Teacher here, ready to throw in the towel...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am shocked that there are ES teachers expecting to teach in person via last year’s google shite.

They are being told to prepare to do so when students are on rolling quarantines. If school systems wanted something better, they could have paid a team of teachers to develop district wide lessons.

I’m talking about in-person in classroom. Sure, if there’s some extremely unusual situation and the class is all home, pull out last years horrible Gatehouse math slides and unreadable TPT scanned in worksheets. But that’s an emergency situation, not a plan for the year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

DP. You should be using, either in whole or in part, what you used last year during DL or hybrid/concurrent. You should not be starting from scratch each time. Just sayin'. If I were your evaluator and you told me you were planning on starting from scratch every time this year then I would be doing a serious reevaluation of whether you were in the right assignment.

Different poster. We can't just do that. If you work for a large school district, you need to follow their plans. I can't tell you the number of times last year the plans changed on us. We can't just use "in whole or in part" what we used last year during Distance learning. That was distance learning. We were told which portions of the day had to be asynchronous learning and what those assignments were to be, and how they matched up with the curriculum, and how much time they should take students to do. And how much should be synchronous learning (Zoom and/or in class instruction) with assignments completed on Google Classroom, etc.

This year, so far, we are not doing distance learning. We aren't doing Zoom and Room lessons and posting work online. So far as we have been told, we are back to our usual, in school only classroom instruction (including a lot of small group instruction). Having students out for 1 to 2 days per illness is usually and normal and we deal with that all the time. Usually they complete a few worksheets we did in class, or a journal assignment, or make up a quiz. Or the work is simply excused.

But having multiple students out, not for illness, but for quarantine, for 10-14 days, on and off all Sept-November, missing 2- 3 weeks of instruction, is not the same thing. We aren't going to be turning on our cameras and doing hybrid instruction again, because that would allow all the parents who wanted to request virtual instruction with the classroom teacher, and the school district isn't allowing it. (If you wanted virtual you had to select it already and it isn't through your child's own school.).

I also work for a large district. I am in NoVa. I see the first poster's point. I think you're making this harder for yourself than it needs to be. At this point the schools in the DMV are 1:1. Use that to your advantage. Use Kami or Nearpod for delivery of materials that you've either printed in the past years or that you used last year. Stop digging such a deep hole. No one in our school system (no coach, no principal and no one from "central office") is telling people to start from scratch or to avoid using materials from prior years. That would be dumb.

Many schools are 1:1, but
1) the equipment differs greatly —sometimes even within systems. DD was issued a crappy old school Chromebook to take back and forth. DS was issued a top of the line touch screen one. They are both rising 10th.
2) devices matter less than the school or district purchased software
3) students are at varying levels of comfort with the technology (hardware or software). Add the stress of being positive to Covid and unexpectedly out of school and it’s not going to plug and play for 100% of kids.

Sigh. All devices have the same software and, frankly, it doesn't really matter if it is an old Chromebook or a new one. Students who have a low comfort level with technology in the 10th grade have bigger problems than their equipment if they have reached 10th grade and cannot use the basic school software.

(DP)

The ease of using the touch screen matters for many kids. Also, my district keeps changing the software we use. What was used in 8th and 9th grade might not be used in 10th. There’s a new software for HS math this year.

What new software for math? Do you mean Desmos? That's been around for a few years. It is NOT new.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am shocked that there are ES teachers expecting to teach in person via last year’s google shite.

They are being told to prepare to do so when students are on rolling quarantines. If school systems wanted something better, they could have paid a team of teachers to develop district wide lessons.

I’m talking about in-person in classroom. Sure, if there’s some extremely unusual situation and the class is all home, pull out last years horrible Gatehouse math slides and unreadable TPT scanned in worksheets. But that’s an emergency situation, not a plan for the year.

I don’t think anyone is planning to do that year. Maybe just douse the torches for now and see what teachers actually do under as normal conditions as possible?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

DP. You should be using, either in whole or in part, what you used last year during DL or hybrid/concurrent. You should not be starting from scratch each time. Just sayin'. If I were your evaluator and you told me you were planning on starting from scratch every time this year then I would be doing a serious reevaluation of whether you were in the right assignment.

Different poster. We can't just do that. If you work for a large school district, you need to follow their plans. I can't tell you the number of times last year the plans changed on us. We can't just use "in whole or in part" what we used last year during Distance learning. That was distance learning. We were told which portions of the day had to be asynchronous learning and what those assignments were to be, and how they matched up with the curriculum, and how much time they should take students to do. And how much should be synchronous learning (Zoom and/or in class instruction) with assignments completed on Google Classroom, etc.

