Please SOUND OFF if you think FCPS is in decline!

[Anonymous]

I've taught in a Title One school and a school in a very wealthy area. The wealthy kids had worse behavior, hands down. They were sassy, rude and ignored many staff members. Many of them flat out refused to clean up messes they made. Some of them were very entitled and once you met their parents, it all made sense. My "poor" kids have much better behavior. They enter school much further behind but they know how to behave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to FCPS as a kid and got a solid education, back in the late 70s and 80s. Then I have taught here for 30 years. Here is what has changed in elementary schools.

No textbooks or workbooks. Well, one for social studies that was riddled with errors and corrected. Every lesson has to be downloaded off the computer by a teacher. Every lesson has to show differentiation if a principal walks in. Did you notice the part about no books? I have to group the kids into reading groups and then go find multiple copies of a book to read with them while the rest of them work on something independently and then we switch. I have to keep anecdotal records on every kid in the reading groups, and I can’t help the kids who are working at their seats because I am in a reading group.

I’m supposed to do project based learning along with drilling for Ecart and SOLs. I have to think up projects and find supplies and manage all that while I am keeping data on how many times the three special ed kids get out of their seats and I am checking the kid with autism every ten minutes to give him a token if he has not hit anyone. I have no spelling or grammar books. I’m supposed to teach that as embedded in my writing lessons, as kids are ready. The ESL kid is writing a complete sentence. The AAP kid is writing a book.

For math we are drawing pictures of times tables instead of memorizing them, and I want the kids to do actual problems on paper I must download a worksheet and go copy it.
The behavior is out of control but the principal wants to show reduced statistics so there are no consequences and we are told to not send kids to the office. Kids punch a teacher and arexdight back in class after taking a calming walk with an adult, which is reinforcing to them.
Now we’re going to give every kid a computer so they can increase their screen time?

It breaks my heart, and I’m a teacher who has won teaching awards and honors. I’m sick about it.

I am just short of your 30 years with FCPS and I agree with and can relate to all that is in bold. In all my years of teaching grades 2, 3. or 4 I have never had a grammar or spelling textbook, so that hasn't changed. I never have been one to expect the students to just memorize multiplication tables and I do like the math workshop model, but we are just spread too thin when also planning and implementing reading groups, book clubs, reading workshop, and writing workshop. Add in morning meeting, Positivity Project and PBLs it's tough, if not impossible to do everything well.

Behaviors have become my biggest obstacles. I can't even begin to fathom how much instructional time has been lost this year due to disruptive behaviors. The SR&Rs basically states that protected is a student’s right to learn in an environment that allows them to acquire the best education available and that students have a responsibility to behave in such a manner that does not interfere with the safety and learning of others, but interference is almost constant. Sending students to the office used to be a last resort, it was seldom needed and it had to be a fairly major offense. Now after being told to not send students to the office for what I deemed pretty important issues or that it needed to be handled at the classroom level, I just don't send them. The behaviors have worsened, I continue to try every trick in the book within the range of what is allowed by administration, but I can't make them want to behave and not be disruptive. They should want to follow procedures and expectations for the good of the group. They should be willing to meet expectations after having basic procedures modeled for them over and over and over, but they don't I'm wearing down. I'm only one person and I'm outnumbered. Yes there is a 40 year age difference, but I'm outnumbered and overrun by elementary students.

Wow. This is eye-opening. I have always felt for the teachers in this regard. There is only so much they can do.

Yup, these are the pathologies of high poverty schools. It's absolutely the result of the fact that the school system's poverty has increased.

22:05 here (the second part of what you quoted above). The school is under 10% free/reduced lunch. I'm curious to know what the % is at the PP's school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've taught in a Title One school and a school in a very wealthy area. The wealthy kids had worse behavior, hands down. They were sassy, rude and ignored many staff members. Many of them flat out refused to clean up messes they made. Some of them were very entitled and once you met their parents, it all made sense. My "poor" kids have much better behavior. They enter school much further behind but they know how to behave.

I wish I could speak with you more in depth. I've heard the same that you say and I've thought about making a switch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I spend a lot of time in different classrooms in different schools watching the system in action.

It's not that FCPS is in decline. It's that your kid has a cell phone, and you just cannot imagine how much that time and attention sink is hurting his/her education.

does

So why not have a no phone in classroom policy? If it is out, goes on teachers desk or sent to office. I never understood why it wasn’t a rule? We enforced from home by restricting as much as we could but as they got older we were told they also used in class. But once assignments over, rule should activate.

Because mommy needs 24/7 access to her kid {you can't believe how many parents text their kid during the school day} and schools don't want to be responsible if something happens to Larlo's new iPhoneX.

