When a large number of teachers leave a school in one year

[Anonymous]

Central MCPS should sit up and pay attention. Especially if the school usually doesn't have much attrition.

[Anonymous]

But they don't...

[Anonymous]

MCPS is a lumbering giant of a system, rather poorly managed. If your children's education is on the line, you might want to help out by communicating directly with the central hierarchy above that school's principal and talking to them about your concerns.

[Anonymous]

As a teacher, I saw this happen twice, and each time was a situation in which a newly appointed head/principal was inept. In one case, a newly appointed head bullied teachers and seemed genuinely mentally ill, and in the other case, the head was nice enough, just really incapable of asserting herself or making/sticking to any kind of decision or disciplinary support.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a teacher, I saw this happen twice, and each time was a situation in which a newly appointed head/principal was inept. In one case, a newly appointed head bullied teachers and seemed genuinely mentally ill, and in the other case, the head was nice enough, just really incapable of asserting herself or making/sticking to any kind of decision or disciplinary support.

I'm pretty sure at least two full grades of teachers are leaving Jackson Road ES, in Silver Spring. Will MCPS notice/care? No idea.

[Anonymous]

When the new principal at ritchie park came there was a mass exodus. No one at MCPS noticed or cares. Principal is still there, and still awful. Problem is now she got to hire some of her own awful teachers.

[Anonymous]

I've been at the same school for 15 years (hey, it's super convenient to my house), and this happens. A lot of times it goes with new leadership, but it's not always a sign of something bad. Many people stay in places and think about moving schools, grades, specialties, whatever, but stay because they know the culture of the school and it's comfortable (and they like it). When a principal moves on, that's an opportunity for others to move on as well, if they've been thinking about it. I wanted to switch from being a classroom teacher to a reading specialist. I thought about leaving when we got a new AP, but then a RS position opened up in our school, and I didn't have to. But if had moved, it wasn't a commentary on school leadership.

Of course, there are times when a new principal rolls in and that person is difficult to work with, you will see turnover at the end of the year. But you may also see that turnover if the principal is good and trying to start initiatives that staff don't want to bother with. We got a new principal after I had been at my school for about 5-6 years. The former principal was really lax about things like time sheets and leave slips. Teachers could skip out after dismissal for doctor appointments without taking leave. This way before telework days, but he never made people come in on professional days if they didn't need to. But he had built a relationship of trust with staff, and very few people took advantage. He moved up, and a new principal came in, who required staff to follow the rules. A lot of staff felt that was intrusive, because they were so used to the old way. So they left at the end of the new guy's first year. Does that mean that the new guy was inept?

I guess my point is that yes, an exodus could mean there's something wrong. But it could mean several others things as well, and there's no real way to know without interviewing staff, and who has that kind of time?

[Anonymous]

Yet another false statement about Ritchie Park. There was no mass exodus. What's the matter with you??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yet another false statement about Ritchie Park. There was no mass exodus. What's the matter with you??

Yes, there was. Her first and second year there. Just because you don't remember doesn't mean it didn't happen. Look at the teachers in the lower grades, very few of them are the same.

How many recourse teachers have they gone through?

[Anonymous]

It didn't happen, so quit making up tall tales. 1 or 2 teachers leaving is not a mass exodus. You're implying that 40 teachers quit. Shame!

[Anonymous]

This is happening at my DD's Whitman feeder MS. Lots of good, young teachers are leaving and I don't understand why.

[Anonymous]

Central office doesn't care, but principals at other schools do. I've taught at one Rockville and two Silver Spring schools that had a mass exodus. I was part of a mass exodus at one that only a few years earlier I'd deemed my dream job. When I entered the voluntary transfer pool, the interview panels asked me why there were so many teachers leaving. I lied and pretended I didn't know because I didn't want to burn bridges and I suspected principals wouldn't want to hire someone who bad mouthed their former administrators. Now the school is having yet another mass exodus and my current principal asked me about one of the APs. Turns out, he interviewed for the AP slot at our school. I was honest. They aren't hiring him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It didn't happen, so quit making up tall tales. 1 or 2 teachers leaving is not a mass exodus. You're implying that 40 teachers quit. Shame!

Most of the 1st, kindergarten, and 2nd grade team turned over, as well as some special teachers like resource, esol, and others. I have no idea who you are, but you seem to be unwilling to admit the rp has some problems. Also, this was 5 years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is happening at my DD's Whitman feeder MS. Lots of good, young teachers are leaving and I don't understand why.

Probably because they don't want to deal with the delusional and demanding parents at a W feeder school.

Plus, lots of young teachers quickly discover that teaching isn't for them and move on to other jobs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a teacher, I saw this happen twice, and each time was a situation in which a newly appointed head/principal was inept. In one case, a newly appointed head bullied teachers and seemed genuinely mentally ill, and in the other case, the head was nice enough, just really incapable of asserting herself or making/sticking to any kind of decision or disciplinary support.

I'm pretty sure at least two full grades of teachers are leaving Jackson Road ES, in Silver Spring. Will MCPS notice/care? No idea.

This worries me, my child is starting kindergarten at Jackson Road this fall.