School is not giving what was expected

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only teachers who come out better with collective bargaining are the ones who work for the unions. Been there, done that.
Building reps are usually the sorriest teachers--spend all their time standing up for "rights."

One of them told us (faculty) once to "work to our contract." Leave school as soon as was "official." No work at home, etc. Most of us worked as usual. Why? We wanted the kids to learn--not stand up for our 'rights."

I disagree. I have experience in both a state with collective bargaining (all but three states allow it) and VA (FCPS). Why shouldn't those who are in the classroom have a voice at the table? Collective bargaining resulted in smaller class sizes, more planning time that was not taken up by meetings, better pay and benefits. Children benefit from smaller class sizes. Teachers are getting burned our because we don't have sufficient planning time while at work so the planning gets pushed into the evenings. Yes, we expect to do work outside of school and yes, we all want the kids to do well, but when there isn't time to plan and teachers burn the candle at both ends the students pay the price. When teachers leave due to inadequate pay compared to the COL, it does not help the students. When a class is staffed by substitutes because a permanent teacher isn't available for hire, it does not help the students.

Seems it continues to gain traction. The Loudoun County BOS and FCPS School Board are both supportive:

https://www.fcps.edu/news/fairfax-county-school-board-amends-state-and-federal-legislative-agenda

https://www.afscme.org/now/collective-bargaining-bill-passed-by-the-virginia-house-of-delegates

https://www.princewilliamtimes.com/news/teachers-union-firefighters-back-collective-bargaining-bill/article_ef5141f2-3956-11ea-8921-f3edb09b8364.html

https://bluevirginia.us/2020/02/fairfax-school-board-loudoun-supervisors-vote-in-support-of-collective-bargaining

I’m a first year teacher with years of experience in Massachusetts public schools as a substitute, aide, and student teacher. My evaluations as an aide and student teacher were all efficient. I moved down here after getting an offer at a job fair in Boston. It’s really competitive to get into the schools up there so many people sub or work as an aide for a long time, but I could not afford that. Many also move away or give up on pursing teaching altogether. I moved here because I loved my experiences in classrooms and student teaching. I wanted 1-3rd grade and they assigned me to AAP high grades at a very high stress school. I don’t have a gifted endorsement and never studied it. Gifted classrooms are rare in MA. Honestly the standards are high for all students so it isn’t necessary. I’m not facing a horrible, stressful first year in a career I thought I’d love. I’m being told I’m ineffective for things like calling parents by their first name even if that’s what they sign emails with. Maybe New England is just more laid back because it’s more respectful to address people with the name they want you to use, not being super formal BS. I’ve been trying hard to not let my students and families down, but nothing here makes sense to me. No set curriculum, no textbooks, meetings are always way to formal (teachers would laugh at CT meetings when I student taught and my friends are shocked we have formal agendas here). I’m being told I’m ineffective in many areas and might give up on the profession altogether. I’m certainly down with this district. I’m not shocked they can’t even find subs here. These schools stress people out and put them in positions they really shouldn’t even be in because they can’t find someone certified to fill the position. I expected my first year of teaching to be hard, but not so hard that I contemplate leaving often because it’s such a mess here. I feel bad for all of you on this forum wanting a better curriculum because I’d like one to go by too and not to be told to use this stupid, useless pacing guide that moved slows and rarely has anything to suggest for differentiation. I’d honestly love to work with some of the parents here to help push for better for the kids of VA, but people just think I’m annoying when I state that I know the kids could do more. If I try to teaching something like grammar and someone walks in I get in trouble (it has happened). We just have to follow this stupid, useless guide. All my students who are good at writing work on it outside of school. They’ve told me they don’t learn things here that I know for a fact the public schools teach back home. I can’t see why anyone would want to sub here. Admin would probably just micromanage and tear them apart until they leave. I’m not sure how you get better curriculum and resources, but I’d like to help the parents push for it as I know better exists out there. - anonymous person unimpressed with VA public education.

