How is FCPS teacher/staff shortage?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parent here. Here's what I want.

1. A standard curriculum with real, approved textbooks, workbooks, work sheets and none of that TPT comic sans bullshit that contains grammatical errors. I would like the instructional designers at FCPS to do their jobs so that my kid doesn't come home with worksheets created by a 22 year old who doesn't know what the hell she's talking about, but sure can buy some pretty clip art on Etsy.

2. Less testing and less preparation for testing.

3. Full weeks of school without random holidays and teacher workdays on Mondays and Fridays of the same week (put them where they make sense).

4. Better support for ESOL/SPED kids AS WELL AS those children who don't have special needs but are far behind their classmates. A parent shouldn't have to pay $5000 for someone to find a mild disability and then hire a lawyer or advocate in order for their child to get extra reading/math help. PLUS there are a lot of parents who can't afford to do that but their kids still need a little extra help. Not everyone can afford to spend the $1000/month on tutors that I do.

5. Actual discipline for children who are consistently misbehaving and disrupting class. There was a year when at least twice a week, half of someone else's class would have to pour into my child's classroom because of one kid. Why aren't schools removing the problem child so that the other kids can keep learning?

Teacher here.

1) Textbooks should be used as a resource not a curriculum. Even when I was in school, our textbook was used for HW not instruction. The only textbook in ES that would be helpful is math. The reading levels are too varied for content textbooks to be useful.

2) Totally agree. The testing as gotten out of control.

3) I support having the holidays off, but we have waaay to many PD days that can be school days for Full Weeks.

4) Yes, but this is also tricky. If there is data to support a kid needs intervention/ help then they should be getting it regardless of label. The issue I have seen more of are when kids are inconsistent in performance and are passing their SOLS. It is very hard to figure out what the issue is.

5) I think parents in general would be disgusted with what they see in the classroom regarding behavior. Yes, there are individual problem children but there is also a lit of disrespect coming from kids to the teacher. Parents also need to be on board with consequences and this seems to be the larger issue.

You're quoting me and I agree on #5 - we're pretty strict parents with well behaved children who are natural rule followers, so we really lucked out on that, but have heard stories from our children about some of the things that go on in their classroom and I am shocked that it's allowed. I get that we live in a litigious society and that the behavior is tied frequently to the lack of action on the part of parents. I just wish there was something that could be done about it (I know we can't put that on the teacher, trust me).

I’m an ES teacher (almost 30 years). I had a very difficult time with behaviors last year. I often couldn’t go 5 minutes without a disruption. I didn’t allow it, but I was basically powerless to stop it.

I had a chair thrower/desk flipper last year. I can’t suspend the students or enforce other consequences, that is on admin.

I read some comments on a Fox News story about allowing military veterans to teach. People were saying that military veterans wouldn’t put up with what we put up with. I was thinking, “Sure, and you’re going to do what…?”.

I had an Army Colonel sub for me once for the day in high school courses. He wanted to give a presentation. Being a "sub" even in uniform didn't help. The kids were horrible. As an example, one kid stood on a table and screamed "my ass is on fire!" At the end of the day, he wrote me a very kind letter remarking about the how he looked up to what I had to deal with every day.

People thinking that "military experience" somehow means something in a high school are living in a different era.

People who see themselves as hard-ass authoritarians always amuse me...

"Those kids would fall in line if I were there"

..oh? What would you do?

"I wouldn't put up with it"

..yeah, but.. what would you do?

"I will not stand for it"

...um.. but.. what does that actually look like?

"Not putting up with any of it"

...

"Everyone is so soft"

...so you'd yell and stuff?

"They would respect me and just do what I say"

...hmm

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parent here. Here's what I want.

1. A standard curriculum with real, approved textbooks, workbooks, work sheets and none of that TPT comic sans bullshit that contains grammatical errors. I would like the instructional designers at FCPS to do their jobs so that my kid doesn't come home with worksheets created by a 22 year old who doesn't know what the hell she's talking about, but sure can buy some pretty clip art on Etsy.

