2020-2021 Proposed Calendar Options

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought about after the PP's comment, and I am not sure how middle school works, but in ES a teacher gets about 1 hour and 10 minutes for lunch/recess combo. They get another 50-60min for a daily special. So the school day is 6 hours and 25min and 2 hours of that is not with the kids. So they work directly with the kids for about 4 to 4.5 hours a day.

High School teachers get the lunch period off, and they have minimum 2 more periods of no time with kids.

So why can't teachers work on things during that time. Why do they need the half days. What do they do? There are no comments on report cards anymore. There is one 10 minute conference in November.

I work about 9 hours a day minimum and still sometimes bring work to home. As do most people I know. I also 100% catch up on days like Labor Day and I definitely don't get Jewish holidays off. I mean who is celebrating these paid holidays anyway. Besides the 7% Jewish community on one day. Who is celebrating Labor Day. LOL

I imagine that they do. And it's not enough time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought about after the PP's comment, and I am not sure how middle school works, but in ES a teacher gets about 1 hour and 10 minutes for lunch/recess combo. They get another 50-60min for a daily special. So the school day is 6 hours and 25min and 2 hours of that is not with the kids. So they work directly with the kids for about 4 to 4.5 hours a day.

High School teachers get the lunch period off, and they have minimum 2 more periods of no time with kids.

So why can't teachers work on things during that time. Why do they need the half days. What do they do? There are no comments on report cards anymore. There is one 10 minute conference in November.

I work about 9 hours a day minimum and still sometimes bring work to home. As do most people I know. I also 100% catch up on days like Labor Day and I definitely don't get Jewish holidays off. I mean who is celebrating these paid holidays anyway. Besides the 7% Jewish community on one day. Who is celebrating Labor Day. LOL

I work an 8-10 hr day and then do my paperwork. I catch up on paperwork on the weekends and holidays and when the kids are asleep.

I also have an SN child with an IEP. The documentation that I get on a daily basis is incredible. The para documents his day. For him though, she has to create a different lesson plan, which requires different grading. His assessments are different from the other kids. She has to create those as well. Then if he gets off track, she has to wrangle the para who is helping another kid. There is no doubt that my kid derails the class. Of course my kid is not the only one with an IEP. What she does for him, she has to do multiple times over. She also has to respond to all the parents emailing her. Oh and there is a new math curriculum to learn this year.

And maybe, just maybe, her job doesn’t pay what mine does. Maybe she can’t afford a housekeeper and has to clean the house on Sat. She can’t run to the grocery store at lunch. She doesn’t outsource the landscaping or order food from Hello Fresh. Getting take out multiple times a week isn’t in the budget. So maybe after working her butt off all day, she comes home and works for her family. And in the evening, weekends, and holidays when we are sitting on our butts doing our paperwork, she is relaxing. And I’m okay with that. A half day for uninterrupted paperwork is golden.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought about after the PP's comment, and I am not sure how middle school works, but in ES a teacher gets about 1 hour and 10 minutes for lunch/recess combo. They get another 50-60min for a daily special. So the school day is 6 hours and 25min and 2 hours of that is not with the kids. So they work directly with the kids for about 4 to 4.5 hours a day.

High School teachers get the lunch period off, and they have minimum 2 more periods of no time with kids.

So why can't teachers work on things during that time. Why do they need the half days. What do they do? There are no comments on report cards anymore. There is one 10 minute conference in November.

I work about 9 hours a day minimum and still sometimes bring work to home. As do most people I know. I also 100% catch up on days like Labor Day and I definitely don't get Jewish holidays off. I mean who is celebrating these paid holidays anyway. Besides the 7% Jewish community on one day. Who is celebrating Labor Day. LOL

I work an 8-10 hr day and then do my paperwork. I catch up on paperwork on the weekends and holidays and when the kids are asleep.

I also have an SN child with an IEP. The documentation that I get on a daily basis is incredible. The para documents his day. For him though, she has to create a different lesson plan, which requires different grading. His assessments are different from the other kids. She has to create those as well. Then if he gets off track, she has to wrangle the para who is helping another kid. There is no doubt that my kid derails the class. Of course my kid is not the only one with an IEP. What she does for him, she has to do multiple times over. She also has to respond to all the parents emailing her. Oh and there is a new math curriculum to learn this year.