Originally was going to post this to the sub shortage thread, but this seemed appropriate too. I’ve been disappointed as I’ve heard these schools are good. They can not compare to the best districts in MA. I say this not as a snob, but as someone who genuinely would like to work with the parents pushing for better. But I’m not sure I can as anytime I open my mouth about how shocked I am by my students’ poor handwriting and writing abilities I receive rude and judgmental remarks.

This pretty much sums up what every involved parent knows about FCPS--so sad and pathetic. I feel for you as a teacher, but I feel for our family way more because at the end of the day, we are stuck in this elementary school system (cannot afford private school) and cannot move elsewhere. Our choice, like what a PP mentioned, is to homeschool to supplement and enrichment classes in areas we cannot homeschool. It is a shame, and I don't think there is anything that can be done because it is a cluster---k and you would need an complete overhaul of the School Board and the Administration. That will take a huge coordinated effort by engaging almost every elementary school family in the county. So sad!

I totally agree, but then it doesn't seem to be showing up on the testing. I think what has happened is that the testing is now too easy compared to other states and since now VA students do so well on testing, there is no need to push students to do more. No reason for FCPS or any other school system to review their curriculum. So many enrichment centers outside of school that can fill in gaps its hard to gauge what the schools teach and what is being taught after school.

Until parents actually demand better testing, FCPS will have no reason to reform, and unfortunately the push has been in the opposite direction. There is this constant fight against too much testing when really it was the only measure that pushed school systems to do anything to reform.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yet FCPS has enough funding to push FCPSon down to middle schools this year, and elementary schools after that, even though they don't have funding to supply teachers and students with textbooks and workbooks. I'm so sick of seeing the worksheets that come home that are riddled with spelling and grammatical errors, and the deemphasis on correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar usage in elementary school. Like a previous poster, I have many of my FCPS papers from (ahem) 30+ years ago, when I went to a school that was then, and is now, rated far lower than the ones my kids attend. Yet from grades K-3, the 1980s schoolwork was ALL on handwriting paper with lines, everything was corrected by the teachers for spelling and punctuation, and by the end of 2nd grade, the work (from the entire class, many of whom were 1st generation or immigrants) was far better than the stuff the current, highly rated school, posts as its "show-off" work for parents.

I know. This is what I don't get. How did teachers in the past grade papers daily and yet I can't get a single FCPS teacher to grade more than 2 writing assignments a year with more than 1 comment for each and for the most part I don't see a single comment because "we don't want to discourage elementary writers". Somehow generations went through school and got comments on their writing and survived. It's so silly and just an obvious push to have the teacher do less work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yet FCPS has enough funding to push FCPSon down to middle schools this year, and elementary schools after that, even though they don't have funding to supply teachers and students with textbooks and workbooks. I'm so sick of seeing the worksheets that come home that are riddled with spelling and grammatical errors, and the deemphasis on correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar usage in elementary school. Like a previous poster, I have many of my FCPS papers from (ahem) 30+ years ago, when I went to a school that was then, and is now, rated far lower than the ones my kids attend. Yet from grades K-3, the 1980s schoolwork was ALL on handwriting paper with lines, everything was corrected by the teachers for spelling and punctuation, and by the end of 2nd grade, the work (from the entire class, many of whom were 1st generation or immigrants) was far better than the stuff the current, highly rated school, posts as its "show-off" work for parents.

I know. This is what I don't get. How did teachers in the past grade papers daily and yet I can't get a single FCPS teacher to grade more than 2 writing assignments a year with more than 1 comment for each and for the most part I don't see a single comment because "we don't want to discourage elementary writers". Somehow generations went through school and got comments on their writing and survived. It's so silly and just an obvious push to have the teacher do less work.

When I went through school, parent volunteers in the classroom edited our writing and gave us that feedback. That is no longer allowed (and for good reason!) So yeah, I got more feedback as a kid, but was it better? Doubtful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yet FCPS has enough funding to push FCPSon down to middle schools this year, and elementary schools after that, even though they don't have funding to supply teachers and students with textbooks and workbooks. I'm so sick of seeing the worksheets that come home that are riddled with spelling and grammatical errors, and the deemphasis on correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar usage in elementary school. Like a previous poster, I have many of my FCPS papers from (ahem) 30+ years ago, when I went to a school that was then, and is now, rated far lower than the ones my kids attend. Yet from grades K-3, the 1980s schoolwork was ALL on handwriting paper with lines, everything was corrected by the teachers for spelling and punctuation, and by the end of 2nd grade, the work (from the entire class, many of whom were 1st generation or immigrants) was far better than the stuff the current, highly rated school, posts as its "show-off" work for parents.

