Does the teacher in mcps check his or her school emails at home?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the smug private school parents out there:

I'm a private school teacher. I get why you need to justify your choice to spend 25K+/year on each child's education. I frankly think it's worth it.

But you don't need to justify your choice by putting down MCPS teachers. They are not lazy or unskilled. From what I have seen, they work a lot harder than most of us private school teachers. They have to deal with a lot more bureaucratic crap and often twice as many students.

The private school setting allows me to teach to the best of my ability because for the most part I am able to prioritize classroom instruction, individual attention to student needs, extensive feedback to students and communication with parents/counselors. That's why you spend 25K+ for your child. Not because MCPS teachers are worse than us.

Not the private school parent but having one in both, I agree. We love our private, the teachers and love that work is given. The teachers upload virtual classrooms, send you tube videos from home teaching the kids, give and grade assignments, are available anytime via email and my 9th grader has thrived in a great environment. But it is because the ratios are so much lower, their isn't common core curriculum and the teachers have so much autonomy. I could never be a teacher with 30+ kids in a class teaching a cookie cutter curriculum to all of them. I see my youngest struggling enjoy school in public with 26 kids in her 2nd grade class. I have spoken to the teacher twice all year. My daughter in private has 12-16 kids per class. It is so much easier to be a more personal level with your students in private. That all said, there is no reason a MCPS teacher can not email a parent back. The posts by teachers saying they deserve this family time after just being off for 10+ days for a winter break is disheartening. It takes 5-10 minutes to respond to a parent yet you are posting here on DCUM instead - saying you deserve time with family. I think you picked the wrong career and I hope your attitude is the minorit of MCPS teachers.

PP you're quoting. I agree about the email response. The only reason I might understand a delay is if the teacher was unsure about how to reply and was waiting for feedback from a supervisor. Still, 10 days or whatever is far too long.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the smug private school parents out there:

I'm a private school teacher. I get why you need to justify your choice to spend 25K+/year on each child's education. I frankly think it's worth it.

But you don't need to justify your choice by putting down MCPS teachers. They are not lazy or unskilled. From what I have seen, they work a lot harder than most of us private school teachers. They have to deal with a lot more bureaucratic crap and often twice as many students.

The private school setting allows me to teach to the best of my ability because for the most part I am able to prioritize classroom instruction, individual attention to student needs, extensive feedback to students and communication with parents/counselors. That's why you spend 25K+ for your child. Not because MCPS teachers are worse than us.

We pulled our child from a private b/c the teachers weren't required to earn certification. A BS in English doesn't equip you with skills to teach.

What other profession would accept such nonsense?

Her "free" education is superior to any instruction she received at her former private. I could kick myself for wasting that money. People pay for the prestige.

Yes all those stale teachers with tenure who are just riding things out are A+

[Anonymous]

Teacher here. I was up at 8am checking, sending, and responding to emails. I have no problem with parents emailing me a question, in fact I love when they do! However, I also sometimes need to wait for a response from a supervisor or feel that a phone call would be better to answer their questions, and I don't call parents from my home number. In that case I generally let them know unless I can call them within the next few hours at work.

The parents I don't respond to at night are the ones that email me 3 times a day, or even 3 times an hour. Those are the ones I work hard to set boundaries with and will respond to once a day. Otherwise their family starts to take over my life and that's not fair to anyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here. I was up at 8am checking, sending, and responding to emails. I have no problem with parents emailing me a question, in fact I love when they do! However, I also sometimes need to wait for a response from a supervisor or feel that a phone call would be better to answer their questions, and I don't call parents from my home number. In that case I generally let them know unless I can call them within the next few hours at work.

The parents I don't respond to at night are the ones that email me 3 times a day, or even 3 times an hour. Those are the ones I work hard to set boundaries with and will respond to once a day. Otherwise their family starts to take over my life and that's not fair to anyone.

I am a parent and I am appalled by other parents who harass their kids teachers with a flurry of emails. Its counter-productive. Honestly I would be happy for there to be guidelines about how often you should, or should not contact our children's teachers.

