Schools closed for students Monday Feb 2

[Anonymous]

We all need to calm down a bit. I'm sure MCPS is doing everything in its power to remedy this situation as fast as possible. It's not their fault that a historic snowstorm dropped several inches of snow almost overnight, and it all turned into basically-solid ice. It's a challenge to clear every single sidewalk in such a large county, especially when some areas are far away and the county only has limited snow plows and crews.

Passing judgement against MCPS is unhelpful at best at times like these where you don't know the full story. We need to come together as a community to help in any way possible, like clearing sidewalks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So instead of posting HERE call 311 and report all of the areas that need plowing. You all have spent the last week complaining how MCPS needs to open. They are ready. The roads and sidewalks aren’t. Do something constructive to actually help your students.

Yes, roads and sidewalks are ready. Get out more. Maybe MCPS needs to adjust bus routes to bigger roads. That's on mcps, not the county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not their fault that a historic snowstorm dropped several inches of snow almost overnight, and it all turned into basically-solid ice.

It's parents like you that have made weather control beyond our students' abilities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our neighborhood is unsafe and not passable. They need to go virtual.

Too late to do it now.

Maybe next year. Support whatever plan MCPS develops rather than tearing it down so we get nothing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm bringing my Switch 2 and playing Pokemon on the smartboard

It's truly a shame that the teachers the county hires these days are such low quality. Any teacher worth their wage would use a playstation for obviously superior game quality

My PS5 is used to play online games of FIFA, probably against our students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We all need to calm down a bit. I'm sure MCPS is doing everything in its power to remedy this situation as fast as possible. It's not their fault that a historic snowstorm dropped several inches of snow almost overnight, and it all turned into basically-solid ice. It's a challenge to clear every single sidewalk in such a large county, especially when some areas are far away and the county only has limited snow plows and crews.

Passing judgement against MCPS is unhelpful at best at times like these where you don't know the full story. We need to come together as a community to help in any way possible, like clearing sidewalks.

This wasn't historic. It snowed on Sunday. By Tuesday, everything else was operating normally. MCPS is the uniquely incompetent institution.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's going to be hilarious when plows can't follow this call to action to work around the schools because all the teachers are parked on the neighborhood roads.

Excellent point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Don't forget AP exams are in May, and many APs cannot be self-studied. High schoolers need to learn their entire AP curriculum before May - extending the school year is useless for them.

Stop being ridiculous. My freshman self-studied APUSH, AP Bio, AP Physics C Mechanics, AP Human Geo, and AP Psychology last year without any teacher support (he is extremely gifted but the county refuses to accept that) and got 5s on all five exams. He goes out of his way to take all advanced classes at Whitman, and didn't struggle at all with balancing his workload. In fact, if your student needs a class to get a five, consider yourself a failed parent.

Congrats on your Young Sheldon and do let us know how you expect students to do laboratory work required for the science APs out of their homes.

As someone who also got 5s on my AP exams, I couldn’t have self studied for them and I doubt my kids could either. I needed the expert teachers I had.

If not, why do we send our kids to school if the expectation is that they can all teach themselves using YouTube.

DP
No, but kids who are in AP classes should be up to managing an extended closure and getting back on track— maybe even learning some self study skills in the process. This happened to me my junior year of high school (a year we massively exceeded snow days and made up the time in late June) and I still got all 5s. I’m not a Young Sheldon by any stretch.

Kids need to be in school but it’s not the AP kids I’m worried about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:🤣 I’m going to sit back with a blunt while you all watch your own damn kids, again! 😂

Girl most of us on DCUM with kids who need "watching" are sending them to childcare tomorrow. There are also some places doing camps tomorrow. Sorry if that makes your day less joyful, for some reason.

Surely you didn’t fall for a troll…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Uggh.

I was thinking a 2 hour delay every day next week might happen.

I dont want any more days off, nor do I want to come in for a staff development day or whatever they are throwing together tomorrow.

-a teacher

I think it's a grading and planning day?

We’ve all had grades done since last week. This is ridiculous. Either open for real or don’t make us drive there just to sit and stare.

This is ridiculous. Teachers need more time to grade ever since the county implemented this new grading policy. Grading software simply isn't built to handle these kinds of complex operations. Take it from a MIT graduate and former NASA employee.

So I have to take off tomorrow to watch my kids who don't have school or bring them with me. This is dumb. Grades have been done for days. Send the kids too...

This is remarkably tone-deaf considering other parents have now had to take 5 days off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We all need to calm down a bit. I'm sure MCPS is doing everything in its power to remedy this situation as fast as possible. It's not their fault that a historic snowstorm dropped several inches of snow almost overnight, and it all turned into basically-solid ice. It's a challenge to clear every single sidewalk in such a large county, especially when some areas are far away and the county only has limited snow plows and crews.

Passing judgement against MCPS is unhelpful at best at times like these where you don't know the full story. We need to come together as a community to help in any way possible, like clearing sidewalks.

I think we should take inspiration from Takoma Park and use some community organizing techniques to clear the sidewalks. Perhaps we can have a DCUM meetup around the most valuable area, the "W-Schools," and clear around there? It would certainly motivate Taylor to do something

I agree with this and will certainly send my son to motivate the lazy county workers as soon as he finishes his homework

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Uggh.

I was thinking a 2 hour delay every day next week might happen.

I dont want any more days off, nor do I want to come in for a staff development day or whatever they are throwing together tomorrow.

-a teacher

I think it's a grading and planning day?

We’ve all had grades done since last week. This is ridiculous. Either open for real or don’t make us drive there just to sit and stare.

I’m happy to have a day to plan and make copies. I now have to shorten this unit by a week and need access to my materials.

[Anonymous]

Wish parents could use their anger to look closer at MCPS and see they are handling academics and brushing over half of the instruction material for elementary and skipping the rest. Base is the least common denominator. Handling of the storm is just a symptom of a system without accountability and self entitlement. Such a joke for a system with billions in budget.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a first year teacher who has no grading responsibilities. I am literally going to go sit in my office and stare at a wall for 8 hours and have fun doing it. Might have to irish up my coffee a bit.

Then invite your students to come in.

Did you not read the part of the message that says schools are closed to students (other than private childcare?)

It does seem dumb that teachers have to trek in and sit in their classrooms alone when MCPS could have had the foresight to create a virtual learning plan so they could at least, you know, teach.

Other workers have been going in for almost a week now. Why can't teachers? They're going to need to adjust their lesson plans based on the number of days that we're losing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wish parents could use their anger to look closer at MCPS and see they are handling academics and brushing over half of the instruction material for elementary and skipping the rest. Base is the least common denominator. Handling of the storm is just a symptom of a system without accountability and self entitlement. Such a joke for a system with billions in budget.

I totally agree. This is why we should be radically defunding education. Bryan Caplan wrote a book called "The Case Against Education" that I think you should read. We're spending billions on a service that does very little good and will never close the achievement gap.