MCPS asks for 4 days off so teachers can prepare building for in-person instruction

[Anonymous]

Someone should’ve told me I shouldn’t be working Wednesdays! I’m meeting with groups of students all morning and in meetings all afternoon.

To everyone volunteering my personal, unpaid time to set up classrooms, post your email and I’ll send you the volunteer sign up genius!

I’m getting sick and tired of the teacher trash talk. I love teaching and love watching your children grow and learn but all this vitriol doesn’t make the $25/hr after taxes worth it. You need to realize, this will drive away the really good teachers, the ones that have options. Then you’ll really have something to complain about when the teachers that are left are inexperienced or inept.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a MCPS elementary school teacher. I figured I'd use a Wednesday afternoon after our weekly staff meeting to set my room up. There's not much to set up. The kids can't access our classroom library, centers or share materials. It's going to be as sterile and boring of an environment as you can imagine. I think four days would be ridiculous.

+1

I’m an elementary teacher as well. My classroom is full of boxes and materials, spread out everywhere. As a team leader, all of the reading and math materials for my grade level are in my room. Likewise, my team’s supply order from the end of last school year (dozens of boxes filled with materials from the warehouse belonging to all my teammates) is scattered all over my classroom. My personal belongings are stacked on the shelves to the ceiling. It’s a mess. I also live an hour away from my school. I can’t make a quick trip to the building during the week. Admin is at school, but not past a certain time. Some teachers do need time to prep the room. It’s not like a normal prep, but emptying the room will take time. Our admin went into one classroom (of a new teacher, who hasn’t been in the building, so has no materials in the classroom) to arrange desks and tape off the floor. The room is literally empty of all things but desks and chairs. They taped off all areas and placed desks inside of the taped off areas. They also taped off walkways in the room where students will be permitted to walk. It takes time to do this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This request itself demonstrates the level of incompetency.

Exactly.

They should have been preparing to go back from Day 1.

Did we think online learning would last forever?? It was always a given that the kids would be back in school some day.

Why isn’t MCPS ready now? Ridiculous incompetency.

[phone]

Which is why I don’t feel sorry for the extra hour you have to work to move 30 desks in your room. Teachers don’t ever get 4 days at the beginning of the year because they are always in PD meetings or meetings that could have been done via an email.

-signed former teacher who quit her job to stay home with her own children

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a MCPS elementary school teacher. I figured I'd use a Wednesday afternoon after our weekly staff meeting to set my room up. There's not much to set up. The kids can't access our classroom library, centers or share materials. It's going to be as sterile and boring of an environment as you can imagine. I think four days would be ridiculous.

+1

I’m an elementary teacher as well. My classroom is full of boxes and materials, spread out everywhere. As a team leader, all of the reading and math materials for my grade level are in my room. Likewise, my team’s supply order from the end of last school year (dozens of boxes filled with materials from the warehouse belonging to all my teammates) is scattered all over my classroom. My personal belongings are stacked on the shelves to the ceiling. It’s a mess. I also live an hour away from my school. I can’t make a quick trip to the building during the week. Admin is at school, but not past a certain time. Some teachers do need time to prep the room. It’s not like a normal prep, but emptying the room will take time. Our admin went into one classroom (of a new teacher, who hasn’t been in the building, so has no materials in the classroom) to arrange desks and tape off the floor. The room is literally empty of all things but desks and chairs. They taped off all areas and placed desks inside of the taped off areas. They also taped off walkways in the room where students will be permitted to walk. It takes time to do this.

I have no place to unpack all that stuff because my 4 bookcase were removed from my room so that the desks can be spaced out. So the dozens of boxes will stay just as they are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I guess they cannot walk and chew gum at the same time either.

But, but, but..... it's toooooo hard!!! LOL

Fine. I'll set up my classroom while simultaneously teaching your kid. I hope they can hear me while I drag the desks into position and don't mind me getting up to put name tags, hand sanitizer and tissues on the desks in the middle of them asking a question.

Trust me, teachers already do a lot of multi-tasking while teaching. Wanting them to set up a physical classroom while simultaneously teaching virtually is an idiotic idea.

Building services set up my desks, but that’s all that will happen in my room. Everything will be on Chromebooks. No tissues or sanitizers available yet. Hope they can bring their own. It’s all good.

Such a great attitude. How you are my kids teacher. Hope your real pants still fit.

I lost 40 lbs since last March so no, my “real pants” from last year don’t still fit. I’ll use my personal time to buy some more on Amazon rather than decorate jack in that room.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:[phone]

Which is why I don’t feel sorry for the extra hour you have to work to move 30 desks in your room. Teachers don’t ever get 4 days at the beginning of the year because they are always in PD meetings or meetings that could have been done via an email.

-signed former teacher who quit her job to stay home with her own children

You didn't have to quit to stay home with your kids!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:[phone]

Which is why I don’t feel sorry for the extra hour you have to work to move 30 desks in your room. Teachers don’t ever get 4 days at the beginning of the year because they are always in PD meetings or meetings that could have been done via an email.

-signed former teacher who quit her job to stay home with her own children

You didn't have to quit to stay home with your kids!

Correct. I didn’t. But I wasn’t sacrificing my own kids education for someone else’s only to break even financially.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:[phone]

Which is why I don’t feel sorry for the extra hour you have to work to move 30 desks in your room. Teachers don’t ever get 4 days at the beginning of the year because they are always in PD meetings or meetings that could have been done via an email.

-signed former teacher who quit her job to stay home with her own children

You didn't have to quit to stay home with your kids!

Correct. I didn’t. But I wasn’t sacrificing my own kids education for someone else’s only to break even financially.

