MCPS teachers, do you ever

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One of the fundamental differences between private schools and public schools is the expectation of what the teacher should be doing.

In private the teacher is expected to move the student forward and provide instruction that empowers the student to reach their potential. The teacher starts with a more capable set of students but can't rely on outside enrichment or tutoring to achieve results. This means providing more feedback to students. There are many practices in MCPS such as not grading homework, not providing any feedback on written assignments, not sending home quizzes and tests and in elementary school not giving any meaningful assessments to students that would never fly in private. In this sense private is more work but its directly aligned to activities in the classroom and more meaningful for the teachers.

Private school teachers do not have to deal with the constant data collection for the county, state, and central office. Parents in public school have no idea how much more time is spent collecting data points prop up a position that everyone has reached mediocrity. Private school teachers do not have dumb down the entire class to create the illusion that a failing students isn't failing. A failing student in private is counseled out. Private school teachers do not have to deal with constant trend of the moment nonsense for curriculum changes that impede learning. This is especially bad in MCPS.

Are you listing this as one of the advantages of private schools? "If a student isn't learning, the school can just kick out the student, yay private schools!"?

Yes, "Yay!!" because that particular student is not in the right environment. Many private schools are reserved for the most accomplished learners. If a student can't keep out, he or she should find another place. That is where public schools work. They do provide services for learning challenges. But that doesn't make the public school the best place for those who are great learners.

You are deluded. I'm sorry, but I've taught in several private schools, and each one of them harbored a small assortment of special needs students whose wealthy parents didn't want to acknowledge special needs; the schools happy comply with the parents' wishes. Each school also has a larger assortment of very average students whose wealthy parents believe their children to be gifted; the schools readily support this delusion. These are great schools, but the notion that top privates don't admit/keep special needs students or average/struggling students is just not true. If parents can pay, and if the parents are "important parents" who donate (direct quote of TWO heads), their child can attend and the parents' desire to believe that their child is gifted, or that the child does NOT have profound special needs/undiagnosed disability, will be accommodated. Private schools are BUSINESSES, and they do need to please paying customers. Administration is keenly aware of customer opinion, and they want to keep those customers happy.

I do love teaching in the independent sector, but I'm a realist.

[Anonymous]

There are super teachers in public schools and super ones in private. Private schools have a much easier ability to drop teachers who aren't that good. Our private divested itself of a teacher who wasn't working out pretty quickly. A known incompetent teacher in the public school I attended is still teaching there. Also, our private considers part time positions for the right candidates. So we have people with amazing credentials teaching HS and loving every moment because their job gives them the right amount of balance and flexibility.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, "Yay!!" because that particular student is not in the right environment. Many private schools are reserved for the most accomplished learners. If a student can't keep out, he or she should find another place. That is where public schools work. They do provide services for learning challenges. But that doesn't make the public school the best place for those who are great learners.

Ah. Private schools are for "the most accomplished learners". Public schools are for the hoi polloi. Got it.

Private schools are largely for people with money... that's about it. Yes, they have great test scores, etc.. because that is largely a reflection of the parents' SES. Public magnet schools are for "the most accomplished learners".

Yes because all the kids on welfare are making it to magnent schools. It is no different in public. The kids that have coddling parents and tutors are the ones that get into magnets.

And our private gives out financial aid to 30% of the students. It isn't all rich. Many people, including myself, make huge sacrifices for private school. Smaller home, used cars, a little more frugal. I see plenty of moms with their jewelry, LV bag and huge Mercedes SUV dropping their kids off at public before going off to yoga, lunch and a shopping spree. Not everyone has the same priorities but it doesn't mean only the rich send their kids to private.

[Anonymous]

Yes, I think about going to private all the time. I think it would be worth the pay cut. Too much red tape in MCPS...sucks the fun out of teaching and learning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nah, I need the money.

Me too. I can barely live on my public school salary.

Me too. Plus the pension is a huge benefit the more years you put in. Not worth it for me to leave with all the years I have already invested.

This is true if you teach 30 years. If you teach less, 7.5% per year is deducted. Which means a teacher with 25 years of teaching can have 37% less pension. Most teachers get burned out by then unless they are "Specialists" like Focus teachers or Reading/Math specialist who barely meet with students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Yes because all the kids on welfare are making it to magnent schools. It is no different in public. The kids that have coddling parents and tutors are the ones that get into magnets.

And our private gives out financial aid to 30% of the students. It isn't all rich. Many people, including myself, make huge sacrifices for private school. Smaller home, used cars, a little more frugal. I see plenty of moms with their jewelry, LV bag and huge Mercedes SUV dropping their kids off at public before going off to yoga, lunch and a shopping spree. Not everyone has the same priorities but it doesn't mean only the rich send their kids to private.

Only on DCUM do I encounter the idea that if you can afford to pay for private school by living in a non-giant house and driving used cars, then that means that you're not affluent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Yes because all the kids on welfare are making it to magnent schools. It is no different in public. The kids that have coddling parents and tutors are the ones that get into magnets.

And our private gives out financial aid to 30% of the students. It isn't all rich. Many people, including myself, make huge sacrifices for private school. Smaller home, used cars, a little more frugal. I see plenty of moms with their jewelry, LV bag and huge Mercedes SUV dropping their kids off at public before going off to yoga, lunch and a shopping spree. Not everyone has the same priorities but it doesn't mean only the rich send their kids to private.

Only on DCUM do I encounter the idea that if you can afford to pay for private school by living in a non-giant house and driving used cars, then that means that you're not affluent.

We live in a townhouse, drive a 10yr old car and make less than $100K a year combined. That is not affluent. But thanks for trying to make me feel rich

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Yes because all the kids on welfare are making it to magnent schools. It is no different in public. The kids that have coddling parents and tutors are the ones that get into magnets.

And our private gives out financial aid to 30% of the students. It isn't all rich. Many people, including myself, make huge sacrifices for private school. Smaller home, used cars, a little more frugal. I see plenty of moms with their jewelry, LV bag and huge Mercedes SUV dropping their kids off at public before going off to yoga, lunch and a shopping spree. Not everyone has the same priorities but it doesn't mean only the rich send their kids to private.

Only on DCUM do I encounter the idea that if you can afford to pay for private school by living in a non-giant house and driving used cars, then that means that you're not affluent.

We live in a townhouse, drive a 10yr old car and make less than $100K a year combined. That is not affluent. But thanks for trying to make me feel rich

Great. So you're asking other families to subsidize your child to attend a private elementary or secondary school. We have two kids in MCPS and one kid in private (full pay), and we live very very frugally to pay that one private school tuition.