After This Last School Year, Is Anyone Leaving for Private?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After listening to the teaching that DC experienced over Zoom I would love to send to private but it's not affordable.
The amount of time wasted, the lack of individual feedback....EVER... the lack of rigor in the work.. I was and am disgusted at the state of "education. "

People are disgusted with parents like you. *Shrug*

Get over yourself and try to do better.

My own DC had a teacher who spent 15 minutes doing attendance every morning. She would ask the kids some silly question like "what's your favorite type of pizza" and spend 15 minutes gabbing with the kids when they answered. 15 minutes every class. That's 30 minutes a week for a class that met twice a week. I'll give you a hint: that's 25% of the learning time wasted.

And I don't blame teachers. I blame principals and administrators who allow this to go on. Not once did an administrator observe what was going on in a class. There is no accountability in schools.

DP.. I think the chitchat was on person during covid/zoom. Teachers were trying to make it fun and engage the students. Not saying I thought DL was great. It wasn't. But, MCPS was also focused on social/emotional issues as well as academic issues this past year.

I think if my kids kids needed smaller class sizes and more individual attention, I might look at private. My older DC did really well this past year and is in a magnet. The younger one could use smaller class sizes even pre-DL, but the public schools here are large enough that they can provide very interesting programs and clubs for all, whereas the smaller ones don't have the scale to do that.

So, public we will stay.

It was absolutely done on purpose. There is 15 minutes each morning devoted to a morning meeting. The whole point is to establish a relationship with the students. I can't even believe someone is upset about it.

This was 7th grade. It was an English course. Just stop.

And no. About half the teachers wasted copious amounts of time doing everything but teaching. It wasn't one bad teacher. Half the teachers are incompetent and the administrators does nothing about it. The public school system is broken. The responses from.teachers here say it all.

The problem is that administration can't do much about bad teachers. The union makes sure of that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After listening to the teaching that DC experienced over Zoom I would love to send to private but it's not affordable.
The amount of time wasted, the lack of individual feedback....EVER... the lack of rigor in the work.. I was and am disgusted at the state of "education. "

People are disgusted with parents like you. *Shrug*

Get over yourself and try to do better.

My own DC had a teacher who spent 15 minutes doing attendance every morning. She would ask the kids some silly question like "what's your favorite type of pizza" and spend 15 minutes gabbing with the kids when they answered. 15 minutes every class. That's 30 minutes a week for a class that met twice a week. I'll give you a hint: that's 25% of the learning time wasted.

And I don't blame teachers. I blame principals and administrators who allow this to go on. Not once did an administrator observe what was going on in a class. There is no accountability in schools.

DP.. I think the chitchat was on person during covid/zoom. Teachers were trying to make it fun and engage the students. Not saying I thought DL was great. It wasn't. But, MCPS was also focused on social/emotional issues as well as academic issues this past year.

I think if my kids kids needed smaller class sizes and more individual attention, I might look at private. My older DC did really well this past year and is in a magnet. The younger one could use smaller class sizes even pre-DL, but the public schools here are large enough that they can provide very interesting programs and clubs for all, whereas the smaller ones don't have the scale to do that.

So, public we will stay.

It was absolutely done on purpose. There is 15 minutes each morning devoted to a morning meeting. The whole point is to establish a relationship with the students. I can't even believe someone is upset about it.

This was 7th grade. It was an English course. Just stop.

And no. About half the teachers wasted copious amounts of time doing everything but teaching. It wasn't one bad teacher. Half the teachers are incompetent and the administrators does nothing about it. The public school system is broken. The responses from.teachers here say it all.

The problem is that administration can't do much about bad teachers. The union makes sure of that.

OMG OMG OMG ain't it the troof!@!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't blame you.

I just hope that in the future we as a society can recognize that stopping in person learning has real consequences. Education is essential (and for large numbers of students, does not work virtually).

We were in a tough place, with no easy answers. Yes, school sucked for a lot of kids, mine included. How many more people might have died with 100% in-person school? I'm not qualified to answer that, but I can say I think we lost enough lives as it was.

We know that schools could have reopened safely with precautions in place.

We saw this happen in other parts of the country. And we saw it happen right here with private schools.

MCPS stayed closed longer than most other school systems in the US. That had too many negative effects.

Most of that information is in hindsight. The schools that opened up were doing an experiment with insufficient and evolving data. They weren’t smart they were lucky. I’m a public school parent and the sibling of a public school teacher and I am glad that they put the health and safety of my sibling and that of the children first.

Sure. And we were really UNlucky that our kids were kept out of school buildings for over a year. For no good reason.

