From a DCPS Teacher

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think teachers are the big issue. You need more teachers in the system with all the social distancing requirements. NYC said they had to double their teaching staff to make in person school work. Has DCPS made any effort to hire new teachers? They should have foreseen this and had a hiring blitz over the summer. Some teachers are high risk and cannot teach in person right now. DCPS now has a huge staffing crisis that was mostly preventable

doubled teaching staff? No. NYC has 200k teachers. You think they doubled that? stop exaggerating.

Actually, they have about 75k teachers as of 2018. And they have pulled it together and re-opened. DCPS is nowhere near that size - a little over 4k teachers + 3500 support staff - and here we sit. Why are the mayor, chancellor and WTU all so bad at this?

It's actually hard to get teachers to DC, NYC is a sought after city to live despite the expense.

DC has the expense but not the city life.

Teachers also spend less out of pocket in NYC and have a more trust and since it's not the mayor who knows nothing about day to day public schools calling all the shots.

It's funny because we pay teachers more here but some really don't know anything about what it's actually like to work for DCPS. Seriously only children and some parents make it worth it.

And now those children and parents are disappointed. We need to come together and tell them we need a comprehensive hybrid plan. We need more staff, some teachers truly can only do DL, those who truly have a condition should be matched to DL only families.

I sincerely hope the union, chancellor, and mayor can stop butting heads and do what's best, do what's RIGHT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP,

From another DCPS teacher.

Don't speak for me; what the union has done is a travesty.

Every time I leave my house I am taking a risk and until there is a vaccine it will never be safe.

The union's kool-aid is poisonous.

Then leave, oh wait you stay for the bonus don't you?

F*ckin hypocrite. Work at a charter school.

I am a different DCPS teacher and agree with PP. the vitriol is unnecessary and doesn’t help people support the union. I can be a union member without blindly agreeing with everything the union does. And I didn’t join DCPS for the union, I joined because I wanted to work in an urban public school system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP,

From another DCPS teacher.

Don't speak for me; what the union has done is a travesty.

Every time I leave my house I am taking a risk and until there is a vaccine it will never be safe.

The union's kool-aid is poisonous.

Then leave, oh wait you stay for the bonus don't you?

F*ckin hypocrite. Work at a charter school.

I am a different DCPS teacher and agree with PP. the vitriol is unnecessary and doesn’t help people support the union. I can be a union member without blindly agreeing with everything the union does. And I didn’t join DCPS for the union, I joined because I wanted to work in an urban public school system.

Be transparent, you joined for the bonus. You can't get it without being a member.

I also don't fully agree with the union but I'll stand by for a safe reopening, as long as we actually REOPEN.

[Anonymous]

Everything listed above is happening in our private which opened 8 weeks ago with no cases. So grateful for our teachers for being willing to adapt, just as we have. So sorry for parents stuck with teachers complaining about things like, god forbid, teaching a different grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP,

From another DCPS teacher.

Don't speak for me; what the union has done is a travesty.

Every time I leave my house I am taking a risk and until there is a vaccine it will never be safe.

The union's kool-aid is poisonous.

Then leave, oh wait you stay for the bonus don't you?

F*ckin hypocrite. Work at a charter school.

I am a different DCPS teacher and agree with PP. the vitriol is unnecessary and doesn’t help people support the union. I can be a union member without blindly agreeing with everything the union does. And I didn’t join DCPS for the union, I joined because I wanted to work in an urban public school system.

Charters are also urban and public. But less $$$

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everything listed above is happening in our private which opened 8 weeks ago with no cases. So grateful for our teachers for being willing to adapt, just as we have. So sorry for parents stuck with teachers complaining about things like, god forbid, teaching a different grade.

GTFO. Your little teachers, teaching at a school with no gas leaks, shootings, brawls, students dealing with homelessness, ELL students, special needs students, etc. etc. etc.

Your privilege stinks up the room.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everything listed above is happening in our private which opened 8 weeks ago with no cases. So grateful for our teachers for being willing to adapt, just as we have. So sorry for parents stuck with teachers complaining about things like, god forbid, teaching a different grade.