2. Less testing and less preparation for testing.

3. Full weeks of school without random holidays and teacher workdays on Mondays and Fridays of the same week (put them where they make sense).

4. Better support for ESOL/SPED kids AS WELL AS those children who don't have special needs but are far behind their classmates. A parent shouldn't have to pay $5000 for someone to find a mild disability and then hire a lawyer or advocate in order for their child to get extra reading/math help. PLUS there are a lot of parents who can't afford to do that but their kids still need a little extra help. Not everyone can afford to spend the $1000/month on tutors that I do.

5. Actual discipline for children who are consistently misbehaving and disrupting class. There was a year when at least twice a week, half of someone else's class would have to pour into my child's classroom because of one kid. Why aren't schools removing the problem child so that the other kids can keep learning?

Teachers mostly want all of those things as well - and I doubt it's the same school but as a teacher I also witnessed, many times, years when some poor teacher had to regularly remove her entire class from a room because of a severely disruptive student. Often that same student was violent toward the other children on a daily basis, and kids were being sent home with all kinds of cuts and bruises from the attacks, and yet parents were never told. I felt so bad for the kids - we're talking early elementary - who must have been so confused and afraid being in the same room with a kid who would routinely attempt to hurt them for no reason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We need some drastic moves recruit and retain high quality teachers. One bold move would be to go to a 4-day school week for kids. Increase T-F by 30 minutes. Kids do async work on Monday’s. Teachers plan, have pd on Monday’s. That means less time away from kids T-F. There are other models to accomplish this.

Parents will have to decide whether they want 5 days of school with a crappy, unqualified teacher in a large class or figure out childcare one day a week and get a high quality teacher in a decent sized class.

https://www.edsurge.com/amp/news/2022-06-22-can-four-day-school-weeks-keep-teachers-from-leaving

https://www.texastribune.org/2022/07/19/texas-schools-four-day-weeks/amp/

I’m in full support of a 4-day in-person week with Monday planning time for teachers while students use digital tools. I know for a fact this would be a huge boost for retention and the well-being of our staff

OMG. I hope this is a joke. I"m here for the kids, not the teachers.

"Digital tools" are garbage. Virtual school was a no-learning disaster and you want to cut out 20% of the school year?

Actually, it would be easy to extend the instructional time over 4 days and allow a day of planning for teachers and an additional day of rest/recreation for students. I would imagine that the mental and physical health benefits would be worth it. The way school is currently operating is not working for many people.

There are only a handful of five day school weeks in the FCPS calendar for this year. Almost every week is a short week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We need some drastic moves recruit and retain high quality teachers. One bold move would be to go to a 4-day school week for kids. Increase T-F by 30 minutes. Kids do async work on Monday’s. Teachers plan, have pd on Monday’s. That means less time away from kids T-F. There are other models to accomplish this.

Parents will have to decide whether they want 5 days of school with a crappy, unqualified teacher in a large class or figure out childcare one day a week and get a high quality teacher in a decent sized class.

https://www.edsurge.com/amp/news/2022-06-22-can-four-day-school-weeks-keep-teachers-from-leaving

https://www.texastribune.org/2022/07/19/texas-schools-four-day-weeks/amp/

I’m in full support of a 4-day in-person week with Monday planning time for teachers while students use digital tools. I know for a fact this would be a huge boost for retention and the well-being of our staff

OMG. I hope this is a joke. I"m here for the kids, not the teachers.

"Digital tools" are garbage. Virtual school was a no-learning disaster and you want to cut out 20% of the school year?

Actually, it would be easy to extend the instructional time over 4 days and allow a day of planning for teachers and an additional day of rest/recreation for students. I would imagine that the mental and physical health benefits would be worth it. The way school is currently operating is not working for many people.

There are only a handful of five day school weeks in the FCPS calendar for this year. Almost every week is a short week.

