If teachers are leaving left and right, is it the principal's fault?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are poorly behaved kids in every school. The worst bulky in my child’s class is the child of Indian immigrants (we are in a school with a very large Indian population). His parents are in denial about his disruptive behavior. I think a lot of Asian families refuse to get their children tested for things like add as well as learning disabilities. And those kids get frustrated and act up just like a white kid would.

This. You can walk into any classroom in FCPS and there will be at least 1-2 kids if not more who are behavior problems. The extent of the behavior varies. Most teachers have at least one kid who does not stop talking all day. Most teachers have a kid who walks around the room or can’t keep their hands to themselves. Most teachers have a kid who is constantly inappropriate. Most teachers have at least one kid who causes drama where teaching needs to stop so we can deal with whatever rumors are going around.

That being said, there are many teachers who have 3-6 kids in a class like that and also have severe behavior issues too.


In order for true change to occur…
K-6 classes should be capped at 20 and 7-12 at 25.
Students need consequences and parent follow through.
In ES, the staffing for ESOL needs to be better.
Parents should have less power when it comes to getting kids help. So many parents are in denial about their kids that they actually refuse testing because they don’t want a label. Meanwhile their kids are struggling in school academically and behavior wise.
There should two full time counselors for every 500 kids.

+1 to all of this. I'll add: there should be a Behavior Intervention Teacher, preferably a BCBA, onsite at least weekly at any school where there are kids with BIPs or extensive behavior goals in their IEP. We have multiple students like this and I've seen our BIT onsite once this school year. Having one person spread across a dozen schools in the county is pointless.

[Anonymous]

Shrevewoood parent here. I had no idea teachers were quitting this year. Our only complaint has to do with the disintegration of Level IV. It’s a terrible idea and we know many families who left for Lemon Road. If our second child gets into AAP next year, we will be doing the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Shrevewoood parent here. I had no idea teachers were quitting this year. Our only complaint has to do with the disintegration of Level IV. It’s a terrible idea and we know many families who left for Lemon Road. If our second child gets into AAP next year, we will be doing the same.

Disintegration? Do explain…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Shrevewoood parent here. I had no idea teachers were quitting this year. Our only complaint has to do with the disintegration of Level IV. It’s a terrible idea and we know many families who left for Lemon Road. If our second child gets into AAP next year, we will be doing the same.

Disintegration? Do explain…

PP is upset because Shrevewood started clustering students and teaching everyone the AAP curriculum this year instead of having a dedicated LLIV class for each grade (they are still doing advanced math and kids are switching classes for math - which is actually nice because it's preparing them for middle school). A lot of families were unhappy with the model so they left for the center, but this means the class sizes are now much smaller in the upper grades which has been awesome (and probably an intended consequence). My kids are really thriving this year under this model and I really hope they don't switch it back! Most of the families I know are also happy with the change. The families we know that switched to Lemon Road love it there. I feel like it's a win for everyone!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Shrevewoood parent here. I had no idea teachers were quitting this year. Our only complaint has to do with the disintegration of Level IV. It’s a terrible idea and we know many families who left for Lemon Road. If our second child gets into AAP next year, we will be doing the same.

Disintegration? Do explain…

PP is upset because Shrevewood started clustering students and teaching everyone the AAP curriculum this year instead of having a dedicated LLIV class for each grade (they are still doing advanced math and kids are switching classes for math - which is actually nice because it's preparing them for middle school). A lot of families were unhappy with the model so they left for the center, but this means the class sizes are now much smaller in the upper grades which has been awesome (and probably an intended consequence). My kids are really thriving this year under this model and I really hope they don't switch it back! Most of the families I know are also happy with the change. The families we know that switched to Lemon Road love it there. I feel like it's a win for everyone!

The switching for advanced math isn’t a long term plan. So enjoy it while it lasts. Your kid is probably thriving because they were placed with level IV kids. There is no way, no how a teacher can teach adequately to level IV kids and kids who don’t speak English or who have learning disabilities. My kid with LD can’t keep up with the curriculum so your level IV is losing out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Shrevewoood parent here. I had no idea teachers were quitting this year. Our only complaint has to do with the disintegration of Level IV. It’s a terrible idea and we know many families who left for Lemon Road. If our second child gets into AAP next year, we will be doing the same.

Disintegration? Do explain…

PP is upset because Shrevewood started clustering students and teaching everyone the AAP curriculum this year instead of having a dedicated LLIV class for each grade (they are still doing advanced math and kids are switching classes for math - which is actually nice because it's preparing them for middle school). A lot of families were unhappy with the model so they left for the center, but this means the class sizes are now much smaller in the upper grades which has been awesome (and probably an intended consequence). My kids are really thriving this year under this model and I really hope they don't switch it back! Most of the families I know are also happy with the change. The families we know that switched to Lemon Road love it there. I feel like it's a win for everyone!

And I present to PP one of the parents that is the reason Shrevewood comes up so much on this board. For every happy parent, there is a disgruntled one that posts ten times.

The switching for advanced math isn’t a long term plan. So enjoy it while it lasts. Your kid is probably thriving because they were placed with level IV kids. There is no way, no how a teacher can teach adequately to level IV kids and kids who don’t speak English or who have learning disabilities. My kid with LD can’t keep up with the curriculum so your level IV is losing out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Shrevewoood parent here. I had no idea teachers were quitting this year. Our only complaint has to do with the disintegration of Level IV. It’s a terrible idea and we know many families who left for Lemon Road. If our second child gets into AAP next year, we will be doing the same.

