Seeking advice on Fairfax County Public High Schools

[Anonymous]

I must say that the children are not coming home excited everyday. Ask them and they will not be able to tell you what their teachers have done to engage them. The teachers, they are so busy making noise and movement. Ah but the children, they do not teach them.

The children, they are the ones suffering from being neither inspired nor properly instructed.

The OP should be aware of these things before wasting the precious opportunities afforded a child in school. It is interestibg to me that the children are not everyday learning from school.

Now would anyone else like to share what their children have learned today from a FCPS teacher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please, within the bounds of keeping your anonymity, give us a rough idea of your background and the qualifications that lead you to your opinions about the state of teaching in FCPS. What is your degree in? Are you inside the system or an outside observer?
Just a little understanding of the context of your thoughts would be useful.

Do not give away who you are, but please let us know the rough information requested above. Thank you.

Yeah, I'd like to know as well.

Again, there is nothing to tell and I have no interest in who you maybe either. There is a systemic drone in FCPS classrooms of busy people learning something, but miraculously doing it without joy or excitement while their teachers pass by giving nods of approval.

They pass their exams at the end of the year, but seem incapable of discussing what they've learned or why it's important or to what it's all connected.

How do you come about your knowledge of what is going on in FCPS classrooms?

Wasn't sure if you might have missed this. Please let us know how you know what you know about the schools. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I must say that the children are not coming home excited everyday. Ask them and they will not be able to tell you what their teachers have done to engage them. The teachers, they are so busy making noise and movement. Ah but the children, they do not teach them.

The children, they are the ones suffering from being neither inspired nor properly instructed.

The OP should be aware of these things before wasting the precious opportunities afforded a child in school. It is interestibg to me that the children are not everyday learning from school.

Now would anyone else like to share what their children have learned today from a FCPS teacher.

People have shared what their children have learned, but it was an ES school parent, so you stated you wanted HS. Then you seemed to imply it isn't so much what they learned, but that they need to be inspired and excited.

You though have failed to site any evidence that FCPS teachers aren't teaching, or aren't at times exciting (no way someone could do that at the HS level, for numerous class periods 5 days a week...and hit all kids' areas of "excitement"

I am also wondering why you are on this website, which isn't typically frequented by teachers. If it were it would be DCUT. You are somehow thinking teachers would see your complaints and respond, but that won't happen here. And parents, who are the ones here, are pretty tired of trying to respond appropriately to you.

Have you tried fairfaxunderground? That site might be more to your liking

[Anonymous]

Nicely put, 6:38

[Anonymous]

I like the Woodson in Fairfax. My kids, of varying abilities, have thrived there. The parents are educated but down to earth. We have had very responsive teachers who care about the kids and have high expectations for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like the Woodson in Fairfax. My kids, of varying abilities, have thrived there. The parents are educated but down to earth. We have had very responsive teachers who care about the kids and have high expectations for them.

Sorry for the typos!

[Anonymous]

OP, are you sure you want to come back here? But by the internet, the best schools are: Langley, Mclean, Madison, Marshall, Oakton. Langley is awfully expensive but maybe rentals are cheaper?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, are you sure you want to come back here? But by the internet, the best schools are: Langley, Mclean, Madison, Marshall, Oakton. Langley is awfully expensive but maybe rentals are cheaper?

These are the ones that always top the lists with some shuffling of position from year to year. That's not to say your children can't have an excellent education at other schools in FCPS, Arlington or Falls Church.

If size is a concern or AP vs IB or athletics all those offerings are listed on the various school sites. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So show me I'm wrong. Tell me about the last time your child came home from school excited about something brand new and exciting they had learned. Tell me about the last time they came home with an amazed look on their faces about something so strange, interestings and funny they couldn't wait to tell you



I would say every day but don't want to exaggerate But, seriously, A LOT. We are at a big secondary school and my dc comes home excited with stories from his history teacher (last year) and this year it is a science teacher. Adores his music teacher who is so inspirational to my dc and has fostered a special interest in something because of him. An amazing math teacher who goes the extra mile for a group of kids who need it. We have had only very positive experiences.

[Anonymous]

Certainly now and then something is learned, but very little is being taught. High achieving students can be born in a log cabin, be self taught and still achieve greatness. The point remains the majority of FCPS teachers are missing valuable opportunities everyday to inspire their students.

Congratulations to the students who are attending school at advanced centers and are doing well, but my condolences remain for students attending general education schools where there is little joy and inspiration.

It's not surprising that the students don't like their schools either, inasmuch as they are spend six or seven hours each day in dull uninspired environments. If it were not for the diversion of their cell phones and extracurricular activities the students would mutiny.