[Anonymous]

I emailed a teacher for the first time this week. No reply (about 3 days ago). I am not upset but I would be a bit more impressed if she did reply..even if it were just to say I need to get back to you when I can access my files (though I think it was a very simple question)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here. I was up at 8am checking, sending, and responding to emails. I have no problem with parents emailing me a question, in fact I love when they do! However, I also sometimes need to wait for a response from a supervisor or feel that a phone call would be better to answer their questions, and I don't call parents from my home number. In that case I generally let them know unless I can call them within the next few hours at work.

The parents I don't respond to at night are the ones that email me 3 times a day, or even 3 times an hour. Those are the ones I work hard to set boundaries with and will respond to once a day. Otherwise their family starts to take over my life and that's not fair to anyone.

I am a parent and I am appalled by other parents who harass their kids teachers with a flurry of emails. Its counter-productive. Honestly I would be happy for there to be guidelines about how often you should, or should not contact our children's teachers.

I completely agree guidelines would be a good idea, for all sides. I completely understand some parents can be horribly inconsiderate about a teacher's time, but as a parent who does not e-mail often (5-6 times max since August), it annoys me when a teacher doesn't reply within a reasonable time frame (1-2 days) when the issue is a time-sensitive one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here. I was up at 8am checking, sending, and responding to emails. I have no problem with parents emailing me a question, in fact I love when they do! However, I also sometimes need to wait for a response from a supervisor or feel that a phone call would be better to answer their questions, and I don't call parents from my home number. In that case I generally let them know unless I can call them within the next few hours at work.

The parents I don't respond to at night are the ones that email me 3 times a day, or even 3 times an hour. Those are the ones I work hard to set boundaries with and will respond to once a day. Otherwise their family starts to take over my life and that's not fair to anyone.

I am a parent and I am appalled by other parents who harass their kids teachers with a flurry of emails. Its counter-productive. Honestly I would be happy for there to be guidelines about how often you should, or should not contact our children's teachers.

I completely agree guidelines would be a good idea, for all sides. I completely understand some parents can be horribly inconsiderate about a teacher's time, but as a parent who does not e-mail often (5-6 times max since August), it annoys me when a teacher doesn't reply within a reasonable time frame (1-2 days) when the issue is a time-sensitive one.

At my school, teachers are asked to reply withing 48 hours of an email, except during holidays or special circumstances.

[Anonymous]

I emailed a teacher for the first time this week. No reply (about 3 days ago). I am not upset but I would be a bit more impressed if she did reply..even if it were just to say I need to get back to you when I can access my files (though I think it was a very simple question)

Teachers can occasionally miss emails; their email volume is pretty high and from what I hear the MCPS email system can drop messages from time to time. I don't think it's inappropriate to send a "just a ping to make sure you got my last message" after a few days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I emailed a teacher for the first time this week. No reply (about 3 days ago). I am not upset but I would be a bit more impressed if she did reply..even if it were just to say I need to get back to you when I can access my files (though I think it was a very simple question)

Teachers can occasionally miss emails; their email volume is pretty high and from what I hear the MCPS email system can drop messages from time to time. I don't think it's inappropriate to send a "just a ping to make sure you got my last message" after a few days.

Teacher here-please do this! We get so many emails and occasionally I open one, read it, but don't have time to reply at that moment and just forget it in the daily whirlwind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I emailed a teacher for the first time this week. No reply (about 3 days ago). I am not upset but I would be a bit more impressed if she did reply..even if it were just to say I need to get back to you when I can access my files (though I think it was a very simple question)

Teachers can occasionally miss emails; their email volume is pretty high and from what I hear the MCPS email system can drop messages from time to time. I don't think it's inappropriate to send a "just a ping to make sure you got my last message" after a few days.

Teacher here-please do this! We get so many emails and occasionally I open one, read it, but don't have time to reply at that moment and just forget it in the daily whirlwind.

