Teachers in my district leaving mid year

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The most passionate teacher I know of (15 year veteran, won national awards) just left to stay at home. Her husband makes a lot of money and they just didn’t need her paltry income with all the stress that comes with it. She was an AP teacher and was routinely getting kids who couldn’t read or write in high school. And discipline problems that derailed her class constantly. She used to be able to kick kids out of her class.

Are you serious that kids in high school can’t read or write? That seems like a pretty big problem, and it also seems outrageous given how much all the teachers here are claiming to spend on testing and grading. Surely we could figure it out before high school.

You should see some of the problems that some kids come in with. They need so much support just to make a tiny bit of progress

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The most passionate teacher I know of (15 year veteran, won national awards) just left to stay at home. Her husband makes a lot of money and they just didn’t need her paltry income with all the stress that comes with it. She was an AP teacher and was routinely getting kids who couldn’t read or write in high school. And discipline problems that derailed her class constantly. She used to be able to kick kids out of her class.

80% of what bothers me with the job is behavioral issues with the kids.

+1 exhausting

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We had two teachers leave 4 weeks into the year (veterans) for other jobs. Now a third has left for remote work. We replaced one teacher, cannot find anyone qualified for other two spots. Small district. Plus there's no subs. Back in the day, teachers would at least wait til end of the year, not anymore. We have nearly 20 staff who have already turned in paperwork to retire in May. This is a big problem.

Good for them. No one deserves the heaping piles of BS they deal with on both sides, in stereo from both administrators and entitled parents. So glad the martyr mindset of “you can’t leave during the school year!!!! Think of the chiiiiilllldreeeeen!!!” is going by the wayside where it belongs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Curious if school districts can have teachers sign a contract that requires them to stay the entire school year as a way to avoid mid-year exodus?
Otherwise, the teacher will have to pay back benefits, relinquish sign-on bonuses, and other perks previously granted upon hiring.

It tends to work in other professions (at least in mine). I imagine the teachers union would have a tantrum and it would be a deterrent in recruiting, but if this was a normal standard in academics as a whole then the (even bigger ) problem of teachers leaving mid-year would be minimal.

No.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Then we started facing shortages, so one of my planning periods is now consistent sub duty.

That has been the most recent change, and the straw the broke the camel's back.

Yes. This is what I see in my school too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

What are the other jobs they are taking, do you know? Just curious.

NP but so far I've seen teachers leave for HR, an education non-profit, sales, training, aerospace, writing, and starting a business.

"starting a business" = Airbonne, Pampered Chef, baby photographer

Yeah, you wish those were the only things a former teacher could do, so they’d feel stuck in their jobs and forced to stay. Sadly, for you, that’s not even remotely the case.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We do sign a contract, and leaving mid-year essentially ensures you won't be back to education, at least in that state. That's how bad teachers want to leave the profession.

We don't have much to lose anymore. Parents and administration showed us they would rather let us die in a pandemic in many districts.

[Anonymous]

Oh lord, let’s not go there again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh lord, let’s not go there again.

It’s the truth. Sorry it makes you feel uncomfy.

Hundreds of prevaccine posts on DCUM alone with overly verbose variations, couched in purple prose, of “I *know* some teachers could get really sick or even die, but tHaT’s a rIsK i’M wIlLiNg tO TaKe,” as they sat at home “working” in their PJs on a laptop sipping hot chocolate (all while every one of them claimed to be a “frontline essential worker,” because anonymous message board).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The most passionate teacher I know of (15 year veteran, won national awards) just left to stay at home. Her husband makes a lot of money and they just didn’t need her paltry income with all the stress that comes with it. She was an AP teacher and was routinely getting kids who couldn’t read or write in high school. And discipline problems that derailed her class constantly. She used to be able to kick kids out of her class.

Are you serious that kids in high school can’t read or write? That seems like a pretty big problem, and it also seems outrageous given how much all the teachers here are claiming to spend on testing and grading. Surely we could figure it out before high school.

