Reply to When a Leader Loses the Faith of the People They Lead

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I don't know if this has been posted already, but a longtime teacher in MCPS sent this letter to the Board of Ed and County Council. I think it's very thoughtful.

The teacher posted the following:

Below is the email I sent out. I figured if we’re held to a set of standards, why shouldn’t they?

I am writing today to express my utter disappointment and feelings of hopelessness in the way Montgomery County Public Schools has chosen to disregard facts and avoid productive and effective communication with their community.

As a teacher who has worked for Montgomery County Public Schools for 9 years, I have been expected to meet six performance standards. I urge you to consider how MCPS leadership would be evaluated if they were held to equivalent standards.

The first standard says, “Teachers are committed to students and their learning.” This means that I am expected to invest my time and energy into long-term growth and development for every student in my class. I do this by communicating with students and their families, checking in on my students’ social-emotional well-being, and caring for each of my students not only as life-long learners but as human beings. If MCPS were evaluated on their commitment to staff in the same way as I am expected to commit to my students, MCPS would not meet standard. They have proven time and time again that they are not concerned about their staff members. They have not developed systemic changes to address staffing shortages, manage substitute coverage, or consistently track and manage COVID data throughout the pandemic. They have provided band-aid fixes to these issues, all while disregarding the real issues at hand.

The second standard says, “Teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to students.” In short, we need to know how to do our job. We need to know who we are delivering instruction to, how they learn best, and how best to introduce the material we are required to cover. Here again, if MCPS were evaluated on their ability to know who they need to support and how they need to do so, they would not meet standard. They have not shown the community that they understand the impact that bus shortages have on in-person learning. They do not know how to find solutions to the increasing substitute shortage. They do not know how to keep their staff and students safe while being in-person. They do not know how to effectively communicate with their community members. They do not know how to plan for long-term solutions while addressing immediate concerns.

The third standard says, “Teachers are responsible for establishing and managing student learning in a positive learning environment.” In other words, it is up to us as classroom teachers to develop relationships with our students that promote open communication and trust. I am sure you have already received and will continue to receive many e-mails and phone calls explaining just how negative and toxic the MCPS environment has become. I, for one, have lost complete trust and faith in the leaders of MCPS who have been charged with making decisions for the county. I do not believe they are making decisions in the best interest of their staff and students. I do believe they are making decisions based on the loudest complainers in the county, proving that only the loudest, most aggressive voices will be heard. This is not okay. This is a public-school system where we should be able to boast about having the most equitable and democratic school system in the area. This is not the case. I believe decisions are being made with no regard to communities who are underrepresented for various reasons. It is the people in the community who can easily connect to the internet to post their opinions and who have the time to make their opinions known that are being represented. I am ashamed to be working for a system that, in this day and age, allows that to happen.

The fourth standard says, “Teachers will continually assess student progress, analyze the results, and adapt instruction to improve student achievement.” Basically, I have to figure out if the way I am teaching is working, and if it is not, how do I adjust my practices to meet the needs of my students? MCPS is currently using an approach where we, as the people who make up the school system, need to fit their approach to handling COVID in schools. This is not working. Last year, we went back into the buildings when they told us to. We wore masks at all times, used hand sanitizer incessantly, wiped surfaces down after every class, and even agreed to simultaneous teaching. Then in September we again agreed to come back with all of our students in person. Again, we agreed to wear masks, we agreed to strictly keep track of seating charts to report who needed to quarantine when they were exposed, and we agreed to give up our planning time to meet with students who were stuck at home. We were exhausted, burning out quickly, but still doing everything we were asked. Now, we have nothing left to give. We are covering classes for our colleagues because there are not enough substitutes to meet the needs of MCPS. We are dealing with significant absences because students are sick, cannot find transportation to get to school, or are fearful to come to school and get sick. And yet the only reason we get to stay home is because of a few inches of snow, not the pandemic that is raging through our community. The “plan” to keep us safe is not robust. It is not working. And yet MCPS is digging their heels in and telling us to just keep going. Perhaps we could, if we had enough bus drivers and substitutes, but that is not our reality.

The fifth standard says, “Teachers are committed to continuous improvement and professional development.” As a professional educator, it is expected that I am always looking for ways to do better, using research-based approaches. I am expected to learn from my experiences and the experiences of accredited professionals in the field of education. So why is MCPS not using research, science and logic to improve the growing needs of their community? Earlier this week, MCPS told us that the 11 schools with COVID rates of 5% or higher, after discussions with DHHS, would switch to virtual learning for two weeks. A day later, over 100 more schools fell into that category, but nothing concrete or actionable was communicated about next steps or plans. So of course, staff and students came back to school and continued as if there was no significant change in our data. By Thursday night, we were no longer provided with a categorized list of schools and their COVID rates. As a math teacher, I was shocked by how misleading this was. And if the way MCPS provided data was going to change so drastically, why was their no communication about this change? That, for me, was the final straw.

And that takes us to the sixth standard which says, “Teachers exhibit a high degree of professionalism.” I am expected to put my opinions aside and do what is best for my students. MCPS is planning to move the goal posts and reverse previously communicated plans to keep people safe. Why? Scientifically speaking, what has changed since the beginning of this week that makes that okay? MCPS expects their staff to blindly accept this without being provided any details about keeping our students and ourselves safe. We have been dealing with the COVID crisis for almost two years now, but this is a new crisis. The decisions (or lack thereof) that MCPS is making include no collaboration with their stakeholders. There has been no respect or proof that MCPS values their workforce and wants to see them healthy and thriving. There is no leadership, and this is not being handled professionally by any means.

Montgomery County Public Schools is failing. They are failing their students, their staff, and their community. I am scared and frustrated, and I have no reason to believe that MCPS is looking out for my best interests. I urge our leaders in MCPS to take a good look at the way they have conducted business and figure out how to realign their priorities so that their actions clearly show commitment to their community and a willingness to reevaluate their plan to meet the needs of ALL people involved.[/quote]

Wholeheartedly agree! This is a great summary!! [/quote]

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