Ah the Monday morning quarterback. We were unlucky there was a global pandemic. Most people
Did the best they could with the info they had. The idea that any of this was easier for the teachers and schools is laughable. Too bad you can’t or won’t look past the end of your own nose. We are very lucky this virus isn’t killing very many kids…..yet.

+1

[Anonymous]

No, sadly it was one of our better years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't blame you.

I just hope that in the future we as a society can recognize that stopping in person learning has real consequences. Education is essential (and for large numbers of students, does not work virtually).

We were in a tough place, with no easy answers. Yes, school sucked for a lot of kids, mine included. How many more people might have died with 100% in-person school? I'm not qualified to answer that, but I can say I think we lost enough lives as it was.

We know that schools could have reopened safely with precautions in place.

We saw this happen in other parts of the country. And we saw it happen right here with private schools.

MCPS stayed closed longer than most other school systems in the US. That had too many negative effects.

Most of that information is in hindsight. The schools that opened up were doing an experiment with insufficient and evolving data. They weren’t smart they were lucky. I’m a public school parent and the sibling of a public school teacher and I am glad that they put the health and safety of my sibling and that of the children first.

Sure. And we were really UNlucky that our kids were kept out of school buildings for over a year. For no good reason.

Ah the Monday morning quarterback. We were unlucky there was a global pandemic. Most people
Did the best they could with the info they had. The idea that any of this was easier for the teachers and schools is laughable. Too bad you can’t or won’t look past the end of your own nose. We are very lucky this virus isn’t killing very many kids…..yet.

+1

It's not "Monday morning quarterbacking" if we were saying it last summer. We knew closing schools would have horribly harmful effects. And it was a political decision. The proof of that to me is that MCPS didn't even offer PEP in person, while child care programs were operating for the same ages in MCPS facilities. What on earth is more freaking essential than early intervention for preschool-aged children with developmental delays? This was about the union flexing it's muscle to "prove" teachers have more power than other workers. And it was a really dumb decision - as many have pointed out this past year has been hell for teachers. Guess what, it didn't need to be. Education is essential.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After listening to the teaching that DC experienced over Zoom I would love to send to private but it's not affordable.
The amount of time wasted, the lack of individual feedback....EVER... the lack of rigor in the work.. I was and am disgusted at the state of "education. "

People are disgusted with parents like you. *Shrug*

Get over yourself and try to do better.

My own DC had a teacher who spent 15 minutes doing attendance every morning. She would ask the kids some silly question like "what's your favorite type of pizza" and spend 15 minutes gabbing with the kids when they answered. 15 minutes every class. That's 30 minutes a week for a class that met twice a week. I'll give you a hint: that's 25% of the learning time wasted.

And I don't blame teachers. I blame principals and administrators who allow this to go on. Not once did an administrator observe what was going on in a class. There is no accountability in schools.

DP.. I think the chitchat was on person during covid/zoom. Teachers were trying to make it fun and engage the students. Not saying I thought DL was great. It wasn't. But, MCPS was also focused on social/emotional issues as well as academic issues this past year.

I think if my kids kids needed smaller class sizes and more individual attention, I might look at private. My older DC did really well this past year and is in a magnet. The younger one could use smaller class sizes even pre-DL, but the public schools here are large enough that they can provide very interesting programs and clubs for all, whereas the smaller ones don't have the scale to do that.

So, public we will stay.

It was absolutely done on purpose. There is 15 minutes each morning devoted to a morning meeting. The whole point is to establish a relationship with the students. I can't even believe someone is upset about it.

+1
It’s also intended to check in with students’ well being and engage them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't blame you.

I just hope that in the future we as a society can recognize that stopping in person learning has real consequences. Education is essential (and for large numbers of students, does not work virtually).

We were in a tough place, with no easy answers. Yes, school sucked for a lot of kids, mine included. How many more people might have died with 100% in-person school? I'm not qualified to answer that, but I can say I think we lost enough lives as it was.

We know that schools could have reopened safely with precautions in place.

We saw this happen in other parts of the country. And we saw it happen right here with private schools.

MCPS stayed closed longer than most other school systems in the US. That had too many negative effects.

Most of that information is in hindsight. The schools that opened up were doing an experiment with insufficient and evolving data. They weren’t smart they were lucky. I’m a public school parent and the sibling of a public school teacher and I am glad that they put the health and safety of my sibling and that of the children first.

Sure. And we were really UNlucky that our kids were kept out of school buildings for over a year. For no good reason.

Ah the Monday morning quarterback. We were unlucky there was a global pandemic. Most people
Did the best they could with the info they had. The idea that any of this was easier for the teachers and schools is laughable. Too bad you can’t or won’t look past the end of your own nose. We are very lucky this virus isn’t killing very many kids…..yet.

