FCPS has been such a disappointments - not sure what to do

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Make sure to look at the calendars for private school. They typically have fewer days than public school. The more you pay, the less you go.

I think most people would agree that quality is more important than quantity. There is no quality in FCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We need an education overhaul across the whole country. I’m ready to start from scratch. So many things wrong. And I would agree that they aren’t handling diversity well at all. Why is there not a separate system for getting esol kids up to speed in English? They’re just failing those students by keeping them in mainstream when they don’t understand.

I subbed in a high school that has a large esol population. Some of these kids are coming in so poorly prepared that they have dedicated classes for them in other subjects (e.g. math) that take two periods to teach a year's worth of material. One problem is that when the population gets large enough and they don't speak English, they all hang out with peers who speak their native language and all end up in the same classes with those peers, so they learn very little English no matter what you do.

I also subbed in a MS and during one of the teacher's planning periods, another teacher brought a student in for a one on one in the empty classroom. She sat with the kid and they spent the period reviewing the alphabet (I kid you not).

That said, there are some esol kids who come in very well prepared (sometimes far better prepared than American peers the same age) in subjects other than English. And when they do they also have a much better attitude, better work ethic and more respect for learning and teachers than their American peers as well. Those kids are fine in a mainstream environment.

I'm an ESOL teacher and we often get illiterate Spanish-speaking middle schoolers. They haven't attended school regularly or at all in their country. Many students come from countries where they have a different alphabet. Why is it so unbelievable that ESOL teachers have to teach students how to read?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The DL with no school on Mondays has been a DISASTER for FCPS. We are going to do some intensive tutoring this summer, and next year is going to be just awful with all of this teaching to the lowest denominator. Not sure how young kids will catch up.

My sister's kids in the midwest have 2 days in person, 1 day synchronous online, and 2 days asynchronous (the one day online is Wednesdays for cleaning between cohorts). We have kids in the same grades and compare what they're learning. Our kids in FCPS are far, far behind her kids.

So basically - your sister's kids are out of school 3 days a week?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m disappointed in aspects of FCPS but I can’t help but think that there is a small vocal minority posting in DCUM that is trying to completely undermine public education. They aren’t looking for solutions. They just reply that public education is hopeless, private is the only way to go, pro-vouchers. People eat this crap up, pull their kids, and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

That may be the case of people posting here, but IRL I know several families that left FCPS in the last year. I don't think those people have any political considerations, they just want better education for their kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m disappointed in aspects of FCPS but I can’t help but think that there is a small vocal minority posting in DCUM that is trying to completely undermine public education. They aren’t looking for solutions. They just reply that public education is hopeless, private is the only way to go, pro-vouchers. People eat this crap up, pull their kids, and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

That may be the case of people posting here, but IRL I know several families that left FCPS in the last year. I don't think those people have any political considerations, they just want better education for their kids.

I think I'm fairly "normal" and I never complained about FCPS prior to the pandemic. That said, for childcare reasons I sent my youngest - a Kindergartner to a K class formed at a daycare this year, and I've applied to private for all 3 kids for next year. I have fairly low standards but I am looking for 5 days a week of school while I work.

[Anonymous]

Might be individual schools issue. I am pleased with my kids’s teachers. My kids are learning in a virtual environment. The teachers have been very communicative, responsive when needed, and have not missed a day of scheduled instruction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m disappointed in aspects of FCPS but I can’t help but think that there is a small vocal minority posting in DCUM that is trying to completely undermine public education. They aren’t looking for solutions. They just reply that public education is hopeless, private is the only way to go, pro-vouchers. People eat this crap up, pull their kids, and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

That may be the case of people posting here, but IRL I know several families that left FCPS in the last year. I don't think those people have any political considerations, they just want better education for their kids.

I think I'm fairly "normal" and I never complained about FCPS prior to the pandemic. That said, for childcare reasons I sent my youngest - a Kindergartner to a K class formed at a daycare this year, and I've applied to private for all 3 kids for next year. I have fairly low standards but I am looking for 5 days a week of school while I work.

There are only so many spaces in privates, especially the better independents. The majority on here will not get in. What happens then?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m disappointed in aspects of FCPS but I can’t help but think that there is a small vocal minority posting in DCUM that is trying to completely undermine public education. They aren’t looking for solutions. They just reply that public education is hopeless, private is the only way to go, pro-vouchers. People eat this crap up, pull their kids, and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

That may be the case of people posting here, but IRL I know several families that left FCPS in the last year. I don't think those people have any political considerations, they just want better education for their kids.