We do know it. I have 4 students who can barely read in 4th grade. We don’t hold kids back anymore - it hurts their feelings! So we just move them on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They are not supposed to make you go to two CLTs a week. You are supposed to have four hours a week of unencumbered planning time. That’s one hour a day for four days, and the worthless CLT meeting the other day. I know they often make people go to two per week, but it’s against the regulation. It’s in the 4000s in the school board policies on the FCPS website if you want to look it up. Search under the school board tab.

I know this. I often refer to Reg. 4422.10, but many principals don't interpret the policy the way we do or they choose to ignore it. Short of being contractual in a collective bargaining agreement, there isn't much we can do about it. When I brought it up I was told that CTs are "teacher directed".

https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/files/BR9JS84E8A87/$file/R4422.11.pdf

Elementary teachers engaged in the responsibilities associated with their position on a fulltime basis shall be allowed 300 minutes of planning time per week or 600 minutes over a
2-week period. Within that time, a minimum of 60 minutes of collaborative planning time and 240 minutes of teacher-directed planning times per week or 120 minutes of
collaborative planning time and 480 minutes of teacher-directed planning times over a 2-
week period will be provided. Classroom planning time is provided during art, physical education, music, and/or other instructional programming. Other certified personnel without direct classroom responsibilities may also be assigned in a manner that provides planning time. Such assignments may only exceed 10 hours per week per position with the approval of the region assistant superintendent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Then we started facing shortages, so one of my planning periods is now consistent sub duty.

That has been the most recent change, and the straw the broke the camel's back.

Three days a week my planning time goes to pointless team meetings. A lot of annoyed teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are not supposed to make you go to two CLTs a week. You are supposed to have four hours a week of unencumbered planning time. That’s one hour a day for four days, and the worthless CLT meeting the other day. I know they often make people go to two per week, but it’s against the regulation. It’s in the 4000s in the school board policies on the FCPS website if you want to look it up. Search under the school board tab.

I know this. I often refer to Reg. 4422.10, but many principals don't interpret the policy the way we do or they choose to ignore it. Short of being contractual in a collective bargaining agreement, there isn't much we can do about it. When I brought it up I was told that CTs are "teacher directed".

https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/files/BR9JS84E8A87/$file/R4422.11.pdf

Elementary teachers engaged in the responsibilities associated with their position on a fulltime basis shall be allowed 300 minutes of planning time per week or 600 minutes over a
2-week period. Within that time, a minimum of 60 minutes of collaborative planning time and 240 minutes of teacher-directed planning times per week or 120 minutes of
collaborative planning time and 480 minutes of teacher-directed planning times over a 2-
week period will be provided. Classroom planning time is provided during art, physical education, music, and/or other instructional programming. Other certified personnel without direct classroom responsibilities may also be assigned in a manner that provides planning time. Such assignments may only exceed 10 hours per week per position with the approval of the region assistant superintendent.

YUP these are the team meetings I was referring to.

[Anonymous]

Surely there must be people in far-flung places willing to grade essays for a pittance. I would be willing to pay someone if it gave me back my weekends!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The most passionate teacher I know of (15 year veteran, won national awards) just left to stay at home. Her husband makes a lot of money and they just didn’t need her paltry income with all the stress that comes with it. She was an AP teacher and was routinely getting kids who couldn’t read or write in high school. And discipline problems that derailed her class constantly. She used to be able to kick kids out of her class.

Are you serious that kids in high school can’t read or write? That seems like a pretty big problem, and it also seems outrageous given how much all the teachers here are claiming to spend on testing and grading. Surely we could figure it out before high school.

We do know it. I have 4 students who can barely read in 4th grade. We don’t hold kids back anymore - it hurts their feelings! So we just move them on.

So why do any teachers bother testing and grading papers then? If everyone is going to move up anyway, just do away with grades altogether (seems like college admissions are a lottery these days anyway if you don’t have “diversity” hooks) and give everyone a pass and give teachers back the time to actually teach.