Anonymous wrote:Jeff/Admin: Can you explain why posts in this thread keep getting deleted if they mention APE?
There is a post directly above yours that mentions APE that did not get deleted. Posts are getting deleted for that reason. They are getting deleted for making false statements.
This group, which a SB candidate led for years, was an open schools group in Arlington. They were abusive online and in school board meetings. Some of their most aggressive, vocal members were anti-maskers, anti-CRT, pro-voucher. They were aligned with open schools groups out in FCPS and LCPS. Including Ian Prior, PDE (Koch bro), etc.
I really hope the normal lurkers on this page are not buying these defamatory lies. Literally none of this true. It'd be laughable if we we're living in an era of mis-information and conspiracy theory uptake. Please do your own research and look into this group, read their newsletters, and explore their website. I know some of them personally and they are all very active in their school communities and closely aligned with many APS teachers. There are a few deranged trolls on this page (likely the same people making the same outlandish claims on AEM) that are obsessed and continue to spread lies. They make accusation with no evidence or links. They associate people who have long been kicked out of APE if they went against their values and mission as being "leaders." It's disturbing.
No,PP, they are true. I'm involved in school issues, know MT, know APE. I can respect different views and I respect her for some of her advocacy. But APE was unhinged for a while, and MT didn't see that forest for the trees until later. Their level of anger and personal attacks turned off people like me who were open to their original advocacy.
I will never forget the hostility and abuse they showed to teachers.
+1
And administrators and parents.
It’s shocking that they have the audacity to move forward without some massive apology to the community. Are they hoping that we all just forgot?
I don't think they are hoping. More like gaslighting.
This former APS teacher remembers it like it was:
At first, when schools moved to online instruction in the spring of 2020 and parents saw firsthand the hardships teachers were enduring, plaudits poured in for the educators showing remarkable commitment to their profession in a difficult situation they had never trained for. Virtual teaching took much more time to prepare, execute and evaluate. And because students were often not required to turn on their cameras, it was a lot like teaching into a void. But as time crawled on and schools remained closed to in-person instruction, parents became critical, even angry. The hostility parents leveled against teachers was astonishing.
Are you a secondary teacher? Because elementary school in APS wasn't anything like this in spring of 2020. For K-2, APS prohibited any teaching whatsoever, so my child didn't see her teacher after the schools closed and didn't get any work from her. For 3-5, no new instruction was permitted, so my older child's teacher sent repetitive worksheets every day (she was great, this was not her fault) and had once weekly video check ins. I didn't and don't blame the teachers for this; these were APS decisions. But for elementary parents, we were very much on our own and we saw our kids suffer from the complete lack of instruction and limited engagement from their teachers. I'm not a member of APE or any other group. But I think it's important to remember the context to understand how disappointed and concerned parents were when APS decided in the summer of 2020 to keep schools closed.
Are you saying the context justified the hostility the parents in the OPEN SCHOOLS NOW group showed to teachers (and others too)? I cannot agree with that.
Bad behavior is bad behavior all around and should not be considered acceptable. However, let's also not forget the, "Open Coffins Now" teachers that did their own protests mock coffins included!
I don't ever remember teachers attacking parents. That is the difference.
You don't remember the open coffins? You don't remember accusations here and on AEM that parents just wanted babysitters? You don't remember the incessant gaslighting that kids were resilient and if they weren't it was their parents fault? There was even a teacher or staff member with a phony name on AEM who was vicious to parents. The vast majority of teachers did not engage in those actions, but there were a few who did. To be clear, we had great teachers. They showed up every day that hard virtual year with nothing but enthusiasm, often while their own kids were at home. I understood only a smidge of what they had to do to show up like that every day in a zoom room. I was disappointed in APS and lack of leadership from our school board and county board to not work together more on real solutions. But was never disappointed in my kids' teachers.
I do not remember any open coffins. Where are you getting that from?
I DO remember parents who reported teachers for their principals just because teachers who were concerned for their health expressed a position on social media. Do you consider this kind of attack on their job ok? I sure don't. And I don't know of anything comparable that teachers did to parents.
Teachers in nearby PWC protested with open coffins (as did others across nation). Their teacher’s association had to apologize for it. You can find the news articles. In APS, not sure about open coffins but remember there was a car parade with problematic signs. And absolutely beyond the pale for parents to report teachers. I understood teachers were scared. Not angry at the very few who went a little too far.
Are you serious? This is a thread about ARLINGTON and you're citing things teachers did in other school districts?! That is irrelevant. Come on.
It's just one more way for these parents to attack APS teachers, coming up with fake stories that did not happen.
Are you saying none of the other things happened? Open coffins happened (I don’t have new clips in APS to back it up but there were problematic protests here too). You want to quibble about one point but don’t deny any of the gaslighting, the fake profile by an APS employee who repeatedly attacked parents. People, including teachers, repeatedly saying parents wanted babysitters. You don’t remember it that way. Fine. But the record stands that some people, including teachers, failed the test. The rest of would like to move on. Including me. Won’t be posting further on this because I’m not trying to attack teachers. Like I said, the vast majority were our glue in those virtual days. As much as i hated virtual, I loved the teachers streaming into our house.
It really sounds like you are trying to attack teachers, and you won't let this go.
Different poster--but, I remember it too. I'm not a teacher hater, but, think it's unfair for all parents to be painted as teacher haters or RWNJ, just because they wanted kids back in person school sooner than APS made it happen, or because they remember teacher protests where there were literal physical mock coffins made and carried around by teachers, with the slogan "Open Coffins Now" as a counter to parents who wanted schools open. I still remember teachers that I know personally posting on social media that schools should not return until there were "no new cases", which was an obviously impossible place to reach. I still remember teachers I know getting priority vaccination and then still resisting returning to in person teaching.
IMO, one of the bigger issues is that anyone who says anything remotely critical re: APS or teachers is broadly labeled anti-teacher or anti-education. It is like the Salem Witch Trials if you have anything less than glowing sympathy for APS and teachers in general. I come from a family of educators--who do not live in red states--and were appalled by how APS handled things related to COVID. I think teachers have incredibly difficult jobs, I think they should be paid more.
