Reply to If teachers are leaving left and right, is it the principal's fault?

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Reply to "If teachers are leaving left and right, is it the principal's fault?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]This is a huge reason why public schools are failing. There are no consequences for poor behavior. I think class sizes play a role as well as staffing. We have full grade levels struggling due to the behavior of 5-8 kids. We have parents asking teachers how to parent their kids. It is a mess. [/quote]

I think a lot of kids misbehave at school because they know they can get away with crap there that they wouldn’t at home.  Teachers ‘ ability to deliver meaningful consequences has been stripped from teachers, and school administrators who are more interested in playing politician than in acknowledging their  “in loco parentis” responsibilities, are doing little because they prioritize their own self-interest over the community for which they work.  [/quote]

THIS ^^.  I'm one of the PPs who wound up quitting due to the horrendous behavior of some of my students.  The principal and assistant principal looked at me like I had four heads when I brought the situation to their attention (they already knew about it, but continued to gaslight as if it was my fault).  They refused to call the parents because they clearly didn't want the hassle of having to deal with them.  I'm looking into teaching a private school, where kids troublemakers are not tolerated and teachers are supported.[/quote]

There is so much gaslighting in education at every level. This is why teachers are done. Oh and the [b]toxic positivity-nonsense[/b].[/quote]

what does that mean?[/quote]

DP. Where I teach, it means something along the lines of "He wouldn't be failing/ refusing to come to school/ initiating fights with classmates/ calling you a f****** b**** if you tried a little harder to build a relationship and made your lesson plans more engaging. We know it's Thanksgiving Break but here's some PD to teach you how to do this more effectively!! Please remember to take time to connect with those around you and enjoy your time off!"[/quote]

that makes absolutely no sense. you mean that's the messaging parents give you as a teacher???[/quote]

DP.  That makes perfect sense.  This is the message teachers are given by both the parents and the administration - "It's YOUR fault if your students aren't engaged.  It's YOUR fault if they're acting up and disrupting the class.  What can YOU do to make this child behave better?"  The PP nailed it.
[/quote]

DP, but I could have been the PP and written that post. Not only have I been told that I need to have a plan to support the disruptive students, but I also need to have and communicate my plans to support the students who are most affected (or have parents who are most vocal) by the disruptive students. Apparently if I set expectations, am consistent and model expected behaviors the disruptive students will behave appropriately. When they don’t it must be because I’m not doing these things. I also need to make sure I know what all of the students are doing, 100% of the time, which is tough to manage when so much time is spent working with small groups.

In my decades of teaching for FCPS I never had difficulty managing a class until just a few years ago (still pre-pandemic). I rarely needed to refer to the administrators, but when I did you could be sure I needed assistance. I’ve stopped doing that. It just creates too much trouble for me and draws the spotlight of criticism. Almost the entire day is disrupted in some way by outbursts, side conversations, arguments or students who are just off task in some way. I keep trying Responsive Classroom techniques, but if they work it is short-lived. I’ve always allowed for movement and I never have expected a silent classroom, but something has changed and each day is very difficult. [/quote]

Exactly this.  When I spoke to admin, they asked if I was using the chimes to quiet down the class.  The f-ing chimes??!!?  Sure, I use the chimes - and the kids completely ignore them.  They.do.not.care.  My voice is constantly hoarse from having to yell just to be heard - and I am not a yeller.  If I'm trying to work with small groups, inevitably the troublemakers make it impossible for me to devote any time at all to the few kids who just want to learn and need my help.  I'm constantly putting out metaphorical fires - spats between kids that are absurd - when I could be actually teaching them something.  And apparently, all this bad behavior is my fault.  No wonder teachers are leaving in droves.  No doubt I'll be joining them if I can make it through this year.[/quote]

I just popped on this thread and read the last 10 posts.  Oh my goodness!  Teachers, I feel so bad fir you that you are desling with this kind of hell.  Damn.  No one wants to work under those kinds of circumstances.  It makes me very angry that good teachers are being run out of the profession.

Question:  instead of leaving teaching altogether, would your job change for the better if you moved to a different/higher income school?  I ask b/c my kids (HS) do not  see that kind of disruption and disrespect in their classes at one of the HS that has a smaller number of needy kids.  [b]I know that in the HS where we used to live (also FCPS, but more diverse), I heard multiple reports that you MUST avoid the reg level classes b/c the the majority of kids in them don't want to learn, and they literally harass and terrorize the teachers.  In some cases, running multiple teachers out by xmas break.  So, my impression is that the job can vary significantly in different high schools. [/b]

Could you change schools and stay in the profession?[/quote]

That claim is far overblown. Poorer schools in FCPS have their own unique issues but they are absolutely not the hellscape they are slandered to be. Most of my colleagues who are ESOL teachers love working with that demographic and would not consider teaching outside of ESOL. Of course, everyone's personal experience is different.

You can check posted vacancies for yourself as proof that the diverse schools aren't disproportionately in need of teachers. MVHS, Justice, and Falls Church don't even have a single vacancy as of this moment.[/quote]

What I wrote is 100% true.  And it did not involve MVHS, Justice or Falls Church.  Those schools have a preponderance of poor kids.  I was speaking about the next tier of schools where there is a substantial number of non-academically-interested kids as well as a population of normal MC/UMC kids.  In one case a friend was able to get her kid out of reg math and into the honors section mid year b/c of the super bad behavior in the class running off several teachers by xmas.  In another case, there were literally 2 kids in a foreign lang class (no honors is available) who wanted to actually learn and the teacher told those two to sit up front and she would teach them while the others would continue to mess around and be harassing and rude.  The teacher washed her hands of the rest of the class.  There are other examples.  But the bottom line is that you AVOID the regular level classes in that school.  Where my kids go now, they can take regular level classes where honors aren't offered (i.e. foreign lang) or where they don't want to take honors (b/c it's not an area of stregth), and they do not have the "Lord of the Flies" experience.  And there are NO vacancies at the beginning of each year (except maybe one spec. ed teacher opening)... so I presume that teachers want to be there.

The bigger point is that I really sympathize with teachers who are facing this kind of thing on a regular basis.  I cannot imagine having to called names/profanity or threatened at work.  I was only hoping there was some way out for those teachers so that they could continue to teach kids who WANT TO LEARN and who have the self-control to behave normally.  I value good teachers and don't want to lose them.  I think my last kid will be fine given the teacher (and peers) he has in his HS.  And he only has 2.5 yrs left.  Then I'm out of FCPS for good.  As a home-owner and tax-payer, and supporter of public schools, I'd like Fairfax schools to be successful.  Honestly, though, I'm worried about the future of our community and the future of FCPS if teachers are being driven away.  And I can't blame them.[/quote]

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