How is FCPS teacher/staff shortage?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My principal talked with me about becoming a coach. My response was, "no way, never". I want to make a difference for kids and coaches don't do that. And no, they don't help kids through teachers either. Coaching is a position that should be eliminated. That money spent could be used to fund positions that actually impact students.

What a short sighted and ego centric view. I learned so much about bettering myself as an educator once I removed my shield and engaged with my instructional coach. I'm now an instructional coach in a different district and there are many ways to use the role to also make a difference for kids. Maybe your specific coach doesn't fulfill their role to their entire potential, but to just say that a position that I highly value is useless and doesn't help kids is nasty. I'm am educator with the same mission and goals as you, so maybe stop attacking my role.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Damn. What a bunch of complainers here. I guess the teachers Facebook group wasn’t enough for you. You needed to come here to whine as well. Enjoy your toxic echo chamber. Thankfully you don’t represent the majority of us.

—signed an FCPS teacher

LOL this is either a trolling parent, or an administrator.

How dare you teachers complain! Everything is rosy all the time and you are thrilled to be teaching in fcps and you love everything about it all the time. Or else.

I was thinking the same...I'm going with parent.

I was thinking coach

That is exactly what I thought. 😊

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My principal talked with me about becoming a coach. My response was, "no way, never". I want to make a difference for kids and coaches don't do that. And no, they don't help kids through teachers either. Coaching is a position that should be eliminated. That money spent could be used to fund positions that actually impact students.

What a short sighted and ego centric view. I learned so much about bettering myself as an educator once I removed my shield and engaged with my instructional coach. I'm now an instructional coach in a different district and there are many ways to use the role to also make a difference for kids. Maybe your specific coach doesn't fulfill their role to their entire potential, but to just say that a position that I highly value is useless and doesn't help kids is nasty. I'm am educator with the same mission and goals as you, so maybe stop attacking my role.

Are you familiar with what they do in FCPS? They “run” CLTs. They sit in CLTs 14 hours out of a 30 hour week and facilitate a meeting (time keeper). Then probably another 3-5 hours in meeting with admin, 2-4 hours with “coach meetings”, 2-3 hours a week in MTSS meetings. No useful to teachers at all and especially not useful to students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My principal talked with me about becoming a coach. My response was, "no way, never". I want to make a difference for kids and coaches don't do that. And no, they don't help kids through teachers either. Coaching is a position that should be eliminated. That money spent could be used to fund positions that actually impact students.

What a short sighted and ego centric view. I learned so much about bettering myself as an educator once I removed my shield and engaged with my instructional coach. I'm now an instructional coach in a different district and there are many ways to use the role to also make a difference for kids. Maybe your specific coach doesn't fulfill their role to their entire potential, but to just say that a position that I highly value is useless and doesn't help kids is nasty. I'm am educator with the same mission and goals as you, so maybe stop attacking my role.

Do you actually work with kids? Cause in FCPS they don’t. I am sorry you are offended, but maybe you also need to start thinking if your staff feels the same way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My principal talked with me about becoming a coach. My response was, "no way, never". I want to make a difference for kids and coaches don't do that. And no, they don't help kids through teachers either. Coaching is a position that should be eliminated. That money spent could be used to fund positions that actually impact students.

What a short sighted and ego centric view. I learned so much about bettering myself as an educator once I removed my shield and engaged with my instructional coach. I'm now an instructional coach in a different district and there are many ways to use the role to also make a difference for kids. Maybe your specific coach doesn't fulfill their role to their entire potential, but to just say that a position that I highly value is useless and doesn't help kids is nasty. I'm am educator with the same mission and goals as you, so maybe stop attacking my role.

Such as? I’m genuinely curious how your position is used. Like a pp mentioned, much of our coach’s time is spent in CT meetings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My principal talked with me about becoming a coach. My response was, "no way, never". I want to make a difference for kids and coaches don't do that. And no, they don't help kids through teachers either. Coaching is a position that should be eliminated. That money spent could be used to fund positions that actually impact students.

What a short sighted and ego centric view. I learned so much about bettering myself as an educator once I removed my shield and engaged with my instructional coach. I'm now an instructional coach in a different district and there are many ways to use the role to also make a difference for kids. Maybe your specific coach doesn't fulfill their role to their entire potential, but to just say that a position that I highly value is useless and doesn't help kids is nasty. I'm am educator with the same mission and goals as you, so maybe stop attacking my role.

