I’m an MCPS teacher, AMA!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do you think of the apple ballot?

What are you looking for in a school board candidate?

I’m generally pro Apple Ballot. Most people don’t know that the union advocates for items which directly impact students. Lower class sizes, more mental health supports, etc. I was disappointed Coll lost. The Board really would benefit with someone who had elementary experience.

The union certain advocates for positions that impact students— just not always in a positive way. What is your take on MCEA’s handling of the pandemic and school closures? Do you think there will be a shake-up in the next round of union elections to get the extremists out?

They did the right thing keeping teachers and students safe. Sure, some far-right nuts will disagree, but all the sane people know better.

What does the OP think?

OP here. I’m torn. On one hand, by keeping school buildings closed, the community remained safer. On the other hand, by keeping school buildings closed, children’s learning was not as robust as it could’ve been.

It might have protected some of the higher-risk teachers, that were otherwise able to isolate themselves and their families because of the decision to close schools, but I think the data shows it didn’t protect the community at-large, since schools weren’t the primary driver of infections.

Give.
It.
A.
Rest.

As long as people keep perpetuating the flat out lie that only "far-right nuts" wanted to open schools sooner nobody is going to give it a rest.

It’s 2022. Time to get over it. Yeah, we’ve heard… “we can’t move on without an apology.” Grow up.

It's 2022 and posters are claiming it was just right wing nuts, who wanted to open schools, that is who I was responding to. If you want me to just let that BS lie, sorry but no.

[Anonymous]

Is OP still responding, or is this just parents bickering back and forth? If the latter, Jeff should close this thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is OP still responding, or is this just parents bickering back and forth? If the latter, Jeff should close this thread.

+1000

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]How do we remediate learning loss that we are currently experiencing?[/quote]

I don't know, maybe do your job as a parent? [/quote]

Lol, you and the loser below are clearly not teachers (and definitely not the OP of this thread). You folks sure are triggered by those seeking system wide change.[/quote]

“Loser?” “Triggered?” Are you 12?

Oh, and you’re not getting “systemwide change,” but feel free to continue wasting your time.[/quote]

Posters here have complained that students cannot write at HS level, that MS is too easy, and that the prep for AP classes is terrible. Yet the only time you (parent blamer) and the one trick pony (free tutoring lady) show yourselves is at the mention of “learning loss.” So yes, you are the names I called you.[/quote]

DP. For every parent who says MS is too easy, there’s one who says it’s too demanding.[/quote]

More evidence that this equity push is kind of silly. Kids are different, and it's better to meet them where they are instead of attempting to force equal outcomes. People have different goals and values. Many don't want the same outcome.[/quote]

Oh,cool the same old person that constantly posts about equity bc they clearly don’t understand it. Pretty sure we all know your twitter handle. No one takes you seriously.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do we remediate learning loss that we are currently experiencing?

I don't know, maybe do your job as a parent?

Lol, you and the loser below are clearly not teachers (and definitely not the OP of this thread). You folks sure are triggered by those seeking system wide change.

System wide change? You mean parents holding themselves responsible for once? Never gonna happen,but that'd be nice. No one is "triggered" we just deal with the repercussions of you not raising your kids on a daily basis.

If you actually believed that, you would have scolded the parents who said their kids weren’t prepped for APs or can’t write. But no, we see what set you off to mean comments. Happens in nearly every thread these days.

Parent teacher conferences just happened.. you’d never believe the incredulous “my child acts like that?! It will end tonight…” cue to the next day and their kid acts exactly the same. You all have a role. It’s very easy to blame someone else. No one is scolding anyone. Not sure where the disconnect is. Parents seem to want to be victims instead of being responsible. Immature people blame everyone else. We’re mean. It’s the schools fault! I get this has been your laurel to rest on since 2020 but at some point, you’re going to have to take responsibility.

I really wish parenting classes were mandatory. Kids rule the roost and it shows in school. Parents don't want to discipline their kids because they don't want to be mean or they are too tired. Tough! We are all tired but I wouldn't be able to sleep at night knowing I sent my kid out into the world for other people to deal with because I didn't want to do it.