GTFO. Your little teachers, teaching at a school with no gas leaks, shootings, brawls, students dealing with homelessness, ELL students, special needs students, etc. etc. etc.

Your privilege stinks up the room.

you know whose privilege stinks up the room? hobbyist moms and middle class teachers b*tching nonstop about opening schools for the kids who need it most, and spreading unwarranted hysteria.

anyone who can tolerate private and catholic schools opening while DCPS remains shut doesn’t really have the privilege question locked down conceptually.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everything listed above is happening in our private which opened 8 weeks ago with no cases. So grateful for our teachers for being willing to adapt, just as we have. So sorry for parents stuck with teachers complaining about things like, god forbid, teaching a different grade.

Many private schools had to lay off staff and the teachers know it. You can pretend that your teachers are somehow better because they are choosing to come in when others aren't. The reality is your private school teachers are accepting risk in order to keep their paycheck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everything listed above is happening in our private which opened 8 weeks ago with no cases. So grateful for our teachers for being willing to adapt, just as we have. So sorry for parents stuck with teachers complaining about things like, god forbid, teaching a different grade.

GTFO. Your little teachers, teaching at a school with no gas leaks, shootings, brawls, students dealing with homelessness, ELL students, special needs students, etc. etc. etc.

Your privilege stinks up the room.

you know whose privilege stinks up the room? hobbyist moms and middle class teachers b*tching nonstop about opening schools for the kids who need it most, and spreading unwarranted hysteria.

anyone who can tolerate private and catholic schools opening while DCPS remains shut doesn’t really have the privilege question locked down conceptually.

K, Karen. That's what you are since you don't seem to grasp the idea of privilege very well. Sad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sample letter for your listserve or parent email with a summary of DCPS plan to reopen. Feel free to use:

Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I’m sharing this info because you may have a child at a DCPS school or know someone who does. This information is public, but has not been shared widely. I am sharing it because I think the district has not been transparent with teachers, parents and the community at large.
This week, more details about DCPS' plan to reopen were released, and to say that teachers were shocked at what they heard was an understatement. Despite DCPS' claims that teachers should "trust the process" for reopening, the plan is detrimental to students-- both those who will continue virtual learning and those who will return to school. We learned:
1. Teachers, staff and students who are to return to school in-person are not required to take a Covid test prior to entering the building.
2. DCPS is making staffing decisions that go against my school’s dual language program. The decisions also go against the programs of other schools that have bilingual programs.
3. DCPS could require teachers to teach grades and subjects they have never taught before. In addition, those teachers will not get additional planning time to teach those subjects or grades.
3. DCPS' plan to return would require that many students will have to switch cohorts. They might be in 2B or 4A now, but might have to moved to 2A or 4C if their teacher gets pulled into in-person classes.
This means that the teachers and classmates your student has been developing relationships with could be affected.
4. Students will likely lose one of their teachers if that person is pulled to cover another grade where fewer teachers are coming in due to having health restrictions or other justifications for not coming in-person (and we have been told this is a distinct possibility).
5. DCPS will also be pulling some high school and middle school teachers to cover elementary classes in some cases.
6. Beyond that, these staffing decisions are out of the hands of our Principals and the admin teams meaning someone who does not know your child’s school and students might be in charge of assigning who goes where when the shift happens.
The Washington Teacher's Union has been working tirelessly for months to negotiate a new contract for teachers for virtual learning, and DCPS has refused to negotiate.

Teachers want to go back, but only when it is safe and when we have a plan that won't disrupt student learning on such a massive scale. The current “plan” neither respects best practices in education nor the health and welfare of students and teachers.
If you are interested in supporting students and teachers, there is a rally this Friday October 23rd at 3 pm at the Wilson Building (1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW). If you're unable to attend please share the invitation information with other parents, community members, teachers and students. There will be a live stream and social media storm happening as well.

Please consider contacting our Ward 4 council rep Brandon Todd or At-large rep Phil Mendelson (Twitter handles @chmnmendelson and @CMBrandonTodd). The DCPS chancellor’s Twitter handle is @LewisDFerebee and the DCPS handle is @dcpublicschools.

My kid’s teacher better still be teaching him Friday at 3pm ...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP,

From another DCPS teacher.

