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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Well I don’t know what to tell you... it’s either this or that, your choice...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Maybe it’s best to focus on those who keep coming to school? You can’t solve all problems, focus on what you are able to solve?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

I was told I was switching grade levels two days before we came back to school. Not only that, I had to move everything to my new room which took a ton of time. I'm exhausted and school hasn't even started. I'm spending all weekend just trying to get acquainted with a new curriculum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

??? I don't understand why you are so resistant to posting material for the children at home. It sounds like a solution. Sure it isn't good enough for YOU that YOU aren't the center of the kid's attention but at least it is something. I think you need to turn around your perspective, become less you/teacher-focused and become more child/student-focused. You really sound out of the loop if you cannot figure out how to post some of your materials (scan them and post them) along with links to Khan or other lessons.

DP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

I was told I was switching grade levels two days before we came back to school. Not only that, I had to move everything to my new room which took a ton of time. I'm exhausted and school hasn't even started. I'm spending all weekend just trying to get acquainted with a new curriculum.

No, you need to take the weekend off. No payee, no workee. Don't start the year exhausted. Protect yourself first.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

I was told I was switching grade levels two days before we came back to school. Not only that, I had to move everything to my new room which took a ton of time. I'm exhausted and school hasn't even started. I'm spending all weekend just trying to get acquainted with a new curriculum.

No, you need to take the weekend off. No payee, no workee. Don't start the year exhausted. Protect yourself first.

I wish. I spent the week moving, unpacking, and getting my room ready. Now I have to produce a week's worth of lesson plans and my grade level partner is not interested in sharing the workload.

[Anonymous]

Just do what you can and let the chips fall where they may. US society expects teachers to be saints and hurls abuse at them when they express real concerns. It is a messed up system and no wonder the US ranks so low in public education compared to other first world countries

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

I was told I was switching grade levels two days before we came back to school. Not only that, I had to move everything to my new room which took a ton of time. I'm exhausted and school hasn't even started. I'm spending all weekend just trying to get acquainted with a new curriculum.

No, you need to take the weekend off. No payee, no workee. Don't start the year exhausted. Protect yourself first.

I wish. I spent the week moving, unpacking, and getting my room ready. Now I have to produce a week's worth of lesson plans and my grade level partner is not interested in sharing the workload.

I am so sorry. It sounds very unfair. I hope it gets better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was so looking forward to just having a regular school year.

This fall for elementary school looks like it is going to be complete chaos. Our back to school staff messaging contains nothing about how we are going to deal with instructional ramifications of the many absences and quarantines that are bound to occur. From the school district's perspective it seems like we are just plunging forward expecting things to be perfectly normal. Absolutely no discussion of virtual or hybrid instruction for kids who are quarantined or what we will do if teachers are out. No discussion of how we will handle all the as yet unfilled teacher positions.

So whatever happens is going to be reactive, not proactive. They will tell teachers we need to come up with "alternative assignments" for students out of school for 10-15 days each time. Then parents will complain and they will flip us to providing hybrid instruction as we did last year. I DON'T WANT TO TEACH HYBRID again. I just can't do it.

I just can't do this whole thing. I just want it to all go away.

I'm not a teacher, but I am a parent, and I just want it to go away too.

Last year virtual was a nightmare, and I'm mentally trying to prepare myself for numerous absences where I have to provide academic work for my children, figure out childcare, and do my job which can't be done at home.

It sucks. It sucks for parents, for teachers, for kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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!

Stop trying to make virtual = teaching from jammies a thing. Parents who actually watch their kids’ zoom know the truth. Sorry you were so disconnected that it has made you rage-hate the wrong person. Blame your employer not the teacher.

[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 seriously doubt anyone is planning to do that unless they are directed to do so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

I was told I was switching grade levels two days before we came back to school. Not only that, I had to move everything to my new room which took a ton of time. I'm exhausted and school hasn't even started. I'm spending all weekend just trying to get acquainted with a new curriculum.

No, you need to take the weekend off. No payee, no workee. Don't start the year exhausted. Protect yourself first.

I wish. I spent the week moving, unpacking, and getting my room ready. Now I have to produce a week's worth of lesson plans and my grade level partner is not interested in sharing the workload.

I am sorry! This sucks! I hope you are able to carve out some time to relax today. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Maybe it’s best to focus on those who keep coming to school? You can’t solve all problems, focus on what you are able to solve?

Well, I am experienced enough to know that we’re going to get back to school next week planning for one thing and we are going to be told to pivot and all of a sudden told something completely new. I’m positive in fact that that is what is going to happen. That’s what I don’t have the energy for anymore. Not actually looking for advice, just commiseration perhaps from fellow teachers.

[Anonymous]

I was so looking forward to just having a regular school year.

This fall for elementary school looks like it is going to be complete chaos. Our back to school staff messaging contains nothing about how we are going to deal with instructional ramifications of the many absences and quarantines that are bound to occur. From the school district's perspective it seems like we are just plunging forward expecting things to be perfectly normal. Absolutely no discussion of virtual or hybrid instruction for kids who are quarantined or what we will do if teachers are out. No discussion of how we will handle all the as yet unfilled teacher positions.

So whatever happens is going to be reactive, not proactive. They will tell teachers we need to come up with "alternative assignments" for students out of school for 10-15 days each time. Then parents will complain and they will flip us to providing hybrid instruction as we did last year. I DON'T WANT TO TEACH HYBRID again. I just can't do it.

I just can't do this whole thing. I just want it to all go away.

What school district? Ours is having kids who are in quarantine live stream their classes from home during the quarantine period. My son is in 6th, though, which is middle school where we live.

No one wants to deal with COVID again. Parents don't, teachers don't, kids don't. But, that's the reality of this world at present.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I was so looking forward to just having a regular school year.

This fall for elementary school looks like it is going to be complete chaos. Our back to school staff messaging contains nothing about how we are going to deal with instructional ramifications of the many absences and quarantines that are bound to occur. From the school district's perspective it seems like we are just plunging forward expecting things to be perfectly normal. Absolutely no discussion of virtual or hybrid instruction for kids who are quarantined or what we will do if teachers are out. No discussion of how we will handle all the as yet unfilled teacher positions.

So whatever happens is going to be reactive, not proactive. They will tell teachers we need to come up with "alternative assignments" for students out of school for 10-15 days each time. Then parents will complain and they will flip us to providing hybrid instruction as we did last year. I DON'T WANT TO TEACH HYBRID again. I just can't do it.

I just can't do this whole thing. I just want it to all go away.

What school district? Ours is having kids who are in quarantine live stream their classes from home during the quarantine period. My son is in 6th, though, which is middle school where we live.

No one wants to deal with COVID again. Parents don't, teachers don't, kids don't. But, that's the reality of this world at present.

DP. I know MCPS isn’t planning this. The argument is that parents hated Zoom and thought it didn’t count as school.