May/June attendance now optional?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Neither of my kids are going tomorrow now. One had already announced it because she has no more assignments and she would rather sleep in and then read her book in a more comfortable chair than in the classroom. The younger one caught wind of this and decided she’s out, too, now, because she is routinely taking the bus in before 7 am only to have her first teacher say it’s “another free day”. This is torture on parents and kids. My kids are lucky I’m home during the day and would rather they sleep, read, or help out at home. It’s never been this bad! Teachers, can’t you do a Kahoot? Play I-spy or 20 Questions? Talk about current events in the news? I refuse to believe not a single activity of value can be done with these days. Shame on FCPS for scheduling our kids’ lives around zero instruction days. MANY more families will be headed on vacation next June!

My kid is going and is well aware that he doesn’t get to announce that he is not going to school. School is where he goes when it is in session, just like I go to work. Even on the days when most of my colleagues have it off, I go to work. I do what little I have to do on those days and read at work because that is my job for the day.

It isn’t torture. It is a part of life. Sometimes you go to work/school when nothing is happening and you make the best of it. That is life. Deal with it. This attitude is why you see people complaining about your kids and their work ethic when they graduate from college. They can’t figure out how to enjoy days at school with nothing to do? They think that they can just not go? They are going to use all of their PTO fast in a bunch of years.

No one is complaining about my kids’ work ethic. They are A students who work hard!

Did you forget that we are the customer here and our students’ education the product? Our kids aren’t being paid to attend school. They can be more productive with their time at home. One is doing research on colleges and working toward a fitness goal. The other is getting much more sleep and helping around the house.

At the end of May they were just frustrated and complaining. Then they asked if they could skip certain things here and there because academics are over and they are tired of Disney movies. WEEKS later they are announcing they aren’t going and I’m out of arguments against it on the days where the teachers have given up.

If you have younger children and work outside the home, then school becomes daycare. I get it. But at this point it’s a terribly poor quality one at great taxpayer expense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MS teacher here. We need to end school earlier (Memorial Day or first week of June) and then expect real learning/work until the second to last day. Otherwise behavior problems and absenteeism are huge. Teachers who show movies are doing so because student computers are being collected, you can't do a summative (real) assessment without giving 2 weeks to retake, and a large portion of kids have stopped coming or are there but out of control and refusing to do work.

Put 2-3 teacher work days at the end of the school year for grading so that teacher can TEACH until the end and still have time to finalize gradebooks.

+1 from another MS teacher. I'm not showing movies but we're doing a lot of filler activities that are mostly ungraded. Behaviors are out of control. We've had more fights the past two weeks than we've had all year. A lot of the well behaved students have stopped showing up and I don't blame them one bit.

All this will still happen earlier if you end the year earlier.

No, it won't, and it didn't when we had a normal schedule with 5 day weeks.

The 2 day week memorial day week was the nail in the coffin.

Couldn't fcps just have given excused absences for the 10% of families observing eid, and then ended school this Friday?

Muslim families care about education. I cannot beloeve that they were happy with that farce of FCPS extending school an additional week so they could give a 2 day week right at the end of the year

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At Lake Braddock, and I assume most HS. The last day is a 2 hour day where anyone who comes is just put in the cafeteria? I'm sure this counts as instructional time.

We were promised that starting school before Labor Day was to get all the instruction in before SOL and AP tests. That was a lie and it was also a lie that we would get out earlier.

Yes, some of my kids teachers are giving finals in the "final" block. But half aren't. I don't envy the teachers. They have to have the grades submitted at 8a after the final. Seniors who left after for the internship are done in May, others who didn't were done last week. How do you manage 3 different class end dates.

END SCHOOL AT THE END OF May!!!

FCPS hasn’t ended school in May in over 40 years and won’t start now. Go move to the South or the Midwest if you’re looking for that.