However, I will not pretend like virtual learning was anything less than incredibly detrimental to my child in kindergarten at the time. I will not pretend like learning loss is not real. I will not pretend that APS has failed to provide supports to kids who need additional support following virtual school. I will not pretend that APS was a poor steward of recovery funds and squandered it on a failed virtual program that served a miniscule amount of students.
Basically, I refuse to be gaslit. And APS' leadership stupid head in the sand, look over here--there's some kids that are thriving according to XYZ test result is just obnoxious and entirely out of touch with the kids who are struggling. If we think there's a mental health and substance use crisis now--wait until all of the kids who continue to not receive the interventions and supports they need continue to be passed through the system, and watch where they end up.
Ok, let's say for the sake of argument that APS teachers and not teacher in some other place, had Open Coffins Now, I still don't see how that rises to the level of the attacks parents made on teachers right her in APS, by calling them lazy, accusing them of not wanting to teach, accusing them of not doing their jobs when they were all working overtime and then some for no extra pay, and even reporting them to their principals for nothing burger social media posts.
I didn't think zero new cases was realistic either and I didn't support it but it was NOT an attack on parents. It was a difference in opinion coming from teachers who were not yet vaccinated. They dropped that after they were vaccinated and after APS started putting hepas and stuff in place.
Neither of those statements are true.
I observed several of my child's teachers who did very little. I doubt my experience is unique.
Also I think more teachers would likely have voiced support for returning after vaccination BUT there were too many crazy parents in Arlington equating open schools = trump lover and they were afraid to voice their opinions and be labeled AND the same level of hysteria that those same Arlington parents had about imagined death rate scenarios but no actual facts AND if plans were synchronized with other locales OR APS had created some provision so that teachers who had kids in other districts not attending school would not have to worry about finding child care bc their child's school was closed.
Keep in mind that daycares and child care centers had been opened for a while at that point. As had restaurants, stores and gyms and other public places.
The school closure was a colossal mistake and teachers are smart. They could see the effects on students and realize that the longer students remained out, how much harder coming back into the classroom was going to be and it was. They knew it was a mistake but without supports in place and having to face backlash from people who were intent on proving and one upping themselves as the most liberal, what else could they do?
But the whole debate and trying to paint this one school board candidate as somehow some terrible awful person intent on somehow unraveling the liberal utopia of APS and beyond suggests that the couple people constantly harping seem to just miss the days of the mask debates to show their politics.
If all it takes is one person to say they don't agree with everything the school board is doing to truly unravel every policy, to totally dismantle the entire Democratic party and their stronghold on APS and Arlington, well, that would be truly amazing. But that's not what would happen, if she gets elected, maybe she objects every now and again here and there but the majority over rules and eventually she just votes yes on everything like all the others and she holds "listening" hours where literally they just listen and don't respond - which btw is so weird.
In the course of this thread this one person has been held accountable for countless unnamed persons, who did unknown things, at unknown times, participates in a FB groups, and participates in a group that decided to formalize and become some kind of quasi it's not even clear what but maybe it involves the potential to be lobbying group that sends out an email newsletter and is collecting dark money from some guy who works at some think tank and somehow the Koch brothers also factor in but I am not sure how and oh and it's not that guy at the think tank who is running for SB but somehow that matters bc the Koch brothers?, the person was or was not at a school board meeting and there was or was not screaming at this meeting and it's unclear who was doing the screaming or about what but there was some screaming going on or maybe it was just raised voices; and then littered in some random words like Youngkin, parental notification, books, transgender students because something. So yeah, that one person is just super busy doing all the things.
Wow. You made my point. You just can't stop attacking teachers. This is exactly the mindset we don't need, and I don't want a school board member who is beholden to a base with this view.
No wonder our teachers are leaving left and right. Who would stay to be treated this way and for low pay too. I am so very sad for APS.
Exactly. Teachers need more support, not criticism.
Anonymous wrote:Jeff/Admin: Can you explain why posts in this thread keep getting deleted if they mention APE?
There is a post directly above yours that mentions APE that did not get deleted. Posts are getting deleted for that reason. They are getting deleted for making false statements.
This group, which a SB candidate led for years, was an open schools group in Arlington. They were abusive online and in school board meetings. Some of their most aggressive, vocal members were anti-maskers, anti-CRT, pro-voucher. They were aligned with open schools groups out in FCPS and LCPS. Including Ian Prior, PDE (Koch bro), etc.
I really hope the normal lurkers on this page are not buying these defamatory lies. Literally none of this true. It'd be laughable if we we're living in an era of mis-information and conspiracy theory uptake. Please do your own research and look into this group, read their newsletters, and explore their website. I know some of them personally and they are all very active in their school communities and closely aligned with many APS teachers. There are a few deranged trolls on this page (likely the same people making the same outlandish claims on AEM) that are obsessed and continue to spread lies. They make accusation with no evidence or links. They associate people who have long been kicked out of APE if they went against their values and mission as being "leaders." It's disturbing.
No,PP, they are true. I'm involved in school issues, know MT, know APE. I can respect different views and I respect her for some of her advocacy. But APE was unhinged for a while, and MT didn't see that forest for the trees until later. Their level of anger and personal attacks turned off people like me who were open to their original advocacy.
I will never forget the hostility and abuse they showed to teachers.
+1
And administrators and parents.
It’s shocking that they have the audacity to move forward without some massive apology to the community. Are they hoping that we all just forgot?
I don't think they are hoping. More like gaslighting.
This former APS teacher remembers it like it was:
At first, when schools moved to online instruction in the spring of 2020 and parents saw firsthand the hardships teachers were enduring, plaudits poured in for the educators showing remarkable commitment to their profession in a difficult situation they had never trained for. Virtual teaching took much more time to prepare, execute and evaluate. And because students were often not required to turn on their cameras, it was a lot like teaching into a void. But as time crawled on and schools remained closed to in-person instruction, parents became critical, even angry. The hostility parents leveled against teachers was astonishing.