+1

It's not "Monday morning quarterbacking" if we were saying it last summer. We knew closing schools would have horribly harmful effects. And it was a political decision. The proof of that to me is that MCPS didn't even offer PEP in person, while child care programs were operating for the same ages in MCPS facilities. What on earth is more freaking essential than early intervention for preschool-aged children with developmental delays? This was about the union flexing it's muscle to "prove" teachers have more power than other workers. And it was a really dumb decision - as many have pointed out this past year has been hell for teachers. Guess what, it didn't need to be. Education is essential.

What’s more important ? Umm hundreds of thousands dead for one. Just because YOU thought we should go back does not mean that the science supported that. This was a novel virus, still is. Last summer they didn’t know why it wasn’t affecting kids the same and they still don’t. The decision made in the south was just AS political if not more. No one really knew where this was going so they made the best decision they could with the Information and resources they had. I love the idea the the union has so much power. They chose to flex their power so they could make their job twice as hard? Hmm wouldn’t you think if they had the power you think they do they would flex it for more funding, more supports and more freedom to teach as they like and not to the test. You are just upset that someone got something you wanted and you are looking to blame someone in a situation where there is no one to blame except Mother Nature or God. If they had opened and thousands of kids and teachers had died I’m sure you’d be first in line to call them stupid. They can’t win. Be glad that you and your family are well in the middle of a global pandemic. Sheesh

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't blame you.

I just hope that in the future we as a society can recognize that stopping in person learning has real consequences. Education is essential (and for large numbers of students, does not work virtually).

We were in a tough place, with no easy answers. Yes, school sucked for a lot of kids, mine included. How many more people might have died with 100% in-person school? I'm not qualified to answer that, but I can say I think we lost enough lives as it was.

We know that schools could have reopened safely with precautions in place.

We saw this happen in other parts of the country. And we saw it happen right here with private schools.

MCPS stayed closed longer than most other school systems in the US. That had too many negative effects.

Most of that information is in hindsight. The schools that opened up were doing an experiment with insufficient and evolving data. They weren’t smart they were lucky. I’m a public school parent and the sibling of a public school teacher and I am glad that they put the health and safety of my sibling and that of the children first.

Sure. And we were really UNlucky that our kids were kept out of school buildings for over a year. For no good reason.

Ah the Monday morning quarterback. We were unlucky there was a global pandemic. Most people
Did the best they could with the info they had. The idea that any of this was easier for the teachers and schools is laughable. Too bad you can’t or won’t look past the end of your own nose. We are very lucky this virus isn’t killing very many kids…..yet.

+1

It's not "Monday morning quarterbacking" if we were saying it last summer. We knew closing schools would have horribly harmful effects. And it was a political decision. The proof of that to me is that MCPS didn't even offer PEP in person, while child care programs were operating for the same ages in MCPS facilities. What on earth is more freaking essential than early intervention for preschool-aged children with developmental delays? This was about the union flexing it's muscle to "prove" teachers have more power than other workers. And it was a really dumb decision - as many have pointed out this past year has been hell for teachers. Guess what, it didn't need to be. Education is essential.

What’s more important ? Umm hundreds of thousands dead for one. Just because YOU thought we should go back does not mean that the science supported that. This was a novel virus, still is. Last summer they didn’t know why it wasn’t affecting kids the same and they still don’t. The decision made in the south was just AS political if not more. No one really knew where this was going so they made the best decision they could with the Information and resources they had. I love the idea the the union has so much power. They chose to flex their power so they could make their job twice as hard? Hmm wouldn’t you think if they had the power you think they do they would flex it for more funding, more supports and more freedom to teach as they like and not to the test. You are just upset that someone got something you wanted and you are looking to blame someone in a situation where there is no one to blame except Mother Nature or God. If they had opened and thousands of kids and teachers had died I’m sure you’d be first in line to call them stupid. They can’t win. Be glad that you and your family are well in the middle of a global pandemic. Sheesh

That's a long way of saying you don't think education, including early intervention for young kids that literally can't get that time back, is essential. Got it, thanks.

[Anonymous]

Teachers got vaccines before other essential workers that were already working in person, so yes the teachers' union has power. They just can't have everything they want. Wahhhhh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We moved to a private and plan to stay there for another year.

My husband and I are both essential workers. We chose for both of us to remain in the workplace. In the post-pandemic USA mid-Atlantic, that means private school.

It is a tax on essential workers that society is in no hurry of repaying.