California ends in May

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I get it that there has to be some lessening of academic expectations in the last few days, but is it really as bad as people are reporting? My kid is in 4th grade and seems to still mostly be in same routine, but it sounds like that won't be the case in future years. How do principals/teachers justify not teaching for several days or weeks?

Yes. It's a joke for high school and middle schools.

The curticulum for juniors and senors ended mid May with AP exams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Neither of my kids are going tomorrow now. One had already announced it because she has no more assignments and she would rather sleep in and then read her book in a more comfortable chair than in the classroom. The younger one caught wind of this and decided she’s out, too, now, because she is routinely taking the bus in before 7 am only to have her first teacher say it’s “another free day”. This is torture on parents and kids. My kids are lucky I’m home during the day and would rather they sleep, read, or help out at home. It’s never been this bad! Teachers, can’t you do a Kahoot? Play I-spy or 20 Questions? Talk about current events in the news? I refuse to believe not a single activity of value can be done with these days. Shame on FCPS for scheduling our kids’ lives around zero instruction days. MANY more families will be headed on vacation next June!

My kid is going and is well aware that he doesn’t get to announce that he is not going to school. School is where he goes when it is in session, just like I go to work. Even on the days when most of my colleagues have it off, I go to work. I do what little I have to do on those days and read at work because that is my job for the day.

It isn’t torture. It is a part of life. Sometimes you go to work/school when nothing is happening and you make the best of it. That is life. Deal with it. This attitude is why you see people complaining about your kids and their work ethic when they graduate from college. They can’t figure out how to enjoy days at school with nothing to do? They think that they can just not go? They are going to use all of their PTO fast in a bunch of years.

No one is complaining about my kids’ work ethic. They are A students who work hard!

Did you forget that we are the customer here and our students’ education the product? Our kids aren’t being paid to attend school. They can be more productive with their time at home. One is doing research on colleges and working toward a fitness goal. The other is getting much more sleep and helping around the house.

At the end of May they were just frustrated and complaining. Then they asked if they could skip certain things here and there because academics are over and they are tired of Disney movies. WEEKS later they are announcing they aren’t going and I’m out of arguments against it on the days where the teachers have given up.

If you have younger children and work outside the home, then school becomes daycare. I get it. But at this point it’s a terribly poor quality one at great taxpayer expense.

This sends the message that your children call the shots. That’s not going to be the case in college or in their future careers.

Go to school. Find value, even if it’s simply doing what is expected of you. That in itself is an important lesson and sets you apart from the people who cut corners/make their own rules/choose laziness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At Lake Braddock, and I assume most HS. The last day is a 2 hour day where anyone who comes is just put in the cafeteria? I'm sure this counts as instructional time.

We were promised that starting school before Labor Day was to get all the instruction in before SOL and AP tests. That was a lie and it was also a lie that we would get out earlier.

Yes, some of my kids teachers are giving finals in the "final" block. But half aren't. I don't envy the teachers. They have to have the grades submitted at 8a after the final. Seniors who left after for the internship are done in May, others who didn't were done last week. How do you manage 3 different class end dates.

END SCHOOL AT THE END OF May!!!

FCPS hasn’t ended school in May in over 40 years and won’t start now. Go move to the South or the Midwest if you’re looking for that.

California ends in May

My California district always went Labor Day to late June. Currently they go mid August to early June.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Neither of my kids are going tomorrow now. One had already announced it because she has no more assignments and she would rather sleep in and then read her book in a more comfortable chair than in the classroom. The younger one caught wind of this and decided she’s out, too, now, because she is routinely taking the bus in before 7 am only to have her first teacher say it’s “another free day”. This is torture on parents and kids. My kids are lucky I’m home during the day and would rather they sleep, read, or help out at home. It’s never been this bad! Teachers, can’t you do a Kahoot? Play I-spy or 20 Questions? Talk about current events in the news? I refuse to believe not a single activity of value can be done with these days. Shame on FCPS for scheduling our kids’ lives around zero instruction days. MANY more families will be headed on vacation next June!

The younger one “decided”?

