Cooper Middle School Math - horrible teacher

[Anonymous]

Where’s the blame? Seriously… I can’t find it. I see an explanation (why switching all the students to the good teacher’s classroom is a challenge) but I don’t see anywhere a parent is blamed for anything. I see a request that parents speak to those who are actually paid to deal with this problem, but again: I don’t see where parents are blamed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The suggestions that teachers do a little self-advocacy comes from this claim that they suffer from bad teachers too. If thats false than cool, enjoy carrying your colleagues dead weight and stop telling parents not to advocate for their kids

1. As a teacher, you are seldom in another teacher's classroom. You do not necessarily know what other teachers are doing. If you have team meetings, you can get a sense of it. As an elementary teacher, I knew if another teacher's class was rowdy--but that does not mean she is a poor teacher.
2. What, exactly, do you expect a teacher to do?

Do you work?
If so, do you complain about your co-workers to your boss? Do you try to get them fired?

I’ve already answered thus— I am the boss. When people come to me with issues of colleagues not pulling their weight, its my job to solve those problems. Yes sometimes that means I fire a low performer, since low performers create the resentment and toxicity discussed above— that doesn’t mean the person who reported the issue is bad.

Then call the administration. Don't blame the teachers. The teachers are not in the other teacher's classroom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The suggestions that teachers do a little self-advocacy comes from this claim that they suffer from bad teachers too. If thats false than cool, enjoy carrying your colleagues dead weight and stop telling parents not to advocate for their kids

1. As a teacher, you are seldom in another teacher's classroom. You do not necessarily know what other teachers are doing. If you have team meetings, you can get a sense of it. As an elementary teacher, I knew if another teacher's class was rowdy--but that does not mean she is a poor teacher.
2. What, exactly, do you expect a teacher to do?

Do you work?
If so, do you complain about your co-workers to your boss? Do you try to get them fired?

I’ve already answered thus— I am the boss. When people come to me with issues of colleagues not pulling their weight, its my job to solve those problems. Yes sometimes that means I fire a low performer, since low performers create the resentment and toxicity discussed above— that doesn’t mean the person who reported the issue is bad.

Then call the administration. Don't blame the teachers. The teachers are not in the other teacher's classroom.

Teachers and administrators have a role in the solution. If teachers want to work with parents to start holding other teachers accountable, their workplace will benefit. If teachers just want to complain about the mean unfair expectations on them to shoulder the burden of their slacking colleagues without doing anything about it they can expect more of the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The suggestions that teachers do a little self-advocacy comes from this claim that they suffer from bad teachers too. If thats false than cool, enjoy carrying your colleagues dead weight and stop telling parents not to advocate for their kids

1. As a teacher, you are seldom in another teacher's classroom. You do not necessarily know what other teachers are doing. If you have team meetings, you can get a sense of it. As an elementary teacher, I knew if another teacher's class was rowdy--but that does not mean she is a poor teacher.
2. What, exactly, do you expect a teacher to do?

Do you work?
If so, do you complain about your co-workers to your boss? Do you try to get them fired?

I’ve already answered thus— I am the boss. When people come to me with issues of colleagues not pulling their weight, its my job to solve those problems. Yes sometimes that means I fire a low performer, since low performers create the resentment and toxicity discussed above— that doesn’t mean the person who reported the issue is bad.

Then call the administration. Don't blame the teachers. The teachers are not in the other teacher's classroom.

Teachers and administrators have a role in the solution. If teachers want to work with parents to start holding other teachers accountable, their workplace will benefit. If teachers just want to complain about the mean unfair expectations on them to shoulder the burden of their slacking colleagues without doing anything about it they can expect more of the same.

Oh, yes. That will do wonders for the workplace environment. I don't think you get it: teachers are not shouldering their slacking colleagues. They may not even know if their colleagues are slacking. They may hear things from students--but, that is not the same thing.
And, if for some reason, they are shouldering it, I guarantee you the administration knows.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The suggestions that teachers do a little self-advocacy comes from this claim that they suffer from bad teachers too. If thats false than cool, enjoy carrying your colleagues dead weight and stop telling parents not to advocate for their kids

1. As a teacher, you are seldom in another teacher's classroom. You do not necessarily know what other teachers are doing. If you have team meetings, you can get a sense of it. As an elementary teacher, I knew if another teacher's class was rowdy--but that does not mean she is a poor teacher.
2. What, exactly, do you expect a teacher to do?

Do you work?
If so, do you complain about your co-workers to your boss? Do you try to get them fired?