Are you a secondary teacher? Because elementary school in APS wasn't anything like this in spring of 2020. For K-2, APS prohibited any teaching whatsoever, so my child didn't see her teacher after the schools closed and didn't get any work from her. For 3-5, no new instruction was permitted, so my older child's teacher sent repetitive worksheets every day (she was great, this was not her fault) and had once weekly video check ins. I didn't and don't blame the teachers for this; these were APS decisions. But for elementary parents, we were very much on our own and we saw our kids suffer from the complete lack of instruction and limited engagement from their teachers. I'm not a member of APE or any other group. But I think it's important to remember the context to understand how disappointed and concerned parents were when APS decided in the summer of 2020 to keep schools closed.
Are you saying the context justified the hostility the parents in the OPEN SCHOOLS NOW group showed to teachers (and others too)? I cannot agree with that.
Bad behavior is bad behavior all around and should not be considered acceptable. However, let's also not forget the, "Open Coffins Now" teachers that did their own protests mock coffins included!
I don't ever remember teachers attacking parents. That is the difference.
You don't remember the open coffins? You don't remember accusations here and on AEM that parents just wanted babysitters? You don't remember the incessant gaslighting that kids were resilient and if they weren't it was their parents fault? There was even a teacher or staff member with a phony name on AEM who was vicious to parents. The vast majority of teachers did not engage in those actions, but there were a few who did. To be clear, we had great teachers. They showed up every day that hard virtual year with nothing but enthusiasm, often while their own kids were at home. I understood only a smidge of what they had to do to show up like that every day in a zoom room. I was disappointed in APS and lack of leadership from our school board and county board to not work together more on real solutions. But was never disappointed in my kids' teachers.
Yes I remember all of this and it made me so sad to see that these were educators on AEM posting these things. I kept thinking, these are APS teachers expressing themselves like this in a forum (any forum)? I am glad some of the APE craziest were kicked out of the group, do not condone a lot of the rhetoric on both sides but for me APS took a way bigger hit in the past three years. Hope to have Miranda on the SB soon!
PP. Want to be clear again that it was very few teachers but wanted to respond to an earlier person who said they didn't remember teachers attacking parents. Emotions ran high that year and some people did not pass the test. Sadly that included a few teachers even though most were the glue for our virtual lives. I don't hold grudges against anyone because teachers were scared and families were watching their kids suffer in lots of ways. So glad those days are behind us.
This exactly. I was afraid to go back into the classroom before a vaccine but also found some of my colleagues were being inappropriate. It was happening all around but it’s (mostly) over now. I didn’t like APE And Miranda at first but I feel like they are doing good advocacy now for smaller classes and higher pay. I’ll support Miranda this time.
I wish you would say this in AEM under your true name. I don't trust anyone anonymous to represent themselves truthfully.
Anonymous wrote:Jeff/Admin: Can you explain why posts in this thread keep getting deleted if they mention APE?
There is a post directly above yours that mentions APE that did not get deleted. Posts are getting deleted for that reason. They are getting deleted for making false statements.
This group, which a SB candidate led for years, was an open schools group in Arlington. They were abusive online and in school board meetings. Some of their most aggressive, vocal members were anti-maskers, anti-CRT, pro-voucher. They were aligned with open schools groups out in FCPS and LCPS. Including Ian Prior, PDE (Koch bro), etc.
I really hope the normal lurkers on this page are not buying these defamatory lies. Literally none of this true. It'd be laughable if we we're living in an era of mis-information and conspiracy theory uptake. Please do your own research and look into this group, read their newsletters, and explore their website. I know some of them personally and they are all very active in their school communities and closely aligned with many APS teachers. There are a few deranged trolls on this page (likely the same people making the same outlandish claims on AEM) that are obsessed and continue to spread lies. They make accusation with no evidence or links. They associate people who have long been kicked out of APE if they went against their values and mission as being "leaders." It's disturbing.
No,PP, they are true. I'm involved in school issues, know MT, know APE. I can respect different views and I respect her for some of her advocacy. But APE was unhinged for a while, and MT didn't see that forest for the trees until later. Their level of anger and personal attacks turned off people like me who were open to their original advocacy.
I will never forget the hostility and abuse they showed to teachers.
+1
And administrators and parents.
It’s shocking that they have the audacity to move forward without some massive apology to the community. Are they hoping that we all just forgot?
I don't think they are hoping. More like gaslighting.
This former APS teacher remembers it like it was:
At first, when schools moved to online instruction in the spring of 2020 and parents saw firsthand the hardships teachers were enduring, plaudits poured in for the educators showing remarkable commitment to their profession in a difficult situation they had never trained for. Virtual teaching took much more time to prepare, execute and evaluate. And because students were often not required to turn on their cameras, it was a lot like teaching into a void. But as time crawled on and schools remained closed to in-person instruction, parents became critical, even angry. The hostility parents leveled against teachers was astonishing.
Are you a secondary teacher? Because elementary school in APS wasn't anything like this in spring of 2020. For K-2, APS prohibited any teaching whatsoever, so my child didn't see her teacher after the schools closed and didn't get any work from her. For 3-5, no new instruction was permitted, so my older child's teacher sent repetitive worksheets every day (she was great, this was not her fault) and had once weekly video check ins. I didn't and don't blame the teachers for this; these were APS decisions. But for elementary parents, we were very much on our own and we saw our kids suffer from the complete lack of instruction and limited engagement from their teachers. I'm not a member of APE or any other group. But I think it's important to remember the context to understand how disappointed and concerned parents were when APS decided in the summer of 2020 to keep schools closed.
Are you saying the context justified the hostility the parents in the OPEN SCHOOLS NOW group showed to teachers (and others too)? I cannot agree with that.
Bad behavior is bad behavior all around and should not be considered acceptable. However, let's also not forget the, "Open Coffins Now" teachers that did their own protests mock coffins included!
I don't ever remember teachers attacking parents. That is the difference.
You don't remember the open coffins? You don't remember accusations here and on AEM that parents just wanted babysitters? You don't remember the incessant gaslighting that kids were resilient and if they weren't it was their parents fault? There was even a teacher or staff member with a phony name on AEM who was vicious to parents. The vast majority of teachers did not engage in those actions, but there were a few who did. To be clear, we had great teachers. They showed up every day that hard virtual year with nothing but enthusiasm, often while their own kids were at home. I understood only a smidge of what they had to do to show up like that every day in a zoom room. I was disappointed in APS and lack of leadership from our school board and county board to not work together more on real solutions. But was never disappointed in my kids' teachers.
