Seriously FFX? why can't school start on Monday?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm the PP that wrote that parents like you are why I quit teaching public school.

According to FFX website, https://www.fcps.edu/news/fairfax-county-school-board-adopts-2018-19-standard-school-year-calendar

They announced that it would start on a Tuesday December 15, 2017. Since you love to count how many days for teachers- that was a whopping 248 days ago, and you didn't plan for care. Sounds like your problem, not theirs. Stop projecting your disdain for having to spend time with your children onto those teachers.

I love spending time with my kids and have taken four weeks off with my them this summer. I'll also take two weeks off for winter break. A random Tuesday starts is disruptive. I did plan for care--I'm taking the day off. That doesn't mean I have to like it. Having a combined open house and back to school night as implemented by my DC's school did not work well last year and there was feedback to that effect. Despite that feedback, teachers voted to keep that format. That's fine, but I won't bend over backwards for teacher breakfasts/lunches/teacher appreciation week....

When they don’t get their platter of stale bagels and $5 Starbucks card, they will definitely rue prioritizing their classroom set up time!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:why is there a teacher workday on Monday? School starts on Tuesday? Why can't they just be normal and even considerate to all the working parents and start school on a Monday??

What is your normal before / after care plan?

I only need after school care. We are on the waiting list for SACC. Our after school babysitter is not available all day because has college classes in the morning. I ended up taking the week vacation alone this week with the children. DH worked. When we get back on Sunday, DH will take Monday off to be with the children. There's no way, our employers would have approved vacation day for Monday after being off the previous week. Not sure why FCPS couldn't have the staff start a day earlier and opened schools on Monday.

You understand that the world doesn't revolve around you and your dismal lack of planning, right? Just think, folks...Some lucky teacher is going to be dealing with this parent all year long.

You do understand that there are many working parents in a similar situation to the PP's, right? She took time off to spend with her kids and her employer would balk at another day off so close to a week long vacation. Many people have similar situations. The fact that teachers are so oblivious to working parents' need to work around ill-planed FCPS days off says a lot about the bubble they live in.

It is not the school's job to provide daycare. It is not the school's job to make life easier for working parents. The school is not a daycare center. The calendar has been available for a year. This is not a surprise. And to blame the classroom teacher is stunningly ignorant.

Personal responsibility surrenders.

[Anonymous]

It's not the teachers. It is the school board who decided the school calendar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not the teachers. It is the school board who decided the school calendar.

The teachers had input.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm the PP that wrote that parents like you are why I quit teaching public school.

According to FFX website, https://www.fcps.edu/news/fairfax-county-school-board-adopts-2018-19-standard-school-year-calendar

They announced that it would start on a Tuesday December 15, 2017. Since you love to count how many days for teachers- that was a whopping 248 days ago, and you didn't plan for care. Sounds like your problem, not theirs. Stop projecting your disdain for having to spend time with your children onto those teachers.

I love spending time with my kids and have taken four weeks off with my them this summer. I'll also take two weeks off for winter break. A random Tuesday starts is disruptive. I did plan for care--I'm taking the day off. That doesn't mean I have to like it. Having a combined open house and back to school night as implemented by my DC's school did not work well last year and there was feedback to that effect. Despite that feedback, teachers voted to keep that format. That's fine, but I won't bend over backwards for teacher breakfasts/lunches/teacher appreciation week....

When they don’t get their platter of stale bagels and $5 Starbucks card, they will definitely rue prioritizing their classroom set up time!

I doubt they'll rue anything. I'm just not wasting my time on ridiculous stuff like teacher appreciation week, which is a win for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:why is there a teacher workday on Monday? School starts on Tuesday? Why can't they just be normal and even considerate to all the working parents and start school on a Monday??

What is your normal before / after care plan?

I only need after school care. We are on the waiting list for SACC. Our after school babysitter is not available all day because has college classes in the morning. I ended up taking the week vacation alone this week with the children. DH worked. When we get back on Sunday, DH will take Monday off to be with the children. There's no way, our employers would have approved vacation day for Monday after being off the previous week. Not sure why FCPS couldn't have the staff start a day earlier and opened schools on Monday.

You understand that the world doesn't revolve around you and your dismal lack of planning, right? Just think, folks...Some lucky teacher is going to be dealing with this parent all year long.

You do understand that there are many working parents in a similar situation to the PP's, right? She took time off to spend with her kids and her employer would balk at another day off so close to a week long vacation. Many people have similar situations. The fact that teachers are so oblivious to working parents' need to work around ill-planed FCPS days off says a lot about the bubble they live in.

+1. Teachers think their lives suck the worst when, in reality, all of us have sucky jobs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not the teachers. It is the school board who decided the school calendar.

The teachers had input.

So did the parents. The survey went out to everyone. The thing that many of you are failing to realize is that the school board doesn't. give. a. shit what anyone thinks. The surveys are all just a ruse to make it seem like they're getting your input and then they do whatever they want anyway. It's really no different than any other political entity out there so I don't know why anyone is surprised by this. They don't represent you or their other constituents. They have their own opinions and agendas to push and don't care what you think.

Look on the bright side, though...the calendar for next year is much better so you only have one year of this to deal with and then it's sort of back to normal.

[Anonymous]

I am a teacher laughing my head off that you guys really seem to think we had final say in this calendar. Y'all are such fools.