I counted 40 weeks of school. Of that 40, 23 are full 5-day weeks. So more than “a handful.”
Also, if they went to a 4-day school week, there would be no need for the random teacher workdays scattered throughout.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We need some drastic moves recruit and retain high quality teachers. One bold move would be to go to a 4-day school week for kids. Increase T-F by 30 minutes. Kids do async work on Monday’s. Teachers plan, have pd on Monday’s. That means less time away from kids T-F. There are other models to accomplish this.

Parents will have to decide whether they want 5 days of school with a crappy, unqualified teacher in a large class or figure out childcare one day a week and get a high quality teacher in a decent sized class.

https://www.edsurge.com/amp/news/2022-06-22-can-four-day-school-weeks-keep-teachers-from-leaving

https://www.texastribune.org/2022/07/19/texas-schools-four-day-weeks/amp/

I’m in full support of a 4-day in-person week with Monday planning time for teachers while students use digital tools. I know for a fact this would be a huge boost for retention and the well-being of our staff

OMG. I hope this is a joke. I"m here for the kids, not the teachers.

"Digital tools" are garbage. Virtual school was a no-learning disaster and you want to cut out 20% of the school year?

Actually, it would be easy to extend the instructional time over 4 days and allow a day of planning for teachers and an additional day of rest/recreation for students. I would imagine that the mental and physical health benefits would be worth it. The way school is currently operating is not working for many people.

There are only a handful of five day school weeks in the FCPS calendar for this year. Almost every week is a short week.

I counted 40 weeks of school. Of that 40, 23 are full 5-day weeks. So more than “a handful.”
Also, if they went to a 4-day school week, there would be no need for the random teacher workdays scattered throughout.

Forgot to add the calendar. https://www.fcps.edu/sites/default/files/media/pdf/2022-2023-standard-school-year-calendar.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parent here. Here's what I want.

1. A standard curriculum with real, approved textbooks, workbooks, work sheets and none of that TPT comic sans bullshit that contains grammatical errors. I would like the instructional designers at FCPS to do their jobs so that my kid doesn't come home with worksheets created by a 22 year old who doesn't know what the hell she's talking about, but sure can buy some pretty clip art on Etsy.

2. Less testing and less preparation for testing.

3. Full weeks of school without random holidays and teacher workdays on Mondays and Fridays of the same week (put them where they make sense).

4. Better support for ESOL/SPED kids AS WELL AS those children who don't have special needs but are far behind their classmates. A parent shouldn't have to pay $5000 for someone to find a mild disability and then hire a lawyer or advocate in order for their child to get extra reading/math help. PLUS there are a lot of parents who can't afford to do that but their kids still need a little extra help. Not everyone can afford to spend the $1000/month on tutors that I do.

5. Actual discipline for children who are consistently misbehaving and disrupting class. There was a year when at least twice a week, half of someone else's class would have to pour into my child's classroom because of one kid. Why aren't schools removing the problem child so that the other kids can keep learning?

Teacher here.

1) Textbooks should be used as a resource not a curriculum. Even when I was in school, our textbook was used for HW not instruction. The only textbook in ES that would be helpful is math. The reading levels are too varied for content textbooks to be useful.

2) Totally agree. The testing as gotten out of control.

3) I support having the holidays off, but we have waaay to many PD days that can be school days for Full Weeks.

4) Yes, but this is also tricky. If there is data to support a kid needs intervention/ help then they should be getting it regardless of label. The issue I have seen more of are when kids are inconsistent in performance and are passing their SOLS. It is very hard to figure out what the issue is.

5) I think parents in general would be disgusted with what they see in the classroom regarding behavior. Yes, there are individual problem children but there is also a lit of disrespect coming from kids to the teacher. Parents also need to be on board with consequences and this seems to be the larger issue.

You're quoting me and I agree on #5 - we're pretty strict parents with well behaved children who are natural rule followers, so we really lucked out on that, but have heard stories from our children about some of the things that go on in their classroom and I am shocked that it's allowed. I get that we live in a litigious society and that the behavior is tied frequently to the lack of action on the part of parents. I just wish there was something that could be done about it (I know we can't put that on the teacher, trust me).