Yes I remember all of this and it made me so sad to see that these were educators on AEM posting these things. I kept thinking, these are APS teachers expressing themselves like this in a forum (any forum)? I am glad some of the APE craziest were kicked out of the group, do not condone a lot of the rhetoric on both sides but for me APS took a way bigger hit in the past three years. Hope to have Miranda on the SB soon!
PP. Want to be clear again that it was very few teachers but wanted to respond to an earlier person who said they didn't remember teachers attacking parents. Emotions ran high that year and some people did not pass the test. Sadly that included a few teachers even though most were the glue for our virtual lives. I don't hold grudges against anyone because teachers were scared and families were watching their kids suffer in lots of ways. So glad those days are behind us.
This exactly. I was afraid to go back into the classroom before a vaccine but also found some of my colleagues were being inappropriate. It was happening all around but it’s (mostly) over now. I didn’t like APE And Miranda at first but I feel like they are doing good advocacy now for smaller classes and higher pay. I’ll support Miranda this time.
I wish you would say this in AEM under your true name. I don't trust anyone anonymous to represent themselves truthfully.
I do not go on AEM
Anyone can say that they’re a teacher here. So don’t be surprised if no one believes you.
Anonymous wrote:Jeff/Admin: Can you explain why posts in this thread keep getting deleted if they mention APE?
There is a post directly above yours that mentions APE that did not get deleted. Posts are getting deleted for that reason. They are getting deleted for making false statements.
This group, which a SB candidate led for years, was an open schools group in Arlington. They were abusive online and in school board meetings. Some of their most aggressive, vocal members were anti-maskers, anti-CRT, pro-voucher. They were aligned with open schools groups out in FCPS and LCPS. Including Ian Prior, PDE (Koch bro), etc.
I really hope the normal lurkers on this page are not buying these defamatory lies. Literally none of this true. It'd be laughable if we we're living in an era of mis-information and conspiracy theory uptake. Please do your own research and look into this group, read their newsletters, and explore their website. I know some of them personally and they are all very active in their school communities and closely aligned with many APS teachers. There are a few deranged trolls on this page (likely the same people making the same outlandish claims on AEM) that are obsessed and continue to spread lies. They make accusation with no evidence or links. They associate people who have long been kicked out of APE if they went against their values and mission as being "leaders." It's disturbing.
No,PP, they are true. I'm involved in school issues, know MT, know APE. I can respect different views and I respect her for some of her advocacy. But APE was unhinged for a while, and MT didn't see that forest for the trees until later. Their level of anger and personal attacks turned off people like me who were open to their original advocacy.
I will never forget the hostility and abuse they showed to teachers.
+1
And administrators and parents.
It’s shocking that they have the audacity to move forward without some massive apology to the community. Are they hoping that we all just forgot?
I don't think they are hoping. More like gaslighting.
This former APS teacher remembers it like it was:
At first, when schools moved to online instruction in the spring of 2020 and parents saw firsthand the hardships teachers were enduring, plaudits poured in for the educators showing remarkable commitment to their profession in a difficult situation they had never trained for. Virtual teaching took much more time to prepare, execute and evaluate. And because students were often not required to turn on their cameras, it was a lot like teaching into a void. But as time crawled on and schools remained closed to in-person instruction, parents became critical, even angry. The hostility parents leveled against teachers was astonishing.
Are you a secondary teacher? Because elementary school in APS wasn't anything like this in spring of 2020. For K-2, APS prohibited any teaching whatsoever, so my child didn't see her teacher after the schools closed and didn't get any work from her. For 3-5, no new instruction was permitted, so my older child's teacher sent repetitive worksheets every day (she was great, this was not her fault) and had once weekly video check ins. I didn't and don't blame the teachers for this; these were APS decisions. But for elementary parents, we were very much on our own and we saw our kids suffer from the complete lack of instruction and limited engagement from their teachers. I'm not a member of APE or any other group. But I think it's important to remember the context to understand how disappointed and concerned parents were when APS decided in the summer of 2020 to keep schools closed.
Are you saying the context justified the hostility the parents in the OPEN SCHOOLS NOW group showed to teachers (and others too)? I cannot agree with that.
Bad behavior is bad behavior all around and should not be considered acceptable. However, let's also not forget the, "Open Coffins Now" teachers that did their own protests mock coffins included!
I don't ever remember teachers attacking parents. That is the difference.
You don't remember the open coffins? You don't remember accusations here and on AEM that parents just wanted babysitters? You don't remember the incessant gaslighting that kids were resilient and if they weren't it was their parents fault? There was even a teacher or staff member with a phony name on AEM who was vicious to parents. The vast majority of teachers did not engage in those actions, but there were a few who did. To be clear, we had great teachers. They showed up every day that hard virtual year with nothing but enthusiasm, often while their own kids were at home. I understood only a smidge of what they had to do to show up like that every day in a zoom room. I was disappointed in APS and lack of leadership from our school board and county board to not work together more on real solutions. But was never disappointed in my kids' teachers.
Yes I remember all of this and it made me so sad to see that these were educators on AEM posting these things. I kept thinking, these are APS teachers expressing themselves like this in a forum (any forum)? I am glad some of the APE craziest were kicked out of the group, do not condone a lot of the rhetoric on both sides but for me APS took a way bigger hit in the past three years. Hope to have Miranda on the SB soon!
PP. Want to be clear again that it was very few teachers but wanted to respond to an earlier person who said they didn't remember teachers attacking parents. Emotions ran high that year and some people did not pass the test. Sadly that included a few teachers even though most were the glue for our virtual lives. I don't hold grudges against anyone because teachers were scared and families were watching their kids suffer in lots of ways. So glad those days are behind us.
This exactly. I was afraid to go back into the classroom before a vaccine but also found some of my colleagues were being inappropriate. It was happening all around but it’s (mostly) over now. I didn’t like APE And Miranda at first but I feel like they are doing good advocacy now for smaller classes and higher pay. I’ll support Miranda this time.