We go back to work when they say. Since we've been back it's PD, meeting after meeting, getting rooms set up, trying to plan curriculum. The building is locked all summer and we have to turn in keys in post-development back in June so even if we wanted to, we couldn't get in to do all this over summer so you could come back a whopping ONE DAY EARLIER.

Furthermore, no teacher would do that over the summer, or would be an idiot to, because those are not contract days. That would be unpaid work. Our contracts run for 197 days, the length of the school year. Summer is not paid. Any teacher who receives pay in summer, and not all districts do, are simply receiving their 10 month salary stretched out in smaller pay checks across 26 pay periods. SUMMER IS NOT PAID TIME OFF. We do not get paid for 12 months of work or any hours outside of those contact hours.

Get a babysitter like your teachers had to for their kids so they could go to work and deal with it!

[Anonymous]

I never was under the impression that FCPS cared about either teacher or parent concerns with the schedule.

[Anonymous]

Not doing anything to further/enhance your career or work during your summer "unpaid" time makes you sound like a fast food cashier, not a professional.

[Anonymous]

FCPS is the worst school district in the country.

Poor cuurrcilum, that crazy reverse instruction model where the students video lectures for homework and the spend class time doing homework. Nothing but group work, spiteful gossiping teachers.
Complain about one teacher and all of a sudden every teacher in the building hates your kid. Every teacher is a coach who spends most of their time watching game footage. The teachers are all former mean girls or jocks. If your kid get a bad they them to rework it for a higher grade. You spend the entire semester reworking the same paper never getting high than a a "C" while all your other grades suffer. They pander to the popular kids while the unpopular suffer bullying from students and are ignored by the teachers. The groups are picked by the popular kids while unpopular kids are left to sit absolutely alone singulalarly and silently in group work teaching models

FCPS IS ACADEMIC HELL!

[Anonymous]

I think the PP is unfamiliar with much of this country's schools. My niece is in a district that encourages kids to leave HS after the fall semester of senior year. The state standards only require 3 yrs of math, science, english, history. There are no AP classes. The only language offered is Spanish.

It's going to be a long, long road for you if a Tues. start to the year is causing all this angst. A little more flexibility is needed on the part of parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:why is there a teacher workday on Monday? School starts on Tuesday? Why can't they just be normal and even considerate to all the working parents and start school on a Monday??

What is your normal before / after care plan?

I only need after school care. We are on the waiting list for SACC. Our after school babysitter is not available all day because has college classes in the morning. I ended up taking the week vacation alone this week with the children. DH worked. When we get back on Sunday, DH will take Monday off to be with the children. There's no way, our employers would have approved vacation day for Monday after being off the previous week. Not sure why FCPS couldn't have the staff start a day earlier and opened schools on Monday.

You understand that the world doesn't revolve around you and your dismal lack of planning, right? Just think, folks...Some lucky teacher is going to be dealing with this parent all year long.

You do understand that there are many working parents in a similar situation to the PP's, right? She took time off to spend with her kids and her employer would balk at another day off so close to a week long vacation. Many people have similar situations. The fact that teachers are so oblivious to working parents' need to work around ill-planed FCPS days off says a lot about the bubble they live in.

It is not the school's job to provide daycare. It is not the school's job to make life easier for working parents. The school is not a daycare center. The calendar has been available for a year. This is not a surprise. And to blame the classroom teacher is stunningly ignorant.

Personal responsibility surrenders.

Yes, it would be terrible if the public schools actually served the public.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FCPS is the worst school district in the country.

Poor cuurrcilum, that crazy reverse instruction model where the students video lectures for homework and the spend class time doing homework. Nothing but group work, spiteful gossiping teachers.
Complain about one teacher and all of a sudden every teacher in the building hates your kid. Every teacher is a coach who spends most of their time watching game footage. The teachers are all former mean girls or jocks. If your kid get a bad they them to rework it for a higher grade. You spend the entire semester reworking the same paper never getting high than a a "C" while all your other grades suffer. They pander to the popular kids while the unpopular suffer bullying from students and are ignored by the teachers. The groups are picked by the popular kids while unpopular kids are left to sit absolutely alone singulalarly and silently in group work teaching models

FCPS IS ACADEMIC HELL!

Which school uses the reverse instruction model? I've seen posts about this a few times, but this has not been used in my kids' classes. To be honest, FCPS is probably no worse than any other school district. The smartest college students don't tend to go into teaching K-12. If you accept that, you and your kids will be better off.

[Anonymous]

Ask any parent in fairfax about the instruction and universally they will report it is BAD. This reverse instruction model is insane. Any unpopular kid ostracized and working alone in a group learning environment could be dead decomposing in a corner for several days before anyone would notice.

The principles stink because they don't care what happens in the classroom. They only care about the win-loss record of the football team.

The teachers are not smart. They are not experts in their fields. If they are asked a question that's not scripted from the lesson plan they downloaded from the internet last night they are clueless and become angry.

There is no joy in FCPS, because the teachers and administrators are not intellectuals. Everyday is just about covering your ass so the world doesn't find out how truly incapable and unprepared the instructors are to teach. There's no joy because there's never that eureka moment when a bright light flashes and a kid finally masters a concept they've been working on. FCPS teachers are so dull and disengaged they can't differentiate between a eureka moment and a oh crap this again moment.

Education does not get any worse than Fairfax Public Schools