I’m an ES teacher (almost 30 years). I had a very difficult time with behaviors last year. I often couldn’t go 5 minutes without a disruption. I didn’t allow it, but I was basically powerless to stop it.

I had a chair thrower/desk flipper last year. I can’t suspend the students or enforce other consequences, that is on admin.

I read some comments on a Fox News story about allowing military veterans to teach. People were saying that military veterans wouldn’t put up with what we put up with. I was thinking, “Sure, and you’re going to do what…?”.

I had an Army Colonel sub for me once for the day in high school courses. He wanted to give a presentation. Being a "sub" even in uniform didn't help. The kids were horrible. As an example, one kid stood on a table and screamed "my ass is on fire!" At the end of the day, he wrote me a very kind letter remarking about the how he looked up to what I had to deal with every day.

People thinking that "military experience" somehow means something in a high school are living in a different era.

People who see themselves as hard-ass authoritarians always amuse me...

"Those kids would fall in line if I were there"

..oh? What would you do?

"I wouldn't put up with it"

..yeah, but.. what would you do?

"I will not stand for it"

...um.. but.. what does that actually look like?

"Not putting up with any of it"

...

"Everyone is so soft"

...so you'd yell and stuff?

"They would respect me and just do what I say"

...hmm

100% this. What are you going to do when the students (yes, plural), blatantly disregard the directions and are defiant? I’ve had ES classes in which enough act that way and they become like a pack in numbers. They might shape up a bit for someone new for a day or so, but after that all bets are off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We need some drastic moves recruit and retain high quality teachers. One bold move would be to go to a 4-day school week for kids. Increase T-F by 30 minutes. Kids do async work on Monday’s. Teachers plan, have pd on Monday’s. That means less time away from kids T-F. There are other models to accomplish this.

Parents will have to decide whether they want 5 days of school with a crappy, unqualified teacher in a large class or figure out childcare one day a week and get a high quality teacher in a decent sized class.

https://www.edsurge.com/amp/news/2022-06-22-can-four-day-school-weeks-keep-teachers-from-leaving

https://www.texastribune.org/2022/07/19/texas-schools-four-day-weeks/amp/

I’m in full support of a 4-day in-person week with Monday planning time for teachers while students use digital tools. I know for a fact this would be a huge boost for retention and the well-being of our staff

OMG. I hope this is a joke. I"m here for the kids, not the teachers.

"Digital tools" are garbage. Virtual school was a no-learning disaster and you want to cut out 20% of the school year?

Actually, it would be easy to extend the instructional time over 4 days and allow a day of planning for teachers and an additional day of rest/recreation for students. I would imagine that the mental and physical health benefits would be worth it. The way school is currently operating is not working for many people.

You think you’re “sticking it to” middle and upper middle class suburban moms with cushy full time telecommute government jobs or stay at home parents with this 4 day school week stuff. In reality, those families will make adjustments and have a lot of resentment toward teachers as a result, while kids on the margins of society won’t do their “asynchronous work” at all and will just continue to fall behind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We need some drastic moves recruit and retain high quality teachers. One bold move would be to go to a 4-day school week for kids. Increase T-F by 30 minutes. Kids do async work on Monday’s. Teachers plan, have pd on Monday’s. That means less time away from kids T-F. There are other models to accomplish this.

Parents will have to decide whether they want 5 days of school with a crappy, unqualified teacher in a large class or figure out childcare one day a week and get a high quality teacher in a decent sized class.

https://www.edsurge.com/amp/news/2022-06-22-can-four-day-school-weeks-keep-teachers-from-leaving

https://www.texastribune.org/2022/07/19/texas-schools-four-day-weeks/amp/

I’m in full support of a 4-day in-person week with Monday planning time for teachers while students use digital tools. I know for a fact this would be a huge boost for retention and the well-being of our staff

OMG. I hope this is a joke. I"m here for the kids, not the teachers.