Another teacher here, and I agree! And just a reminder: we have 150-165 students. Sometimes we don't get back to you because your question, though it may be very important, it may just get pushed down the to-do list.

[Anonymous]

PP here who suggested guidelines or limits on parents emailing teachers to the point of harassment.

I met a parent at our new school who told me she emailed the teacher several times PER DAY. She said that she believed she had to do this in order to be "involved" in her child's education. I was stunned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son's private is continuing to assign homework assignments which are being collected via online submission and graded even during the school closures. Teachers are communicating with students consistently during the school closure. I guess that's what you get when you do private vs. the union driven public schools. So glad we left MCPS for private.

Many MCPS teachers, including myself, are doing the same thing. It isn't a union issue. Stop politicizing my vocation.

My private school son has lots of friends in high school at a W school, and not one has anything to do during the snow closure. They are just sitting around playing on their x-boxes. On the other hand, DS is working on daily assignments, preparing for upcoming tests/quizzes, reading. Teachers are sending daily emails with reminders of assignments and invitations to email them with any questions or concerns. Oh, and, yes, our teachers all have internet access at home.

And your son and his friends are often the cases I deal with on my end - high anxiety, depression, simply not doing "well enough" to face school on a daily basis.

much luck with your child, PP - While you may not see the effects of your controlling parenting now, you will eventually.

Not the PP but what are you talking about? Private school kids have virtual classrooms, assignments and even tests at home on snow days. It has nothing to do with controlling parents. Someone sounds very defensive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I emailed a teacher for the first time this week. No reply (about 3 days ago). I am not upset but I would be a bit more impressed if she did reply..even if it were just to say I need to get back to you when I can access my files (though I think it was a very simple question)

Teachers can occasionally miss emails; their email volume is pretty high and from what I hear the MCPS email system can drop messages from time to time. I don't think it's inappropriate to send a "just a ping to make sure you got my last message" after a few days.

Teacher here-please do this! We get so many emails and occasionally I open one, read it, but don't have time to reply at that moment and just forget it in the daily whirlwind.

Another teacher here, and I agree! And just a reminder: we have 150-165 students. Sometimes we don't get back to you because your question, though it may be very important, it may just get pushed down the to-do list.

Sounds like some teachers need some organization and time management lessons they love to preach to their own students. Sorry, missed emails from days ago because of a whirlwind day is just as good of an excuse as the dog ate my homework.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I emailed a teacher for the first time this week. No reply (about 3 days ago). I am not upset but I would be a bit more impressed if she did reply..even if it were just to say I need to get back to you when I can access my files (though I think it was a very simple question)

Teachers can occasionally miss emails; their email volume is pretty high and from what I hear the MCPS email system can drop messages from time to time. I don't think it's inappropriate to send a "just a ping to make sure you got my last message" after a few days.

Teacher here-please do this! We get so many emails and occasionally I open one, read it, but don't have time to reply at that moment and just forget it in the daily whirlwind.

Another teacher here, and I agree! And just a reminder: we have 150-165 students. Sometimes we don't get back to you because your question, though it may be very important, it may just get pushed down the to-do list.

Sounds like some teachers need some organization and time management lessons they love to preach to their own students. Sorry, missed emails from days ago because of a whirlwind day is just as good of an excuse as the dog ate my homework.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here. I was up at 8am checking, sending, and responding to emails. I have no problem with parents emailing me a question, in fact I love when they do! However, I also sometimes need to wait for a response from a supervisor or feel that a phone call would be better to answer their questions, and I don't call parents from my home number. In that case I generally let them know unless I can call them within the next few hours at work.

The parents I don't respond to at night are the ones that email me 3 times a day, or even 3 times an hour. Those are the ones I work hard to set boundaries with and will respond to once a day. Otherwise their family starts to take over my life and that's not fair to anyone.

'

Some parents emails you 3 times an hour? They send you 20 emails a day everyday? And you don't report this to your principal to handle? Sorry not buying it.