And maybe, just maybe, her job doesn’t pay what mine does. Maybe she can’t afford a housekeeper and has to clean the house on Sat. She can’t run to the grocery store at lunch. She doesn’t outsource the landscaping or order food from Hello Fresh. Getting take out multiple times a week isn’t in the budget. So maybe after working her butt off all day, she comes home and works for her family. And in the evening, weekends, and holidays when we are sitting on our butts doing our paperwork, she is relaxing. And I’m okay with that. A half day for uninterrupted paperwork is golden.

How is this different from any other job?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought about after the PP's comment, and I am not sure how middle school works, but in ES a teacher gets about 1 hour and 10 minutes for lunch/recess combo. They get another 50-60min for a daily special. So the school day is 6 hours and 25min and 2 hours of that is not with the kids. So they work directly with the kids for about 4 to 4.5 hours a day.

High School teachers get the lunch period off, and they have minimum 2 more periods of no time with kids.

So why can't teachers work on things during that time. Why do they need the half days. What do they do? There are no comments on report cards anymore. There is one 10 minute conference in November.

I work about 9 hours a day minimum and still sometimes bring work to home. As do most people I know. I also 100% catch up on days like Labor Day and I definitely don't get Jewish holidays off. I mean who is celebrating these paid holidays anyway. Besides the 7% Jewish community on one day. Who is celebrating Labor Day. LOL

I work an 8-10 hr day and then do my paperwork. I catch up on paperwork on the weekends and holidays and when the kids are asleep.

I also have an SN child with an IEP. The documentation that I get on a daily basis is incredible. The para documents his day. For him though, she has to create a different lesson plan, which requires different grading. His assessments are different from the other kids. She has to create those as well. Then if he gets off track, she has to wrangle the para who is helping another kid. There is no doubt that my kid derails the class. Of course my kid is not the only one with an IEP. What she does for him, she has to do multiple times over. She also has to respond to all the parents emailing her. Oh and there is a new math curriculum to learn this year.

And maybe, just maybe, her job doesn’t pay what mine does. Maybe she can’t afford a housekeeper and has to clean the house on Sat. She can’t run to the grocery store at lunch. She doesn’t outsource the landscaping or order food from Hello Fresh. Getting take out multiple times a week isn’t in the budget. So maybe after working her butt off all day, she comes home and works for her family. And in the evening, weekends, and holidays when we are sitting on our butts doing our paperwork, she is relaxing. And I’m okay with that. A half day for uninterrupted paperwork is golden.

How is this different from any other job?

Hmm, when I’m exhausted by life, I can go into my office, shut the door, and quietly do work. I don’t have to manage 28-33 kids doing this and that. I want my teachers to bring their A game every day. I know that I don’t bring my A game every single day to work. But I sure want my educators to. Some time to do paperwork that I as a parent expect isn’t unreasonable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought about after the PP's comment, and I am not sure how middle school works, but in ES a teacher gets about 1 hour and 10 minutes for lunch/recess combo. They get another 50-60min for a daily special. So the school day is 6 hours and 25min and 2 hours of that is not with the kids. So they work directly with the kids for about 4 to 4.5 hours a day.

High School teachers get the lunch period off, and they have minimum 2 more periods of no time with kids.

So why can't teachers work on things during that time. Why do they need the half days. What do they do? There are no comments on report cards anymore. There is one 10 minute conference in November.

I work about 9 hours a day minimum and still sometimes bring work to home. As do most people I know. I also 100% catch up on days like Labor Day and I definitely don't get Jewish holidays off. I mean who is celebrating these paid holidays anyway. Besides the 7% Jewish community on one day. Who is celebrating Labor Day. LOL

PP, if teacher hours are so much better than yours, and this bugs you, then I suggest that you switch careers and go into teaching.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like the 8/31 start. I don't see much advantage to starting on Tuesday when Monday is not Labor Day.

You are clearly not a teacher or student.
Starting the year on a five day week is brutal for both.

I’m a veteran teacher and MCPS parent. I prefer starting with a five day week. Then the following Monday feels like a nice break.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought about after the PP's comment, and I am not sure how middle school works, but in ES a teacher gets about 1 hour and 10 minutes for lunch/recess combo. They get another 50-60min for a daily special. So the school day is 6 hours and 25min and 2 hours of that is not with the kids. So they work directly with the kids for about 4 to 4.5 hours a day.

High School teachers get the lunch period off, and they have minimum 2 more periods of no time with kids.

So why can't teachers work on things during that time. Why do they need the half days. What do they do? There are no comments on report cards anymore. There is one 10 minute conference in November.