This year, so far, we are not doing distance learning. We aren't doing Zoom and Room lessons and posting work online. So far as we have been told, we are back to our usual, in school only classroom instruction (including a lot of small group instruction). Having students out for 1 to 2 days per illness is usually and normal and we deal with that all the time. Usually they complete a few worksheets we did in class, or a journal assignment, or make up a quiz. Or the work is simply excused.

But having multiple students out, not for illness, but for quarantine, for 10-14 days, on and off all Sept-November, missing 2- 3 weeks of instruction, is not the same thing. We aren't going to be turning on our cameras and doing hybrid instruction again, because that would allow all the parents who wanted to request virtual instruction with the classroom teacher, and the school district isn't allowing it. (If you wanted virtual you had to select it already and it isn't through your child's own school.).

I also work for a large district. I am in NoVa. I see the first poster's point. I think you're making this harder for yourself than it needs to be. At this point the schools in the DMV are 1:1. Use that to your advantage. Use Kami or Nearpod for delivery of materials that you've either printed in the past years or that you used last year. Stop digging such a deep hole. No one in our school system (no coach, no principal and no one from "central office") is telling people to start from scratch or to avoid using materials from prior years. That would be dumb.

Many schools are 1:1, but
1) the equipment differs greatly —sometimes even within systems. DD was issued a crappy old school Chromebook to take back and forth. DS was issued a top of the line touch screen one. They are both rising 10th.
2) devices matter less than the school or district purchased software
3) students are at varying levels of comfort with the technology (hardware or software). Add the stress of being positive to Covid and unexpectedly out of school and it’s not going to plug and play for 100% of kids.

Sigh. All devices have the same software and, frankly, it doesn't really matter if it is an old Chromebook or a new one. Students who have a low comfort level with technology in the 10th grade have bigger problems than their equipment if they have reached 10th grade and cannot use the basic school software.

(DP)

The ease of using the touch screen matters for many kids. Also, my district keeps changing the software we use. What was used in 8th and 9th grade might not be used in 10th. There’s a new software for HS math this year.

What new software for math? Do you mean Desmos? That's been around for a few years. It is NOT new.

Not Desmos. Edmentum and it is new to us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

DP. You should be using, either in whole or in part, what you used last year during DL or hybrid/concurrent. You should not be starting from scratch each time. Just sayin'. If I were your evaluator and you told me you were planning on starting from scratch every time this year then I would be doing a serious reevaluation of whether you were in the right assignment.

Different poster. We can't just do that. If you work for a large school district, you need to follow their plans. I can't tell you the number of times last year the plans changed on us. We can't just use "in whole or in part" what we used last year during Distance learning. That was distance learning. We were told which portions of the day had to be asynchronous learning and what those assignments were to be, and how they matched up with the curriculum, and how much time they should take students to do. And how much should be synchronous learning (Zoom and/or in class instruction) with assignments completed on Google Classroom, etc.

This year, so far, we are not doing distance learning. We aren't doing Zoom and Room lessons and posting work online. So far as we have been told, we are back to our usual, in school only classroom instruction (including a lot of small group instruction). Having students out for 1 to 2 days per illness is usually and normal and we deal with that all the time. Usually they complete a few worksheets we did in class, or a journal assignment, or make up a quiz. Or the work is simply excused.

But having multiple students out, not for illness, but for quarantine, for 10-14 days, on and off all Sept-November, missing 2- 3 weeks of instruction, is not the same thing. We aren't going to be turning on our cameras and doing hybrid instruction again, because that would allow all the parents who wanted to request virtual instruction with the classroom teacher, and the school district isn't allowing it. (If you wanted virtual you had to select it already and it isn't through your child's own school.).

I also work for a large district. I am in NoVa. I see the first poster's point. I think you're making this harder for yourself than it needs to be. At this point the schools in the DMV are 1:1. Use that to your advantage. Use Kami or Nearpod for delivery of materials that you've either printed in the past years or that you used last year. Stop digging such a deep hole. No one in our school system (no coach, no principal and no one from "central office") is telling people to start from scratch or to avoid using materials from prior years. That would be dumb.

Many schools are 1:1, but
1) the equipment differs greatly —sometimes even within systems. DD was issued a crappy old school Chromebook to take back and forth. DS was issued a top of the line touch screen one. They are both rising 10th.
2) devices matter less than the school or district purchased software
3) students are at varying levels of comfort with the technology (hardware or software). Add the stress of being positive to Covid and unexpectedly out of school and it’s not going to plug and play for 100% of kids.

