Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My first grader still does not have a permanent teacher for her class yet. They are now hiring a long term sub who has zero experience in the classroom, while continuing to look for a permanent teacher. I’m new to MCPs, and wondering if this is a common thing that happens. Are subs usually any random person who applies? No teaching or classroom experience needed at all? Has anyone had a situation where their child never gets a permanent teacher the entire year?

Substitutes, and quality ones, are a weakness of MCPS. While I won't say your situation is unheard of, I also wouldn't say it's common. Did the teacher leave after the school year started? That's usually where I see scenarios like the one you've described.

No. They never had a teacher. One day before school started they apparently enrolled an extra student over the cap, to give them a 4th class. So they immediately split up the existing 3 classes, and assigned my daughter’s class two different staff members to teach the class. Now they are transitioning to a long term sub because they can’t find a teacher, and the staff members need to do their originally hired positions.

What a mess. This seems like the principal fumbled here since they planned on hiring a teacher and clearly didn't have a candidate in the pipeline capable of making it in time for the beginning of the school year.

+1. Sounds like an inexperienced principal.

I’m a different PP but at the same school. The extra class was added the day before classes started and no candidates were available at that point. It’s actually a very experienced principal who is usually really good at this but the timing here was impossible. You can reserve someone when lots of other schools know they have positions confirmed.

The principal should not have split the classes up until they had a new teacher hired. The teacher shortage is a real thing, and an experienced principal should have known how hard it would be to hire a teacher at that point. I feel bad for these first graders.

I disagree. I'm in a situation now where all the kindergarten classes are well above the max (a Title I/Focus school with 22-23 kids per class, supposed to be capped at 18/19). There is no more money for an additional allocation and so we are stuck with huge classes. The principal of this particular school likely recognized that the offer of another class was fleeting and it was best to take it while you can. Even the situation of having two staff members cover the class (I'm guessing a reading teacher and a math teacher) is better than having huge classes. Hopefully the long-term sub is getting support, but really, I will argue that I'd rather my 1st grader be in a small class with a so-so inexperienced teacher than a big class with someone "better" at teaching.

Anonymous wrote:You think that's bad? It's typical. When a special education teacher is absent, no one fills in. They leave the kids with the two paraeducators. The whole thing is really sad. My high school student has a part-time teacher who travels from West Virginia to Montgomery County Public Schools and doesn't even show up on time half the week. That teacher also works part-time as a nurse so she's absent a lot. It's gross.

A sub for a day or two is ok, no teacher for months is not. One of the BEST teachers we had was a para for 5th. She was great. The teacher came back from maternity leave and was terrible.

Welcome to MCPS, this is normal. Ask to be moved to another classroom if there is space and get some workbooks and supplement at home.

Anonymous wrote:Is this a school in a lower-income cluster?

I apologize for inserting socio-economic class into this, but my kids have never had long-term subs in any class (last one is in high school now), and they're in a high-income school cluster. Teachers were happy to come teach in our area.

No teacher is happy to teach a class of over 30+ kids regardless of high income cluster or not.

Is this a school in a lower-income cluster?

I apologize for inserting socio-economic class into this, but my kids have never had long-term subs in any class (last one is in high school now), and they're in a high-income school cluster. Teachers were happy to come teach in our area.

You think that's bad? It's typical. When a special education teacher is absent, no one fills in. They leave the kids with the two paraeducators. The whole thing is really sad. My high school student has a part-time teacher who travels from West Virginia to Montgomery County Public Schools and doesn't even show up on time half the week. That teacher also works part-time as a nurse so she's absent a lot. It's gross.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Public school-mcps! Ha!

No need to be mean

The truth hurts.

Welcome to the new normal in public education.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My first grader still does not have a permanent teacher for her class yet. They are now hiring a long term sub who has zero experience in the classroom, while continuing to look for a permanent teacher. I’m new to MCPs, and wondering if this is a common thing that happens. Are subs usually any random person who applies? No teaching or classroom experience needed at all? Has anyone had a situation where their child never gets a permanent teacher the entire year?

Substitutes, and quality ones, are a weakness of MCPS. While I won't say your situation is unheard of, I also wouldn't say it's common. Did the teacher leave after the school year started? That's usually where I see scenarios like the one you've described.

No. They never had a teacher. One day before school started they apparently enrolled an extra student over the cap, to give them a 4th class. So they immediately split up the existing 3 classes, and assigned my daughter’s class two different staff members to teach the class. Now they are transitioning to a long term sub because they can’t find a teacher, and the staff members need to do their originally hired positions.

What a mess. This seems like the principal fumbled here since they planned on hiring a teacher and clearly didn't have a candidate in the pipeline capable of making it in time for the beginning of the school year.

+1. Sounds like an inexperienced principal.

I’m a different PP but at the same school. The extra class was added the day before classes started and no candidates were available at that point. It’s actually a very experienced principal who is usually really good at this but the timing here was impossible. You can reserve someone when lots of other schools know they have positions confirmed.