"Digital tools" are garbage. Virtual school was a no-learning disaster and you want to cut out 20% of the school year?

Actually, it would be easy to extend the instructional time over 4 days and allow a day of planning for teachers and an additional day of rest/recreation for students. I would imagine that the mental and physical health benefits would be worth it. The way school is currently operating is not working for many people.

You think you’re “sticking it to” middle and upper middle class suburban moms with cushy full time telecommute government jobs or stay at home parents with this 4 day school week stuff. In reality, those families will make adjustments and have a lot of resentment toward teachers as a result, while kids on the margins of society won’t do their “asynchronous work” at all and will just continue to fall behind.

This may never happen in Fairfax because it is (whether we want to admit it or not) a premier district in the country, but a four day week in many places may end up being the solution if the teacher shortage continues and accelerates, and the only way you cover all of the sections with licensed teachers is to have all teachers (I’m thinking secondary here) teach 6 or 7 sections rather than the typical 5. Then you’d need to extend the school day and go 4 days to enable teachers to have a day for planning. Yes, it sounds awful for everyone concerned. But I do think it’s inevitable in many places in the country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We need some drastic moves recruit and retain high quality teachers. One bold move would be to go to a 4-day school week for kids. Increase T-F by 30 minutes. Kids do async work on Monday’s. Teachers plan, have pd on Monday’s. That means less time away from kids T-F. There are other models to accomplish this.

Parents will have to decide whether they want 5 days of school with a crappy, unqualified teacher in a large class or figure out childcare one day a week and get a high quality teacher in a decent sized class.

https://www.edsurge.com/amp/news/2022-06-22-can-four-day-school-weeks-keep-teachers-from-leaving

https://www.texastribune.org/2022/07/19/texas-schools-four-day-weeks/amp/

I’m in full support of a 4-day in-person week with Monday planning time for teachers while students use digital tools. I know for a fact this would be a huge boost for retention and the well-being of our staff

OMG. I hope this is a joke. I"m here for the kids, not the teachers.

"Digital tools" are garbage. Virtual school was a no-learning disaster and you want to cut out 20% of the school year?

Actually, it would be easy to extend the instructional time over 4 days and allow a day of planning for teachers and an additional day of rest/recreation for students. I would imagine that the mental and physical health benefits would be worth it. The way school is currently operating is not working for many people.

You think you’re “sticking it to” middle and upper middle class suburban moms with cushy full time telecommute government jobs or stay at home parents with this 4 day school week stuff. In reality, those families will make adjustments and have a lot of resentment toward teachers as a result, while kids on the margins of society won’t do their “asynchronous work” at all and will just continue to fall behind.

People already resent teachers.

Teachers actually do not make the decisions so people’s resentment is misplaced.

It would be longer instructional days and therefore no need for asynchronous work.

4 day work weeks have been seen to increase productivity and well being in places such as Iceland.

What we are doing isn’t working so let’s think of a different way forward.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We need some drastic moves recruit and retain high quality teachers. One bold move would be to go to a 4-day school week for kids. Increase T-F by 30 minutes. Kids do async work on Monday’s. Teachers plan, have pd on Monday’s. That means less time away from kids T-F. There are other models to accomplish this.

Parents will have to decide whether they want 5 days of school with a crappy, unqualified teacher in a large class or figure out childcare one day a week and get a high quality teacher in a decent sized class.

https://www.edsurge.com/amp/news/2022-06-22-can-four-day-school-weeks-keep-teachers-from-leaving

https://www.texastribune.org/2022/07/19/texas-schools-four-day-weeks/amp/

I’m in full support of a 4-day in-person week with Monday planning time for teachers while students use digital tools. I know for a fact this would be a huge boost for retention and the well-being of our staff

OMG. I hope this is a joke. I"m here for the kids, not the teachers.