DP. I respect that, but your lack of empathy still sucks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I guess they cannot walk and chew gum at the same time either.

But, but, but..... it's toooooo hard!!! LOL

Fine. I'll set up my classroom while simultaneously teaching your kid. I hope they can hear me while I drag the desks into position and don't mind me getting up to put name tags, hand sanitizer and tissues on the desks in the middle of them asking a question.

Trust me, teachers already do a lot of multi-tasking while teaching. Wanting them to set up a physical classroom while simultaneously teaching virtually is an idiotic idea.

THIS is classic. I could physically set up a classroom during lunch and before/after my work day, which is extended because I’m helping my kids with distance learning. But never mind. I could still do it without extra days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a teacher Wednesdays are often my most exhausting. Grading, calling parents, lesson planning, meetings, helping students. Just constant grunt work.

Those of you thinking Wednesdays are a day off, have no idea.

Didn't you have to do all that during in-person school also?

The amount of "grunt work" has increased significantly. In the past you could have a quick conversation with a parent during dismissal, now it has to be a phone call or an email. You could chat with co-workers while making photo copies or walking students to recess and now that has to be a scheduled meeting. Wednesdays are crazy busy and telling teachers to set up their class room on Wednesdays would mean something has to give.

? how are you having convos with a parent during dismal pre-covid? Parents are not allowed in the school building during dismal. We all wait outside or at the bus stop.

I have never had a teacher reach out to me in person. It's always by phone or email pre-covid.

My students dismiss directly from the portable and most families walk. It's a great opportunity to have informal conversations and keep families in the loop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a teacher Wednesdays are often my most exhausting. Grading, calling parents, lesson planning, meetings, helping students. Just constant grunt work.

Those of you thinking Wednesdays are a day off, have no idea.

Didn't you have to do all that during in-person school also?

The amount of "grunt work" has increased significantly. In the past you could have a quick conversation with a parent during dismissal, now it has to be a phone call or an email. You could chat with co-workers while making photo copies or walking students to recess and now that has to be a scheduled meeting. Wednesdays are crazy busy and telling teachers to set up their class room on Wednesdays would mean something has to give.

I have not received one email or phone call from a teacher or vice versa. I have 5 kids and only the high schooler does homework on Wed

Just stop complaining already. I mean really. It is embarrassing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a teacher Wednesdays are often my most exhausting. Grading, calling parents, lesson planning, meetings, helping students. Just constant grunt work.

Those of you thinking Wednesdays are a day off, have no idea.

Didn't you have to do all that during in-person school also?

The amount of "grunt work" has increased significantly. In the past you could have a quick conversation with a parent during dismissal, now it has to be a phone call or an email. You could chat with co-workers while making photo copies or walking students to recess and now that has to be a scheduled meeting. Wednesdays are crazy busy and telling teachers to set up their class room on Wednesdays would mean something has to give.

I have not received one email or phone call from a teacher or vice versa. I have 5 kids and only the high schooler does homework on Wed

Just stop complaining already. I mean really. It is embarrassing

I'm sorry to hear that your children's teachers haven't reached out more. At the elementary level, I've been in touch with the families every other week or so, but it might vary from school to school and from elementary to middle to high.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I guess they cannot walk and chew gum at the same time either.

But, but, but..... it's toooooo hard!!! LOL

Fine. I'll set up my classroom while simultaneously teaching your kid. I hope they can hear me while I drag the desks into position and don't mind me getting up to put name tags, hand sanitizer and tissues on the desks in the middle of them asking a question.

Trust me, teachers already do a lot of multi-tasking while teaching. Wanting them to set up a physical classroom while simultaneously teaching virtually is an idiotic idea.

THIS is classic. I could physically set up a classroom during lunch and before/after my work day, which is extended because I’m helping my kids with distance learning. But never mind. I could still do it without extra days.

You know what you whiny teacher. You get breaks, days off, and Summers off every year and still get paid of 60+K a year. You have had massive amount of time off this year alone. Wednesdays are now off. You work at home and 40 hours a week is a joke at best. If you want 4 days off to decorate your classroom, than you work 4 more days at the end of the year. The kids come first, right?!?!? The kids and struggling families have suffered enough because of you, the teacher's union, and the MCPS board. Check yourself with the "drag the desks" comments. Millions of workers are dragging themselves outside of their homes to work hard labor, front line workers, drivers, cashiers, etc.... Leaving their kids at home ALONE to provide for them and also risk getting Covid. No one gives two sheets of empathy about you having to re-arrange your freaking classroom. You are embarrassing your occupation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a teacher Wednesdays are often my most exhausting. Grading, calling parents, lesson planning, meetings, helping students. Just constant grunt work.

Those of you thinking Wednesdays are a day off, have no idea.

Didn't you have to do all that during in-person school also?

The amount of "grunt work" has increased significantly. In the past you could have a quick conversation with a parent during dismissal, now it has to be a phone call or an email. You could chat with co-workers while making photo copies or walking students to recess and now that has to be a scheduled meeting. Wednesdays are crazy busy and telling teachers to set up their class room on Wednesdays would mean something has to give.

I have not received one email or phone call from a teacher or vice versa. I have 5 kids and only the high schooler does homework on Wed

Just stop complaining already. I mean really. It is embarrassing

I have 3 and also have never talked to a teacher via email or phone. Last year or this year. Two in ES and one in MS.

[Anonymous]

Good g-d, the nastiness on this thread.

Better not be any DCUM bitching about “my kid’s classroom is soooo borrriiinggg! I wanted more from in-person!!!!”