FCPS Early Release Mondays

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The parent/teacher divide within FCPS is wide and bitter from all sides, not to mention snarky. I don’t know how FCPS can ever be more successful as a system with this animosity.

The issue that I see is that parents want what is best for their child. However, we teachers simply cannot provide anything approaching this. We can only provide the very basics. There are too many children and many of the children are coming to school unprepared.

One way to help parents understand this is to think about school lunch. Consider the nutrition and quality of the food offered. What the exception of a few years during the Obama presidency, the food is low nutrition and at best low-medium quality. The fresh fruit is a small and mealy red delicious apple. The pizza is full of sugar. Chocolate milk is the exception.

Breakfast is almost entirely without a source of protein. The food the children are served by the school is safe and will keep them alive. It’s essentially prison-level quality food. It is not what an involved parent who cares about the nutrition of their child would choose for them. The child that comes to school with a packed and nutritious lunch from home will be miles ahead in nutrition than their peers who are eating the school lunch.

It is the same with what occurs in the classroom. The child that has had plenty of reading and enrichment at home will come to school miles ahead of the student who has gotten all of their education from FCPS. The child that has outside tutoring will master the concepts while the child that only had exposure during the school day will only have a rough appreciation for what was taught.

Something along these lines should be a sticky at the top of the FCPS board. Parents are expecting too much from FCPS.

It would help so many angry parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:WTAF is this. Do they not want our kids to actually learn? My 1st grader has done nothing for 2 weeks as it is. Along with 4 day weeks seemingly every other week. Reid is a joke.

No, they don't.

[Anonymous]

FCPS is only responsible for providing a basic level of education. Anything more is not part of their mandate.

[Anonymous]

The current state of public education necessitates that teachers focus only on providing basic education. The burden on teachers is immense. Expecting teachers to go beyond the basics is unrealistic. Public education should prioritize foundational skills, ensuring all students receive a basic level of education.

[Anonymous]

Totally agree. As a veteran 5th grade teacher in Fairfax County Public Schools, I can only do so much with the limited resources, unprepared students, and huge class sizes. And my school has a relatively low FARMs rate, especially compared to other schools in the district with much higher percentages.

One clear example - last year, I noticed that most of my students couldn't grasp place value. Without a solid understanding of this basic 1st/2nd grade concept, they struggled with grade-level math topics. So, I spent most of my time reteaching these basics, which meant much less time for other critical areas of the math curriculum.

Students who come in unprepared are becoming the norm even in “good” schools. I’m not sure what is going on - maybe too much iPad? But Covering the entire curriculum is a pipe dream.

From my experience, it's clear that public education can only aim to provide the essentials and Virginia needs to do more to adjust the standards. We need to have the hard conversations around AAP/honors. If public education is to survive, we need to ensure EVERY student has a solid foundation by graduation instead of pushing the kids who are already ahead even further ahead.

So if you want more advanced learning, look elsewhere and stop blaming your child’s teacher or the school system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Totally agree. As a veteran 5th grade teacher in Fairfax County Public Schools, I can only do so much with the limited resources, unprepared students, and huge class sizes. And my school has a relatively low FARMs rate, especially compared to other schools in the district with much higher percentages.

One clear example - last year, I noticed that most of my students couldn't grasp place value. Without a solid understanding of this basic 1st/2nd grade concept, they struggled with grade-level math topics. So, I spent most of my time reteaching these basics, which meant much less time for other critical areas of the math curriculum.

Students who come in unprepared are becoming the norm even in “good” schools. I’m not sure what is going on - maybe too much iPad? But Covering the entire curriculum is a pipe dream.

From my experience, it's clear that public education can only aim to provide the essentials and Virginia needs to do more to adjust the standards. We need to have the hard conversations around AAP/honors. If public education is to survive, we need to ensure EVERY student has a solid foundation by graduation instead of pushing the kids who are already ahead even further ahead.

So if you want more advanced learning, look elsewhere and stop blaming your child’s teacher or the school system.

Get rid of AAP and honors and watch the voucher movement grow, schools bleed even more students, and tax payers start to push back against bonds and budgets. Having a supposedly great school system is a draw for Fairfax county, admit that it's goal is to educate to the lowest common denominator and parents and residents are going to abandon the system

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Totally agree. As a veteran 5th grade teacher in Fairfax County Public Schools, I can only do so much with the limited resources, unprepared students, and huge class sizes. And my school has a relatively low FARMs rate, especially compared to other schools in the district with much higher percentages.

One clear example - last year, I noticed that most of my students couldn't grasp place value. Without a solid understanding of this basic 1st/2nd grade concept, they struggled with grade-level math topics. So, I spent most of my time reteaching these basics, which meant much less time for other critical areas of the math curriculum.

Students who come in unprepared are becoming the norm even in “good” schools. I’m not sure what is going on - maybe too much iPad? But Covering the entire curriculum is a pipe dream.

From my experience, it's clear that public education can only aim to provide the essentials and Virginia needs to do more to adjust the standards. We need to have the hard conversations around AAP/honors. If public education is to survive, we need to ensure EVERY student has a solid foundation by graduation instead of pushing the kids who are already ahead even further ahead.

