WHY aren't our children being educated on Mondays?

[Anonymous]

And in addition to facilitating their own classes and acting as aides, the music teachers are putting together videos for each sectional. It’s WAY more work than in-person school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And in addition to facilitating their own classes and acting as aides, the music teachers are putting together videos for each sectional. It’s WAY more work than in-person school.

While I love the specials teachers at my school, I know for a fact they are working a lot less than classroom teachers. In normal times a music teacher meets with kids several times a week. They are meeting with each class once. They don’t do anything on Mondays. Some have huge breaks built in during the day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any teacher who works 75 hour weeks is stupid. I say this as a teacher. You get paid for 40. Working 35 extra for free is pointless. You are burning yourself out for what? That is your family’s time. That is your time for yourself. It is not time you owe your employer. And it’s exactly why teacher salaries are what they are. Why would they pay any of us more when half of yall will martyr yourselves for free?

There are so many possible responses to this statement. When I was a first year teacher I put in a lot of extra hours, to ensure that I was comfortable with the material and the lesson that I planned. I've also put in extra hours every time I changed a subject/grade. But once you're comfortable and you've been in the same content area/grade for a while you find efficiencies and you're able to use your time more wisely.

It could be a specials teacher who has been stretched extremely thin this year. They get pulled in to provide extra support for regular classrooms for DL and that eats up all of their planning time. They basically have two jobs in our school this year. Regular specials material plus classroom aide.

Or a MS/HS teacher. I’ve been blown away by the quality of the teaching and richness of material. They are busting their butts and it shows.

LMAO! A specials teacher working 75 hours a week!?!? My dc PE teacher only plays youtube videos. Her music teacher plays Little Einstein videos.

Our PE teachers put together many of their own videos - compiled from what kids send in. They must do this on their own time because they are either running their own class or being an aide to classroom teachers all day long.

I was specifically thinking of the science teacher though who has gone above & beyond in science work this year. It’s clear from the materials that she puts together than she spends a lot of time preparing.

A science teacher? Your dc have a science special? in FCPS? My dc have art, PE, music, guidance, and library. The librarian plays youtube videos of other people reading books. The PE teacher plays youtube videos--not original videos, just random stuff. We haven't seen his face except for the first week of school. Music I don't know b/c my dc skips that one, it was pretty terrible the first two weeks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any teacher who works 75 hour weeks is stupid. I say this as a teacher. You get paid for 40. Working 35 extra for free is pointless. You are burning yourself out for what? That is your family’s time. That is your time for yourself. It is not time you owe your employer. And it’s exactly why teacher salaries are what they are. Why would they pay any of us more when half of yall will martyr yourselves for free?

There are so many possible responses to this statement. When I was a first year teacher I put in a lot of extra hours, to ensure that I was comfortable with the material and the lesson that I planned. I've also put in extra hours every time I changed a subject/grade. But once you're comfortable and you've been in the same content area/grade for a while you find efficiencies and you're able to use your time more wisely.

It is a SHAM that districts do not actually give first year teachers materials and resources so they can teach without having to do this. Why do so many first year teachers suck? Because they are given nothing and expected to work 80 hour weeks to figure it out. I don’t do free labor anymore. I’m an excellent teacher but schools will take and take and take and manipulate you into thinking it’s “for the kids.” Nope.

The irony is many of these teacher critics are likely federal workers who are notorious clock watchers that won't lift a finger outside of regular hours.

But here’s the thing, we NEED to normalize that. Our employers do not care about us. They don’t! We are all replaceable to our jobs. Teachers, federal workers, all of us. If our contract pays us for X hours, we aren’t more dedicated or more devoted or better for working more. We are actually just chumps. Other countries have fair maternity and paternity leave, extended vacation time, unlimited sick days and we in the US have tricked ourselves into thinking working beyond paid hours and through sickness and on weekends and never taking vacation or sick days is a badge of honor. It isn’t . It’s dumb

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And in addition to facilitating their own classes and acting as aides, the music teachers are putting together videos for each sectional. It’s WAY more work than in-person school.

While I love the specials teachers at my school, I know for a fact they are working a lot less than classroom teachers. In normal times a music teacher meets with kids several times a week. They are meeting with each class once. They don’t do anything on Mondays. Some have huge breaks built in during the day.

Guess it depends on the school. Each of our classroom teachers has a specials teacher with them for almost the entire day to handle small group breakouts & help troubleshooting. Plus the specials teachers have their own responsibilities - for music it’s music classes & many, many sectionals (smaller groups than in person).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And in addition to facilitating their own classes and acting as aides, the music teachers are putting together videos for each sectional. It’s WAY more work than in-person school.

While I love the specials teachers at my school, I know for a fact they are working a lot less than classroom teachers. In normal times a music teacher meets with kids several times a week. They are meeting with each class once. They don’t do anything on Mondays. Some have huge breaks built in during the day.