"Digital tools" are garbage. Virtual school was a no-learning disaster and you want to cut out 20% of the school year?

Actually, it would be easy to extend the instructional time over 4 days and allow a day of planning for teachers and an additional day of rest/recreation for students. I would imagine that the mental and physical health benefits would be worth it. The way school is currently operating is not working for many people.

You think you’re “sticking it to” middle and upper middle class suburban moms with cushy full time telecommute government jobs or stay at home parents with this 4 day school week stuff. In reality, those families will make adjustments and have a lot of resentment toward teachers as a result, while kids on the margins of society won’t do their “asynchronous work” at all and will just continue to fall behind.

Let me explain the reality: We’re in a crisis right now and need to figure out how to attract teachers to work here and to retain those that are already here. A 4-day week with students could make a real difference. You’re worried about what could happen to those students on the “margins of society.” Those would be kids who typically go to Title 1 schools. Right NOW, these are the schools that literally have classrooms without teachers. This week, there are 14 schools with 6-10 teacher vacancies at elementary schools. TEN of those 14 are Title 1 schools. (Yes, there’s a list.)

So if I have the choice between 4-days of instruction for every kid with a qualified teacher that was excited to work/stay in FCPS because of the 4-day teaching schedule vs 5 days with a class staffed with a teacher whose best qualifications are that they are breathing and haven’t hurt a child, I’ll take the former. That will be better for those kids on the “margins of society” that I serve.

-Administrator in a Title 1 ES

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We need some drastic moves recruit and retain high quality teachers. One bold move would be to go to a 4-day school week for kids. Increase T-F by 30 minutes. Kids do async work on Monday’s. Teachers plan, have pd on Monday’s. That means less time away from kids T-F. There are other models to accomplish this.

Parents will have to decide whether they want 5 days of school with a crappy, unqualified teacher in a large class or figure out childcare one day a week and get a high quality teacher in a decent sized class.

https://www.edsurge.com/amp/news/2022-06-22-can-four-day-school-weeks-keep-teachers-from-leaving

https://www.texastribune.org/2022/07/19/texas-schools-four-day-weeks/amp/

I’m in full support of a 4-day in-person week with Monday planning time for teachers while students use digital tools. I know for a fact this would be a huge boost for retention and the well-being of our staff

OMG. I hope this is a joke. I"m here for the kids, not the teachers.

"Digital tools" are garbage. Virtual school was a no-learning disaster and you want to cut out 20% of the school year?

Actually, it would be easy to extend the instructional time over 4 days and allow a day of planning for teachers and an additional day of rest/recreation for students. I would imagine that the mental and physical health benefits would be worth it. The way school is currently operating is not working for many people.

You think you’re “sticking it to” middle and upper middle class suburban moms with cushy full time telecommute government jobs or stay at home parents with this 4 day school week stuff. In reality, those families will make adjustments and have a lot of resentment toward teachers as a result, while kids on the margins of society won’t do their “asynchronous work” at all and will just continue to fall behind.

Let me explain the reality: We’re in a crisis right now and need to figure out how to attract teachers to work here and to retain those that are already here. A 4-day week with students could make a real difference. You’re worried about what could happen to those students on the “margins of society.” Those would be kids who typically go to Title 1 schools. Right NOW, these are the schools that literally have classrooms without teachers. This week, there are 14 schools with 6-10 teacher vacancies at elementary schools. TEN of those 14 are Title 1 schools. (Yes, there’s a list.)

So if I have the choice between 4-days of instruction for every kid with a qualified teacher that was excited to work/stay in FCPS because of the 4-day teaching schedule vs 5 days with a class staffed with a teacher whose best qualifications are that they are breathing and haven’t hurt a child, I’ll take the former. That will be better for those kids on the “margins of society” that I serve.