Red herring folks. We’re talking about falling behind in academics. Rather than acknowledging that, it must be because any poster who complains have behavioral issues with their children. News flash. Kids can be well behaved and do homework and still have gaps. You cannot even address the point and deflect. And by the way, I was at parent teacher conferences and all of the teachers acknowledge these academic gaps.

Lol says a parent in absolute denial. If you don’t think classroom behavior affects academics…. I mean, I don’t even have the words. Teachers aren’t quitting bc kids are behind- they are quitting bc kids are out of control. Parents like you clearly aren’t taking responsibility. Red herring… I just…. Jesus Christ

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do we remediate learning loss that we are currently experiencing?

I don't know, maybe do your job as a parent?

Lol, you and the loser below are clearly not teachers (and definitely not the OP of this thread). You folks sure are triggered by those seeking system wide change.

System wide change? You mean parents holding themselves responsible for once? Never gonna happen,but that'd be nice. No one is "triggered" we just deal with the repercussions of you not raising your kids on a daily basis.

If you actually believed that, you would have scolded the parents who said their kids weren’t prepped for APs or can’t write. But no, we see what set you off to mean comments. Happens in nearly every thread these days.

Parent teacher conferences just happened.. you’d never believe the incredulous “my child acts like that?! It will end tonight…” cue to the next day and their kid acts exactly the same. You all have a role. It’s very easy to blame someone else. No one is scolding anyone. Not sure where the disconnect is. Parents seem to want to be victims instead of being responsible. Immature people blame everyone else. We’re mean. It’s the schools fault! I get this has been your laurel to rest on since 2020 but at some point, you’re going to have to take responsibility.

I really wish parenting classes were mandatory. Kids rule the roost and it shows in school. Parents don't want to discipline their kids because they don't want to be mean or they are too tired. Tough! We are all tired but I wouldn't be able to sleep at night knowing I sent my kid out into the world for other people to deal with because I didn't want to do it.

Red herring folks. We’re talking about falling behind in academics. Rather than acknowledging that, it must be because any poster who complains have behavioral issues with their children. News flash. Kids can be well behaved and do homework and still have gaps. You cannot even address the point and deflect. And by the way, I was at parent teacher conferences and all of the teachers acknowledge these academic gaps.

My kid fell behind because his class had to be evacuated several times per week (sometimes per day) due to 2 kids whose behavior was over-the-top. Don't say behavior doesn't interfere with academics. They finally sent one of the kids to another school and the other one stayed in the classroom for the entire year. He missed math a few days per week for the entire YEAR due to the behavior of 1-2 kids. This year, he is not in class with the second student but has a new student who takes up a lot of class time. I hired a math tutor for my son since he learned next to nothing last year. Luckily he was ahead in the other subjects.

This is a real complaint however you are in a public school with a huge mix of kid so this will happen. You should have asked to transfer your child out. In ES, the curriculum is pretty weak and many of us supplemented either ourselves or via tutors. We did it ourselves.

MCPS curriculum and lack of differentiation is terrible in the younger years. It's also terrible in terms of the supports they provide to kids with greater academic and behavioral needs as well as developmental delays and disorders.

School has been back for almost two years now in person, one for some, however at some point, the issue was not covid, the issue is the bad curriculum, behavior (which is partly school, partly parenting) and many other things. The curriculum was dumbed down in virtual a few years ago because parents complained about their kids being on the computer all day, the homework, etc.

The new teaching style with group work, discussions and no homework is great for some, not for others. My kids do best in a traditional setting with textbooks, formal instruction and repetition. We use the free MCPS tutoring for math as the math teaching is the worst, even with a good teacher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do we remediate learning loss that we are currently experiencing?

I don't know, maybe do your job as a parent?

Lol, you and the loser below are clearly not teachers (and definitely not the OP of this thread). You folks sure are triggered by those seeking system wide change.