I work about 9 hours a day minimum and still sometimes bring work to home. As do most people I know. I also 100% catch up on days like Labor Day and I definitely don't get Jewish holidays off. I mean who is celebrating these paid holidays anyway. Besides the 7% Jewish community on one day. Who is celebrating Labor Day. LOL

I work an 8-10 hr day and then do my paperwork. I catch up on paperwork on the weekends and holidays and when the kids are asleep.

I also have an SN child with an IEP. The documentation that I get on a daily basis is incredible. The para documents his day. For him though, she has to create a different lesson plan, which requires different grading. His assessments are different from the other kids. She has to create those as well. Then if he gets off track, she has to wrangle the para who is helping another kid. There is no doubt that my kid derails the class. Of course my kid is not the only one with an IEP. What she does for him, she has to do multiple times over. She also has to respond to all the parents emailing her. Oh and there is a new math curriculum to learn this year.

And maybe, just maybe, her job doesn’t pay what mine does. Maybe she can’t afford a housekeeper and has to clean the house on Sat. She can’t run to the grocery store at lunch. She doesn’t outsource the landscaping or order food from Hello Fresh. Getting take out multiple times a week isn’t in the budget. So maybe after working her butt off all day, she comes home and works for her family. And in the evening, weekends, and holidays when we are sitting on our butts doing our paperwork, she is relaxing. And I’m okay with that. A half day for uninterrupted paperwork is golden.

Lady, most people can't afford housekeepers and landscapers or food from where? Hello Fresh? Are you kidding me

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought about after the PP's comment, and I am not sure how middle school works, but in ES a teacher gets about 1 hour and 10 minutes for lunch/recess combo. They get another 50-60min for a daily special. So the school day is 6 hours and 25min and 2 hours of that is not with the kids. So they work directly with the kids for about 4 to 4.5 hours a day.

High School teachers get the lunch period off, and they have minimum 2 more periods of no time with kids.

So why can't teachers work on things during that time. Why do they need the half days. What do they do? There are no comments on report cards anymore. There is one 10 minute conference in November.

I work about 9 hours a day minimum and still sometimes bring work to home. As do most people I know. I also 100% catch up on days like Labor Day and I definitely don't get Jewish holidays off. I mean who is celebrating these paid holidays anyway. Besides the 7% Jewish community on one day. Who is celebrating Labor Day. LOL

I work an 8-10 hr day and then do my paperwork. I catch up on paperwork on the weekends and holidays and when the kids are asleep.

I also have an SN child with an IEP. The documentation that I get on a daily basis is incredible. The para documents his day. For him though, she has to create a different lesson plan, which requires different grading. His assessments are different from the other kids. She has to create those as well. Then if he gets off track, she has to wrangle the para who is helping another kid. There is no doubt that my kid derails the class. Of course my kid is not the only one with an IEP. What she does for him, she has to do multiple times over. She also has to respond to all the parents emailing her. Oh and there is a new math curriculum to learn this year.

And maybe, just maybe, her job doesn’t pay what mine does. Maybe she can’t afford a housekeeper and has to clean the house on Sat. She can’t run to the grocery store at lunch. She doesn’t outsource the landscaping or order food from Hello Fresh. Getting take out multiple times a week isn’t in the budget. So maybe after working her butt off all day, she comes home and works for her family. And in the evening, weekends, and holidays when we are sitting on our butts doing our paperwork, she is relaxing. And I’m okay with that. A half day for uninterrupted paperwork is golden.

Lady, most people can't afford housekeepers and landscapers or food from where? Hello Fresh? Are you kidding me

Not PP, but seriously. It's not that I don't appreciate what teachers do and how challenging it can be to spend the day with kids, but most of the people I know also have challenging jobs that require them to work 9-10 hours a day. Then they also go home and take care of their families. Also, many people do not have offices with doors anymore. They work in cubicles with almost no privacy. Most teachers work very hard, but so do lots of other people (who don't necessarily make lots of money) and end up spending 8+ hours a day working. What really gets me is the teachers I've met (mostly veteran teachers) who have figured out how to game the system. I've talked to multiple teachers who tell me that they don't have to actually come into school on in-service days etc., as long as they have turned in their grades or completed whatever they needed to do in advance. And while we are on the subject, why do PE teachers get paid the same as English, Science, Math and Social Studies teachers? They don't have papers and tests to grade. I can't imagine that they are getting lots of emails from parents on a daily basis that they need to handle. Maybe an occasional quiz to grade. I bet they aren't spending extra time at home working. That to me is what is really off kilter.

