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Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS)
demoralized in MCPS
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Anonymous
| I just don't understand that when in college and accumulating a lifetime worth of debt and they say you're great, they need teachers, you're a rock star etc. When you are hired at MCPS and you try to find solutions to kids outbursts, fighting, violence, and disrespect; you are targeted for admitting there are issues. When you try to do your job and calculate grades that are purely based on data and standards you are targeted as some kind of do gooder. Then you are fired with no protection when teachers need to be protected for the integrity of the system. I had a principal who tried to get me with a trick question. He brought me into his office and started to ask me if I felt "entitled". I said I felt entitled to respect, entitled to support, entitled to not be intimidated by students etc. I think it was another racially gotcha question where they wanted me to I think theressay something stupid so they could say you bad bad racist whitey. It's really tough if you don't get support on common goals and many people are playing their own agenda game. It's also tough when you see so many people busted for illegal stuff and good people working hard are fired without a chance like, "you're college must of made a mistake graduating you with a 4.0 in education we'll make sure you never teach again, good luck with your debt". Uh, think there's a disconnect somewhere. When the union supports this whistleblower witch-hunt it creates hostility and constant fear. Then on a regular basis you see straight up illegal things happening all around and alcoholics and abusers thriving in MCPS like that is what is valued and striving for ideals in education is being smug and entitled. It truly is the twilight zone and I hope this corruption does not radiate through our nation's education system. |
Anonymous
| I read posts like PPs and it makes me sad because she's right. Principals are scared that they will get penalized for not having the "right," results, so they come down hard on teachers who want to play it straight. |
Anonymous
Some people are psychologically unfit to be teachers. The same way there are personalities that should not be cops, nurses, pilots, etc. There needs to be a component of the certification and hiring process which includes a psychological screening that looks at who is likely to have conflict with coworkers, burn out fast, feel martyred, etc. I’ve been a cooperating teacher for student teachers and a mentor to new teachers. I am not and have never been admin, Central office, or a MCEA officer. Rarely am I surprised when someone I work with that closely fizzles out before tenure. You can see it in the first weeks. Inability to see anything hopeful or positive around them (except their own efforts). Rigidity/unwillingness to try a different approach. Refusal to accept responsibility for things that don’t go well. Derision of students and/or coworkers because they think they are smarter. Inability to accept help with revising lesson plans, seating charts, or classroom policies in order to avoid foreseeable problems. Constantly caught unawares vis-a-vis important dates and policies. Lots of leaving early sick or taking Fridays and Mondays off. It would really help if we screened Education majors at least twice. There would be fewer people taking on lifelong debt only to find themselves unsuited for the profession. |
Anonymous
Returning to add that it would be a good idea to do this every certification year to recheck fitness for duty so to speak. |
Anonymous
lol! Of course there are folks who won't make it past tenure. But those who do - those who are honest, ethical and hard-working - often don't last for the RIGHT reasons. So you can screen all you want, but recognize that if you hire 10 instead of 20, most of those 10 won't stay. So you'll be looking again at the 10 who didn't make the cut. I am past 20 years in this field. (career changer) I will not make it to retirement b/c of people like you who think that it's all on the teacher. Teachers take sick leave b/c the system is MAKING THEM SICK. I've seen too many good teachers leave b/c of the stress, and I've coached out my fair share of newbies who can find a better profession before the system sucks them in. unbelievable . . . |
Anonymous
If your profession is making you mentally ill, you need a new profession. I’m also a career changer so I’ve seen people leave that field (public health) because they were too stressed. I know people exit business, medicine, and law despite huge debts. Why are teachers hanging on if the work is destroying them psychologically? We both know it’s not from the possibility of a few $10 Starbucks gift cards twice a year. I’d gladly meet with a psychologist every five years as part of my recertification. If I have to document that I continue my learning, why shouldn’t the state care if I am emotionally healthy enough to work with children all day 180 days a year. You’re worried about alcoholic teachers? Let’s help redirect people to a healthier work/life balance before they develop problem drinking. |
Anonymous
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A psychological component to those prone to conflict with coworkers, feel like a martyr, burn out fast??? Really???
How about coming up with a psychological test to weed out those who derive pleasure from making life miserable for coworkers hoping to score points with admin?? Do you know there are teachers who are being scolded for having control inside their classroom— because if a rowdy student behaves in a certain class, it must be because the particular teacher is not following the school’s protocols for managing behavior problems? |
Anonymous
What do you mean? A teacher who has control is being punished? I came from downcounty schools. The school in which I currently work has very well=behaved kids. The few who cause problems are nothing compared to what I've seen in the past. I'd say my on-the-job training has worked well here b/c I don't take the BS others would. Unfortunately, people are afraid to discipline kids, and I totally get that during this age of restorative practices and safe spaces. But until teachers start fighting back, admin will continue to push us around, placing blame on us for not "producing." |
Anonymous
Well, clearly there’s more to the story if a “rowdy student” is not having these issues in every class. Might be lack of structure or too much structure. I’ve taught kids with behavior issues in a range of MCPS settings including W schools and high FARMS DCC. When I bring up a student’s behavior, everyone is seeing the same things. If the student is a behavior problem only in my class, I am part of the problem and need to examine what is going on with my own classroom management practices. |
Anonymous
| Another important lesson for students is that they are going to have to work hard to adapt to different teachers styles and there is not one "mother goose" personality that is one size fits all in teaching. Just like teachers have to differentiate and try to have diverse students succeed, kids need to learn that life and teaching for that matter is diverse. Just like a school can't kick out kids for being diverse, they shouldn't be able to fire teachers just because they are diverse. Saying" we love diversity only if it's race oriented" isn't only hypocritical its down right ignorant. |
Anonymous
| If a kid is having behavior problems in math class and not gym class maybe it's because he likes to play basketball and not long division. You don't go firing the math teacher. Or do you. Some might say so, or that that math teacher must be psychologically unfit because he can't seem to make math as fun as basketball. |
Anonymous
And somehow this basketball loving kid (hello, dog whistle!) only dislikes math and not English, Science, Social Studies, Health, and his elective. Only Math. And he hates math so much that he’s actively disrupting the class and not just quietly disengaged. Sure. |
Anonymous
And if the disruptive student in most classes is behaving in a discipline, it means he’s either afraid, or the teacher in charge is not complying with school wide policies. For example, in schools where PBIS is implemented, the exact wording is “can you please make a better choice” regardless of the level of disturbance. So if an adult in charge tells the disruptive student to stop (non PBIS lingo), the teacher might get in trouble. This usually happens when they get “caught” by admin’s informants— aka the teachers with very flexible schedules. Obviously it does not happen everywhere and might change in the very same school with different principals. There are teachers who feel totally disarmed in these type of conditions while others thrive in this supposed “survival of the fittest” environment. |
Anonymous
In other words, in this scenario, every other teacher figured out how to get the disruptive kid to function and one teacher lacks the skills or desire to do so. But it is bullying to offer that teacher additional support. |
Anonymous
| PP your comment does not make sense. |