I’ve already answered thus— I am the boss. When people come to me with issues of colleagues not pulling their weight, its my job to solve those problems. Yes sometimes that means I fire a low performer, since low performers create the resentment and toxicity discussed above— that doesn’t mean the person who reported the issue is bad.

Then call the administration. Don't blame the teachers. The teachers are not in the other teacher's classroom.

Teachers and administrators have a role in the solution. If teachers want to work with parents to start holding other teachers accountable, their workplace will benefit. If teachers just want to complain about the mean unfair expectations on them to shoulder the burden of their slacking colleagues without doing anything about it they can expect more of the same.

How would turning teachers on teachers improve the work environment? How would that improve the student experience?

Teaching is hard enough without worrying whether Mrs. Peters in room 102 is reporting me for a noisy classroom. Should I demand that Mrs. Johnson get written up because a student transferred out of her class into mine? Mrs. Smith wasn’t in her room after school when Susie came unannounced for tutoring; should I have her written up for not being on her post, or would neglecting duties be a better reason?

The poster who keeps saying teachers need to take on this responsibility clearly doesn’t know how schools operate.

[Anonymous]

Parents have disagreements about teachers.

When DD was in third grade, other parents complained to me about the teacher "yelling" so much. I asked DD about it and she said, "Yes, sometimes she yells, but only at the kids who deserve it."
Maybe, this says something about our household......but it didn't bother her. She is an excellent student.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The suggestions that teachers do a little self-advocacy comes from this claim that they suffer from bad teachers too. If thats false than cool, enjoy carrying your colleagues dead weight and stop telling parents not to advocate for their kids

1. As a teacher, you are seldom in another teacher's classroom. You do not necessarily know what other teachers are doing. If you have team meetings, you can get a sense of it. As an elementary teacher, I knew if another teacher's class was rowdy--but that does not mean she is a poor teacher.
2. What, exactly, do you expect a teacher to do?

Do you work?
If so, do you complain about your co-workers to your boss? Do you try to get them fired?

I’ve already answered thus— I am the boss. When people come to me with issues of colleagues not pulling their weight, its my job to solve those problems. Yes sometimes that means I fire a low performer, since low performers create the resentment and toxicity discussed above— that doesn’t mean the person who reported the issue is bad.

Then call the administration. Don't blame the teachers. The teachers are not in the other teacher's classroom.

Teachers and administrators have a role in the solution. If teachers want to work with parents to start holding other teachers accountable, their workplace will benefit. If teachers just want to complain about the mean unfair expectations on them to shoulder the burden of their slacking colleagues without doing anything about it they can expect more of the same.

Oh, yes. That will do wonders for the workplace environment. I don't think you get it: teachers are not shouldering their slacking colleagues. They may not even know if their colleagues are slacking. They may hear things from students--but, that is not the same thing.
And, if for some reason, they are shouldering it, I guarantee you the administration knows.

So the heroic teacher on this thread doing “tremendous” work to the detriment of her health and family because parents ask to switch their kids into her class...making it up?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The suggestions that teachers do a little self-advocacy comes from this claim that they suffer from bad teachers too. If thats false than cool, enjoy carrying your colleagues dead weight and stop telling parents not to advocate for their kids

1. As a teacher, you are seldom in another teacher's classroom. You do not necessarily know what other teachers are doing. If you have team meetings, you can get a sense of it. As an elementary teacher, I knew if another teacher's class was rowdy--but that does not mean she is a poor teacher.
2. What, exactly, do you expect a teacher to do?

Do you work?
If so, do you complain about your co-workers to your boss? Do you try to get them fired?

I’ve already answered thus— I am the boss. When people come to me with issues of colleagues not pulling their weight, its my job to solve those problems. Yes sometimes that means I fire a low performer, since low performers create the resentment and toxicity discussed above— that doesn’t mean the person who reported the issue is bad.

Then call the administration. Don't blame the teachers. The teachers are not in the other teacher's classroom.

Teachers and administrators have a role in the solution. If teachers want to work with parents to start holding other teachers accountable, their workplace will benefit. If teachers just want to complain about the mean unfair expectations on them to shoulder the burden of their slacking colleagues without doing anything about it they can expect more of the same.

How would turning teachers on teachers improve the work environment? How would that improve the student experience?

Teaching is hard enough without worrying whether Mrs. Peters in room 102 is reporting me for a noisy classroom. Should I demand that Mrs. Johnson get written up because a student transferred out of her class into mine? Mrs. Smith wasn’t in her room after school when Susie came unannounced for tutoring; should I have her written up for not being on her post, or would neglecting duties be a better reason?