Wow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Neither of my kids are going tomorrow now. One had already announced it because she has no more assignments and she would rather sleep in and then read her book in a more comfortable chair than in the classroom. The younger one caught wind of this and decided she’s out, too, now, because she is routinely taking the bus in before 7 am only to have her first teacher say it’s “another free day”. This is torture on parents and kids. My kids are lucky I’m home during the day and would rather they sleep, read, or help out at home. It’s never been this bad! Teachers, can’t you do a Kahoot? Play I-spy or 20 Questions? Talk about current events in the news? I refuse to believe not a single activity of value can be done with these days. Shame on FCPS for scheduling our kids’ lives around zero instruction days. MANY more families will be headed on vacation next June!

My kid is going and is well aware that he doesn’t get to announce that he is not going to school. School is where he goes when it is in session, just like I go to work. Even on the days when most of my colleagues have it off, I go to work. I do what little I have to do on those days and read at work because that is my job for the day.

It isn’t torture. It is a part of life. Sometimes you go to work/school when nothing is happening and you make the best of it. That is life. Deal with it. This attitude is why you see people complaining about your kids and their work ethic when they graduate from college. They can’t figure out how to enjoy days at school with nothing to do? They think that they can just not go? They are going to use all of their PTO fast in a bunch of years.

No one is complaining about my kids’ work ethic. They are A students who work hard!

Did you forget that we are the customer here and our students’ education the product? Our kids aren’t being paid to attend school. They can be more productive with their time at home. One is doing research on colleges and working toward a fitness goal. The other is getting much more sleep and helping around the house.

At the end of May they were just frustrated and complaining. Then they asked if they could skip certain things here and there because academics are over and they are tired of Disney movies. WEEKS later they are announcing they aren’t going and I’m out of arguments against it on the days where the teachers have given up.

If you have younger children and work outside the home, then school becomes daycare. I get it. But at this point it’s a terribly poor quality one at great taxpayer expense.

Again, we ask which school do your kids attend? This is not happening at the majority of FCPS high schools.

[Anonymous]

Dp. We are experiencing the same lack of teaching since mid-May after the SOLs ended. It’s like the teachers quit. Some started taking personal days off, others threw up a movie, and some created projects which were clearly busy work. I noticed it easier getting through the K&R line as a result. Progressively more movies were added to all academic topics except math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dp. We are experiencing the same lack of teaching since mid-May after the SOLs ended. It’s like the teachers quit. Some started taking personal days off, others threw up a movie, and some created projects which were clearly busy work. I noticed it easier getting through the K&R line as a result. Progressively more movies were added to all academic topics except math.

You keep saying this, yet you do not name the school. Why, I wonder? Oh wait, it's just because you want to stir up the pot yet again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I get it that the end of the school year is pretty much a joke, but it’s been WEEKS of this now at the high school level. Why all the emphasis on attendance and the proper number of instructional days then? This certainly isn’t “instruction”.

My kid’s classes have such low attendance that those who show up are helping teachers pack up or watching movies. School truly feels optional now.

Are all FCPS high schools like this? What a waste of tax dollars running the buses back and forth with gas prices so high. And a waste for the student drivers.

I’m out of excuses to keep my DC home, but they are so bored. Admin/teachers: tell me why they should keep showing up?!

Parents: what are you even writing on the attendance page at this point? (Or do you just keep ignoring the phone calls and emails…)

As a newer family to the county, I am shocked and disgusted by this lack of stewardship and accountability. And I believe our kids/taxpayers deserve better than this.

Thanks to those teachers who are still finding interesting things to do and share.

I get what you are saying....it feels like weeks of nothing when it used to just be the last week of school. My DC has called me from school to see if I could get them as they were watching a movie-again. That was well before finals started. My family out west thinks we are nuts all these random days off from school-they start school in August and the end around Memorial Day. They do not have all these random days off that drag out the year. This county has become a joke in many ways sadly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dp. We are experiencing the same lack of teaching since mid-May after the SOLs ended. It’s like the teachers quit. Some started taking personal days off, others threw up a movie, and some created projects which were clearly busy work. I noticed it easier getting through the K&R line as a result. Progressively more movies were added to all academic topics except math.