Another Shrevewood parent here… I understand the intention based on “equity”, but in practice like many of these attempts at evening the playing field for all, we’ve clearly just diluted what was good about ESOL and AAP classrooms and spread our educators and students thinly. Everyone is losing.

Btw take w a grain of salt… I’m a parent not an EdD

[Anonymous]

Fixing my quote:
And I present to PP one of the parents that is the reason Shrevewood comes up so much on this board. For every happy parent, there is a disgruntled one that posts ten times.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Shrevewoood parent here. I had no idea teachers were quitting this year. Our only complaint has to do with the disintegration of Level IV. It’s a terrible idea and we know many families who left for Lemon Road. If our second child gets into AAP next year, we will be doing the same.

Another Shrevewood parent here… I understand the intention based on “equity”, but in practice like many of these attempts at evening the playing field for all, we’ve clearly just diluted what was good about ESOL and AAP classrooms and spread our educators and students thinly. Everyone is losing.

Btw take w a grain of salt… I’m a parent not an EdD

There were no ESOL dedicated classrooms. So here’s the real problem: AAP parents are upset because they no longer have segregated classrooms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Shrevewoood parent here. I had no idea teachers were quitting this year. Our only complaint has to do with the disintegration of Level IV. It’s a terrible idea and we know many families who left for Lemon Road. If our second child gets into AAP next year, we will be doing the same.

Another Shrevewood parent here… I understand the intention based on “equity”, but in practice like many of these attempts at evening the playing field for all, we’ve clearly just diluted what was good about ESOL and AAP classrooms and spread our educators and students thinly. Everyone is losing.

Btw take w a grain of salt… I’m a parent not an EdD

There were no ESOL dedicated classrooms. So here’s the real problem: AAP parents are upset because they no longer have segregated classrooms.

If you believe this is true, you should be fighting tooth and nail for the elimination of center schools, which are then logically the perfect embodiment of the “segregation” you’re speaking about.

[Anonymous]

The short answer is yes, most definitely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Shrevewoood parent here. I had no idea teachers were quitting this year. Our only complaint has to do with the disintegration of Level IV. It’s a terrible idea and we know many families who left for Lemon Road. If our second child gets into AAP next year, we will be doing the same.

Another Shrevewood parent here… I understand the intention based on “equity”, but in practice like many of these attempts at evening the playing field for all, we’ve clearly just diluted what was good about ESOL and AAP classrooms and spread our educators and students thinly. Everyone is losing.

Btw take w a grain of salt… I’m a parent not an EdD

There were no ESOL dedicated classrooms. So here’s the real problem: AAP parents are upset because they no longer have segregated classrooms.

No one cares about the ethnic mix of the classroom these days - except the School Board, perhaps, who didn’t want too many Asian kids at TJ. People just want their students and children to have an optimal learning experience, and that doesn’t happen if too many LD, ESOL, and behavioral problem kids are sucking up all the attention of the teacher or preventing the class from moving efficiently through the curriculum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Shrevewoood parent here. I had no idea teachers were quitting this year. Our only complaint has to do with the disintegration of Level IV. It’s a terrible idea and we know many families who left for Lemon Road. If our second child gets into AAP next year, we will be doing the same.

Another Shrevewood parent here… I understand the intention based on “equity”, but in practice like many of these attempts at evening the playing field for all, we’ve clearly just diluted what was good about ESOL and AAP classrooms and spread our educators and students thinly. Everyone is losing.

Btw take w a grain of salt… I’m a parent not an EdD

There were no ESOL dedicated classrooms. So here’s the real problem: AAP parents are upset because they no longer have segregated classrooms.

If you believe this is true, you should be fighting tooth and nail for the elimination of center schools, which are then logically the perfect embodiment of the “segregation” you’re speaking about.

NP here: Fighting for that everyday. The centers are ridiculous and the bastion of segregation. They’ll be going soon enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Shrevewoood parent here. I had no idea teachers were quitting this year. Our only complaint has to do with the disintegration of Level IV. It’s a terrible idea and we know many families who left for Lemon Road. If our second child gets into AAP next year, we will be doing the same.

Another Shrevewood parent here… I understand the intention based on “equity”, but in practice like many of these attempts at evening the playing field for all, we’ve clearly just diluted what was good about ESOL and AAP classrooms and spread our educators and students thinly. Everyone is losing.

Btw take w a grain of salt… I’m a parent not an EdD

There were no ESOL dedicated classrooms. So here’s the real problem: AAP parents are upset because they no longer have segregated classrooms.

If you believe this is true, you should be fighting tooth and nail for the elimination of center schools, which are then logically the perfect embodiment of the “segregation” you’re speaking about.

NP here: Fighting for that everyday. The centers are ridiculous and the bastion of segregation. They’ll be going soon enough.

God help us. Clearly, you were never a smart kid who was bored by your classes at school or the snail’s pace of the curriculum. For some of us, the experience was truly painful.

[Anonymous]

OP here, sorry I haven't been back until today. This is the second thread I've started on DCUM this year that has somehow veered into a Shrevewood thread but that's not where my kids go to school!