-Administrator in a Title 1 ES

I hear this a lot at our school. They want us to come back tested and excited. I just the back to school schedule and it’s filled with meetings and trainings. Get rid of all of that. That’s the way to make me excited to come back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We need some drastic moves recruit and retain high quality teachers. One bold move would be to go to a 4-day school week for kids. Increase T-F by 30 minutes. Kids do async work on Monday’s. Teachers plan, have pd on Monday’s. That means less time away from kids T-F. There are other models to accomplish this.

Parents will have to decide whether they want 5 days of school with a crappy, unqualified teacher in a large class or figure out childcare one day a week and get a high quality teacher in a decent sized class.

https://www.edsurge.com/amp/news/2022-06-22-can-four-day-school-weeks-keep-teachers-from-leaving

https://www.texastribune.org/2022/07/19/texas-schools-four-day-weeks/amp/

I’m in full support of a 4-day in-person week with Monday planning time for teachers while students use digital tools. I know for a fact this would be a huge boost for retention and the well-being of our staff

OMG. I hope this is a joke. I"m here for the kids, not the teachers.

"Digital tools" are garbage. Virtual school was a no-learning disaster and you want to cut out 20% of the school year?

Actually, it would be easy to extend the instructional time over 4 days and allow a day of planning for teachers and an additional day of rest/recreation for students. I would imagine that the mental and physical health benefits would be worth it. The way school is currently operating is not working for many people.

You think you’re “sticking it to” middle and upper middle class suburban moms with cushy full time telecommute government jobs or stay at home parents with this 4 day school week stuff. In reality, those families will make adjustments and have a lot of resentment toward teachers as a result, while kids on the margins of society won’t do their “asynchronous work” at all and will just continue to fall behind.

Let me explain the reality: We’re in a crisis right now and need to figure out how to attract teachers to work here and to retain those that are already here. A 4-day week with students could make a real difference. You’re worried about what could happen to those students on the “margins of society.” Those would be kids who typically go to Title 1 schools. Right NOW, these are the schools that literally have classrooms without teachers. This week, there are 14 schools with 6-10 teacher vacancies at elementary schools. TEN of those 14 are Title 1 schools. (Yes, there’s a list.)

So if I have the choice between 4-days of instruction for every kid with a qualified teacher that was excited to work/stay in FCPS because of the 4-day teaching schedule vs 5 days with a class staffed with a teacher whose best qualifications are that they are breathing and haven’t hurt a child, I’ll take the former. That will be better for those kids on the “margins of society” that I serve.

-Administrator in a Title 1 ES

DP. What is the game plan? Title I schools cannot exceed class sizes and there HAS to be a licensed teacher in those classrooms per Title I regulations. There's no way to go to a 4 day week now so what will happen at these schools?
The School Board and Superintendent were vague about specific plans. As a parent of a child whose school still has several vacancies, this is worrisome.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We need some drastic moves recruit and retain high quality teachers. One bold move would be to go to a 4-day school week for kids. Increase T-F by 30 minutes. Kids do async work on Monday’s. Teachers plan, have pd on Monday’s. That means less time away from kids T-F. There are other models to accomplish this.

Parents will have to decide whether they want 5 days of school with a crappy, unqualified teacher in a large class or figure out childcare one day a week and get a high quality teacher in a decent sized class.

https://www.edsurge.com/amp/news/2022-06-22-can-four-day-school-weeks-keep-teachers-from-leaving

https://www.texastribune.org/2022/07/19/texas-schools-four-day-weeks/amp/

I’m in full support of a 4-day in-person week with Monday planning time for teachers while students use digital tools. I know for a fact this would be a huge boost for retention and the well-being of our staff

OMG. I hope this is a joke. I"m here for the kids, not the teachers.

"Digital tools" are garbage. Virtual school was a no-learning disaster and you want to cut out 20% of the school year?

Actually, it would be easy to extend the instructional time over 4 days and allow a day of planning for teachers and an additional day of rest/recreation for students. I would imagine that the mental and physical health benefits would be worth it. The way school is currently operating is not working for many people.

As an ES teacher I’d rather have my planning time spread out through the week. More of my planning time needs to be used as I see fit. It would help a lot if I could actually have the planning time currently assigned.