I wish you would say this in AEM under your true name. I don't trust anyone anonymous to represent themselves truthfully.
I do not go on AEM
Anyone can say that they’re a teacher here. So don’t be surprised if no one believes you.
It’s fine. I have talked to people in real life about it too
Anonymous wrote:Jeff/Admin: Can you explain why posts in this thread keep getting deleted if they mention APE?
There is a post directly above yours that mentions APE that did not get deleted. Posts are getting deleted for that reason. They are getting deleted for making false statements.
This group, which a SB candidate led for years, was an open schools group in Arlington. They were abusive online and in school board meetings. Some of their most aggressive, vocal members were anti-maskers, anti-CRT, pro-voucher. They were aligned with open schools groups out in FCPS and LCPS. Including Ian Prior, PDE (Koch bro), etc.
I really hope the normal lurkers on this page are not buying these defamatory lies. Literally none of this true. It'd be laughable if we we're living in an era of mis-information and conspiracy theory uptake. Please do your own research and look into this group, read their newsletters, and explore their website. I know some of them personally and they are all very active in their school communities and closely aligned with many APS teachers. There are a few deranged trolls on this page (likely the same people making the same outlandish claims on AEM) that are obsessed and continue to spread lies. They make accusation with no evidence or links. They associate people who have long been kicked out of APE if they went against their values and mission as being "leaders." It's disturbing.
No,PP, they are true. I'm involved in school issues, know MT, know APE. I can respect different views and I respect her for some of her advocacy. But APE was unhinged for a while, and MT didn't see that forest for the trees until later. Their level of anger and personal attacks turned off people like me who were open to their original advocacy.
I will never forget the hostility and abuse they showed to teachers.
+1
And administrators and parents.
It’s shocking that they have the audacity to move forward without some massive apology to the community. Are they hoping that we all just forgot?
I don't think they are hoping. More like gaslighting.
This former APS teacher remembers it like it was:
At first, when schools moved to online instruction in the spring of 2020 and parents saw firsthand the hardships teachers were enduring, plaudits poured in for the educators showing remarkable commitment to their profession in a difficult situation they had never trained for. Virtual teaching took much more time to prepare, execute and evaluate. And because students were often not required to turn on their cameras, it was a lot like teaching into a void. But as time crawled on and schools remained closed to in-person instruction, parents became critical, even angry. The hostility parents leveled against teachers was astonishing.
Are you a secondary teacher? Because elementary school in APS wasn't anything like this in spring of 2020. For K-2, APS prohibited any teaching whatsoever, so my child didn't see her teacher after the schools closed and didn't get any work from her. For 3-5, no new instruction was permitted, so my older child's teacher sent repetitive worksheets every day (she was great, this was not her fault) and had once weekly video check ins. I didn't and don't blame the teachers for this; these were APS decisions. But for elementary parents, we were very much on our own and we saw our kids suffer from the complete lack of instruction and limited engagement from their teachers. I'm not a member of APE or any other group. But I think it's important to remember the context to understand how disappointed and concerned parents were when APS decided in the summer of 2020 to keep schools closed.
Are you saying the context justified the hostility the parents in the OPEN SCHOOLS NOW group showed to teachers (and others too)? I cannot agree with that.
Bad behavior is bad behavior all around and should not be considered acceptable. However, let's also not forget the, "Open Coffins Now" teachers that did their own protests mock coffins included!
I don't ever remember teachers attacking parents. That is the difference.
You don't remember the open coffins? You don't remember accusations here and on AEM that parents just wanted babysitters? You don't remember the incessant gaslighting that kids were resilient and if they weren't it was their parents fault? There was even a teacher or staff member with a phony name on AEM who was vicious to parents. The vast majority of teachers did not engage in those actions, but there were a few who did. To be clear, we had great teachers. They showed up every day that hard virtual year with nothing but enthusiasm, often while their own kids were at home. I understood only a smidge of what they had to do to show up like that every day in a zoom room. I was disappointed in APS and lack of leadership from our school board and county board to not work together more on real solutions. But was never disappointed in my kids' teachers.
Yes I remember all of this and it made me so sad to see that these were educators on AEM posting these things. I kept thinking, these are APS teachers expressing themselves like this in a forum (any forum)? I am glad some of the APE craziest were kicked out of the group, do not condone a lot of the rhetoric on both sides but for me APS took a way bigger hit in the past three years. Hope to have Miranda on the SB soon!
PP. Want to be clear again that it was very few teachers but wanted to respond to an earlier person who said they didn't remember teachers attacking parents. Emotions ran high that year and some people did not pass the test. Sadly that included a few teachers even though most were the glue for our virtual lives. I don't hold grudges against anyone because teachers were scared and families were watching their kids suffer in lots of ways. So glad those days are behind us.
This exactly. I was afraid to go back into the classroom before a vaccine but also found some of my colleagues were being inappropriate. It was happening all around but it’s (mostly) over now. I didn’t like APE And Miranda at first but I feel like they are doing good advocacy now for smaller classes and higher pay. I’ll support Miranda this time.
I wish you would say this in AEM under your true name. I don't trust anyone anonymous to represent themselves truthfully.
I do not go on AEM
Anyone can say that they’re a teacher here. So don’t be surprised if no one believes you.
It’s fine. I have talked to people in real life about it too
Thank you for the laugh. I have real life friends too. I still think anyone who states “who they are” misrepresents themselves here. Anonymous forums are meant to be that way.
Doesn’t change the fact that 2 terrible candidates are running.
Anonymous wrote:Jeff/Admin: Can you explain why posts in this thread keep getting deleted if they mention APE?
There is a post directly above yours that mentions APE that did not get deleted. Posts are getting deleted for that reason. They are getting deleted for making false statements.
This group, which a SB candidate led for years, was an open schools group in Arlington. They were abusive online and in school board meetings. Some of their most aggressive, vocal members were anti-maskers, anti-CRT, pro-voucher. They were aligned with open schools groups out in FCPS and LCPS. Including Ian Prior, PDE (Koch bro), etc.