“Loser?” “Triggered?” Are you 12?

Oh, and you’re not getting “systemwide change,” but feel free to continue wasting your time.

Posters here have complained that students cannot write at HS level, that MS is too easy, and that the prep for AP classes is terrible. Yet the only time you (parent blamer) and the one trick pony (free tutoring lady) show yourselves is at the mention of “learning loss.” So yes, you are the names I called you.

DP. For every parent who says MS is too easy, there’s one who says it’s too demanding.

More reason to allow for tracking starting MS. MCPS encourages all kids to take AP classes, so if in HS, the kid wants to start taking more rigorous classes, they can. But, not preparing even kids who plan on taking AP classes starting freshmen year is a disservice to all kids who want to take more rigorous classes.

MCPS is too worried about closing the achievement gap. IMO, if they prepare some kids even more starting in MS they're probably afraid the gap will get bigger.

Honestly how can MS be too demanding? They have so little HW, and with grade inflation,and the 50% rule, there is nothing challenging about MS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do we remediate learning loss that we are currently experiencing?

I don't know, maybe do your job as a parent?

Lol, you and the loser below are clearly not teachers (and definitely not the OP of this thread). You folks sure are triggered by those seeking system wide change.

“Loser?” “Triggered?” Are you 12?

Oh, and you’re not getting “systemwide change,” but feel free to continue wasting your time.

Posters here have complained that students cannot write at HS level, that MS is too easy, and that the prep for AP classes is terrible. Yet the only time you (parent blamer) and the one trick pony (free tutoring lady) show yourselves is at the mention of “learning loss.” So yes, you are the names I called you.

DP. For every parent who says MS is too easy, there’s one who says it’s too demanding.

More reason to allow for tracking starting MS. MCPS encourages all kids to take AP classes, so if in HS, the kid wants to start taking more rigorous classes, they can. But, not preparing even kids who plan on taking AP classes starting freshmen year is a disservice to all kids who want to take more rigorous classes.

MCPS is too worried about closing the achievement gap. IMO, if they prepare some kids even more starting in MS they're probably afraid the gap will get bigger.

Honestly how can MS be too demanding? They have so little HW, and with grade inflation,and the 50% rule, there is nothing challenging about MS.

Some MS math and world language classes can be challenging. The rest are not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do we remediate learning loss that we are currently experiencing?

I don't know, maybe do your job as a parent?

Lol, you and the loser below are clearly not teachers (and definitely not the OP of this thread). You folks sure are triggered by those seeking system wide change.

System wide change? You mean parents holding themselves responsible for once? Never gonna happen,but that'd be nice. No one is "triggered" we just deal with the repercussions of you not raising your kids on a daily basis.

If you actually believed that, you would have scolded the parents who said their kids weren’t prepped for APs or can’t write. But no, we see what set you off to mean comments. Happens in nearly every thread these days.

Parent teacher conferences just happened.. you’d never believe the incredulous “my child acts like that?! It will end tonight…” cue to the next day and their kid acts exactly the same. You all have a role. It’s very easy to blame someone else. No one is scolding anyone. Not sure where the disconnect is. Parents seem to want to be victims instead of being responsible. Immature people blame everyone else. We’re mean. It’s the schools fault! I get this has been your laurel to rest on since 2020 but at some point, you’re going to have to take responsibility.

Claps hands! YES! Because I have 4 kids. We have been through the pandemic, did the virtual and not ONE of my kids misbehave in school, not ONE of my kids is below grade level in any subject and not ONE of my kids has mental health issues. One developed a tic due to wearing her mask when she had a cold and masking her cough. It has been resolved with therapy. We made sure we adjusted our lives to ensure that our children were loved, safe, made to feel important (the amount of parents I hear blaming all of their extra work, stress, etc on dealing with kids through the pandemic is gross. It is NOT their fault! How does that make them feel?), making sure work was done and each subject was practiced, and we took a family run or walk every day after dinner to make sure we stayed healthy and spent time together. It really was not all that hard. And, no we are not some W family making uber millions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do we remediate learning loss that we are currently experiencing?