Sigh. All devices have the same software and, frankly, it doesn't really matter if it is an old Chromebook or a new one. Students who have a low comfort level with technology in the 10th grade have bigger problems than their equipment if they have reached 10th grade and cannot use the basic school software.

(DP)

The ease of using the touch screen matters for many kids. Also, my district keeps changing the software we use. What was used in 8th and 9th grade might not be used in 10th. There’s a new software for HS math this year.

What new software for math? Do you mean Desmos? That's been around for a few years. It is NOT new.

Not Desmos. Edmentum and it is new to us.

Huh. That has been around a while. And it is easy. I mean, I would not be worried about using it at all...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

DP. You should be using, either in whole or in part, what you used last year during DL or hybrid/concurrent. You should not be starting from scratch each time. Just sayin'. If I were your evaluator and you told me you were planning on starting from scratch every time this year then I would be doing a serious reevaluation of whether you were in the right assignment.

Different poster. We can't just do that. If you work for a large school district, you need to follow their plans. I can't tell you the number of times last year the plans changed on us. We can't just use "in whole or in part" what we used last year during Distance learning. That was distance learning. We were told which portions of the day had to be asynchronous learning and what those assignments were to be, and how they matched up with the curriculum, and how much time they should take students to do. And how much should be synchronous learning (Zoom and/or in class instruction) with assignments completed on Google Classroom, etc.

This year, so far, we are not doing distance learning. We aren't doing Zoom and Room lessons and posting work online. So far as we have been told, we are back to our usual, in school only classroom instruction (including a lot of small group instruction). Having students out for 1 to 2 days per illness is usually and normal and we deal with that all the time. Usually they complete a few worksheets we did in class, or a journal assignment, or make up a quiz. Or the work is simply excused.

But having multiple students out, not for illness, but for quarantine, for 10-14 days, on and off all Sept-November, missing 2- 3 weeks of instruction, is not the same thing. We aren't going to be turning on our cameras and doing hybrid instruction again, because that would allow all the parents who wanted to request virtual instruction with the classroom teacher, and the school district isn't allowing it. (If you wanted virtual you had to select it already and it isn't through your child's own school.).

I also work for a large district. I am in NoVa. I see the first poster's point. I think you're making this harder for yourself than it needs to be. At this point the schools in the DMV are 1:1. Use that to your advantage. Use Kami or Nearpod for delivery of materials that you've either printed in the past years or that you used last year. Stop digging such a deep hole. No one in our school system (no coach, no principal and no one from "central office") is telling people to start from scratch or to avoid using materials from prior years. That would be dumb.

Many schools are 1:1, but
1) the equipment differs greatly —sometimes even within systems. DD was issued a crappy old school Chromebook to take back and forth. DS was issued a top of the line touch screen one. They are both rising 10th.
2) devices matter less than the school or district purchased software
3) students are at varying levels of comfort with the technology (hardware or software). Add the stress of being positive to Covid and unexpectedly out of school and it’s not going to plug and play for 100% of kids.

Sigh. All devices have the same software and, frankly, it doesn't really matter if it is an old Chromebook or a new one. Students who have a low comfort level with technology in the 10th grade have bigger problems than their equipment if they have reached 10th grade and cannot use the basic school software.

(DP)

The ease of using the touch screen matters for many kids. Also, my district keeps changing the software we use. What was used in 8th and 9th grade might not be used in 10th. There’s a new software for HS math this year.

What new software for math? Do you mean Desmos? That's been around for a few years. It is NOT new.

Not Desmos. Edmentum and it is new to us.

Huh. That has been around a while. And it is easy. I mean, I would not be worried about using it at all...

But it is new to students and some just mastered the old system we used.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Talking is overrated. All teachers need to shut up about how to deal with stuff, and actually DEAL with stuff!

Ah, you sound lovely. No wonder your kids are desperate to get to school.

I hope you’re one of my parents. Tell me that, and I’ll quit on the spot. There’s no one to replace me so that education thing will be on you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do they need software for math? Isn’t it better to learn it by working it out on paper? Then the teacher can correct mistakes in the steps.

Even teachers didn’t ask to do it this way. It came from Centrsl Office because it allows easy data crunching. If it matters at all, all of my older DD’s college math was submitted via software.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Talking is overrated. All teachers need to shut up about how to deal with stuff, and actually DEAL with stuff!

But we teachers don’t operate as solo practitioners. We work for schools and districts and need to follow their plan for how to DEAL. I’m not seeing anything realistic and I’m tired of heading back to work just to have things fall apart last minute and WHOOPS PIVOT! Thank you in advance for your flexibility in these difficult times.