You keep saying this, yet you do not name the school. Why, I wonder? Oh wait, it's just because you want to stir up the pot yet again.

oh hey gatehouse....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Neither of my kids are going tomorrow now. One had already announced it because she has no more assignments and she would rather sleep in and then read her book in a more comfortable chair than in the classroom. The younger one caught wind of this and decided she’s out, too, now, because she is routinely taking the bus in before 7 am only to have her first teacher say it’s “another free day”. This is torture on parents and kids. My kids are lucky I’m home during the day and would rather they sleep, read, or help out at home. It’s never been this bad! Teachers, can’t you do a Kahoot? Play I-spy or 20 Questions? Talk about current events in the news? I refuse to believe not a single activity of value can be done with these days. Shame on FCPS for scheduling our kids’ lives around zero instruction days. MANY more families will be headed on vacation next June!

My kid is going and is well aware that he doesn’t get to announce that he is not going to school. School is where he goes when it is in session, just like I go to work. Even on the days when most of my colleagues have it off, I go to work. I do what little I have to do on those days and read at work because that is my job for the day.

It isn’t torture. It is a part of life. Sometimes you go to work/school when nothing is happening and you make the best of it. That is life. Deal with it. This attitude is why you see people complaining about your kids and their work ethic when they graduate from college. They can’t figure out how to enjoy days at school with nothing to do? They think that they can just not go? They are going to use all of their PTO fast in a bunch of years.

No one is complaining about my kids’ work ethic. They are A students who work hard!

Did you forget that we are the customer here and our students’ education the product? Our kids aren’t being paid to attend school. They can be more productive with their time at home. One is doing research on colleges and working toward a fitness goal. The other is getting much more sleep and helping around the house.

At the end of May they were just frustrated and complaining. Then they asked if they could skip certain things here and there because academics are over and they are tired of Disney movies. WEEKS later they are announcing they aren’t going and I’m out of arguments against it on the days where the teachers have given up.

If you have younger children and work outside the home, then school becomes daycare. I get it. But at this point it’s a terribly poor quality one at great taxpayer expense.

Again, we ask which school do your kids attend? This is not happening at the majority of FCPS high schools.

you attend a majority of FCPS schools? weird

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Neither of my kids are going tomorrow now. One had already announced it because she has no more assignments and she would rather sleep in and then read her book in a more comfortable chair than in the classroom. The younger one caught wind of this and decided she’s out, too, now, because she is routinely taking the bus in before 7 am only to have her first teacher say it’s “another free day”. This is torture on parents and kids. My kids are lucky I’m home during the day and would rather they sleep, read, or help out at home. It’s never been this bad! Teachers, can’t you do a Kahoot? Play I-spy or 20 Questions? Talk about current events in the news? I refuse to believe not a single activity of value can be done with these days. Shame on FCPS for scheduling our kids’ lives around zero instruction days. MANY more families will be headed on vacation next June!

My kid is going and is well aware that he doesn’t get to announce that he is not going to school. School is where he goes when it is in session, just like I go to work. Even on the days when most of my colleagues have it off, I go to work. I do what little I have to do on those days and read at work because that is my job for the day.

It isn’t torture. It is a part of life. Sometimes you go to work/school when nothing is happening and you make the best of it. That is life. Deal with it. This attitude is why you see people complaining about your kids and their work ethic when they graduate from college. They can’t figure out how to enjoy days at school with nothing to do? They think that they can just not go? They are going to use all of their PTO fast in a bunch of years.

I think this is more common in middle/high vs elementary. I have not shown a single movie all year.

+1
We aren’t even allowed to show a movie for an EOY party.

[Anonymous]

No movies at Chantilly happening. They are working to the bitter end.