can get jobs anywhere. I know of two Ivy degrees (the last 2 I know of) and they're both interviewing in other places now. One in a totally different field. You guessed it. Asshole admin

First of all who pays Ivy league money to go into teaching? Any Ivy League person going into teaching is doing it as a stepping stone or as their gap year project. Also, most Ivy League degrees do not prepare someone to be successful in an inner city classroom. Book smarts don't translate into being able to manage a classroom of students who might not look or speak like you.

So now whites are the only ones who go ivy?????

Two, ivy schools of education are geared towards work in inner city schools. Not the suburbs.

Huh???? Here we go with the derailment of the thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would vote for teachers working All of June and July. July can be for PD and for planning.

And you know what? Teachers might agree to it if it is PD that is worth their time and planning time that is truly theres. As it is they already do PD and planning in June and July (School goes through almost to the end of June now) and starts back in August so July is the only full month off during the summer.

Many children in DC are so far below grade level that we could certainly call it a crisis. Also, advanced learners not getting the appropriate challenge. The school year for teachers needs to be longer. Imagine if the entire district spent July in PD and planning for every student, what a huge impact that would have. Teachers still would have off four weeks in the summer, two weeks at Winter Break and a week at Spring Break.

The are several problems with your idea---

1. In most schools no one knows who the students will be. Therefore, it's hard to predict who--if anyone--needs a more challenging curriculum, a less challenging one, etc.

2. Most schools don't even know who their teachers will be in July (or August). Many, many teachers resign from DC schools within the first week. So in comes new teachers who don't have the benefit of the July PDs.

DCPS must do something to stop the teacher hemorrhaging that happens all over this District. The turnover is insane. Once we have working conditions that true professionals are willing to work in, and our teachers are remaining in the same schools year after year, we may be able to propose something like that.


I am commenting on this because I am both a DC taxpayer and I have children who attended a DCPS elementary school. We are failing many of our children in the city and part of the solution is longer school days and a longer school year. I agree with you - we need to change the working conditions of teachers in the city. It needs to be a full year job because of the enormity of it.

On another note, why is a non-educator trying to dictate the work schedule of educators anyway?

Listen, under the current contract if DC teachers are "forced" to work a full year you will be scraping the bottom of the barrel to find qualified teachers. I can guarantee that. The principals in many of the schools (not all) are horrible to work with and create mountains of unnecessary paperwork to try to make themselves look good in Ms. Henderson's eyes. On paper they look like they are doing big things but in their buildings they are an absolute nightmare. There are schools where teachers get physically ill from the stress and toxicity of the work environment - not from the kids but from the administrators and their unwavering demands on even the best teachers. Do you really think that only the ineffective teachers are leaving the classroom? I wish we could get a complete picture of who is leaving DCPS and why.

DC is already starting to scrape from the bottom of the barrel. Remember all the Ivy leaguers you could find throughout the schools just 5...hell 2-3...years ago? You can probably count the # of Ivy degrees in our schools on one hand now. Some may drizzle in because of the spin but they run out. And why not? They can get jobs anywhere. I know of two Ivy degrees (the last 2 I know of) and they're both interviewing in other places now. One in a totally different field. You guessed it. Asshole admin

First of all who pays Ivy league money to go into teaching? Any Ivy League person going into teaching is doing it as a stepping stone or as their gap year project. Also, most Ivy League degrees do not prepare someone to be successful in an inner city classroom. Book smarts don't translate into being able to manage a classroom of students who might not look or speak like you.

+1 Was just thinking the same thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stop the destruction of the only nationally ranked school in DC - School Without Walls. Give them their own principal, and don't have it be the bird brain who isn't even fit to run Francis Stevens - Trogisch sp? Who wanted the 11th graders to walk over and have courses at the elementary school! You know what? I know the kids tend to be pretty good, and they had a total right to complain, but there is another side here.

As the parent of an elementary school girl, I would feel completely uncomfortable with having 11th grade boys in the building. There is a reason for elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools, and even when they happen to be close together, there is a reason for zoning.

I say this with no child thinking of going to Walls or Francis Stevens - just dismay at the way DCPS seems to dismantle things that work.

They can have a selective admissions high school, but no selective admissions middle school that adequately educates those kids beforehand except for Deal, BASIS, and Latin.

Same is true for kids going to Banneker or McKinley Tech. What about a STEM oriented decent selective admissions middle school? A lot of people defend Banneker's poor college admissions by stating that by the time they get there, it is too late for the kids to catch up. And this another one of our flagship schools.

I agree. Pay attention to the smart, the well behaved, the kids motivated to learn, and separate out the troublemakers before they completely disrupt the ability of every other single child in the class to learn.[/b][b]

I don't know why DCPS refuses to do this. It pisses off parents, students and teachers to have so many students' educations hi-jacked all in the name of inclusion, non-discrimination, etc.

They worry too much about optics and voter base, which is a mistake, because we're no longer in the Marion Barry days and this is no longer the Marion Barry demographic that they are dealing with. DC's shifting demographic also carries clout that they are not paying enough attention to, i.e. money talks - more professionals and wealthier families can mean more tax base, and more tax base means they could be looking at better services, amenities, facilities et cetera - but that won't happen if they refuse to listen, refuse to pay attention, and keep playing games. It really is biting their nose off to spite their face.

[Anonymous]

I find the description of the stresses of teachers and the low pay somewhat lacking in perspective. Many jobs have bad managers and stresses that sound just like what you are describing. And most of us don't have unions or even close to the protections that teachers are afforded. I'm an employee at will. They can fire me tomorrow, with or without cause and I don't get to appeal. And starting DCPS teachers make more money (and work fewer months and hours) than do may other careers. Read any literature on the subject of work environments across segments and you'll see employees are being asked to work more hours and do more with less. And we're all asked to do inane paperwork and reporting in all walks of life.

Teaching is a hard job, no doubt. But some perspective here wouldn't be bad.

WTU, you may now savage me because it's against the bible and constitution to dare say these things.

[Anonymous]

Working for DCPS is no more stressful than an average urban school district of similar demographics, characteristics, etc. And that means--not particularly easy unless you've either got what it takes or are a good learner. And a lot of folks don't fit this bill. A few other soapbox opinions: TFAers are generally worthless, people's pipe-dreams for a gifted program in the same manner as they have in Fairfax or Montgomery County is not going to happen and is simply a sociology experiment to help well-to-do kids not have to be surrounded by "the masses".