The poster who keeps saying teachers need to take on this responsibility clearly doesn’t know how schools operate.

Reading is fundamental. The post is about advocating to the school board to hold underperforming teachers accountable not tattling on noisy classroom. No need to invent a strawman to excuse an unwilingess to take responsibility in your workplace.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The suggestions that teachers do a little self-advocacy comes from this claim that they suffer from bad teachers too. If thats false than cool, enjoy carrying your colleagues dead weight and stop telling parents not to advocate for their kids

1. As a teacher, you are seldom in another teacher's classroom. You do not necessarily know what other teachers are doing. If you have team meetings, you can get a sense of it. As an elementary teacher, I knew if another teacher's class was rowdy--but that does not mean she is a poor teacher.
2. What, exactly, do you expect a teacher to do?

Do you work?
If so, do you complain about your co-workers to your boss? Do you try to get them fired?

I’ve already answered thus— I am the boss. When people come to me with issues of colleagues not pulling their weight, its my job to solve those problems. Yes sometimes that means I fire a low performer, since low performers create the resentment and toxicity discussed above— that doesn’t mean the person who reported the issue is bad.

Then call the administration. Don't blame the teachers. The teachers are not in the other teacher's classroom.

Teachers and administrators have a role in the solution. If teachers want to work with parents to start holding other teachers accountable, their workplace will benefit. If teachers just want to complain about the mean unfair expectations on them to shoulder the burden of their slacking colleagues without doing anything about it they can expect more of the same.

How would turning teachers on teachers improve the work environment? How would that improve the student experience?

Teaching is hard enough without worrying whether Mrs. Peters in room 102 is reporting me for a noisy classroom. Should I demand that Mrs. Johnson get written up because a student transferred out of her class into mine? Mrs. Smith wasn’t in her room after school when Susie came unannounced for tutoring; should I have her written up for not being on her post, or would neglecting duties be a better reason?

The poster who keeps saying teachers need to take on this responsibility clearly doesn’t know how schools operate.

Reading is fundamental. The post is about advocating to the school board to hold underperforming teachers accountable not tattling on noisy classroom. No need to invent a strawman to excuse an unwilingess to take responsibility in your workplace.

You don’t get it. (You don’t want to get it?)

Personally advocating to hold our coworkers accountable is going to do two things:

1. Pit teachers against each other. Yes, that’s going to happen. If I go to the school board to advocate against X, don’t you think teacher doing X is going to feel targeted? And don’t you think that’ll cause some issues at the copier? There’s a reason this is ADMIN’S job and not ours. Admin is LITERALLY TASKED with teacher evaluation.

2. The time I’m doing admin’s job is time I should be doing my own. Shouldn’t I stay in my lane, doing what I’m supposed to do well?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The suggestions that teachers do a little self-advocacy comes from this claim that they suffer from bad teachers too. If thats false than cool, enjoy carrying your colleagues dead weight and stop telling parents not to advocate for their kids

1. As a teacher, you are seldom in another teacher's classroom. You do not necessarily know what other teachers are doing. If you have team meetings, you can get a sense of it. As an elementary teacher, I knew if another teacher's class was rowdy--but that does not mean she is a poor teacher.
2. What, exactly, do you expect a teacher to do?

Do you work?
If so, do you complain about your co-workers to your boss? Do you try to get them fired?

I’ve already answered thus— I am the boss. When people come to me with issues of colleagues not pulling their weight, its my job to solve those problems. Yes sometimes that means I fire a low performer, since low performers create the resentment and toxicity discussed above— that doesn’t mean the person who reported the issue is bad.

Then call the administration. Don't blame the teachers. The teachers are not in the other teacher's classroom.

Teachers and administrators have a role in the solution. If teachers want to work with parents to start holding other teachers accountable, their workplace will benefit. If teachers just want to complain about the mean unfair expectations on them to shoulder the burden of their slacking colleagues without doing anything about it they can expect more of the same.

Oh, yes. That will do wonders for the workplace environment. I don't think you get it: teachers are not shouldering their slacking colleagues. They may not even know if their colleagues are slacking. They may hear things from students--but, that is not the same thing.
And, if for some reason, they are shouldering it, I guarantee you the administration knows.

So the heroic teacher on this thread doing “tremendous” work to the detriment of her health and family because parents ask to switch their kids into her class...making it up?