The principal should not have split the classes up until they had a new teacher hired. The teacher shortage is a real thing, and an experienced principal should have known how hard it would be to hire a teacher at that point. I feel bad for these first graders.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My first grader still does not have a permanent teacher for her class yet. They are now hiring a long term sub who has zero experience in the classroom, while continuing to look for a permanent teacher. I’m new to MCPs, and wondering if this is a common thing that happens. Are subs usually any random person who applies? No teaching or classroom experience needed at all? Has anyone had a situation where their child never gets a permanent teacher the entire year?

Substitutes, and quality ones, are a weakness of MCPS. While I won't say your situation is unheard of, I also wouldn't say it's common. Did the teacher leave after the school year started? That's usually where I see scenarios like the one you've described.

No. They never had a teacher. One day before school started they apparently enrolled an extra student over the cap, to give them a 4th class. So they immediately split up the existing 3 classes, and assigned my daughter’s class two different staff members to teach the class. Now they are transitioning to a long term sub because they can’t find a teacher, and the staff members need to do their originally hired positions.

What a mess. This seems like the principal fumbled here since they planned on hiring a teacher and clearly didn't have a candidate in the pipeline capable of making it in time for the beginning of the school year.

+1. Sounds like an inexperienced principal.

I’m a different PP but at the same school. The extra class was added the day before classes started and no candidates were available at that point. It’s actually a very experienced principal who is usually really good at this but the timing here was impossible. You can reserve someone when lots of other schools know they have positions confirmed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is very common. I am a middle school teacher. We are down 20 teachers out of 60 teachers. It is horrific. The ones that they did hire, just recently, quit. They said it was not what they imagined, too stressful, etc. I too will be leaving at the end of the year. However, if I find something sooner, I have no problem leaving the school, students and families. F all of them

Look at this teacher above who says f the students. Where’s the poster who said we need to be better to teachers?

DP. Perhaps the teacher above should have been a bit more respectful. We can agree there.

But things are going to get much worse. Those amazing teachers everybody wants? They are quitting at a rapid pace. Frankly, this job is far too demanding and people are burning out. I’m watching my experienced coworkers leave for more pay elsewhere, and I’m watching inexperienced new teachers quit before their first year is done.

I doubt the poster is a MCPS teacher. Most of the posters are trolls.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is very common. I am a middle school teacher. We are down 20 teachers out of 60 teachers. It is horrific. The ones that they did hire, just recently, quit. They said it was not what they imagined, too stressful, etc. I too will be leaving at the end of the year. However, if I find something sooner, I have no problem leaving the school, students and families. F all of them

Look at this teacher above who says f the students. Where’s the poster who said we need to be better to teachers?

DP. Perhaps the teacher above should have been a bit more respectful. We can agree there.

But things are going to get much worse. Those amazing teachers everybody wants? They are quitting at a rapid pace. Frankly, this job is far too demanding and people are burning out. I’m watching my experienced coworkers leave for more pay elsewhere, and I’m watching inexperienced new teachers quit before their first year is done.

Anonymous wrote:This is very common. I am a middle school teacher. We are down 20 teachers out of 60 teachers. It is horrific. The ones that they did hire, just recently, quit. They said it was not what they imagined, too stressful, etc. I too will be leaving at the end of the year. However, if I find something sooner, I have no problem leaving the school, students and families. F all of them

Wow, even the teachers who are there suck!
Rather have a sub than you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My first grader still does not have a permanent teacher for her class yet. They are now hiring a long term sub who has zero experience in the classroom, while continuing to look for a permanent teacher. I’m new to MCPs, and wondering if this is a common thing that happens. Are subs usually any random person who applies? No teaching or classroom experience needed at all? Has anyone had a situation where their child never gets a permanent teacher the entire year?

Substitutes, and quality ones, are a weakness of MCPS. While I won't say your situation is unheard of, I also wouldn't say it's common. Did the teacher leave after the school year started? That's usually where I see scenarios like the one you've described.

No. They never had a teacher. One day before school started they apparently enrolled an extra student over the cap, to give them a 4th class. So they immediately split up the existing 3 classes, and assigned my daughter’s class two different staff members to teach the class. Now they are transitioning to a long term sub because they can’t find a teacher, and the staff members need to do their originally hired positions.

What a mess. This seems like the principal fumbled here since they planned on hiring a teacher and clearly didn't have a candidate in the pipeline capable of making it in time for the beginning of the school year.

+1. Sounds like an inexperienced principal.

Anonymous wrote:This is very common. I am a middle school teacher. We are down 20 teachers out of 60 teachers. It is horrific. The ones that they did hire, just recently, quit. They said it was not what they imagined, too stressful, etc. I too will be leaving at the end of the year. However, if I find something sooner, I have no problem leaving the school, students and families. F all of them

Name your school so you can get fired. No student should have to endure you.