Are you familiar with what they do in FCPS? They “run” CLTs. They sit in CLTs 14 hours out of a 30 hour week and facilitate a meeting (time keeper). Then probably another 3-5 hours in meeting with admin, 2-4 hours with “coach meetings”, 2-3 hours a week in MTSS meetings. No useful to teachers at all and especially not useful to students.

Yes to all of this.

I’d be happy if we could reduce the number of CT meetings, but admin seems to think they are “valuable”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just went into MyPDE and counted 19 online trainings that have to be completed by Sept. 30 and 1 that has to be done by Sept. 1. I thought, "This can't be right", but it looks that way.

I thought it was more like 10 or 11 trainings. Ugh.

A bunch of them take less than 5 minutes. Teachers have August 12 as a work in an alternate location day. The trainings can be done then.

Are you sure? That would help if our school admin doesn’t schedule something else. The only day that is listed as such is June 20. https://www.fcps.edu/sites/default/files/media/pdf/2022-2023-standard-school-year-calendar.pdf

It kind of stinks that only 2 of the first 6 are TW days and the second is that Friday, most likely after Open House.

Aug 12 is not an alternative location workday. Some principals may make it that, but it is not county-wide.

That’s my concern. IME principals don’t adhere to the defining policies regarding TW/SD/SP and we end up not having enough time to prepare for the start of school. As it is only two of the first six are TWs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just went into MyPDE and counted 19 online trainings that have to be completed by Sept. 30 and 1 that has to be done by Sept. 1. I thought, "This can't be right", but it looks that way.

I thought it was more like 10 or 11 trainings. Ugh.

A bunch of them take less than 5 minutes. Teachers have August 12 as a work in an alternate location day. The trainings can be done then.

Are you sure? That would help if our school admin doesn’t schedule something else. The only day that is listed as such is June 20. https://www.fcps.edu/sites/default/files/media/pdf/2022-2023-standard-school-year-calendar.pdf

It kind of stinks that only 2 of the first 6 are TW days and the second is that Friday, most likely after Open House.

Aug 12 is not an alternative location workday. Some principals may make it that, but it is not county-wide.

It is. There is a doc on the Employee Hub with all the dates. If your principal is making you come in they are not following the rules.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just went into MyPDE and counted 19 online trainings that have to be completed by Sept. 30 and 1 that has to be done by Sept. 1. I thought, "This can't be right", but it looks that way.

I thought it was more like 10 or 11 trainings. Ugh.

A bunch of them take less than 5 minutes. Teachers have August 12 as a work in an alternate location day. The trainings can be done then.

Are you sure? That would help if our school admin doesn’t schedule something else. The only day that is listed as such is June 20. https://www.fcps.edu/sites/default/files/media/pdf/2022-2023-standard-school-year-calendar.pdf

It kind of stinks that only 2 of the first 6 are TW days and the second is that Friday, most likely after Open House.

Aug 12 is not an alternative location workday. Some principals may make it that, but it is not county-wide.

It is. There is a doc on the Employee Hub with all the dates. If your principal is making you come in they are not following the rules.

If you have a principal who “follows the rules”, you’re lucky.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My principal talked with me about becoming a coach. My response was, "no way, never". I want to make a difference for kids and coaches don't do that. And no, they don't help kids through teachers either. Coaching is a position that should be eliminated. That money spent could be used to fund positions that actually impact students.

What a short sighted and ego centric view. I learned so much about bettering myself as an educator once I removed my shield and engaged with my instructional coach. I'm now an instructional coach in a different district and there are many ways to use the role to also make a difference for kids. Maybe your specific coach doesn't fulfill their role to their entire potential, but to just say that a position that I highly value is useless and doesn't help kids is nasty. I'm am educator with the same mission and goals as you, so maybe stop attacking my role.

Name your district or we don’t believe you. I work in a different district and my kids attend FCPS. The instructional coaches in my district are every bit as useless as they are here. They do not benefit students. They create meetings and busywork to try and look important. We are resentful because that is a position that could be used to lower our class numbers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just went into MyPDE and counted 19 online trainings that have to be completed by Sept. 30 and 1 that has to be done by Sept. 1. I thought, "This can't be right", but it looks that way.