I really hope the normal lurkers on this page are not buying these defamatory lies. Literally none of this true. It'd be laughable if we we're living in an era of mis-information and conspiracy theory uptake. Please do your own research and look into this group, read their newsletters, and explore their website. I know some of them personally and they are all very active in their school communities and closely aligned with many APS teachers. There are a few deranged trolls on this page (likely the same people making the same outlandish claims on AEM) that are obsessed and continue to spread lies. They make accusation with no evidence or links. They associate people who have long been kicked out of APE if they went against their values and mission as being "leaders." It's disturbing.
No,PP, they are true. I'm involved in school issues, know MT, know APE. I can respect different views and I respect her for some of her advocacy. But APE was unhinged for a while, and MT didn't see that forest for the trees until later. Their level of anger and personal attacks turned off people like me who were open to their original advocacy.
I will never forget the hostility and abuse they showed to teachers.
+1
And administrators and parents.
It’s shocking that they have the audacity to move forward without some massive apology to the community. Are they hoping that we all just forgot?
I don't think they are hoping. More like gaslighting.
This former APS teacher remembers it like it was:
At first, when schools moved to online instruction in the spring of 2020 and parents saw firsthand the hardships teachers were enduring, plaudits poured in for the educators showing remarkable commitment to their profession in a difficult situation they had never trained for. Virtual teaching took much more time to prepare, execute and evaluate. And because students were often not required to turn on their cameras, it was a lot like teaching into a void. But as time crawled on and schools remained closed to in-person instruction, parents became critical, even angry. The hostility parents leveled against teachers was astonishing.
Are you a secondary teacher? Because elementary school in APS wasn't anything like this in spring of 2020. For K-2, APS prohibited any teaching whatsoever, so my child didn't see her teacher after the schools closed and didn't get any work from her. For 3-5, no new instruction was permitted, so my older child's teacher sent repetitive worksheets every day (she was great, this was not her fault) and had once weekly video check ins. I didn't and don't blame the teachers for this; these were APS decisions. But for elementary parents, we were very much on our own and we saw our kids suffer from the complete lack of instruction and limited engagement from their teachers. I'm not a member of APE or any other group. But I think it's important to remember the context to understand how disappointed and concerned parents were when APS decided in the summer of 2020 to keep schools closed.
Are you saying the context justified the hostility the parents in the OPEN SCHOOLS NOW group showed to teachers (and others too)? I cannot agree with that.
Bad behavior is bad behavior all around and should not be considered acceptable. However, let's also not forget the, "Open Coffins Now" teachers that did their own protests mock coffins included!
I don't ever remember teachers attacking parents. That is the difference.
You don't remember the open coffins? You don't remember accusations here and on AEM that parents just wanted babysitters? You don't remember the incessant gaslighting that kids were resilient and if they weren't it was their parents fault? There was even a teacher or staff member with a phony name on AEM who was vicious to parents. The vast majority of teachers did not engage in those actions, but there were a few who did. To be clear, we had great teachers. They showed up every day that hard virtual year with nothing but enthusiasm, often while their own kids were at home. I understood only a smidge of what they had to do to show up like that every day in a zoom room. I was disappointed in APS and lack of leadership from our school board and county board to not work together more on real solutions. But was never disappointed in my kids' teachers.
Yes I remember all of this and it made me so sad to see that these were educators on AEM posting these things. I kept thinking, these are APS teachers expressing themselves like this in a forum (any forum)? I am glad some of the APE craziest were kicked out of the group, do not condone a lot of the rhetoric on both sides but for me APS took a way bigger hit in the past three years. Hope to have Miranda on the SB soon!
PP. Want to be clear again that it was very few teachers but wanted to respond to an earlier person who said they didn't remember teachers attacking parents. Emotions ran high that year and some people did not pass the test. Sadly that included a few teachers even though most were the glue for our virtual lives. I don't hold grudges against anyone because teachers were scared and families were watching their kids suffer in lots of ways. So glad those days are behind us.
This exactly. I was afraid to go back into the classroom before a vaccine but also found some of my colleagues were being inappropriate. It was happening all around but it’s (mostly) over now. I didn’t like APE And Miranda at first but I feel like they are doing good advocacy now for smaller classes and higher pay. I’ll support Miranda this time.
I wish you would say this in AEM under your true name. I don't trust anyone anonymous to represent themselves truthfully.
I do not go on AEM
Anyone can say that they’re a teacher here. So don’t be surprised if no one believes you.
+1000 it's very easy to pretend you're a teacher. I don't personally know any teachers who would support anyone in APE.
That won't work. The only thing that could work is an independent and even that is a long, long shot. Vihstadt did it - could that work on school board?
Anonymous wrote:Jeff/Admin: Can you explain why posts in this thread keep getting deleted if they mention APE?
There is a post directly above yours that mentions APE that did not get deleted. Posts are getting deleted for that reason. They are getting deleted for making false statements.
This group, which a SB candidate led for years, was an open schools group in Arlington. They were abusive online and in school board meetings. Some of their most aggressive, vocal members were anti-maskers, anti-CRT, pro-voucher. They were aligned with open schools groups out in FCPS and LCPS. Including Ian Prior, PDE (Koch bro), etc.
I really hope the normal lurkers on this page are not buying these defamatory lies. Literally none of this true. It'd be laughable if we we're living in an era of mis-information and conspiracy theory uptake. Please do your own research and look into this group, read their newsletters, and explore their website. I know some of them personally and they are all very active in their school communities and closely aligned with many APS teachers. There are a few deranged trolls on this page (likely the same people making the same outlandish claims on AEM) that are obsessed and continue to spread lies. They make accusation with no evidence or links. They associate people who have long been kicked out of APE if they went against their values and mission as being "leaders." It's disturbing.
No,PP, they are true. I'm involved in school issues, know MT, know APE. I can respect different views and I respect her for some of her advocacy. But APE was unhinged for a while, and MT didn't see that forest for the trees until later. Their level of anger and personal attacks turned off people like me who were open to their original advocacy.
I will never forget the hostility and abuse they showed to teachers.
+1
And administrators and parents.
It’s shocking that they have the audacity to move forward without some massive apology to the community. Are they hoping that we all just forgot?
I don't think they are hoping. More like gaslighting.
