Schools closed for students Monday Feb 2

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They found $800,000 to do background check screenings at the last minute. So clearly they can get their hands on emergency funds when they need it. Why didn't he tap those emergency funds to get additional supplies and/or contractors?

To be fair, the roads and sidewalks are not the school district's responsibility. The County Council should really be dealing with it. That doesn't mean Taylor is blame free, but it does once again beg the question of what the point of having a seprate BOE is if the County Council or the super is responsible for everything in reality.

Sure, the County Council is responsible for roads and sidewalks, but my understanding is that many MCPS parking lots and campuses were also behind on getting cleared and Taylor said it was because they were focused on working with the county.

The message said schools are ready, this sounds more like bus stops, busses getting through streets that have snow piled up on each side and walkways are the issue.

We cannot get to either bus stop and we don’t have sidewalks so we have to walk in the street.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And raise taxes in the county by 10% to give him the funding to handle this scenario

Raising taxes famously never caused any problem whatsoever, especially considering that MoCo is already behind economically.

MCPS has been underfunded for the last 15 years. But that's not why Taylor can't pull his head out of his a$$.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a first year teacher who has no grading responsibilities. I am literally going to go sit in my office and stare at a wall for 8 hours and have fun doing it. Might have to irish up my coffee a bit.

Then invite your students to come in.

Did you not read the part of the message that says schools are closed to students (other than private childcare?)

It does seem dumb that teachers have to trek in and sit in their classrooms alone when MCPS could have had the foresight to create a virtual learning plan so they could at least, you know, teach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stop being ridiculous. My freshman self-studied APUSH, AP Bio, AP Physics C Mechanics, AP Human Geo, and AP Psychology last year without any teacher support (he is extremely gifted but the county refuses to accept that) and got 5s on all five exams. He goes out of his way to take all advanced classes at Whitman, and didn't struggle at all with balancing his workload. In fact, if your student needs a class to get a five, consider yourself a failed parent.

Ok bigot, no need to rub yourself in our faces. My child has been diagnosed with ADHD, ADD, Sleep Apnea, and Gout. Not everyone is your kid

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They found $800,000 to do background check screenings at the last minute. So clearly they can get their hands on emergency funds when they need it. Why didn't he tap those emergency funds to get additional supplies and/or contractors?

To be fair, the roads and sidewalks are not the school district's responsibility. The County Council should really be dealing with it. That doesn't mean Taylor is blame free, but it does once again beg the question of what the point of having a seprate BOE is if the County Council or the super is responsible for everything in reality.

Sure, the County Council is responsible for roads and sidewalks, but my understanding is that many MCPS parking lots and campuses were also behind on getting cleared and Taylor said it was because they were focused on working with the county.

ITS SIMPLE MCPS HAD NO CONTRACTORS TO CLEAR ANYTHING! PARENTS SHOULD BE FURIOUS. TEACHERS AND OFFICE STAFF SHOULD HAVE BEEN WORKING LIKE EVERY OTHER ADULT!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a first year teacher who has no grading responsibilities. I am literally going to go sit in my office and stare at a wall for 8 hours and have fun doing it. Might have to irish up my coffee a bit.

Then invite your students to come in.

Did you not read the part of the message that says schools are closed to students (other than private childcare?)

It does seem dumb that teachers have to trek in and sit in their classrooms alone when MCPS could have had the foresight to create a virtual learning plan so they could at least, you know, teach.

Personally, I would never trust the county to create a virtual learning plan that could fulfill my child's needs. What they should have done was make each teacher copy all learning materials online at the beginning of the year for a case like this one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Don't forget AP exams are in May, and many APs cannot be self-studied. High schoolers need to learn their entire AP curriculum before May - extending the school year is useless for them.

Stop being ridiculous. My freshman self-studied APUSH, AP Bio, AP Physics C Mechanics, AP Human Geo, and AP Psychology last year without any teacher support (he is extremely gifted but the county refuses to accept that) and got 5s on all five exams. He goes out of his way to take all advanced classes at Whitman, and didn't struggle at all with balancing his workload. In fact, if your student needs a class to get a five, consider yourself a failed parent.

Congrats on your Young Sheldon and do let us know how you expect students to do laboratory work required for the science APs out of their homes.

As someone who also got 5s on my AP exams, I couldn’t have self studied for them and I doubt my kids could either. I needed the expert teachers I had.

If not, why do we send our kids to school if the expectation is that they can all teach themselves using YouTube.

