MCPS teachers--what kind of abuse from students goes on in your building?

[Anonymous]

Where in the world are your kids going to school? My child is at a Focus school in Rockville, and I can assure you that none of this is going on in our classroom (and for the brass and racist posters above, most of the classroom is made up of minorities).

Parents, spend some time in your child’s school and classroom. Get involved with the PTA, etc.

I volunteer as much as I can (FT working mom with 3 children). You will see what the reality is in the classroom. Parents get involved. I’d be raising a new level of chaos if my child was made to sit through that disruption day after day!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where in the world are your kids going to school? My child is at a Focus school in Rockville, and I can assure you that none of this is going on in our classroom (and for the brass and racist posters above, most of the classroom is made up of minorities).

Parents, spend some time in your child’s school and classroom. Get involved with the PTA, etc.

I volunteer as much as I can (FT working mom with 3 children). You will see what the reality is in the classroom. Parents get involved. I’d be raising a new level of chaos if my child was made to sit through that disruption day after day!

Which school? ES or MS?

We are also at a Focus school in Rockville and have had some issues over the past two years. Kids have had to sit through quite a bit of disruption in some cases. Both in class and on the bus.

Various parents have tried to 'raise some chaos', but have been summarily ignored.

Glad you have not faced any issues, and I hope that continues. Maybe your schools have better leadership?

I do completely agree with your point about parents getting involved!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where in the world are your kids going to school? My child is at a Focus school in Rockville, and I can assure you that none of this is going on in our classroom (and for the brass and racist posters above, most of the classroom is made up of minorities).

Parents, spend some time in your child’s school and classroom. Get involved with the PTA, etc.

I volunteer as much as I can (FT working mom with 3 children). You will see what the reality is in the classroom. Parents get involved. I’d be raising a new level of chaos if my child was made to sit through that disruption day after day!

I may have missed them but I didn’t see many brass and racist posters. Which ones are you referring to?

We are at a diverse school, and honestly, there are kids of ALL races being disruptive or dangerous.

The issue is that kids see other kids getting away with terrible behavior and so they learn that they can do the same.

[Anonymous]

The abuse I see comes from the administration, not kids.

[Anonymous]

Second that abusive admin comment. Until we fix this dynamic the system will be corrupted. admin pretend all the other collateral damage that comes with zero structure or discipline is merely bad teaching and they can manipulate the numbers then fire the teachers. I have had students come to class 5 percent of the semester and take no tests, had an E and within a week she had an A after the principal made me give a 10 ,page worksheet packet the she just copied from peers work and demanded an A. No tests, no quizes, no show...thanks bully admin. Oh did I mention as admin makes teachers lives hell you will be discarded so you should blow the whistle and go to the union and claim whistleblower protection. If not they will corrupt you and discard you then try to ruin you with bad references.

[Anonymous]

Third that. Admin pressure so much to make grades great for students based on nothing. Some student deserve to fail and they make you hand out an A other students work hard for a B or C and that's what they get. Admin just doesn't want to hear from pissed off parents who have not control over their kids actions.

[Anonymous]

Kids throwing trash at you, parents grade grubbing, the worst is no respect from administration only threats and pressure to fraud. Then you're fired if your new. They will blame the whole crooked system on you and try to make you believe it. It's like a bully who says "stop hitting yourself" and acts like their helping but you're helpless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not normal in our building. We have some students who have anger and behavioral issues and have had some incidents, but they aren't "tolerated". Admin and security do all they can. But some things don't get "punished" the way I'm sure many people might think they should be because of the student circumstances. The reality is that our society doesn't really have a process to handle students who are mentally ill or have serious behavior issues when the parents refuse to acknowledge them.

Now, abuse from parents (entitlement over grades) ... Fortunately, our administration is very supportive, provided that the teacher has been properly following policies and has documented communications.

+1

I both teach in MCPS and am a parent (one alum, one rising 8th). DDs in DCC schools. I’ve taught in a wide socioeconomic range of schools. I haven’t see what OP describes, but I have seen what PP says. Particularly verbal abuse and email harassment from entitled parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't this all happening because the Board of Ed shut down the school for kids with behavioral problems? Twain or RICA I think it was called?

Alt isn't for ED kids. The ED students are sent (if schools are successful in getting them in) to an ED program housed either in their own schools or in another school.

Alt Programs is for level 2 and 3 kids who chronically misbehave or who have "popped" and committed a violent act (a bad fight, for example).