I know. This is what I don't get. How did teachers in the past grade papers daily and yet I can't get a single FCPS teacher to grade more than 2 writing assignments a year with more than 1 comment for each and for the most part I don't see a single comment because "we don't want to discourage elementary writers". Somehow generations went through school and got comments on their writing and survived. It's so silly and just an obvious push to have the teacher do less work.

When I went through school, parent volunteers in the classroom edited our writing and gave us that feedback. That is no longer allowed (and for good reason!) So yeah, I got more feedback as a kid, but was it better? Doubtful.

In our school the teachers did it. Maybe we just had better teacher quality at the time.

[Anonymous]

My kid went to private Catholic HS and experienced 'pop quizzes' for the first time in his life. They learn to be prepared for class every day after failing one of those.

There is accountability. They do not have re-takes like our public MS did. It peeved my kids that classmates could re-take tests over and over and then end up with the same grade. There are no make-ups in the real world.

The writing was non-existent at their public MS. I don't want to hire an entire staff of tutors like some of these other people did so we looked around for a HS that was strong in all areas---and very strong in service too boot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid went to private Catholic HS and experienced 'pop quizzes' for the first time in his life. They learn to be prepared for class every day after failing one of those.

There is accountability. They do not have re-takes like our public MS did. It peeved my kids that classmates could re-take tests over and over and then end up with the same grade. There are no make-ups in the real world.

The writing was non-existent at their public MS. I don't want to hire an entire staff of tutors like some of these other people did so we looked around for a HS that was strong in all areas---and very strong in service too boot.

*to boot

[Anonymous]

I moved my kid out of highly rated FCPS elementary school to a private school in 7th grade. He was WAY behind his private school peers. Behind in math, behind in writing, he had learned no grammar beyond what verbs and nouns were so completely bombed their weekly grammar review quizzes and started from square one with foreign language as kids at the private had been taking foreign language for years.

I knew I was dissatisfied with the education he was getting in FCPS but could not believe how little he actually learned.

[Anonymous]

MA teacher, I hear you. I went to public school in a well-rated MA school district. I still remember the grammar lessons I was taught, and I am a good writer because of them. I wasn’t *as* challenged in math or science as I could have been, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I moved my kid out of highly rated FCPS elementary school to a private school in 7th grade. He was WAY behind his private school peers. Behind in math, behind in writing, he had learned no grammar beyond what verbs and nouns were so completely bombed their weekly grammar review quizzes and started from square one with foreign language as kids at the private had been taking foreign language for years.

I knew I was dissatisfied with the education he was getting in FCPS but could not believe how little he actually learned.

Was he in AAP before? I always wonder if it’s general Ed, AAP or both that are so far behind. I’m less concerned about grammar. They do a good job teaching that in middle school and my child took some tutoring and is now acing grammar tests. It seems like an easy area to catch up and tutors love to teach grammar because it’s so straight forward. It’s more of the writing that I feel is missing in fcps. I get the feeling students just read, write, and discuss so much more in private than public.

[Anonymous]

I have a background in education and agree with most of the negative posts here.

We used to live in the Boston suburbs so I am also very familiar with the schools Massachusetts. I agree with the MA teacher that the standards are outrageously higher there. That said, the "tutor culture" is also rampant in Massachusetts. As much as it is here. In that sense, it is not so different.

What bothers me the most is how FCPS, the schools, the neighborhood parents constantly boast about how strong these schools are, using test scores and math competitions to prove it. I find that most parents are actually quite satisfied with the neighborhood schools. My kids went through FCPS AAP, too, in one of the cream-of-the-crop schools and, sure it's great that they had every opportunity under the sun, but if parents have to prepare them outside of school, then the results are no reflection on the quality of the school! As many others have said, the success of many of these schools is entirely based on the driven, academically focused, well-off parents.