This former APS teacher remembers it like it was:
At first, when schools moved to online instruction in the spring of 2020 and parents saw firsthand the hardships teachers were enduring, plaudits poured in for the educators showing remarkable commitment to their profession in a difficult situation they had never trained for. Virtual teaching took much more time to prepare, execute and evaluate. And because students were often not required to turn on their cameras, it was a lot like teaching into a void. But as time crawled on and schools remained closed to in-person instruction, parents became critical, even angry. The hostility parents leveled against teachers was astonishing.
Are you a secondary teacher? Because elementary school in APS wasn't anything like this in spring of 2020. For K-2, APS prohibited any teaching whatsoever, so my child didn't see her teacher after the schools closed and didn't get any work from her. For 3-5, no new instruction was permitted, so my older child's teacher sent repetitive worksheets every day (she was great, this was not her fault) and had once weekly video check ins. I didn't and don't blame the teachers for this; these were APS decisions. But for elementary parents, we were very much on our own and we saw our kids suffer from the complete lack of instruction and limited engagement from their teachers. I'm not a member of APE or any other group. But I think it's important to remember the context to understand how disappointed and concerned parents were when APS decided in the summer of 2020 to keep schools closed.
Are you saying the context justified the hostility the parents in the OPEN SCHOOLS NOW group showed to teachers (and others too)? I cannot agree with that.
Bad behavior is bad behavior all around and should not be considered acceptable. However, let's also not forget the, "Open Coffins Now" teachers that did their own protests mock coffins included!
I don't ever remember teachers attacking parents. That is the difference.
You don't remember the open coffins? You don't remember accusations here and on AEM that parents just wanted babysitters? You don't remember the incessant gaslighting that kids were resilient and if they weren't it was their parents fault? There was even a teacher or staff member with a phony name on AEM who was vicious to parents. The vast majority of teachers did not engage in those actions, but there were a few who did. To be clear, we had great teachers. They showed up every day that hard virtual year with nothing but enthusiasm, often while their own kids were at home. I understood only a smidge of what they had to do to show up like that every day in a zoom room. I was disappointed in APS and lack of leadership from our school board and county board to not work together more on real solutions. But was never disappointed in my kids' teachers.
Yes I remember all of this and it made me so sad to see that these were educators on AEM posting these things. I kept thinking, these are APS teachers expressing themselves like this in a forum (any forum)? I am glad some of the APE craziest were kicked out of the group, do not condone a lot of the rhetoric on both sides but for me APS took a way bigger hit in the past three years. Hope to have Miranda on the SB soon!
PP. Want to be clear again that it was very few teachers but wanted to respond to an earlier person who said they didn't remember teachers attacking parents. Emotions ran high that year and some people did not pass the test. Sadly that included a few teachers even though most were the glue for our virtual lives. I don't hold grudges against anyone because teachers were scared and families were watching their kids suffer in lots of ways. So glad those days are behind us.
This exactly. I was afraid to go back into the classroom before a vaccine but also found some of my colleagues were being inappropriate. It was happening all around but it’s (mostly) over now. I didn’t like APE And Miranda at first but I feel like they are doing good advocacy now for smaller classes and higher pay. I’ll support Miranda this time.
I wish you would say this in AEM under your true name. I don't trust anyone anonymous to represent themselves truthfully.
I do not go on AEM
Anyone can say that they’re a teacher here. So don’t be surprised if no one believes you.
+1000 it's very easy to pretend you're a teacher. I don't personally know any teachers who would support anyone in APE.
There are several APS teachers in the APE group, including some who comment in a positive way to some things.
Anonymous wrote:Jeff/Admin: Can you explain why posts in this thread keep getting deleted if they mention APE?
There is a post directly above yours that mentions APE that did not get deleted. Posts are getting deleted for that reason. They are getting deleted for making false statements.
This group, which a SB candidate led for years, was an open schools group in Arlington. They were abusive online and in school board meetings. Some of their most aggressive, vocal members were anti-maskers, anti-CRT, pro-voucher. They were aligned with open schools groups out in FCPS and LCPS. Including Ian Prior, PDE (Koch bro), etc.
I really hope the normal lurkers on this page are not buying these defamatory lies. Literally none of this true. It'd be laughable if we we're living in an era of mis-information and conspiracy theory uptake. Please do your own research and look into this group, read their newsletters, and explore their website. I know some of them personally and they are all very active in their school communities and closely aligned with many APS teachers. There are a few deranged trolls on this page (likely the same people making the same outlandish claims on AEM) that are obsessed and continue to spread lies. They make accusation with no evidence or links. They associate people who have long been kicked out of APE if they went against their values and mission as being "leaders." It's disturbing.
No,PP, they are true. I'm involved in school issues, know MT, know APE. I can respect different views and I respect her for some of her advocacy. But APE was unhinged for a while, and MT didn't see that forest for the trees until later. Their level of anger and personal attacks turned off people like me who were open to their original advocacy.
I will never forget the hostility and abuse they showed to teachers.
+1
And administrators and parents.
It’s shocking that they have the audacity to move forward without some massive apology to the community. Are they hoping that we all just forgot?
I don't think they are hoping. More like gaslighting.
This former APS teacher remembers it like it was:
At first, when schools moved to online instruction in the spring of 2020 and parents saw firsthand the hardships teachers were enduring, plaudits poured in for the educators showing remarkable commitment to their profession in a difficult situation they had never trained for. Virtual teaching took much more time to prepare, execute and evaluate. And because students were often not required to turn on their cameras, it was a lot like teaching into a void. But as time crawled on and schools remained closed to in-person instruction, parents became critical, even angry. The hostility parents leveled against teachers was astonishing.
Are you a secondary teacher? Because elementary school in APS wasn't anything like this in spring of 2020. For K-2, APS prohibited any teaching whatsoever, so my child didn't see her teacher after the schools closed and didn't get any work from her. For 3-5, no new instruction was permitted, so my older child's teacher sent repetitive worksheets every day (she was great, this was not her fault) and had once weekly video check ins. I didn't and don't blame the teachers for this; these were APS decisions. But for elementary parents, we were very much on our own and we saw our kids suffer from the complete lack of instruction and limited engagement from their teachers. I'm not a member of APE or any other group. But I think it's important to remember the context to understand how disappointed and concerned parents were when APS decided in the summer of 2020 to keep schools closed.