RICA is still in existence, but it's a state and local day and residential program. Twain closed.

twain needs to reopen

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't this all happening because the Board of Ed shut down the school for kids with behavioral problems? Twain or RICA I think it was called?

Alt isn't for ED kids. The ED students are sent (if schools are successful in getting them in) to an ED program housed either in their own schools or in another school.

Alt Programs is for level 2 and 3 kids who chronically misbehave or who have "popped" and committed a violent act (a bad fight, for example).

RICA is still in existence, but it's a state and local day and residential program. Twain closed.

twain needs to reopen

I worked in an alt-ed school for 5 years. Honestly, as long as safety is not the issue, it is better to have ED kids in the regular schools. However, they really need almost one on one support and need to be in smaller classes or else they will distract themselves and others. This includes gym and electives. However, this can be very expensive, and there is very high staff burn-out/turnover, so of course MCPS has screwed it up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You didn't share what was happening in your school.

Ok, that's fair. Students who yell and curse at you. Students who are allowed by admin to not follow the rules that everyone else has to follow, which causes a domino effect as soon as one doesn't have to follow a rule. Once admin tells them they don't have to follow a rule, then they have zero respect for you as the adult in charge whereas admin comes in to "fix" the problem but then is nowhere to be found once they've created this detrimental dynamic between you and the student. Students who scream directly in your ear when they don't like what you ask for them to do. Students who throw objects at you. Admins who encourage teachers to put themselves between students who are physically fighting. Students who disrupt the learning environment nearly every day for the 20 something other students in the room and we're told to not do anything that will set them off --like complete their assigned work--but we're held responsible when they haven't completed assignments.

These are not students with IEPs or students who are allowed to be brought up for EMTs. Elementary school. -OP

OMG, this is untenable. You should not have to suffer, and what’s worse, the other students suffer. Can you get the other teachers and the union together to organize a sit-out?

This happens in so many schools. Ask your kids! Ask whether there were any issues in the classroom today? If you’re willing to listen, I bet your kid will report back on all sorts of horror stories.

Teachers are in a really bad position. Students know that they can get away with terrible behavior. And principals don’t want to acknowledge anything that reflects poorly on the school.

This is it in a nutshell. Especially princials not wanting to acknowledge anything that would reflect poorly on their school, because then they have to be held accountable for it. So many spineless administrators currently in school buildings.

Honestly, the biggest issue is the parents. The parents of troublemakers and bullies who don't want to accept any kind of responsibility or who refuse to admit that their child is a problem. I've seen entitled or ignorant parents fight with administrators to keep their kid in a classroom where the child has clearly have been violent or disruptive.

This is very true. My dh teaches in a Catholic school and the kids who are the worst behaved have the worst behaved parents. Kids learned it from the parents. So sorry you teachers have to deal with this!

[Anonymous]

Wow
This is one racist thread

[Anonymous]

Truthfully these stories need to be backed up with the actual name of the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't this all happening because the Board of Ed shut down the school for kids with behavioral problems? Twain or RICA I think it was called?

Alt isn't for ED kids. The ED students are sent (if schools are successful in getting them in) to an ED program housed either in their own schools or in another school.

Alt Programs is for level 2 and 3 kids who chronically misbehave or who have "popped" and committed a violent act (a bad fight, for example).

RICA is still in existence, but it's a state and local day and residential program. Twain closed.

twain needs to reopen

Twain was a legit threat to address bad behavior. If you were asked “Do you want to go to Twain?!!” you would straighten up immediately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't this all happening because the Board of Ed shut down the school for kids with behavioral problems? Twain or RICA I think it was called?

Alt isn't for ED kids. The ED students are sent (if schools are successful in getting them in) to an ED program housed either in their own schools or in another school.

Alt Programs is for level 2 and 3 kids who chronically misbehave or who have "popped" and committed a violent act (a bad fight, for example).

RICA is still in existence, but it's a state and local day and residential program. Twain closed.

twain needs to reopen

Twain was a legit threat to address bad behavior. If you were asked “Do you want to go to Twain?!!” you would straighten up immediately.

Hmmm, I also saw students who regarded it as either a badge of honor or an inevitable rite of passage. One family’s mom —and they were white many-generations in MoCo self-proclaimed rednecks— told me all her brothers went through Twain, three of her boys had, and the youngest was the same. It may have helped kids who went, but I guess it as a deterrent.