Anonymous wrote:I totally get why MCPS doesn’t want to give up on students. But there are a real subset of kids who are violent and disruptive, and they get shuffled from school to school rather than truly addressing the underlying issues. I don’t think many here are aware of some of the deeply disturbed family lives some of these kids are coming from. Social media is THE LAST CONCERN in these situations. But these kids are creating outsized problems.

MCPS thinks it can soften expectations to give kids multiple chances as they attempt to support mental health and teach social skills that aren’t being supported or taught at home.

It doesn’t work, and it degrades the educational experience of everyone else.

MCPS needs to go back to setting clear behavioral and academic expectations and then enforce them. One, this actually helps a lot of kids who struggle in terms of behavior. Two, there are kids who could behave just fine, but who take advantage of the fact there are few rules and no consequences. Three, it makes the environment healthier for everyone.

And four, for those kids with significant behavioral issues, use a collaborative case management approach to address all aspects of the child’s life. If this includes transferring the student to a special school for kids with acute behavioral issues, do it. But have a clear plan in place for reintegrating that child when they meet behavioral expectations.

Anonymous wrote: ... They text us when they need pickup, but we've told them that unlike them, we don't have the phones glued to our hands, so if they need a pickup, they need to call. We can hear the phone ringing but not the text notification.

Anonymous wrote:I totally get why MCPS doesn’t want to give up on students. But there are a real subset of kids who are violent and disruptive, and they get shuffled from school to school rather than truly addressing the underlying issues. I don’t think many here are aware of some of the deeply disturbed family lives some of these kids are coming from. Social media is THE LAST CONCERN in these situations. But these kids are creating outsized problems.

MCPS thinks it can soften expectations to give kids multiple chances as they attempt to support mental health and teach social skills that aren’t being supported or taught at home.

It doesn’t work, and it degrades the educational experience of everyone else.

MCPS needs to go back to setting clear behavioral and academic expectations and then enforce them. One, this actually helps a lot of kids who struggle in terms of behavior. Two, there are kids who could behave just fine, but who take advantage of the fact there are few rules and no consequences. Three, it makes the environment healthier for everyone.

And four, for those kids with significant behavioral issues, use a collaborative case management approach to address all aspects of the child’s life. If this includes transferring the student to a special school for kids with acute behavioral issues, do it. But have a clear plan in place for reintegrating that child when they meet behavioral expectations.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Covid is responsible for some of the most recent particularly egregious behavior problems. Kids sat at home on screens for a long time and got (even more) addicted to technology and didn’t have the consistency of school/rules/expectations.

I don’t want to turn this into a union or parent or teacher bashing thread, I just wanted to point out that I believe recent horribleness can be tied to the large scale interruption of learning for public school kids.

At the high school level, I think the legalization of weed (and the narrative of adults saying they use weed to help with their own adhd, and the general normalizing of weed use across the board) is driving the growth in the number of students who come to school high every day, or get high in the bathrooms in the day.

Covid + weed legalization + screen addiction = the present sorry state of many MCPS high school students

(Still think MCPS is doing generally ok, still send my kids there, and still think a churchhill-like attitude is right… it’s better than the alternative!)

I think parents like you find all kinds of ways to rationalize this when it's a combination of the parents and kids. Weed is legal in the state but not the federal level and you need a prescription for it. Parents like you re 100% the problem.

So you DO want to make this into parent bashing. Got it. I don’t. Again, I think it’s a lot of things- an unholy mix of Covid + screen addiction + legalization of weed. At least one teacher above agreed with me…

Another Mcps educator who completely agrees

Again, parents and teachers are allowing this behavior. It’s not screen addiction. Kids are bored, so they turn to screens. Older teens don’t drive and it’s easier to chat online than meet up. Parents aren’t monitoring and supporting their kids and don’t give consequences for bad behavior. Parents allow weed in their homes. Weed had always been here. It’s not nothing new. None of this is.

The kids are absolutely addicted. They are no more bored than they ever were. It’s hard to compete with The Internet/Social Media when it’s at their fingertips and their brains have been wired up (since Covid) to need that dopamine hit more and more. Lots of kids smoke weed out/with friends/in school bathrooms whose parents wouldn’t let them smoke at home. There is indeed a different landscape around weed in the last few years. Parents and teachers are just as good (and sometimes bad) as they ever were. Bashing them is so unproductive. I would argue that our schools need to have stiffer rules around the phones, but with all the school shootings (again, another larger cultural factor at play) parents and teens justifiably would say they need them to be safe. So, I’ll add gun violence to my unholy equation here-

Covid + screen addiction + weed legalization + gun violence = public school mess.

And still.

I’d choose it over the alternative.

So, then limit your child's social media and here's an idea, set a good example and get off social media. It's funny that you are complaining online about social media. Think about it.

We need security, metal and other detectors, and consequences at school and home for bad behavior.

My kids don't have much time for social media or drugs as we have them in lots of activities and spend time as a family and they are teens. Why aren't you doing the same?

These are among the dumbest ideas I've seen. Metal detectors won't solve anything and the problem isn't social media. You people need to look in the mirror sometime.