No, I’m not. My colleagues have smaller classes than I do because of parent requests. I grade more. I reach out to parents more. I have a bigger workload.

It isn’t fair… and it’s still NOT MY JOB to fix this. My job is to continue doing my job. Admin’s job is to fix this.

And all your bellyaching doesn’t change that. Would your bosses like it if you started unilaterally doing their job?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The suggestions that teachers do a little self-advocacy comes from this claim that they suffer from bad teachers too. If thats false than cool, enjoy carrying your colleagues dead weight and stop telling parents not to advocate for their kids

1. As a teacher, you are seldom in another teacher's classroom. You do not necessarily know what other teachers are doing. If you have team meetings, you can get a sense of it. As an elementary teacher, I knew if another teacher's class was rowdy--but that does not mean she is a poor teacher.
2. What, exactly, do you expect a teacher to do?

Do you work?
If so, do you complain about your co-workers to your boss? Do you try to get them fired?

I’ve already answered thus— I am the boss. When people come to me with issues of colleagues not pulling their weight, its my job to solve those problems. Yes sometimes that means I fire a low performer, since low performers create the resentment and toxicity discussed above— that doesn’t mean the person who reported the issue is bad.

Then call the administration. Don't blame the teachers. The teachers are not in the other teacher's classroom.

Teachers and administrators have a role in the solution. If teachers want to work with parents to start holding other teachers accountable, their workplace will benefit. If teachers just want to complain about the mean unfair expectations on them to shoulder the burden of their slacking colleagues without doing anything about it they can expect more of the same.

How would turning teachers on teachers improve the work environment? How would that improve the student experience?

Teaching is hard enough without worrying whether Mrs. Peters in room 102 is reporting me for a noisy classroom. Should I demand that Mrs. Johnson get written up because a student transferred out of her class into mine? Mrs. Smith wasn’t in her room after school when Susie came unannounced for tutoring; should I have her written up for not being on her post, or would neglecting duties be a better reason?

The poster who keeps saying teachers need to take on this responsibility clearly doesn’t know how schools operate.

Reading is fundamental. The post is about advocating to the school board to hold underperforming teachers accountable not tattling on noisy classroom. No need to invent a strawman to excuse an unwilingess to take responsibility in your workplace.

You don’t get it. (You don’t want to get it?)

Personally advocating to hold our coworkers accountable is going to do two things:

1. Pit teachers against each other. Yes, that’s going to happen. If I go to the school board to advocate against X, don’t you think teacher doing X is going to feel targeted? And don’t you think that’ll cause some issues at the copier? There’s a reason this is ADMIN’S job and not ours. Admin is LITERALLY TASKED with teacher evaluation.

2. The time I’m doing admin’s job is time I should be doing my own. Shouldn’t I stay in my lane, doing what I’m supposed to do well?

If “X” is “failing to give adequate instruction such that _% of students every year request to be transferred to other teachers” why is it that you DON’T want to target that? Why do you want to perpetuate a culture like this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The suggestions that teachers do a little self-advocacy comes from this claim that they suffer from bad teachers too. If thats false than cool, enjoy carrying your colleagues dead weight and stop telling parents not to advocate for their kids

1. As a teacher, you are seldom in another teacher's classroom. You do not necessarily know what other teachers are doing. If you have team meetings, you can get a sense of it. As an elementary teacher, I knew if another teacher's class was rowdy--but that does not mean she is a poor teacher.
2. What, exactly, do you expect a teacher to do?

Do you work?
If so, do you complain about your co-workers to your boss? Do you try to get them fired?

I’ve already answered thus— I am the boss. When people come to me with issues of colleagues not pulling their weight, its my job to solve those problems. Yes sometimes that means I fire a low performer, since low performers create the resentment and toxicity discussed above— that doesn’t mean the person who reported the issue is bad.

Then call the administration. Don't blame the teachers. The teachers are not in the other teacher's classroom.

Teachers and administrators have a role in the solution. If teachers want to work with parents to start holding other teachers accountable, their workplace will benefit. If teachers just want to complain about the mean unfair expectations on them to shoulder the burden of their slacking colleagues without doing anything about it they can expect more of the same.

Oh, yes. That will do wonders for the workplace environment. I don't think you get it: teachers are not shouldering their slacking colleagues. They may not even know if their colleagues are slacking. They may hear things from students--but, that is not the same thing.
And, if for some reason, they are shouldering it, I guarantee you the administration knows.

So the heroic teacher on this thread doing “tremendous” work to the detriment of her health and family because parents ask to switch their kids into her class...making it up?