Yes, I harbor significant resentment against the entire public school systen after this, and will vote for any funding reduction that is available.

Most of the essential workers are low-paid workers whose children are in the public school system you are wanting to defund. Just saying.

You really don't understand who gets classified as essential workers. Doctors, nurses, IT engineers who keep datacenters and websites online for example. When the lockdown started in March, all our IT staff had letters they kept in their car in case they got pulled over, to show they were essential workers. Someone's gotta keep the internet up and running.

[Anonymous]

We were in MCPS and moved to parochial last year -- they were open in-person the entire year. We ended up liking the smaller class sizes and sense of community, but the religious element wasn't the best fit. We moved to a non-denominational private for the coming year and plan to stay that way for the foreseable future. The pandemic really exposed the inner-workings of MCPS management and I just don't have much faith in them being able to handle any issues. Teachers at MCPS were great, but they can't control the BoE and central office. I watched almost every BoE meeting last summer and I never realized the level of incompetency at that level. It only becomes an issue when they are called upon to lead.. like when you have a pandemic. Our kids are young, and I think there's a decent chance we'll have some major "event" in the next 10 years that will call for MCPS leadership, and they'll fail again.

We're in one of the richest (if not richest) ES'es in MoCo, in a W-feeder of course. We know 5 families in our DD's grade that have gone private. As it stands right now, most grades will be dropping to 2 classes/grade from 3, due to lack of enrollment. People in our area can easily afford private if they need to -- and they are doing that.

[Anonymous]

I teach in a private and so wished my own kids could have been enrolled.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After listening to the teaching that DC experienced over Zoom I would love to send to private but it's not affordable.
The amount of time wasted, the lack of individual feedback....EVER... the lack of rigor in the work.. I was and am disgusted at the state of "education. "

People are disgusted with parents like you. *Shrug*

Get over yourself and try to do better.

My own DC had a teacher who spent 15 minutes doing attendance every morning. She would ask the kids some silly question like "what's your favorite type of pizza" and spend 15 minutes gabbing with the kids when they answered. 15 minutes every class. That's 30 minutes a week for a class that met twice a week. I'll give you a hint: that's 25% of the learning time wasted.

And I don't blame teachers. I blame principals and administrators who allow this to go on. Not once did an administrator observe what was going on in a class. There is no accountability in schools.

DP.. I think the chitchat was on person during covid/zoom. Teachers were trying to make it fun and engage the students. Not saying I thought DL was great. It wasn't. But, MCPS was also focused on social/emotional issues as well as academic issues this past year.

I think if my kids kids needed smaller class sizes and more individual attention, I might look at private. My older DC did really well this past year and is in a magnet. The younger one could use smaller class sizes even pre-DL, but the public schools here are large enough that they can provide very interesting programs and clubs for all, whereas the smaller ones don't have the scale to do that.

So, public we will stay.

It was absolutely done on purpose. There is 15 minutes each morning devoted to a morning meeting. The whole point is to establish a relationship with the students. I can't even believe someone is upset about it.

This was 7th grade. It was an English course. Just stop.

And no. About half the teachers wasted copious amounts of time doing everything but teaching. It wasn't one bad teacher. Half the teachers are incompetent and the administrators does nothing about it. The public school system is broken. The responses from.teachers here say it all.

The problem is that administration can't do much about bad teachers. The union makes sure of that.

In Maryland teachers have tenure after 3 years. This makes it next to impossible for school administrators to get rid of the bad garbage if it hasn't been skimmed out within 3 years.
It's a very broken system that needs to be fixed. Teachers who do well aren't rewarded nor are there punitive consequences for bad teachers. That's no way to run any organization.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We moved to a private and plan to stay there for another year.

My husband and I are both essential workers. We chose for both of us to remain in the workplace. In the post-pandemic USA mid-Atlantic, that means private school.

It is a tax on essential workers that society is in no hurry of repaying.

Yes, I harbor significant resentment against the entire public school systen after this, and will vote for any funding reduction that is available.

Most of the essential workers are low-paid workers whose children are in the public school system you are wanting to defund. Just saying.

You really don't understand who gets classified as essential workers. Doctors, nurses, IT engineers who keep datacenters and websites online for example. When the lockdown started in March, all our IT staff had letters they kept in their car in case they got pulled over, to show they were essential workers. Someone's gotta keep the internet up and running.

Bus drivers, truck drivers, delivery drivers, car mechanics, child care workers, grocery store workers, convenience store workers, hardware store workers, construction workers, electricians, farmworkers, food production workers, warehouse workers, hospital support service workers...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I teach in a private and so wished my own kids could have been enrolled.

Me too.