Don't speak for me; what the union has done is a travesty.

Every time I leave my house I am taking a risk and until there is a vaccine it will never be safe.

The union's kool-aid is poisonous.

Then leave, oh wait you stay for the bonus don't you?

F*ckin hypocrite. Work at a charter school.

I am a different DCPS teacher and agree with PP. the vitriol is unnecessary and doesn’t help people support the union. I can be a union member without blindly agreeing with everything the union does. And I didn’t join DCPS for the union, I joined because I wanted to work in an urban public school system.

Charters are also urban and public. But less $$$

I’ve worked in charters in another city before. And I wanted to try working for a big urban public school district. Not an independent LEA. I didn’t even look at the salary difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Once the vaccine is out, are teachers going to refuse to take the vaccine too?? "The vaccine isn't safe enough", they'll say. "You can't force us to get the vaccine", they'll say. When will our kids go back to school? When is it going to be "safe" enough for our teachers?

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

GET ME OFF THIS RIDE

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP,

From another DCPS teacher.

Don't speak for me; what the union has done is a travesty.

Every time I leave my house I am taking a risk and until there is a vaccine it will never be safe.

The union's kool-aid is poisonous.

Then leave, oh wait you stay for the bonus don't you?

F*ckin hypocrite. Work at a charter school.

I am a different DCPS teacher and agree with PP. the vitriol is unnecessary and doesn’t help people support the union. I can be a union member without blindly agreeing with everything the union does. And I didn’t join DCPS for the union, I joined because I wanted to work in an urban public school system.

Be transparent, you joined for the bonus. You can't get it without being a member.

I also don't fully agree with the union but I'll stand by for a safe reopening, as long as we actually REOPEN.

Ha sure I joined the union for the $800 bonus I get after taxes. It’s probably a wash after you factor in union dues. I joined years ago when I was persuaded by the union rep at my school. But please keep making unfounded assumptions that every teacher who doesn’t agree with the union on this is money grubbing and a hypocrite or whatever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP,

From another DCPS teacher.

Don't speak for me; what the union has done is a travesty.

Every time I leave my house I am taking a risk and until there is a vaccine it will never be safe.

The union's kool-aid is poisonous.

Then leave, oh wait you stay for the bonus don't you?

F*ckin hypocrite. Work at a charter school.

I am a different DCPS teacher and agree with PP. the vitriol is unnecessary and doesn’t help people support the union. I can be a union member without blindly agreeing with everything the union does. And I didn’t join DCPS for the union, I joined because I wanted to work in an urban public school system.

Be transparent, you joined for the bonus. You can't get it without being a member.

I also don't fully agree with the union but I'll stand by for a safe reopening, as long as we actually REOPEN.

Ha sure I joined the union for the $800 bonus I get after taxes. It’s probably a wash after you factor in union dues. I joined years ago when I was persuaded by the union rep at my school. But please keep making unfounded assumptions that every teacher who doesn’t agree with the union on this is money grubbing and a hypocrite or whatever.

It's about 7,500 after tax (DC tax). Guess you've never been highly effective before, figures. But to get that you have to be a part of the union.
I also just said I don't agree with everything but I'm also not kissing strangers bums on a forum, just so I can seem like a 'different' teacher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everything listed above is happening in our private which opened 8 weeks ago with no cases. So grateful for our teachers for being willing to adapt, just as we have. So sorry for parents stuck with teachers complaining about things like, god forbid, teaching a different grade.

GTFO. Your little teachers, teaching at a school with no gas leaks, shootings, brawls, students dealing with homelessness, ELL students, special needs students, etc. etc. etc.

Your privilege stinks up the room.

you know whose privilege stinks up the room? hobbyist moms and middle class teachers b*tching nonstop about opening schools for the kids who need it most, and spreading unwarranted hysteria.

anyone who can tolerate private and catholic schools opening while DCPS remains shut doesn’t really have the privilege question locked down conceptually.

K, Karen. That's what you are since you don't seem to grasp the idea of privilege very well. Sad.

I want you to come back here and explain why it’s ok for rich kids to go to school, but not public school kids. Are you even listening to yourself?