What changes did the teacher's union make?

[Anonymous]

I'm supportive of the union in general but I think they have acted selfishly in this pandemic at the expense of the rest of the county. Many teachers took advantage of the situation to do nothing. We some great efforts by individual teachers but the union as a whole did not act responsibly or in the best interest of society.
Other school districts were able to do a lot more because they weren't hindered by their unions.

I think there are and should be big changes coming. If we are doing this much virtual learning there will be less need for teachers who can't do it properly. They should step aside and become assistant teachers to the teachers who are willing to do live teaching and do it well. I think we should try to make sure everyone keeps their job but the teachers who are able to step up and evolve should be rewarded.

Like many other jobs during the pandemic teaching has changed. We can't pretend it hasn't.

[Anonymous]

MCPS hindered teachers beginning on 3/13 when teachers assigned real work for the two week emergency closing and Central Office said we weren’t allowed to do that.

[Anonymous]

The problems most complain about are not due to the unions and teachers. MCPS made us teach to the lowest common denominator last year so that students would not get “discouraged”. Basic math and reading and languages at the ES and MS level. Other subjects were strongly encouraged to keep things as light as possible so that students would not get overwhelmed. Grading was a a joke. The standards are supposed to be higher this school year but I am not sure if staff are required to do video instruction or not.

[Anonymous]

This is what I do not understand about YOU people. This was a pandemic. No one was prepared for this on any level. The first concern for any and everyone was health, not what about the kids education. It was all trial and error. Yes, there were errors. To complain that teachers weren’t willing to do anything is ridiculous. How many times do people need to post this; teachers had families, they were sick, loved ones were sick, they had another job, etc. This was a learning process for everyone from teachers, parents, the union, school systems, etc. The stakes will be higher the next time which is this time. Teachers and schools were told to do the bare minimum because no one knew what students home life was like during this pandemic. Schools passed out food, passed out computers and bitches still complain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is what I do not understand about YOU people. This was a pandemic. No one was prepared for this on any level. The first concern for any and everyone was health, not what about the kids education. It was all trial and error. Yes, there were errors. To complain that teachers weren’t willing to do anything is ridiculous. How many times do people need to post this; teachers had families, they were sick, loved ones were sick, they had another job, etc. This was a learning process for everyone from teachers, parents, the union, school systems, etc. The stakes will be higher the next time which is this time. Teachers and schools were told to do the bare minimum because no one knew what students home life was like during this pandemic. Schools passed out food, passed out computers and bitches still complain.

👏🏾

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is what I do not understand about YOU people. This was a pandemic. No one was prepared for this on any level. The first concern for any and everyone was health, not what about the kids education. It was all trial and error. Yes, there were errors. To complain that teachers weren’t willing to do anything is ridiculous. How many times do people need to post this; teachers had families, they were sick, loved ones were sick, they had another job, etc. This was a learning process for everyone from teachers, parents, the union, school systems, etc. The stakes will be higher the next time which is this time. Teachers and schools were told to do the bare minimum because no one knew what students home life was like during this pandemic. Schools passed out food, passed out computers and bitches still complain.

It’s not the people getting food who are complaining.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is what I do not understand about YOU people. This was a pandemic. No one was prepared for this on any level. The first concern for any and everyone was health, not what about the kids education. It was all trial and error. Yes, there were errors. To complain that teachers weren’t willing to do anything is ridiculous. How many times do people need to post this; teachers had families, they were sick, loved ones were sick, they had another job, etc. This was a learning process for everyone from teachers, parents, the union, school systems, etc. The stakes will be higher the next time which is this time. Teachers and schools were told to do the bare minimum because no one knew what students home life was like during this pandemic. Schools passed out food, passed out computers and bitches still complain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is what I do not understand about YOU people. This was a pandemic. No one was prepared for this on any level. The first concern for any and everyone was health, not what about the kids education. It was all trial and error. Yes, there were errors. To complain that teachers weren’t willing to do anything is ridiculous. How many times do people need to post this; teachers had families, they were sick, loved ones were sick, they had another job, etc. This was a learning process for everyone from teachers, parents, the union, school systems, etc. The stakes will be higher the next time which is this time. Teachers and schools were told to do the bare minimum because no one knew what students home life was like during this pandemic. Schools passed out food, passed out computers and bitches still complain.

👏🏾

Oyez, oyez!

So many selfish posters on these boards. Me, me, me. Confusing wants vs. needs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is what I do not understand about YOU people. This was a pandemic. No one was prepared for this on any level. The first concern for any and everyone was health, not what about the kids education. It was all trial and error. Yes, there were errors. To complain that teachers weren’t willing to do anything is ridiculous. How many times do people need to post this; teachers had families, they were sick, loved ones were sick, they had another job, etc. This was a learning process for everyone from teachers, parents, the union, school systems, etc. The stakes will be higher the next time which is this time. Teachers and schools were told to do the bare minimum because no one knew what students home life was like during this pandemic. Schools passed out food, passed out computers and bitches still complain.

👏🏾

Yup. But now we're talking about this upcoming school year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is what I do not understand about YOU people. This was a pandemic. No one was prepared for this on any level. The first concern for any and everyone was health, not what about the kids education. It was all trial and error. Yes, there were errors. To complain that teachers weren’t willing to do anything is ridiculous. How many times do people need to post this; teachers had families, they were sick, loved ones were sick, they had another job, etc. This was a learning process for everyone from teachers, parents, the union, school systems, etc. The stakes will be higher the next time which is this time. Teachers and schools were told to do the bare minimum because no one knew what students home life was like during this pandemic. Schools passed out food, passed out computers and bitches still complain.