I thought it was more like 10 or 11 trainings. Ugh.

A bunch of them take less than 5 minutes. Teachers have August 12 as a work in an alternate location day. The trainings can be done then.

Are you sure? That would help if our school admin doesn’t schedule something else. The only day that is listed as such is June 20. https://www.fcps.edu/sites/default/files/media/pdf/2022-2023-standard-school-year-calendar.pdf

It kind of stinks that only 2 of the first 6 are TW days and the second is that Friday, most likely after Open House.

Aug 12 is not an alternative location workday. Some principals may make it that, but it is not county-wide.

It is. There is a doc on the Employee Hub with all the dates. If your principal is making you come in they are not following the rules.

You go ahead and take a look: https://www.fcps.edu/sites/default/files/media/pdf/2022-23-employee-calendar.pdf
It was changed at the end of last year. June 20 is the alternate location day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My principal talked with me about becoming a coach. My response was, "no way, never". I want to make a difference for kids and coaches don't do that. And no, they don't help kids through teachers either. Coaching is a position that should be eliminated. That money spent could be used to fund positions that actually impact students.

What a short sighted and ego centric view. I learned so much about bettering myself as an educator once I removed my shield and engaged with my instructional coach. I'm now an instructional coach in a different district and there are many ways to use the role to also make a difference for kids. Maybe your specific coach doesn't fulfill their role to their entire potential, but to just say that a position that I highly value is useless and doesn't help kids is nasty. I'm am educator with the same mission and goals as you, so maybe stop attacking my role.

Name your district or we don’t believe you. I work in a different district and my kids attend FCPS. The instructional coaches in my district are every bit as useless as they are here. They do not benefit students. They create meetings and busywork to try and look important. We are resentful because that is a position that could be used to lower our class numbers.

+1, this year I decided to use the instructional coach as I was switching to a new grade - 3 years lower than the previous years. I asked to meet with her twice to discuss lesson ideas/reteaching and both times the dates she offered me where over 1-2 weeks later because her schedule was filled with meetings. Coaching teachers should trump meetings…that’s the job, correct?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My principal talked with me about becoming a coach. My response was, "no way, never". I want to make a difference for kids and coaches don't do that. And no, they don't help kids through teachers either. Coaching is a position that should be eliminated. That money spent could be used to fund positions that actually impact students.

What a short sighted and ego centric view. I learned so much about bettering myself as an educator once I removed my shield and engaged with my instructional coach. I'm now an instructional coach in a different district and there are many ways to use the role to also make a difference for kids. Maybe your specific coach doesn't fulfill their role to their entire potential, but to just say that a position that I highly value is useless and doesn't help kids is nasty. I'm am educator with the same mission and goals as you, so maybe stop attacking my role.

I’m sorry you find disagreement “nasty.” Perhaps this is part of the problem. I often find coaches have a hard time looking at things from many sides and critically and realistically thinking about teaching. They often hold the party line and place fealty to the district above what kids need.

The idea of having coaches is like trickle down economics: It keeps a few people earning lots of money, but the majority of the workers ( and in this case children) lose out. Truth is, the further removed you are from kids the less power you have to make an impact on a child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My principal talked with me about becoming a coach. My response was, "no way, never". I want to make a difference for kids and coaches don't do that. And no, they don't help kids through teachers either. Coaching is a position that should be eliminated. That money spent could be used to fund positions that actually impact students.

What a short sighted and ego centric view. I learned so much about bettering myself as an educator once I removed my shield and engaged with my instructional coach. I'm now an instructional coach in a different district and there are many ways to use the role to also make a difference for kids. Maybe your specific coach doesn't fulfill their role to their entire potential, but to just say that a position that I highly value is useless and doesn't help kids is nasty. I'm am educator with the same mission and goals as you, so maybe stop attacking my role.

Yeah, it's useless.

[Anonymous]

Not all schools even have coaches. Our coach want our CLTs and it was sometimes frustrating because of the way we had to run our time together.

But in the end, all of our resource people were covering or subbing by the end of the year.