At our school, they are meeting once a week with 2-3 combined classes. So 75 kids in a virtual "room".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And in addition to facilitating their own classes and acting as aides, the music teachers are putting together videos for each sectional. It’s WAY more work than in-person school.

While I love the specials teachers at my school, I know for a fact they are working a lot less than classroom teachers. In normal times a music teacher meets with kids several times a week. They are meeting with each class once. They don’t do anything on Mondays. Some have huge breaks built in during the day.

Guess it depends on the school. Each of our classroom teachers has a specials teacher with them for almost the entire day to handle small group breakouts & help troubleshooting. Plus the specials teachers have their own responsibilities - for music it’s music classes & many, many sectionals (smaller groups than in person).

I haven't heard of any other school doing this.

[Anonymous]

There are ES's with science as a special? How is that acceptable?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any teacher who works 75 hour weeks is stupid. I say this as a teacher. You get paid for 40. Working 35 extra for free is pointless. You are burning yourself out for what? That is your family’s time. That is your time for yourself. It is not time you owe your employer. And it’s exactly why teacher salaries are what they are. Why would they pay any of us more when half of yall will martyr yourselves for free?

There are so many possible responses to this statement. When I was a first year teacher I put in a lot of extra hours, to ensure that I was comfortable with the material and the lesson that I planned. I've also put in extra hours every time I changed a subject/grade. But once you're comfortable and you've been in the same content area/grade for a while you find efficiencies and you're able to use your time more wisely.

It could be a specials teacher who has been stretched extremely thin this year. They get pulled in to provide extra support for regular classrooms for DL and that eats up all of their planning time. They basically have two jobs in our school this year. Regular specials material plus classroom aide.

Or a MS/HS teacher. I’ve been blown away by the quality of the teaching and richness of material. They are busting their butts and it shows.

LMAO! A specials teacher working 75 hours a week!?!? My dc PE teacher only plays youtube videos. Her music teacher plays Little Einstein videos.

Our PE teachers put together many of their own videos - compiled from what kids send in. They must do this on their own time because they are either running their own class or being an aide to classroom teachers all day long.

I was specifically thinking of the science teacher though who has gone above & beyond in science work this year. It’s clear from the materials that she puts together than she spends a lot of time preparing.

A science teacher? Your dc have a science special? in FCPS? My dc have art, PE, music, guidance, and library. The librarian plays youtube videos of other people reading books. The PE teacher plays youtube videos--not original videos, just random stuff. We haven't seen his face except for the first week of school. Music I don't know b/c my dc skips that one, it was pretty terrible the first two weeks.

This is VA public school forum. Not FCPS forum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And in addition to facilitating their own classes and acting as aides, the music teachers are putting together videos for each sectional. It’s WAY more work than in-person school.

While I love the specials teachers at my school, I know for a fact they are working a lot less than classroom teachers. In normal times a music teacher meets with kids several times a week. They are meeting with each class once. They don’t do anything on Mondays. Some have huge breaks built in during the day.

Guess it depends on the school. Each of our classroom teachers has a specials teacher with them for almost the entire day to handle small group breakouts & help troubleshooting. Plus the specials teachers have their own responsibilities - for music it’s music classes & many, many sectionals (smaller groups than in person).

I haven't heard of any other school doing this.

Same, this is the first time hearing of this from anybody.

[Anonymous]

In Loudoun, secondary kids get zero synchronous on Mondays. And my 4th grader gets a 30 minute “morning meeting” where they share riddles and discuss their weekends. Then she has an hour of homework and is done by 9:30.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are ES's with science as a special? How is that acceptable?

Some of the elementary schools have a STEM special.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And in addition to facilitating their own classes and acting as aides, the music teachers are putting together videos for each sectional. It’s WAY more work than in-person school.

While I love the specials teachers at my school, I know for a fact they are working a lot less than classroom teachers. In normal times a music teacher meets with kids several times a week. They are meeting with each class once. They don’t do anything on Mondays. Some have huge breaks built in during the day.

It’s even worse in Loudoun. We went from music 2x a week to once every other. PE 3x a week to once every other. A double long art special to once every other. Specials teachers are coasting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are ES's with science as a special? How is that acceptable?

Some of the elementary schools have a STEM special.

I don't understand why this isn't uniform across elementary schools in the SAME school system. That's BS. Everyone should get a STEM special, a foreign language special, and have a full time AART. Its ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:+1,000 I would be far less frustrated, if our kids received 5 full days of teacher-led instruction, whether virtual or in-person. I just want them to receive a FT education.

YUP. Agree. When you break it down, I wonder how much actual instruction our kids have received. I would bet it's about 25% of a normal school year.