It’s not the people getting food who are complaining.

Believe me the people who were complaining were mad that schools gave out free food or let families borrow Chromebooks. (And yes I saw you assholes on thelis board making fun of the type of cars of people driving up to get their Chromebooks) You know there's such a moral supierority in mocking people who lost their jobs for making sure their children got fed. Or thinking it's better to Have a bunch of Chromebooks collect dust in a classroom instead of having children use them to learn.

[Anonymous]

I have no problem with mcps giving out food to hungry students and Chromebooks to those in need. However, when high school students had no teaching from their own teachers, instead lousy videos from central office, and they are not being educated, damn right I complain. That's what mcps is goal is, educating students. And they failed miserably this past spring, and based on the draft current plan for this coming year, it looks like they will fail miserably again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is what I do not understand about YOU people. This was a pandemic. No one was prepared for this on any level. The first concern for any and everyone was health, not what about the kids education. It was all trial and error. Yes, there were errors. To complain that teachers weren’t willing to do anything is ridiculous. How many times do people need to post this; teachers had families, they were sick, loved ones were sick, they had another job, etc. This was a learning process for everyone from teachers, parents, the union, school systems, etc. The stakes will be higher the next time which is this time. Teachers and schools were told to do the bare minimum because no one knew what students home life was like during this pandemic. Schools passed out food, passed out computers and bitches still complain.

It’s not the people getting food who are complaining.

Believe me the people who were complaining were mad that schools gave out free food or let families borrow Chromebooks. (And yes I saw you assholes on thelis board making fun of the type of cars of people driving up to get their Chromebooks) You know there's such a moral supierority in mocking people who lost their jobs for making sure their children got fed. Or thinking it's better to Have a bunch of Chromebooks collect dust in a classroom instead of having children use them to learn.

I have no problem with the schools giving out food and Chromebooks. Not the issue and not the problem. The problem was the craptastic instruction.

[Anonymous]

During the spring, I am pretty sure the union stepped in to state that HS were not required to teaching with synchronous video instruction. I think it was the right call. For me personally, I was not able to get a laptop or a webcam for my desktop until mid May. Having kids at home was also a challenge teaching. The online teaching I did see often was just reading powerpoints and asking students the occasional questions, so I am not of the opinion that synchronus video instruction would be automatically better than kids being able to process info or stop video's to repeat instructions. If learning is dependent on synchonus instruction than students who as are not in class at the time may have no easy way to learn or catch up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is what I do not understand about YOU people. This was a pandemic. No one was prepared for this on any level. The first concern for any and everyone was health, not what about the kids education. It was all trial and error. Yes, there were errors. To complain that teachers weren’t willing to do anything is ridiculous. How many times do people need to post this; teachers had families, they were sick, loved ones were sick, they had another job, etc. This was a learning process for everyone from teachers, parents, the union, school systems, etc. The stakes will be higher the next time which is this time. Teachers and schools were told to do the bare minimum because no one knew what students home life was like during this pandemic. Schools passed out food, passed out computers and bitches still complain.

It’s not the people getting food who are complaining.

Believe me the people who were complaining were mad that schools gave out free food or let families borrow Chromebooks. (And yes I saw you assholes on thelis board making fun of the type of cars of people driving up to get their Chromebooks) You know there's such a moral supierority in mocking people who lost their jobs for making sure their children got fed. Or thinking it's better to Have a bunch of Chromebooks collect dust in a classroom instead of having children use them to learn.

I have no problem with the schools giving out food and Chromebooks. Not the issue and not the problem. The problem was the craptastic instruction. [/quote

Agree that some instruction was far from optimal. Some was nonexistent. Like all of us teachers were caught unaware by the pandemic. They had little training in online instruction and varying levels of competency with the tech. We have no idea what tech the teachers had at home. Some may have had older computers that didn’t work well with zoom. We have no idea what other situations they had with their own or family illness or childcare. They weren’t given substitutes so they could take off if they weed sick. Some may have chosen their careers because they aren’t strong with tech. After all, you wouldn’t expect to need that if you are a Kindergarten or PE or band teacher.

I agree that with summer there should have been time to sort this out. BOE is moving everyone to canvas. Will teachers be trained? Will they be given tech specs or laptops so they can teach? Will teachers be given means to get reliable Internet? Will the curriculum be changed to work with DL? The teachers above all else need training on whatever tech they have to use and I’m concerned that is where things will far apart the most.

Those are the

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:During the spring, I am pretty sure the union stepped in to state that HS were not required to teaching with synchronous video instruction. I think it was the right call. For me personally, I was not able to get a laptop or a webcam for my desktop until mid May. Having kids at home was also a challenge teaching. The online teaching I did see often was just reading powerpoints and asking students the occasional questions, so I am not of the opinion that synchronus video instruction would be automatically better than kids being able to process info or stop video's to repeat instructions. If learning is dependent on synchonus instruction than students who as are not in class at the time may have no easy way to learn or catch up.

Will you have someone to watch your kids if there is DL in the fall? That is one of the questions I keep asking and haven't heard any answers.