[Anonymous]

So instead of posting HERE call 311 and report all of the areas that need plowing. You all have spent the last week complaining how MCPS needs to open. They are ready. The roads and sidewalks aren’t. Do something constructive to actually help your students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They found $800,000 to do background check screenings at the last minute. So clearly they can get their hands on emergency funds when they need it. Why didn't he tap those emergency funds to get additional supplies and/or contractors?

To be fair, the roads and sidewalks are not the school district's responsibility. The County Council should really be dealing with it. That doesn't mean Taylor is blame free, but it does once again beg the question of what the point of having a seprate BOE is if the County Council or the super is responsible for everything in reality.

Sure, the County Council is responsible for roads and sidewalks, but my understanding is that many MCPS parking lots and campuses were also behind on getting cleared and Taylor said it was because they were focused on working with the county.

ITS SIMPLE MCPS HAD NO CONTRACTORS TO CLEAR ANYTHING! PARENTS SHOULD BE FURIOUS. TEACHERS AND OFFICE STAFF SHOULD HAVE BEEN WORKING LIKE EVERY OTHER ADULT!

Teacher here. There’s no need to shout.

And I was working. Every day last week. Perhaps you didn’t see it because you weren’t in my living room with me, but classrooms take a ton of behind-the-scenes work.

So control your rage. It isn’t helping anyone, including yourself.

[Anonymous]

I'm bringing my Switch 2 and playing Pokemon on the smartboard

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Don't forget AP exams are in May, and many APs cannot be self-studied. High schoolers need to learn their entire AP curriculum before May - extending the school year is useless for them.

Stop being ridiculous. My freshman self-studied APUSH, AP Bio, AP Physics C Mechanics, AP Human Geo, and AP Psychology last year without any teacher support (he is extremely gifted but the county refuses to accept that) and got 5s on all five exams. He goes out of his way to take all advanced classes at Whitman, and didn't struggle at all with balancing his workload. In fact, if your student needs a class to get a five, consider yourself a failed parent.

Wow. You are absolutely unhinged. If your kid is capable of getting a 5 through self-study, then that means he’s exceptionally gifted and that AP probably isn’t rigorous enough for him.

But that absolutely does not invalidate the PP’s point that instruction for AP classes has to keep pace with the exam schedules for the majority of kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Uggh.

I was thinking a 2 hour delay every day next week might happen.

I dont want any more days off, nor do I want to come in for a staff development day or whatever they are throwing together tomorrow.

-a teacher

I think it's a grading and planning day?

We’ve all had grades done since last week. This is ridiculous. Either open for real or don’t make us drive there just to sit and stare.

This is ridiculous. Teachers need more time to grade ever since the county implemented this new grading policy. Grading software simply isn't built to handle these kinds of complex operations. Take it from a MIT graduate and former NASA employee.

So I have to take off tomorrow to watch my kids who don't have school or bring them with me. This is dumb. Grades have been done for days. Send the kids too...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They found $800,000 to do background check screenings at the last minute. So clearly they can get their hands on emergency funds when they need it. Why didn't he tap those emergency funds to get additional supplies and/or contractors?

To be fair, the roads and sidewalks are not the school district's responsibility. The County Council should really be dealing with it. That doesn't mean Taylor is blame free, but it does once again beg the question of what the point of having a seprate BOE is if the County Council or the super is responsible for everything in reality.

Sure, the County Council is responsible for roads and sidewalks, but my understanding is that many MCPS parking lots and campuses were also behind on getting cleared and Taylor said it was because they were focused on working with the county.

ITS SIMPLE MCPS HAD NO CONTRACTORS TO CLEAR ANYTHING! PARENTS SHOULD BE FURIOUS. TEACHERS AND OFFICE STAFF SHOULD HAVE BEEN WORKING LIKE EVERY OTHER ADULT!

What do you think teachers should have done every day between the end of the marking period and students being able to physically reenter school?

If it’s grade on Monday as already directed, and then plan for new instruction, I support that, but suspect most did it anyway although they won’t be paid for makeup days.

But honestly, every other adult has not been working. My doctor canceled appointments on Tuesday and only one staffer was in the office.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm bringing my Switch 2 and playing Pokemon on the smartboard

It's truly a shame that the teachers the county hires these days are such low quality. Any teacher worth their wage would use a playstation for obviously superior game quality

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a first year teacher who has no grading responsibilities. I am literally going to go sit in my office and stare at a wall for 8 hours and have fun doing it. Might have to irish up my coffee a bit.

Then invite your students to come in.

Not covered by insurance.
-DP