So if you want more advanced learning, look elsewhere and stop blaming your child’s teacher or the school system.

Get rid of AAP and honors and watch the voucher movement grow, schools bleed even more students, and tax payers start to push back against bonds and budgets. Having a supposedly great school system is a draw for Fairfax county, admit that it's goal is to educate to the lowest common denominator and parents and residents are going to abandon the system

Vouchers will never happen so STOP.

Parents who are sending their kids to school unprepared are the majority now. Their children deserve to have access to education, not just the off spring of tiger moms.

After school enrichment programs exist for a reason. During the school day the most critical needs are addressed.

Maybe if parents did a better job school could be different. But teachers must work with however the child shows up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Totally agree. As a veteran 5th grade teacher in Fairfax County Public Schools, I can only do so much with the limited resources, unprepared students, and huge class sizes. And my school has a relatively low FARMs rate, especially compared to other schools in the district with much higher percentages.

One clear example - last year, I noticed that most of my students couldn't grasp place value. Without a solid understanding of this basic 1st/2nd grade concept, they struggled with grade-level math topics. So, I spent most of my time reteaching these basics, which meant much less time for other critical areas of the math curriculum.

Students who come in unprepared are becoming the norm even in “good” schools. I’m not sure what is going on - maybe too much iPad? But Covering the entire curriculum is a pipe dream.

From my experience, it's clear that public education can only aim to provide the essentials and Virginia needs to do more to adjust the standards. We need to have the hard conversations around AAP/honors. If public education is to survive, we need to ensure EVERY student has a solid foundation by graduation instead of pushing the kids who are already ahead even further ahead.

So if you want more advanced learning, look elsewhere and stop blaming your child’s teacher or the school system.

Honestly, I already know this. It is why my child has been taking math classes at RSM and participates n different STEM activities. He enjoys and asks to participate in these activities, mainly because they teach him something and are more challenging then school is. It would be great if he had classes that meet his needs in math and science but the schools don't have the resources to do that. We are lucky and can afford to use outside enrichment so we go that route.

And that is not a huge change from when I wa a kid in the 80's. My parents paid for tutoring for my brother and I, we have LDs and needed additional support in school, and enrichment for my older siblings who were bored in the honors classes at their school. I don't remember my parents complaining, it is what you did to support your child. I am not sure when things changed and parents started to expect that the schools can meet every kids exact needs. I would guess that kids that are on grade level and making good progress in school tend to have parents who are less angsty and most of the pressure on Teachers is coming from parents of SPED kids and parents of advanced kids. My parents worked hard to make sure that I received the supports I could get at school, resource support during study hall and different testing accomadations, but they didn't expect that the school would have team taught classes, never mind team taught honors classes. My brother worked with a reading specialist at school and my parents worked with a tutor to further support his reading. We seem to have lost the thread and expect that schools are going to provide full OT, PT, academic supports, speech therapy and everything else under the sun. Schools cannot afford that. Schools cannot afford to have specialized programs for the kid who is massively advanced in math or science. They can move kids up grade levels but then you have social issues that can come into play.

If you want your kid to be fully supported by the school you need to look at private schools. There is a reason why those schools with smaller classes and supports and all the bells and whistles cost $60,000 a year. Stop thinking that you are going to get that in public school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Totally agree. As a veteran 5th grade teacher in Fairfax County Public Schools, I can only do so much with the limited resources, unprepared students, and huge class sizes. And my school has a relatively low FARMs rate, especially compared to other schools in the district with much higher percentages.

One clear example - last year, I noticed that most of my students couldn't grasp place value. Without a solid understanding of this basic 1st/2nd grade concept, they struggled with grade-level math topics. So, I spent most of my time reteaching these basics, which meant much less time for other critical areas of the math curriculum.

Students who come in unprepared are becoming the norm even in “good” schools. I’m not sure what is going on - maybe too much iPad? But Covering the entire curriculum is a pipe dream.

From my experience, it's clear that public education can only aim to provide the essentials and Virginia needs to do more to adjust the standards. We need to have the hard conversations around AAP/honors. If public education is to survive, we need to ensure EVERY student has a solid foundation by graduation instead of pushing the kids who are already ahead even further ahead.

So if you want more advanced learning, look elsewhere and stop blaming your child’s teacher or the school system.

As a parent of a kid who just finished 5th grade.... He was in 1st grade when the pandemic hit....2nd grade was all virtual....of course your students this year didn't know what wasn't taught to them and missed out on crucial foundational 1st and 2nd grade topics! The schools were closed then. And as many have pointed out on these threads, parents aren't experienced educators....

Blame the pandemic for what you experienced in the classroom this year, blame ineffective virtual classrooms....but not the parents!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Totally agree. As a veteran 5th grade teacher in Fairfax County Public Schools, I can only do so much with the limited resources, unprepared students, and huge class sizes. And my school has a relatively low FARMs rate, especially compared to other schools in the district with much higher percentages.

One clear example - last year, I noticed that most of my students couldn't grasp place value. Without a solid understanding of this basic 1st/2nd grade concept, they struggled with grade-level math topics. So, I spent most of my time reteaching these basics, which meant much less time for other critical areas of the math curriculum.