I think I'm fairly "normal" and I never complained about FCPS prior to the pandemic. That said, for childcare reasons I sent my youngest - a Kindergartner to a K class formed at a daycare this year, and I've applied to private for all 3 kids for next year. I have fairly low standards but I am looking for 5 days a week of school while I work.

There are only so many spaces in privates, especially the better independents. The majority on here will not get in. What happens then?

It's going to be interesting. The vast majority of those applying to escape public will not get in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We both went to public school and DH and I are both unbelievably disappointed in FCPS. We received much stronger educations in what I thought were crappy 1980s public schools.

DH and I are FCPS graduates and have had FCPS students since 2005. It’s been a precipitous decline.

I know that our DC aren’t experiencing the same level of academic rigor that we did.

My graduating senior shouldn’t be making poster board projects, for example.

I find this hilarious. In 2005 there were over 30,000 fewer students in the FCPS system than there are now.

For those quoting the 1980s - I can't even imagine how much smaller the school system was then versus now.

This is a great point. I think the reality is that the school district (with the numbers it had) worked in the 80s and 90s. There has been a huge influx of new students and the school system is overwhelmed. We need to split it up into 4 or 5 different parts so that we can get the efficiency back from the past.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You should absolutely go private. The education won’t be any better but you can be smug about leaving public and isn’t that what’s really important?

This.

Don't let the door hit you . . .


What a bunch of whiners on here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m disappointed in aspects of FCPS but I can’t help but think that there is a small vocal minority posting in DCUM that is trying to completely undermine public education. They aren’t looking for solutions. They just reply that public education is hopeless, private is the only way to go, pro-vouchers. People eat this crap up, pull their kids, and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

That may be the case of people posting here, but IRL I know several families that left FCPS in the last year. I don't think those people have any political considerations, they just want better education for their kids.

I think I'm fairly "normal" and I never complained about FCPS prior to the pandemic. That said, for childcare reasons I sent my youngest - a Kindergartner to a K class formed at a daycare this year, and I've applied to private for all 3 kids for next year. I have fairly low standards but I am looking for 5 days a week of school while I work.

Well, then. Your concern is not academics. It is that you expect school to provide free daycare. Now you know, it's hard work. So if you want to pay for it, go for it.

[Anonymous]

FCPS has definitely been declining over the years especially in pockets of high poverty and where the school board is focused on equity but the mechanism to raise the education of the lower end is to lower the bar rather than keep high standards and teach basics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m disappointed in aspects of FCPS but I can’t help but think that there is a small vocal minority posting in DCUM that is trying to completely undermine public education. They aren’t looking for solutions. They just reply that public education is hopeless, private is the only way to go, pro-vouchers. People eat this crap up, pull their kids, and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

That may be the case of people posting here, but IRL I know several families that left FCPS in the last year. I don't think those people have any political considerations, they just want better education for their kids.

I think I'm fairly "normal" and I never complained about FCPS prior to the pandemic. That said, for childcare reasons I sent my youngest - a Kindergartner to a K class formed at a daycare this year, and I've applied to private for all 3 kids for next year. I have fairly low standards but I am looking for 5 days a week of school while I work.

Well, then. Your concern is not academics. It is that you expect school to provide free daycare. Now you know, it's hard work. So if you want to pay for it, go for it.

That's fine - but I think everyone should have it - not just those that can pay for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Might be individual schools issue. I am pleased with my kids’s teachers. My kids are learning in a virtual environment. The teachers have been very communicative, responsive when needed, and have not missed a day of scheduled instruction.

Me too. My kids have had excellent teachers and they are certainly learning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We both went to public school and DH and I are both unbelievably disappointed in FCPS. We received much stronger educations in what I thought were crappy 1980s public schools.

DH and I are FCPS graduates and have had FCPS students since 2005. It’s been a precipitous decline.

I know that our DC aren’t experiencing the same level of academic rigor that we did.

My graduating senior shouldn’t be making poster board projects, for example.

I find this hilarious. In 2005 there were over 30,000 fewer students in the FCPS system than there are now.

For those quoting the 1980s - I can't even imagine how much smaller the school system was then versus now.

This is a great point. I think the reality is that the school district (with the numbers it had) worked in the 80s and 90s. There has been a huge influx of new students and the school system is overwhelmed. We need to split it up into 4 or 5 different parts so that we can get the efficiency back from the past.

The past was not more efficient. The poor population has skyrocketed recently, and English is not their first language. Before NCLB none of this mattered. Now we care about providing services for special ed and esol students. The pie is just not big enough anymore.