I agree...something needs to change. Planning time makes all the difference for a teacher's week. So many extra meetings during the week sucks up planning time- teachers I know are drained and maxed out. FCPS needs to think outside the box.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We need some drastic moves recruit and retain high quality teachers. One bold move would be to go to a 4-day school week for kids. Increase T-F by 30 minutes. Kids do async work on Monday’s. Teachers plan, have pd on Monday’s. That means less time away from kids T-F. There are other models to accomplish this.

Parents will have to decide whether they want 5 days of school with a crappy, unqualified teacher in a large class or figure out childcare one day a week and get a high quality teacher in a decent sized class.

https://www.edsurge.com/amp/news/2022-06-22-can-four-day-school-weeks-keep-teachers-from-leaving

https://www.texastribune.org/2022/07/19/texas-schools-four-day-weeks/amp/

I’m in full support of a 4-day in-person week with Monday planning time for teachers while students use digital tools. I know for a fact this would be a huge boost for retention and the well-being of our staff

OMG. I hope this is a joke. I"m here for the kids, not the teachers.

"Digital tools" are garbage. Virtual school was a no-learning disaster and you want to cut out 20% of the school year?

Actually, it would be easy to extend the instructional time over 4 days and allow a day of planning for teachers and an additional day of rest/recreation for students. I would imagine that the mental and physical health benefits would be worth it. The way school is currently operating is not working for many people.

You think you’re “sticking it to” middle and upper middle class suburban moms with cushy full time telecommute government jobs or stay at home parents with this 4 day school week stuff. In reality, those families will make adjustments and have a lot of resentment toward teachers as a result, while kids on the margins of society won’t do their “asynchronous work” at all and will just continue to fall behind.

Let me explain the reality: We’re in a crisis right now and need to figure out how to attract teachers to work here and to retain those that are already here. A 4-day week with students could make a real difference. You’re worried about what could happen to those students on the “margins of society.” Those would be kids who typically go to Title 1 schools. Right NOW, these are the schools that literally have classrooms without teachers. This week, there are 14 schools with 6-10 teacher vacancies at elementary schools. TEN of those 14 are Title 1 schools. (Yes, there’s a list.)

So if I have the choice between 4-days of instruction for every kid with a qualified teacher that was excited to work/stay in FCPS because of the 4-day teaching schedule vs 5 days with a class staffed with a teacher whose best qualifications are that they are breathing and haven’t hurt a child, I’ll take the former. That will be better for those kids on the “margins of society” that I serve.

-Administrator in a Title 1 ES

DP. What is the game plan? Title I schools cannot exceed class sizes and there HAS to be a licensed teacher in those classrooms per Title I regulations. There's no way to go to a 4 day week now so what will happen at these schools?
The School Board and Superintendent were vague about specific plans. As a parent of a child whose school still has several vacancies, this is worrisome.

The class size numbers are not clear cut. First, there are class size caps for K-3 at Title I schools, but those vary from school to school. One school might have one at 19 and another’s might be 24. They are set by the state, and going over them might mean less funding. My guess is that there are probably waivers in place. There are also FCPS class size caps and state caps. Title 1’schools cannot go over the FCPS class size caps. These are different for primary and upper grades. The state cap is higher than FCPS.

The plans you heard had to be vague because there can’t be a one-size fits all solution. It really is a school by school issue. Each principal will work with the region to figure out how to resolve it. What works in one school may not work in another. There might be combining classes across grade levels if the numbers shake out that way. There might be a resource teacher that can be moved to cover a class. There might be a central office person to cover. It really depends on the specific situations at the school.

On the flip side, there are 60 schools, including Title 1 schools, that have 0-1 vacancies right now. That’s good. But we can’t do this again next year. That’s why we have to do something bold.

[Anonymous]

Kids don't have the attention spans to learn more on longer days. They aren't robots. Adding two hours to each day won't magically help them learn more.