Students who come in unprepared are becoming the norm even in “good” schools. I’m not sure what is going on - maybe too much iPad? But Covering the entire curriculum is a pipe dream.

From my experience, it's clear that public education can only aim to provide the essentials and Virginia needs to do more to adjust the standards. We need to have the hard conversations around AAP/honors. If public education is to survive, we need to ensure EVERY student has a solid foundation by graduation instead of pushing the kids who are already ahead even further ahead.

So if you want more advanced learning, look elsewhere and stop blaming your child’s teacher or the school system.

Get rid of AAP and honors and watch the voucher movement grow, schools bleed even more students, and tax payers start to push back against bonds and budgets. Having a supposedly great school system is a draw for Fairfax county, admit that it's goal is to educate to the lowest common denominator and parents and residents are going to abandon the system

Vouchers will never happen so STOP.

Parents who are sending their kids to school unprepared are the majority now. Their children deserve to have access to education, not just the off spring of tiger moms.

After school enrichment programs exist for a reason. During the school day the most critical needs are addressed.

Maybe if parents did a better job school could be different. But teachers must work with however the child shows up.

lol. All it takes is republicans holding the governorship and both houses. It wasn't part of their agenda the last under McDonnell, but it is now. If Trump wins and flips the Senate, there is a chance that it comes as a federal mandate too. Attitudes like yours are why parents are getting more confrontational with schools- a kid at grade level is now in honors and you think that makes their parents Tiger Moms.

[Anonymous]

Someone saying they want vouchers for their kids to go to private school is right up there with things that immediately tell me you’re a bad person.

[Anonymous]

Agree that the time has come to eliminate AAP. It serves no meaningful purpose other than to segregate children by their parents’ level of involvement. The children in AAP are far from “gifted”.

We need to stop creating all of these different categories and actually TEACH. So many children are several grade levels behind and should be the primary focus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Someone saying they want vouchers for their kids to go to private school is right up there with things that immediately tell me you’re a bad person.

+100

Send your child to private if you like but don’t expect the public school to finance it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Totally agree. As a veteran 5th grade teacher in Fairfax County Public Schools, I can only do so much with the limited resources, unprepared students, and huge class sizes. And my school has a relatively low FARMs rate, especially compared to other schools in the district with much higher percentages.

One clear example - last year, I noticed that most of my students couldn't grasp place value. Without a solid understanding of this basic 1st/2nd grade concept, they struggled with grade-level math topics. So, I spent most of my time reteaching these basics, which meant much less time for other critical areas of the math curriculum.

Students who come in unprepared are becoming the norm even in “good” schools. I’m not sure what is going on - maybe too much iPad? But Covering the entire curriculum is a pipe dream.

From my experience, it's clear that public education can only aim to provide the essentials and Virginia needs to do more to adjust the standards. We need to have the hard conversations around AAP/honors. If public education is to survive, we need to ensure EVERY student has a solid foundation by graduation instead of pushing the kids who are already ahead even further ahead.

So if you want more advanced learning, look elsewhere and stop blaming your child’s teacher or the school system.

Honestly, I already know this. It is why my child has been taking math classes at RSM and participates n different STEM activities. He enjoys and asks to participate in these activities, mainly because they teach him something and are more challenging then school is. It would be great if he had classes that meet his needs in math and science but the schools don't have the resources to do that. We are lucky and can afford to use outside enrichment so we go that route.

And that is not a huge change from when I wa a kid in the 80's. My parents paid for tutoring for my brother and I, we have LDs and needed additional support in school, and enrichment for my older siblings who were bored in the honors classes at their school. I don't remember my parents complaining, it is what you did to support your child. I am not sure when things changed and parents started to expect that the schools can meet every kids exact needs. I would guess that kids that are on grade level and making good progress in school tend to have parents who are less angsty and most of the pressure on Teachers is coming from parents of SPED kids and parents of advanced kids. My parents worked hard to make sure that I received the supports I could get at school, resource support during study hall and different testing accomadations, but they didn't expect that the school would have team taught classes, never mind team taught honors classes. My brother worked with a reading specialist at school and my parents worked with a tutor to further support his reading. We seem to have lost the thread and expect that schools are going to provide full OT, PT, academic supports, speech therapy and everything else under the sun. Schools cannot afford that. Schools cannot afford to have specialized programs for the kid who is massively advanced in math or science. They can move kids up grade levels but then you have social issues that can come into play.

If you want your kid to be fully supported by the school you need to look at private schools. There is a reason why those schools with smaller classes and supports and all the bells and whistles cost $60,000 a year. Stop thinking that you are going to get that in public school.

It's not the parents who want on grade level education asking for the bells and whistles and supports. It's an unwillingness to differentiate or fail a student that forces a 7th grade math class to cover 5th grade math. Remove those supports and let the class move at the pace it should

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Someone saying they want vouchers for their kids to go to private school is right up there with things that immediately tell me you’re a bad person.

My kids are almost done. I want vouchers to force schools to care about all kids, not just those federal law requires them to care about