Burgundy Farm

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The school and teachers are the only ones who are making out here. It feels like parents and kids come last.

Particularly since they were advertising five day a week on campus just days ago. Families made huge sacrifices for that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ah, so teachers get to sit around doing 0-60 minutes of Zoom per day (that was our experience in the spring) while parents scramble to find child care and/or try to educate our young children while holding down full-time jobs.

Question for the teachers: I want to know when you are willing to come back to work so I can right-set my expectations for the rest of the school year.

I wish parents would understand that the spring was an absolute dumpster fire change for everyone. No one was prepared for that and had to pivot to something no one was ready for. Many of the schools that I am aware of have spent money helping teachers become better teachers for virtual learning with professional development and more licenses for online teaching tools. Chances are your child's teachers are also scrambling to figure out child care. Also, from the school models I've seen, there is much more synchronous time online for all of the divisions compared with the spring experience, which was again, out of the blue and unexpected.

Schools and teachers are not to blame for the woefully incompetent national 'strategy' for combatting the pandemic. Be mad at the national response, the lack of testing ability, slow test results, patchwork restriction, families still hosting large parties, kids still playing and traveling with club sports, etc.

oh BS. do your job.

[Anonymous]

Online school is being provided FREE in Fairfax, Alexandria and Arlington public school systems. If we weren’t lied to until the very last minute by Burgundy, my kids could be getting free online school and I would have $70,000 in my pocket to hire a full time nanny. Now we are scrambling to figure out how to supervise school at home and still work full time. Burgundy teachers are selfish and lazy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ah, so teachers get to sit around doing 0-60 minutes of Zoom per day (that was our experience in the spring) while parents scramble to find child care and/or try to educate our young children while holding down full-time jobs.

Question for the teachers: I want to know when you are willing to come back to work so I can right-set my expectations for the rest of the school year.

I wish parents would understand that the spring was an absolute dumpster fire change for everyone. No one was prepared for that and had to pivot to something no one was ready for. Many of the schools that I am aware of have spent money helping teachers become better teachers for virtual learning with professional development and more licenses for online teaching tools. Chances are your child's teachers are also scrambling to figure out child care. Also, from the school models I've seen, there is much more synchronous time online for all of the divisions compared with the spring experience, which was again, out of the blue and unexpected.

Schools and teachers are not to blame for the woefully incompetent national 'strategy' for combatting the pandemic. Be mad at the national response, the lack of testing ability, slow test results, patchwork restriction, families still hosting large parties, kids still playing and traveling with club sports, etc.

+1. Well said.

As a Burgundy parent with multiple kids at the school, we signed up for this year knowing full well the year might be remote. That’s because of the community spread and our national lack of response, as the previous poster described, not anything the school can do.

We stayed because of the teachers and how several of them, despite their own challenges, went out of their way to be there for our children in the spring. These teachers went above and beyond to support my children, doing one on one check ins and meeting my kids where they were. I’m sorry that other parents didn’t have that experience.

That support certainly wasn’t universal, we had a teacher or two who weren’t as engaged, but they were all trying their best. This is an awful situation for all of us.

If anything, I feel a lot of anger towards the administration. They led people on with the expectation of in person teaching. I am horrified that the school was advertising being on campus for the fall and built up hope among so many parents and kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Chances are your child's teachers are also scrambling to figure out child care.

Are they also paying $70K for virtual school for two kids at the same time? I am stretched to my limit by this cost. I simply do not have the capacity to pay for this plus a person to come in and watch my kids do virtual school all day while I go into the office.

Um. You're stretched to the limit to pay $70,000 a year. More than probably most Burgundy teachers make in a year, you have in disposable income for an education at a school because you're scared of public schools. Cry me a river. You're completely out of touch with what ACTUAL inconvenience is in this country. I'm stunned you can't see that.

[Anonymous]

Exactly. Yes, they should not have advertised and pretended they could control a pandemic. Mistake on the administration...not the teachers.

The difference at burgundy is the teachers will really know and care for your kid. Of course not every teacher is absolutely amazing but each and every one of them cared deeply about my child. That love and caring gave him the confidence to grow into a teenager who truly has empathy and respect for others.