I don't know, maybe do your job as a parent?

Lol, you and the loser below are clearly not teachers (and definitely not the OP of this thread). You folks sure are triggered by those seeking system wide change.

System wide change? You mean parents holding themselves responsible for once? Never gonna happen,but that'd be nice. No one is "triggered" we just deal with the repercussions of you not raising your kids on a daily basis.

If you actually believed that, you would have scolded the parents who said their kids weren’t prepped for APs or can’t write. But no, we see what set you off to mean comments. Happens in nearly every thread these days.

Parent teacher conferences just happened.. you’d never believe the incredulous “my child acts like that?! It will end tonight…” cue to the next day and their kid acts exactly the same. You all have a role. It’s very easy to blame someone else. No one is scolding anyone. Not sure where the disconnect is. Parents seem to want to be victims instead of being responsible. Immature people blame everyone else. We’re mean. It’s the schools fault! I get this has been your laurel to rest on since 2020 but at some point, you’re going to have to take responsibility.

Claps hands! YES! Because I have 4 kids. We have been through the pandemic, did the virtual and not ONE of my kids misbehave in school, not ONE of my kids is below grade level in any subject and not ONE of my kids has mental health issues. One developed a tic due to wearing her mask when she had a cold and masking her cough. It has been resolved with therapy. We made sure we adjusted our lives to ensure that our children were loved, safe, made to feel important (the amount of parents I hear blaming all of their extra work, stress, etc on dealing with kids through the pandemic is gross. It is NOT their fault! How does that make them feel?), making sure work was done and each subject was practiced, and we took a family run or walk every day after dinner to make sure we stayed healthy and spent time together. It really was not all that hard. And, no we are not some W family making uber millions.

Translation: Parents, it's all your fault that your kids have mental health issues or are struggling in school. Figure it out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a question for the OP. At a W feeder ES school, does everyone actually score in the 99th percentile on the MAP tests? Cause every dcum kid is 99th percentile. So just wondering… thanks

OP here. In K-2 it is very common for MAP scores to be in the high 90s. Once students enter third grade, the test changes and scores are lower.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, what do you think about the calendar? Do you think it is ideal for student learning? Do you think it can be improved upon, and if so, how?

Interesting question. In 20 plus years I've never once thought about the calendar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, what do you think about the calendar? Do you think it is ideal for student learning? Do you think it can be improved upon, and if so, how?

Interesting question. In 20 plus years I've never once thought about the calendar.

Sorry. The post sent too soon. The calendar will be whatever it is. I do appreciate how MCPS closes schools for different cultures' religious holidays.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do we remediate learning loss that we are currently experiencing?

I don't know, maybe do your job as a parent?

Lol, you and the loser below are clearly not teachers (and definitely not the OP of this thread). You folks sure are triggered by those seeking system wide change.

System wide change? You mean parents holding themselves responsible for once? Never gonna happen,but that'd be nice. No one is "triggered" we just deal with the repercussions of you not raising your kids on a daily basis.

If you actually believed that, you would have scolded the parents who said their kids weren’t prepped for APs or can’t write. But no, we see what set you off to mean comments. Happens in nearly every thread these days.

Parent teacher conferences just happened.. you’d never believe the incredulous “my child acts like that?! It will end tonight…” cue to the next day and their kid acts exactly the same. You all have a role. It’s very easy to blame someone else. No one is scolding anyone. Not sure where the disconnect is. Parents seem to want to be victims instead of being responsible. Immature people blame everyone else. We’re mean. It’s the schools fault! I get this has been your laurel to rest on since 2020 but at some point, you’re going to have to take responsibility.

I really wish parenting classes were mandatory. Kids rule the roost and it shows in school. Parents don't want to discipline their kids because they don't want to be mean or they are too tired. Tough! We are all tired but I wouldn't be able to sleep at night knowing I sent my kid out into the world for other people to deal with because I didn't want to do it.