Are you saying the context justified the hostility the parents in the OPEN SCHOOLS NOW group showed to teachers (and others too)? I cannot agree with that.
Bad behavior is bad behavior all around and should not be considered acceptable. However, let's also not forget the, "Open Coffins Now" teachers that did their own protests mock coffins included!
I don't ever remember teachers attacking parents. That is the difference.
You don't remember the open coffins? You don't remember accusations here and on AEM that parents just wanted babysitters? You don't remember the incessant gaslighting that kids were resilient and if they weren't it was their parents fault? There was even a teacher or staff member with a phony name on AEM who was vicious to parents. The vast majority of teachers did not engage in those actions, but there were a few who did. To be clear, we had great teachers. They showed up every day that hard virtual year with nothing but enthusiasm, often while their own kids were at home. I understood only a smidge of what they had to do to show up like that every day in a zoom room. I was disappointed in APS and lack of leadership from our school board and county board to not work together more on real solutions. But was never disappointed in my kids' teachers.
Yes I remember all of this and it made me so sad to see that these were educators on AEM posting these things. I kept thinking, these are APS teachers expressing themselves like this in a forum (any forum)? I am glad some of the APE craziest were kicked out of the group, do not condone a lot of the rhetoric on both sides but for me APS took a way bigger hit in the past three years. Hope to have Miranda on the SB soon!
PP. Want to be clear again that it was very few teachers but wanted to respond to an earlier person who said they didn't remember teachers attacking parents. Emotions ran high that year and some people did not pass the test. Sadly that included a few teachers even though most were the glue for our virtual lives. I don't hold grudges against anyone because teachers were scared and families were watching their kids suffer in lots of ways. So glad those days are behind us.
This exactly. I was afraid to go back into the classroom before a vaccine but also found some of my colleagues were being inappropriate. It was happening all around but it’s (mostly) over now. I didn’t like APE And Miranda at first but I feel like they are doing good advocacy now for smaller classes and higher pay. I’ll support Miranda this time.
I wish you would say this in AEM under your true name. I don't trust anyone anonymous to represent themselves truthfully.
I do not go on AEM
Anyone can say that they’re a teacher here. So don’t be surprised if no one believes you.
+1000 it's very easy to pretend you're a teacher. I don't personally know any teachers who would support anyone in APE.
There are several APS teachers in the APE group, including some who comment in a positive way to some things.
In case anyone is wondering how APS teachers feel about a specific group of parents, here is an APS teacher (now former) who put her name on it --
At first, when schools moved to online instruction in the spring of 2020 and parents saw firsthand the hardships teachers were enduring, plaudits poured in for the educators showing remarkable commitment to their profession in a difficult situation they had never trained for. Virtual teaching took much more time to prepare, execute and evaluate. And because students were often not required to turn on their cameras, it was a lot like teaching into a void. But as time crawled on and schools remained closed to in-person instruction, parents became critical, even angry. The hostility parents leveled against teachers was astonishing. In September 2021 alone, 30,000 public school teachers nationwide gave notice. Between August 2020 and August 2021, Florida’s teacher vacancies surged 67 percent, according to a count by the Florida Education Association. In 2021, California’s largest district, Los Angeles Unified, had five times the number of vacancies as in previous years, according to Shannon Haber, a spokeswoman for the district. The number of retirements skyrocketed, and I joined the exodus. I was within a couple of years of my target retirement date, but I left earlier than planned because of the mounting stress around the pandemic and an ever-increasing workload.
Anonymous wrote:In case anyone is wondering how APS teachers feel about a specific group of parents, here is an APS teacher (now former) who put her name on it --
At first, when schools moved to online instruction in the spring of 2020 and parents saw firsthand the hardships teachers were enduring, plaudits poured in for the educators showing remarkable commitment to their profession in a difficult situation they had never trained for. Virtual teaching took much more time to prepare, execute and evaluate. And because students were often not required to turn on their cameras, it was a lot like teaching into a void. But as time crawled on and schools remained closed to in-person instruction, parents became critical, even angry. The hostility parents leveled against teachers was astonishing. In September 2021 alone, 30,000 public school teachers nationwide gave notice. Between August 2020 and August 2021, Florida’s teacher vacancies surged 67 percent, according to a count by the Florida Education Association. In 2021, California’s largest district, Los Angeles Unified, had five times the number of vacancies as in previous years, according to Shannon Haber, a spokeswoman for the district. The number of retirements skyrocketed, and I joined the exodus. I was within a couple of years of my target retirement date, but I left earlier than planned because of the mounting stress around the pandemic and an ever-increasing workload.
Anonymous wrote:In case anyone is wondering how APS teachers feel about a specific group of parents, here is an APS teacher (now former) who put her name on it --
At first, when schools moved to online instruction in the spring of 2020 and parents saw firsthand the hardships teachers were enduring, plaudits poured in for the educators showing remarkable commitment to their profession in a difficult situation they had never trained for. Virtual teaching took much more time to prepare, execute and evaluate. And because students were often not required to turn on their cameras, it was a lot like teaching into a void. But as time crawled on and schools remained closed to in-person instruction, parents became critical, even angry. The hostility parents leveled against teachers was astonishing. In September 2021 alone, 30,000 public school teachers nationwide gave notice. Between August 2020 and August 2021, Florida’s teacher vacancies surged 67 percent, according to a count by the Florida Education Association. In 2021, California’s largest district, Los Angeles Unified, had five times the number of vacancies as in previous years, according to Shannon Haber, a spokeswoman for the district. The number of retirements skyrocketed, and I joined the exodus. I was within a couple of years of my target retirement date, but I left earlier than planned because of the mounting stress around the pandemic and an ever-increasing workload.
I have a teacher in my immediate family and this really resonates.
Thanks for the anecdote. Here’s mine: I’ve got four northern VA teachers in my immediate family and they all wanted to be back in the classroom way before they were allowed. And I’ve got another teacher in my immediate family in a state that opened the schools in the fall of 2020 and thought what was going on here was insane.
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