Even virtually the teachers will know your child and your child will feel loved and cared for. There is no way that the teachers at public school can do that because standards come first at public school. At burgundy, kids come first.

And if the teachers thought it was safest and best t start the school year virtually, I trust them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Chances are your child's teachers are also scrambling to figure out child care.

Are they also paying $70K for virtual school for two kids at the same time? I am stretched to my limit by this cost. I simply do not have the capacity to pay for this plus a person to come in and watch my kids do virtual school all day while I go into the office.

Um. You're stretched to the limit to pay $70,000 a year. More than probably most Burgundy teachers make in a year, you have in disposable income for an education at a school because you're scared of public schools. Cry me a river. You're completely out of touch with what ACTUAL inconvenience is in this country. I'm stunned you can't see that.

Not every Burgundy family pays full tuition. Not all of us are wealthy. And, not everyone goes to Burgundy because they are "scared" of public schools, but thanks for the vitriol. No matter your financial situation, it is a HUGE "inconvenience" - since you used that word - to anyone. The exception might be families with stay-at-home parents. But, this is a hardship for eveyone and yes, that includes those who are paying full freight to send X number of children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Exactly. Yes, they should not have advertised and pretended they could control a pandemic. Mistake on the administration...not the teachers.

The difference at burgundy is the teachers will really know and care for your kid. Of course not every teacher is absolutely amazing but each and every one of them cared deeply about my child. That love and caring gave him the confidence to grow into a teenager who truly has empathy and respect for others.

Even virtually the teachers will know your child and your child will feel loved and cared for. There is no way that the teachers at public school can do that because standards come first at public school. At burgundy, kids come first.

And if the teachers thought it was safest and best t start the school year virtually, I trust them.

How can you say, "At Burgduny, kids come first" with a straight face when KINDERGARTENERS are being abandoned to do virtual learning, while junior kindergarteners are allowed on campus? It makes no sense and we deserve an explanation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Online school is being provided FREE in Fairfax, Alexandria and Arlington public school systems. If we weren’t lied to until the very last minute by Burgundy, my kids could be getting free online school and I would have $70,000 in my pocket to hire a full time nanny. Now we are scrambling to figure out how to supervise school at home and still work full time. Burgundy teachers are selfish and lazy.

Ditto.

[Anonymous]

The statement that 17 Burgundy teachers signed states:

"We state that bringing hundreds of students onto our campuses poses unnecessary risks to individual and community physical and mental health, to students and their home communities, to employees and their families, to our surrounding communities, and ultimately to the long-term reputation of our schools."

Burgundy enrollment is <300. Bring in half the kids for two days each week - you don't have hundreds on campus. There are 25 acres.

I agree that public schools with cramped classrooms, crowded hallways and limited outdoor space can't safely open. But Burgundy has the space to do this. Give the teachers who refuse an unpaid sabbatical year, or put them in charge of delivering a top-notch online educational program (because the spring was not great - I'm looking at you, specials teachers, where were you?) and hire teachers who can teach 12-15 kids in person two days per week somewhere in 25 acres of space outdoors.

I'm so disappointed because the school boasts about its amazing campus. Well, this is the chance, use the outdoors. It seems clear that at least the 17 teachers who signed the statement don't buy into the philosophy of outdoor education. It also seems clear that teachers and administration do not have the capacity to reimagine education in a pandemic and create in person learning that can be safe outdoors. I'm disappointed in myself because I've been saying all along that if anyone can do this, Burgundy can do it and I feel duped.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Exactly. Yes, they should not have advertised and pretended they could control a pandemic. Mistake on the administration...not the teachers.

The difference at burgundy is the teachers will really know and care for your kid. Of course not every teacher is absolutely amazing but each and every one of them cared deeply about my child. That love and caring gave him the confidence to grow into a teenager who truly has empathy and respect for others.

Even virtually the teachers will know your child and your child will feel loved and cared for. There is no way that the teachers at public school can do that because standards come first at public school. At burgundy, kids come first.

And if the teachers thought it was safest and best t start the school year virtually, I trust them.