No, I’m not. My colleagues have smaller classes than I do because of parent requests. I grade more. I reach out to parents more. I have a bigger workload.

It isn’t fair… and it’s still NOT MY JOB to fix this. My job is to continue doing my job. Admin’s job is to fix this.

And all your bellyaching doesn’t change that. Would your bosses like it if you started unilaterally doing their job?

Part of any professional workplace is working across the organization to improve it. If you think its not your job, ok, its not parents jobs to find tutors. When the admin solution is another kid “unfairly” goes on your roster, don’t come here to complain about your sacrifices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The suggestions that teachers do a little self-advocacy comes from this claim that they suffer from bad teachers too. If thats false than cool, enjoy carrying your colleagues dead weight and stop telling parents not to advocate for their kids

1. As a teacher, you are seldom in another teacher's classroom. You do not necessarily know what other teachers are doing. If you have team meetings, you can get a sense of it. As an elementary teacher, I knew if another teacher's class was rowdy--but that does not mean she is a poor teacher.
2. What, exactly, do you expect a teacher to do?

Do you work?
If so, do you complain about your co-workers to your boss? Do you try to get them fired?

I’ve already answered thus— I am the boss. When people come to me with issues of colleagues not pulling their weight, its my job to solve those problems. Yes sometimes that means I fire a low performer, since low performers create the resentment and toxicity discussed above— that doesn’t mean the person who reported the issue is bad.

Then call the administration. Don't blame the teachers. The teachers are not in the other teacher's classroom.

Teachers and administrators have a role in the solution. If teachers want to work with parents to start holding other teachers accountable, their workplace will benefit. If teachers just want to complain about the mean unfair expectations on them to shoulder the burden of their slacking colleagues without doing anything about it they can expect more of the same.

Oh, yes. That will do wonders for the workplace environment. I don't think you get it: teachers are not shouldering their slacking colleagues. They may not even know if their colleagues are slacking. They may hear things from students--but, that is not the same thing.
And, if for some reason, they are shouldering it, I guarantee you the administration knows.

So the heroic teacher on this thread doing “tremendous” work to the detriment of her health and family because parents ask to switch their kids into her class...making it up?

No, I’m not. My colleagues have smaller classes than I do because of parent requests. I grade more. I reach out to parents more. I have a bigger workload.

It isn’t fair… and it’s still NOT MY JOB to fix this. My job is to continue doing my job. Admin’s job is to fix this.

And all your bellyaching doesn’t change that. Would your bosses like it if you started unilaterally doing their job?

If I failed to address low performers because I was afraid of someone being mad at me at the copy machine, my bosses would fire me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The suggestions that teachers do a little self-advocacy comes from this claim that they suffer from bad teachers too. If thats false than cool, enjoy carrying your colleagues dead weight and stop telling parents not to advocate for their kids

1. As a teacher, you are seldom in another teacher's classroom. You do not necessarily know what other teachers are doing. If you have team meetings, you can get a sense of it. As an elementary teacher, I knew if another teacher's class was rowdy--but that does not mean she is a poor teacher.
2. What, exactly, do you expect a teacher to do?

Do you work?
If so, do you complain about your co-workers to your boss? Do you try to get them fired?

I’ve already answered thus— I am the boss. When people come to me with issues of colleagues not pulling their weight, its my job to solve those problems. Yes sometimes that means I fire a low performer, since low performers create the resentment and toxicity discussed above— that doesn’t mean the person who reported the issue is bad.

Then call the administration. Don't blame the teachers. The teachers are not in the other teacher's classroom.

Teachers and administrators have a role in the solution. If teachers want to work with parents to start holding other teachers accountable, their workplace will benefit. If teachers just want to complain about the mean unfair expectations on them to shoulder the burden of their slacking colleagues without doing anything about it they can expect more of the same.

Oh, yes. That will do wonders for the workplace environment. I don't think you get it: teachers are not shouldering their slacking colleagues. They may not even know if their colleagues are slacking. They may hear things from students--but, that is not the same thing.
And, if for some reason, they are shouldering it, I guarantee you the administration knows.

So the heroic teacher on this thread doing “tremendous” work to the detriment of her health and family because parents ask to switch their kids into her class...making it up?

No, I’m not. My colleagues have smaller classes than I do because of parent requests. I grade more. I reach out to parents more. I have a bigger workload.

It isn’t fair… and it’s still NOT MY JOB to fix this. My job is to continue doing my job. Admin’s job is to fix this.