Red herring folks. We’re talking about falling behind in academics. Rather than acknowledging that, it must be because any poster who complains have behavioral issues with their children. News flash. Kids can be well behaved and do homework and still have gaps. You cannot even address the point and deflect. And by the way, I was at parent teacher conferences and all of the teachers acknowledge these academic gaps.

My kid fell behind because his class had to be evacuated several times per week (sometimes per day) due to 2 kids whose behavior was over-the-top. Don't say behavior doesn't interfere with academics. They finally sent one of the kids to another school and the other one stayed in the classroom for the entire year. He missed math a few days per week for the entire YEAR due to the behavior of 1-2 kids. This year, he is not in class with the second student but has a new student who takes up a lot of class time. I hired a math tutor for my son since he learned next to nothing last year. Luckily he was ahead in the other subjects.

This is a real complaint however you are in a public school with a huge mix of kid so this will happen. You should have asked to transfer your child out. In ES, the curriculum is pretty weak and many of us supplemented either ourselves or via tutors. We did it ourselves.

MCPS curriculum and lack of differentiation is terrible in the younger years. It's also terrible in terms of the supports they provide to kids with greater academic and behavioral needs as well as developmental delays and disorders.

School has been back for almost two years now in person, one for some, however at some point, the issue was not covid, the issue is the bad curriculum, behavior (which is partly school, partly parenting) and many other things. The curriculum was dumbed down in virtual a few years ago because parents complained about their kids being on the computer all day, the homework, etc.

The new teaching style with group work, discussions and no homework is great for some, not for others. My kids do best in a traditional setting with textbooks, formal instruction and repetition. We use the free MCPS tutoring for math as the math teaching is the worst, even with a good teacher.

What makes you think I didn’t ask for a class transfer? I bet half of the parents in that class asked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do we remediate learning loss that we are currently experiencing?

I don't know, maybe do your job as a parent?

Lol, you and the loser below are clearly not teachers (and definitely not the OP of this thread). You folks sure are triggered by those seeking system wide change.

System wide change? You mean parents holding themselves responsible for once? Never gonna happen,but that'd be nice. No one is "triggered" we just deal with the repercussions of you not raising your kids on a daily basis.

If you actually believed that, you would have scolded the parents who said their kids weren’t prepped for APs or can’t write. But no, we see what set you off to mean comments. Happens in nearly every thread these days.

Parent teacher conferences just happened.. you’d never believe the incredulous “my child acts like that?! It will end tonight…” cue to the next day and their kid acts exactly the same. You all have a role. It’s very easy to blame someone else. No one is scolding anyone. Not sure where the disconnect is. Parents seem to want to be victims instead of being responsible. Immature people blame everyone else. We’re mean. It’s the schools fault! I get this has been your laurel to rest on since 2020 but at some point, you’re going to have to take responsibility.

Claps hands! YES! Because I have 4 kids. We have been through the pandemic, did the virtual and not ONE of my kids misbehave in school, not ONE of my kids is below grade level in any subject and not ONE of my kids has mental health issues. One developed a tic due to wearing her mask when she had a cold and masking her cough. It has been resolved with therapy. We made sure we adjusted our lives to ensure that our children were loved, safe, made to feel important (the amount of parents I hear blaming all of their extra work, stress, etc on dealing with kids through the pandemic is gross. It is NOT their fault! How does that make them feel?), making sure work was done and each subject was practiced, and we took a family run or walk every day after dinner to make sure we stayed healthy and spent time together. It really was not all that hard. And, no we are not some W family making uber millions.

Translation: Parents, it's all your fault that your kids have mental health issues or are struggling in school. Figure it out.

… are you waiting for applause? It’s never coming. This is all on you. I’m sorry that people are finally placing the blame where it should be, but you chose to have kids. Time to do that job. Whether there’s a global pandemic or not- that is what you signed up for. It’s seriously pathetic that you seek to blame others or that you need to find excuses. You had a kid- it is not a schools responsibility to raise them. I’m truly sorry this is your mindset bc life for your kid must be hell.