If a survey were to be taken the vast majority of students would say they do not like their schools in Fairfax.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Certainly now and then something is learned, but very little is being taught. High achieving students can be born in a log cabin, be self taught and still achieve greatness. The point remains the majority of FCPS teachers are missing valuable opportunities everyday to inspire their students.

Congratulations to the students who are attending school at advanced centers and are doing well, but my condolences remain for students attending general education schools where there is little joy and inspiration.

It's not surprising that the students don't like their schools either, inasmuch as they are spend six or seven hours each day in dull uninspired environments. If it were not for the diversion of their cell phones and extracurricular activities the students would mutiny.

If a survey were to be taken the vast majority of students would say they do not like their schools in Fairfax.

Can you tell us where you are getting your information? Do you talk to teachers regularly? Are students confiding in you on a regular basis?

To be honest, if you ask students anywhere (not just Fairfax) if they like school, most will tell you, "No!" Most kids will also tell you that school is boring and dull and that they'd rather do just about anything than go to school. What kid doesn't cheer when there's a snow day? So the fact that a survey might say that kids do not like their schools would not be a big surprise to me and would not be enough to induce me to ask for huge changes in the school system. I've been a kid and I've been a teenager and I know the changes people go through to become adults: changes I would not have understood or appreciated when I was a teenager.

[Anonymous]

OK Am I the only one ready to stop humoring this person? The same thoughts are posted ad nauseum all the while sidestepping any inquiries.

This certainly isn't helping the OP and the serial FCPS dissenter is getting the benefit of an audience.

Good luck OP. If you have additional questions I'll be happy to try to help in another thread.

[Anonymous]

Surveys are written and analyzed according to mathmatical probabilities. Questions can be asked and answers quantified in such a way that they eliminate the responses like "I hate school and spinach too".

Dr. Garza is a new Superintendant and a scientific survey and analysis of student opinions of their entire experiences since Kindergarten would be very insightful. FCPS is a massive system with tons of inertia and staff covering their asses. She needs separate surveys of students and parents to mine data and to fully understand the system she has inherited.

However, back to the issue at hand which is why the OP should consider their options carefully. FCPS has state-of-the-art technology in every classroom. Every classroom has an LCD projector and with the exception of perhaps projecting the day's agenda or showing movies on thro away days they are just gathering dust. WHY!!!

There are high quality educational PowerPoint presentations available on every single lesson in every single subject imaginable and yet the LCD projectors in FCPS are nothing more than dust collectors. WHY!!!

The reason is it takes prep work to give a presentation. To give a presentation you are required to demonstrate mastery of the subject you are teaching and you may have to field some difficult questions.

For FCPS teachers it's far easier to explain an assignment and to deduct for grammatical errors than it is to stand and deliver about passages in the Merchant of Venice.

In FCPS equiptment goes unused for its intended purposes and the instruction is stuck on autopilot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Surveys are written and analyzed according to mathmatical probabilities. Questions can be asked and answers quantified in such a way that they eliminate the responses like "I hate school and spinach too".

Dr. Garza is a new Superintendant and a scientific survey and analysis of student opinions of their entire experiences since Kindergarten would be very insightful. FCPS is a massive system with tons of inertia and staff covering their asses. She needs separate surveys of students and parents to mine data and to fully understand the system she has inherited.

However, back to the issue at hand which is why the OP should consider their options carefully. FCPS has state-of-the-art technology in every classroom. Every classroom has an LCD projector and with the exception of perhaps projecting the day's agenda or showing movies on thro away days they are just gathering dust. WHY!!!

There are high quality educational PowerPoint presentations available on every single lesson in every single subject imaginable and yet the LCD projectors in FCPS are nothing more than dust collectors. WHY!!!

The reason is it takes prep work to give a presentation. To give a presentation you are required to demonstrate mastery of the subject you are teaching and you may have to field some difficult questions.

For FCPS teachers it's far easier to explain an assignment and to deduct for grammatical errors than it is to stand and deliver about passages in the Merchant of Venice.

In FCPS equiptment goes unused for its intended purposes and the instruction is stuck on autopilot.

We get it now; your child wrote a report and you felt the content was decent, but their grade was lowered for grammatical errors. You feel this is unjustified, so you have gone on numerous rants instead of talking to the teacher (or having your HS age child talk to the teacher).

Regarding the Powerpoints and other things that take time to put together, teachers don't have the time to do it because of all the standardized testing they are required to give. Practice tests, and actual tests take up instructional time..whole class periods, fairly frequently. So, they do have to do the typical lectures. If you don't find that exciting, then talk to the state legislatures that are trying to decrease the numbers of SOL tests.

That would be far more useful than what you are doing.

[Anonymous]

FCPS naysayer: What school system would you recommend that has these magical captain-my-captain teachers?