[Anonymous]

Public schools have always been a microcosm of American society.....which, IMHO, is in decline. Don't blame the schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our School Board is a great example of the problem. Look where their focus is. It's not on education.

+1,000

How do we fix this??

All of the SB positions are up for vote this November. Please consider running. Could someone without a specific agenda item or fringe beliefs that have nothing to do with educating our children please step up?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our School Board is a great example of the problem. Look where their focus is. It's not on education.

+1,000

How do we fix this??

All of the SB positions are up for vote this November. Please consider running. Could someone without a specific agenda item or fringe beliefs that have nothing to do with educating our children please step up?

I would seriously consider it, but I’m a teacher.

[Anonymous]

Most if not all of the problems cited on this thread (by educators) apply to most public school systems. To imply its only a problem in FCPS is foolish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it just me or does it seem like the education from FCPS is nowhere near as good as it was 20 years ago? Misused funds, children swept under the rug, principals who lie...

Sound off!

I kind of agree.

To much focus on worksheets and test scores. Not enough creative thinking and teaching. I don't necessarily fault the teachers as the classes are big and they don't have a lot of time int he day. Although, there are some teachers at my FCPS ES who are super creative and def put in the time to make lessons fun and memorable. So at the same time, I think if they can do it, why can't they all? Unfortunately, save one rockstar teacher my DC had, they all used worksheets. Worksheets. More worksheets.

I also really fault the school for not teaching things like computer programs (Word, etc.) as a basic requirement, for not teaching keyboarding at all, not teaching note-taking and outlining, etc. Skills needed for higher grades and college. I think this is a serious disservice to the kids. I'm trying to fill that gap, for sure. But, when they already have HW and other activities, they also need some down time.

Finally, the lack of properly allocating funds so that kids don't have to go to school at 7 a.m. really pisses me off. These kids-esp. tweens and teens- should not be at school that early. No one will convince me otherwise on this.

This is all my experience at our schools. Others may be different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most if not all of the problems cited on this thread (by educators) apply to most public school systems. To imply its only a problem in FCPS is foolish.

Therefore nothing should change in FCPS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most if not all of the problems cited on this thread (by educators) apply to most public school systems. To imply its only a problem in FCPS is foolish.

Therefore nothing should change in FCPS?

DP, no, but to say it's a problem *with FCPS* is not understanding the issue.

Education has changed (in some ways for the better, in other ways not) and demographics have changed. And somehow, behavior has changed as well. As an UMC parent, I see it but don't understand it. There's that one infamous pschologist who thinks it's caused by the lack of spanking. I don't agree with that, but there's definitely something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most if not all of the problems cited on this thread (by educators) apply to most public school systems. To imply its only a problem in FCPS is foolish.

Therefore nothing should change in FCPS?

DP, no, but to say it's a problem *with FCPS* is not understanding the issue.

Education has changed (in some ways for the better, in other ways not) and demographics have changed. And somehow, behavior has changed as well. As an UMC parent, I see it but don't understand it. There's that one infamous pschologist who thinks it's caused by the lack of spanking. I don't agree with that, but there's definitely something.

It's in the same vein... lack of discipline. It's all the "everyone gets a trophy for trying" mentality, too. Too many parents trying to be friends with their kids, or too tired to really discipline. I get it.. it's a lot of work and requires tons of patience, which I don't have much of, either.

When you see teens talking back to their parents or other adults, some parents see it as "oh, they are just expressing themselves" rather than disciplining their kids. There's a difference between rudely talking back and expressing your views.

Then there are those parents who use their kids' "SN" as an excuse for poor behavior.

[Anonymous]

It's a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation.

Example: the little girl who died as a result of a fight with another schoolgirl in SC. The teachers had been told not to physically break up fights, because they might hurt a child.
All the videos of teachers trying to restrain children condemn the teacher. We never get the backstory. Example: the teacher dragging a kid down a hall--we are never told why. We just condemn the teacher--which may be justified, or there may be another reason. Having been there, a kid might be flailing around and kicking other kids--but, on the news, it is always the teachers' fault.

I'm not saying there are not egregious situations, but some of the stories I am hearing from a friend who teaches are pretty bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our School Board is a great example of the problem. Look where their focus is. It's not on education.

This is it. The school board puts education well down on the priority list behind the social cause celeb of the day. Just go to a school board meeting and see what they talk about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our School Board is a great example of the problem. Look where their focus is. It's not on education.

This is it. The school board puts education well down on the priority list behind the social cause celeb of the day. Just go to a school board meeting and see what they talk about.

Exactly. This IS a problem with FCPS.