[Anonymous]

Not PP, but seriously. It's not that I don't appreciate what teachers do and how challenging it can be to spend the day with kids, but most of the people I know also have challenging jobs that require them to work 9-10 hours a day. Then they also go home and take care of their families. Also, many people do not have offices with doors anymore. They work in cubicles with almost no privacy. Most teachers work very hard, but so do lots of other people (who don't necessarily make lots of money) and end up spending 8+ hours a day working. What really gets me is the teachers I've met (mostly veteran teachers) who have figured out how to game the system. I've talked to multiple teachers who tell me that they don't have to actually come into school on in-service days etc., as long as they have turned in their grades or completed whatever they needed to do in advance. And while we are on the subject, why do PE teachers get paid the same as English, Science, Math and Social Studies teachers? They don't have papers and tests to grade. I can't imagine that they are getting lots of emails from parents on a daily basis that they need to handle. Maybe an occasional quiz to grade. I bet they aren't spending extra time at home working. That to me is what is really off kilter.

But do they have the pleasure of strangers questioning how they spend every minute of their work time, and make suggestions about better time management? And begrudge the time that IS allotted (instructional half-days) for them to complete their tasks?

[Anonymous]

Teachers have more ongoing professional training than a lot of other professionals do. They also have lots of extra paperwork for their students with 504s and IEPs that parents don’t know about if their children don’t have those. They also have to sit in on Educational Management Team meetings during school days. Field trips, guest speakers, special projects, Outdoor Ed, etc., need to be planned and coordinated by someone. Teachers do things parents don’t necessarily know about.

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know when they'll make the final decision? Preferences aside, I'd rather just know what it is so we can plan.

[Anonymous]

In an era when there are no textbooks and teachers have to distribute copies of homework sheets, my children’s school with over 1000 students operated on such a small budget that they only had one copier for 40+ staff members to use. When you need 25-30 copies of something, how long do you usually have to wait in line to make copies at your office?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like the 8/31 start. I don't see much advantage to starting on Tuesday when Monday is not Labor Day.

You are clearly not a teacher or student.
Starting the year on a five day week is brutal for both.

I’m a veteran teacher and MCPS parent. I prefer starting with a five day week. Then the following Monday feels like a nice break.

This literally makes NO sense.
The following Monday, a work day, feels like a break?
I hope you are a math teacher and dont need to communicate with words.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like the 8/31 start. I don't see much advantage to starting on Tuesday when Monday is not Labor Day.

You are clearly not a teacher or student.
Starting the year on a five day week is brutal for both.

I’m a veteran teacher and MCPS parent. I prefer starting with a five day week. Then the following Monday feels like a nice break.

This literally makes NO sense.
The following Monday, a work day, feels like a break?
I hope you are a math teacher and dont need to communicate with words.

No she means Labor Day Monday would be the day off. I get it. My family enjoyed going back the week before knowing we were going to visit family at a lake over Labor Day. You still had a bit of summer left so school starting seemed better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought about after the PP's comment, and I am not sure how middle school works, but in ES a teacher gets about 1 hour and 10 minutes for lunch/recess combo. They get another 50-60min for a daily special. So the school day is 6 hours and 25min and 2 hours of that is not with the kids. So they work directly with the kids for about 4 to 4.5 hours a day.

High School teachers get the lunch period off, and they have minimum 2 more periods of no time with kids.

So why can't teachers work on things during that time. Why do they need the half days. What do they do? There are no comments on report cards anymore. There is one 10 minute conference in November.

I work about 9 hours a day minimum and still sometimes bring work to home. As do most people I know. I also 100% catch up on days like Labor Day and I definitely don't get Jewish holidays off. I mean who is celebrating these paid holidays anyway. Besides the 7% Jewish community on one day. Who is celebrating Labor Day. LOL

Sometimes it is best, when you have no idea about something, to just keep your comments to yourself or say them aloud, alone.

Since HS moved to 50 minute lunches, in theory, the students are supposed to eat for 30 minutes, then "work" for the other 20. My door is open all lunch with students coming in every minute, so no, high school students do not have a lunch period "off".

Also, HS teachers spend a SIGNIFICANT amount of time grading. I know it looks like fun to those who don't ever do it, but you try reading 135 extended essays, providing edits and feedback, in two 45 minute blocks of "free time". Lol, PP. You are a moron.