You still might want to move to the neighborhood for the opportunities themselves or for the peers--but don't do it for the education.

The one thing I will say is that the education my kids received at Longfellow and McLean was dramatically better. Pretty much everyone I know agrees. My friends a couple blocks away in Arlington seem to have a different experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a background in education and agree with most of the negative posts here.

We used to live in the Boston suburbs so I am also very familiar with the schools Massachusetts. I agree with the MA teacher that the standards are outrageously higher there. That said, the "tutor culture" is also rampant in Massachusetts. As much as it is here. In that sense, it is not so different.

What bothers me the most is how FCPS, the schools, the neighborhood parents constantly boast about how strong these schools are, using test scores and math competitions to prove it. I find that most parents are actually quite satisfied with the neighborhood schools. My kids went through FCPS AAP, too, in one of the cream-of-the-crop schools and, sure it's great that they had every opportunity under the sun, but if parents have to prepare them outside of school, then the results are no reflection on the quality of the school! As many others have said, the success of many of these schools is entirely based on the driven, academically focused, well-off parents.

You still might want to move to the neighborhood for the opportunities themselves or for the peers--but don't do it for the education.

The one thing I will say is that the education my kids received at Longfellow and McLean was dramatically better. Pretty much everyone I know agrees. My friends a couple blocks away in Arlington seem to have a different experience.

Your post is confusing. Longfellow and McLean were dramatically better than Boston schools? Is that what you are saying? You are happy with the FCPS schools your children attended, yet agree with most of the negative posts.

You find that most parents are actually quite satisfied with their neighborhood schools. That seems like a good thing. They’re the ones we aren’t hearing from on this board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yet FCPS has enough funding to push FCPSon down to middle schools this year, and elementary schools after that, even though they don't have funding to supply teachers and students with textbooks and workbooks. I'm so sick of seeing the worksheets that come home that are riddled with spelling and grammatical errors, and the deemphasis on correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar usage in elementary school. Like a previous poster, I have many of my FCPS papers from (ahem) 30+ years ago, when I went to a school that was then, and is now, rated far lower than the ones my kids attend. Yet from grades K-3, the 1980s schoolwork was ALL on handwriting paper with lines, everything was corrected by the teachers for spelling and punctuation, and by the end of 2nd grade, the work (from the entire class, many of whom were 1st generation or immigrants) was far better than the stuff the current, highly rated school, posts as its "show-off" work for parents.

I know. This is what I don't get. How did teachers in the past grade papers daily and yet I can't get a single FCPS teacher to grade more than 2 writing assignments a year with more than 1 comment for each and for the most part I don't see a single comment because "we don't want to discourage elementary writers". Somehow generations went through school and got comments on their writing and survived. It's so silly and just an obvious push to have the teacher do less work.

When I went through school, parent volunteers in the classroom edited our writing and gave us that feedback. That is no longer allowed (and for good reason!) So yeah, I got more feedback as a kid, but was it better? Doubtful.

Parent volunteers or subs have no business on daily classroom work. None. Why would a parent be allowed in her/ his kid’s grade?

[Anonymous]

Parent of two elementary school students. Very disappointed so far. I’ve noticed that all these DCUM threads are venting about elementary school education. What happens in middle and high schools? Are elementary gen ed kids doomed in middle and high school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parent of two elementary school students. Very disappointed so far. I’ve noticed that all these DCUM threads are venting about elementary school education. What happens in middle and high schools? Are elementary gen ed kids doomed in middle and high school?

They say, and it has been my experience as well as that of my friends in Fairfax and Arlington, that Arlington has better elementary schools and Fairfax has better high schools.

[Anonymous]

Giving some details on our experience in upper ES. Teacher gives a study booklet with questions and instruct them to copy answers from her guide booklet. Those questions in the teacher’s guide are answered with incomplete sentences. Then, students start to believe that writing incomplete sentences is acceptable.