And all your bellyaching doesn’t change that. Would your bosses like it if you started unilaterally doing their job?

If I failed to address low performers because I was afraid of someone being mad at me at the copy machine, my bosses would fire me.

You clearly have no idea how a school functions. I’ve tried to explain it to you, but you willfully want to pin this on hardworking teachers.

Not ONCE have you said you would take the issue up with admin, the very people who are specifically tasked with teacher evaluation and teacher quality. We have very delineated roles for a reason in a school, reasons you cavalierly discard.

You’re debating from a place of arrogance and ignorance, which means we’ll get nowhere. I’m through.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ask to be switched. Every schools know who the problematic teachers are and what they teach. No school is going to pro-actively move your kid so ask to have the kid moved and give examples of why.

This is one of the many reasons teachers burn out.

When schools honor these switches, the good teachers end up with huge classes and the “bad” teachers have minuscule rosters.

So the good teachers are taking home twice the papers to grade. They have twice the students to manage and twice the parent emails to answer.

So the good teachers burn out at a fast pace, often feeling tons of resentment because they are doing twice the work for the same pay.

And when they don’t honor these switches, a kid gets behind in math. The schools role is to educate students. Teachers could organize and advocate for the removal of low performing teachers if it’s adversely impacting their workplace, but for some reason I don’t see that effort…?

A) how would you even know if they did that or not? It’s a personnel issue. Of course you don’t “see” it

B) it wouldn’t work. Teachers have contracts. I cannot advocate for my colleague to be fired. If they have done something egregious like improperly touching or communicating with a child I can report that and admin can follow up and the school board can investigate and fire. Even THAT takes forever. We don’t like dead weight anymore than you do but we have no power to tell the school board to violate someone’s contract and fire them because they aren’t as good at teaching as others.

When I say “organize and advocate” I mean at the public level. Write letters as a group to the school board and ask for higher standards for teachers evaluations and metrics for success to be written into next years contract, ask your Union representatives (where applicable) to put in the contract negotiations that poor teachers lose union protection, whatever you want. But advocate for it in public with the power you have if it really does impact your working conditions and the dead weight really does bother you.

Because otherwise the point boils down to “I don’t want to do more because my colleague is bad at their job” which anyone in any job will tell you happens all the time— and is not the fault of the student.

Again, you have NO IDEA how teachers are or are not advocating for their workplace. We cannot stand in front of the school board at public meetings and make comments that name people, this is explicitly prohibited. We CAN report and write letters to admin , school board, ombudsman with concerns or complaints, and teachers do, but YOU WOULD NOT SEE THIS because it does not pertain to you!

You can stand in front of the schoolboard and say, poor performers are negatively impacting your working conditions and contributing to burnout. Just like you did here. You would have a lot of support from parents if you brought that up in a meeting.

As you see here, many parents do think poor performing teachers pertain to us when our children are assigned them and we are told to spend thousands for private tutoring, but not to use any school-based solutions because that contributes to burnout.

So your solution is to put the responsibility on the good teachers, who are high performing because they are already giving you their all. You want it to be their responsibility to fix the poor performers.

Blood from stone.

Can you name another profession where the common response is “I know your workload is beyond unsustainable and you are doing far more than we pay you for, but we expect even more. Sacrifice more. After all, it’s for the kids.”

I can’t imagine another profession where advocating for improvements to your own working conditions— because dead weight is “just as bad for teachers” right?— is characterized as an impossible sacrifice.

I’m doing a tremendous job. I’m the teacher with the large class sizes because parents switch their kids into my class. I’m doing my part and then some.

I am not admin. I can’t change what’s going on next door; I don’t have the time or authority. At some point, I have to say no. As it stands, you get me at my best. My family gets me at my worst. So no, I can’t fix other classrooms for you.

So as I already sacrifice my health and family for you, ask yourself why you think you can demand more.

And before you come at me for finding time during the school day: this is my 12 minute break before the 4 hour marathon to my next break. I’m entitled.

Demand? Not a bit. If you're happy letting your colleagues freeload off your “tremendous job” and making your family suffer because your colleagues aren’t held accountable, continue as you are. But don’t tell parents they shouldn’t advocate for adequate instruction for their children (which yes they will be doing during their 65-75 hour workweeks) because it’s unfair working conditions for you if you’re not going to put in any effort to advocate for those conditions to change.

If you’re the PP teacher, don’t listen to this parent. She is delusional. Keep doing the great job that you’re doing.