I’m particularly peeved about doing lunch duty. Indoors, unvaccinated kids unmasked for thirty minutes, sitting cheek to jowl, and me with my waning vaccination immunity for another month or so before I can get a booster. Meanwhile my school district is hosting a drive thru teacher employment fair so the central office workers don’t get exposed to COVID.

It’s highly unlikely you will die. Or even get complications. You have had a year of not being around kids. Time to get back and deal. -DP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools have been operating in person all around the country for quite some time now. My kids went back in person in FCPS elementary for 4th quarter last school year. They did not have a single case of covid. I think it's going to be fine. And I think they will roll with whatever happens. I know in FCPS, the health department is responsible for handling contact tracing and determining quarantine. Anecdotally, they seem to rarely to quarantining a whole classroom. I just don't think it's going to be that difficult to figure things out as they come.

That was before delta.

And quarantining an entire elementary school classroom is actually easier than just quarantining eight kids that were exposed that week. And then another six kids that are exposed in the next week. And then the teacher is exposed the following week… How our school districts planning on keeping all these kids up to speed, when a few of them are gone for 10 to 14 days at a time, multiple times all fall? Without virtual instruction?

It was also before vaccines which negates everything else. We get it, you are looking to ways to teach from your jammies, but we are out of grace. Get to work

Exactly!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
You are insisting on missing the point. Why aren't you pulling up your Nearpods or Kami documents from last year and using them this year? You don't need them recorded. But you can easily use those and make modifications based on your experiences last year with what worked and what did not work.

To my knowledge no public school system in the DMV has the expectation that teachers will be distributing, collecting and grading paper documents. You need to use the electronic documents that you used last year.

At this point I believe that you are either being deliberately obstructive to making this year work or deliberately obtuse in how to make this year work. Either way I am done with your nonsense. Good luck to your students because it sounds like they're going to need every bit of luck they can get with you as their teacher.

I feel like you are the one missing the point. Your Nearpod/Kami suggestion solves a problem I do not have.

The problem is that students who are quarantined and excluded from school for possibly multiple 10 day periods will be missing their direct instruction if we don't give them a way to participate in virtual learning, which right now my school district is not allowing.

My concern is that instructionally, this fall is going to be a mess. And after last year, I'm just not up for it any longer. I want to just bow out and let someone else take my job, and I'm this close to doing it. My mother is elderly and needs someone to help her out more often and my husband is already retired. We have health care taken care of already and the house is paid off. I was trying to stick around a few more years for full retirement but man... I'm ready to quit now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

It was also before vaccines which negates everything else. We get it, you are looking to ways to teach from your jammies, but we are out of grace. Get to work

Exactly!

No I specifically do not want to teach virtually. I was given the option to do that but turned it down ,because I want to see my students in person. But I don't want to do this quarantining mess with 4th graders. I am seriously thinking of just not returning to work. I don't need the money that badly and I don't have it in me to keep "pivoting" another year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Talking is overrated. All teachers need to shut up about how to deal with stuff, and actually DEAL with stuff!

Maybe we are tired of being the solution to all of society's problems. Maybe we want everyone to know how it really is in schools. We have dealt with our inept school districts for our entire careers. Now you get to see what we have to put up with.

The solution to all of society's problems? Christ lady, get over yourself.

Teachers/Public Schools are asked to:
Detect various forms of abuse and neglect.
Detect rapid gains in BMI or failure to thrive.
Detect mental health issues ranging from anxiety and mild depression to OCD, bipolar, even schizophrenia or more severe.
Identify families in financial crisis or housing insecurity that need a referral to social services.
Supply weather appropriate clothing, bedding, and shoes as well as supplemental food (3 meals + snacks, weekend food).

As a former desperately poor kid who was being abused sexually, I support all that schools do now, but it is too much! Doctors do not also have to see if kids are making educational progress.

Is that your list of “all of society’s problems”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Talking is overrated. All teachers need to shut up about how to deal with stuff, and actually DEAL with stuff!

Ah, you sound lovely. No wonder your kids are desperate to get to school.

I hope you’re one of my parents. Tell me that, and I’ll quit on the spot. There’s no one to replace me so that education thing will be on you.

What a hilarious empty threat. You sound real tuff.

[Anonymous]

You can’t plan on the summer if you don’t know what grade you’re teaching until the fall, and several people I know had that changed during the week we returned to set up. And in FCPS, everyone teaches in lock step with others in your grade or subject, or else that’s not equity and you’ll be written up.