How can you say, "At Burgduny, kids come first" with a straight face when KINDERGARTENERS are being abandoned to do virtual learning, while junior kindergarteners are allowed on campus? It makes no sense and we deserve an explanation.

At Burgundy teachers come first and no one else matters. And that’s fine. Give teachers everything they want. But then give me my goddamn tuition back because I need to go find a school that can actually operate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Exactly. Yes, they should not have advertised and pretended they could control a pandemic. Mistake on the administration...not the teachers.

The difference at burgundy is the teachers will really know and care for your kid. Of course not every teacher is absolutely amazing but each and every one of them cared deeply about my child. That love and caring gave him the confidence to grow into a teenager who truly has empathy and respect for others.

Even virtually the teachers will know your child and your child will feel loved and cared for. There is no way that the teachers at public school can do that because standards come first at public school. At burgundy, kids come first.

And if the teachers thought it was safest and best t start the school year virtually, I trust them.

When you say “start the school year virtually” please call
A spade a spade. The entire year will now be virtual.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Chances are your child's teachers are also scrambling to figure out child care.

Are they also paying $70K for virtual school for two kids at the same time? I am stretched to my limit by this cost. I simply do not have the capacity to pay for this plus a person to come in and watch my kids do virtual school all day while I go into the office.

Um. You're stretched to the limit to pay $70,000 a year. More than probably most Burgundy teachers make in a year, you have in disposable income for an education at a school because you're scared of public schools. Cry me a river. You're completely out of touch with what ACTUAL inconvenience is in this country. I'm stunned you can't see that.

Not every Burgundy family pays full tuition. Not all of us are wealthy. And, not everyone goes to Burgundy because they are "scared" of public schools, but thanks for the vitriol. No matter your financial situation, it is a HUGE "inconvenience" - since you used that word - to anyone. The exception might be families with stay-at-home parents. But, this is a hardship for eveyone and yes, that includes those who are paying full freight to send X number of children.

The response wasn’t about you. But please take offense. Also, reminder that if you have 70,000 dollars of disposable income you are likely in the upper 5 percent in this country. And you’re attacking teachers who make 40,000 before taxes? Shame on you. Spoiled and clueless.

[Anonymous]

Many of us have kids at Burgundy and also other independent schools. The outrage from parents at Burgundy is valid. Other schools have planned ALL summer to train their teachers and adjust the curriculum to be ideal for a virtual environment. I highly suspect Burgundy did neither of these things. Further, other schools consistently communicated to parents that the goal was getting kids on campus as much as possible (using a hybrid/cohort model), but that was the ideal and that this might change as the start of school approached. Then when these schools announced that they would be doing DL this fall, it wasn’t a shock or a surprise. Burgundy completely failed ion so many levels here. And to top it all off they propose a completely irrational 1/2 day schedule that doubly screws parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Chances are your child's teachers are also scrambling to figure out child care.

Are they also paying $70K for virtual school for two kids at the same time? I am stretched to my limit by this cost. I simply do not have the capacity to pay for this plus a person to come in and watch my kids do virtual school all day while I go into the office.

Um. You're stretched to the limit to pay $70,000 a year. More than probably most Burgundy teachers make in a year, you have in disposable income for an education at a school because you're scared of public schools. Cry me a river. You're completely out of touch with what ACTUAL inconvenience is in this country. I'm stunned you can't see that.

Not every Burgundy family pays full tuition. Not all of us are wealthy. And, not everyone goes to Burgundy because they are "scared" of public schools, but thanks for the vitriol. No matter your financial situation, it is a HUGE "inconvenience" - since you used that word - to anyone. The exception might be families with stay-at-home parents. But, this is a hardship for eveyone and yes, that includes those who are paying full freight to send X number of children.

The response wasn’t about you. But please take offense. Also, reminder that if you have 70,000 dollars of disposable income you are likely in the upper 5 percent in this country. And you’re attacking teachers who make 40,000 before taxes? Shame on you. Spoiled and clueless.

Just because we have $70,000 in disposable income does not mean we are somehow spoiled and clueless. If we are paying this much money for school we deserve a product worthy of this price. If you don’t like your teaching job, quit.