What do you propose? What everyone is doing now is not working.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Covid is responsible for some of the most recent particularly egregious behavior problems. Kids sat at home on screens for a long time and got (even more) addicted to technology and didn’t have the consistency of school/rules/expectations.

I don’t want to turn this into a union or parent or teacher bashing thread, I just wanted to point out that I believe recent horribleness can be tied to the large scale interruption of learning for public school kids.

At the high school level, I think the legalization of weed (and the narrative of adults saying they use weed to help with their own adhd, and the general normalizing of weed use across the board) is driving the growth in the number of students who come to school high every day, or get high in the bathrooms in the day.

Covid + weed legalization + screen addiction = the present sorry state of many MCPS high school students

(Still think MCPS is doing generally ok, still send my kids there, and still think a churchhill-like attitude is right… it’s better than the alternative!)

I think parents like you find all kinds of ways to rationalize this when it's a combination of the parents and kids. Weed is legal in the state but not the federal level and you need a prescription for it. Parents like you re 100% the problem.

So you DO want to make this into parent bashing. Got it. I don’t. Again, I think it’s a lot of things- an unholy mix of Covid + screen addiction + legalization of weed. At least one teacher above agreed with me…

Another Mcps educator who completely agrees

Again, parents and teachers are allowing this behavior. It’s not screen addiction. Kids are bored, so they turn to screens. Older teens don’t drive and it’s easier to chat online than meet up. Parents aren’t monitoring and supporting their kids and don’t give consequences for bad behavior. Parents allow weed in their homes. Weed had always been here. It’s not nothing new. None of this is.

The kids are absolutely addicted. They are no more bored than they ever were. It’s hard to compete with The Internet/Social Media when it’s at their fingertips and their brains have been wired up (since Covid) to need that dopamine hit more and more. Lots of kids smoke weed out/with friends/in school bathrooms whose parents wouldn’t let them smoke at home. There is indeed a different landscape around weed in the last few years. Parents and teachers are just as good (and sometimes bad) as they ever were. Bashing them is so unproductive. I would argue that our schools need to have stiffer rules around the phones, but with all the school shootings (again, another larger cultural factor at play) parents and teens justifiably would say they need them to be safe. So, I’ll add gun violence to my unholy equation here-

Covid + screen addiction + weed legalization + gun violence = public school mess.

And still.

I’d choose it over the alternative.

So, then limit your child's social media and here's an idea, set a good example and get off social media. It's funny that you are complaining online about social media. Think about it.

We need security, metal and other detectors, and consequences at school and home for bad behavior.

My kids don't have much time for social media or drugs as we have them in lots of activities and spend time as a family and they are teens. Why aren't you doing the same?

These are among the dumbest ideas I've seen. Metal detectors won't solve anything and the problem isn't social media. You people need to look in the mirror sometime.

What do you propose? What everyone is doing now is not working.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Covid is responsible for some of the most recent particularly egregious behavior problems. Kids sat at home on screens for a long time and got (even more) addicted to technology and didn’t have the consistency of school/rules/expectations.

I don’t want to turn this into a union or parent or teacher bashing thread, I just wanted to point out that I believe recent horribleness can be tied to the large scale interruption of learning for public school kids.

At the high school level, I think the legalization of weed (and the narrative of adults saying they use weed to help with their own adhd, and the general normalizing of weed use across the board) is driving the growth in the number of students who come to school high every day, or get high in the bathrooms in the day.

Covid + weed legalization + screen addiction = the present sorry state of many MCPS high school students

(Still think MCPS is doing generally ok, still send my kids there, and still think a churchhill-like attitude is right… it’s better than the alternative!)

I think parents like you find all kinds of ways to rationalize this when it's a combination of the parents and kids. Weed is legal in the state but not the federal level and you need a prescription for it. Parents like you re 100% the problem.

So you DO want to make this into parent bashing. Got it. I don’t. Again, I think it’s a lot of things- an unholy mix of Covid + screen addiction + legalization of weed. At least one teacher above agreed with me…

Another Mcps educator who completely agrees

Again, parents and teachers are allowing this behavior. It’s not screen addiction. Kids are bored, so they turn to screens. Older teens don’t drive and it’s easier to chat online than meet up. Parents aren’t monitoring and supporting their kids and don’t give consequences for bad behavior. Parents allow weed in their homes. Weed had always been here. It’s not nothing new. None of this is.

The kids are absolutely addicted. They are no more bored than they ever were. It’s hard to compete with The Internet/Social Media when it’s at their fingertips and their brains have been wired up (since Covid) to need that dopamine hit more and more. Lots of kids smoke weed out/with friends/in school bathrooms whose parents wouldn’t let them smoke at home. There is indeed a different landscape around weed in the last few years. Parents and teachers are just as good (and sometimes bad) as they ever were. Bashing them is so unproductive. I would argue that our schools need to have stiffer rules around the phones, but with all the school shootings (again, another larger cultural factor at play) parents and teens justifiably would say they need them to be safe. So, I’ll add gun violence to my unholy equation here-

Covid + screen addiction + weed legalization + gun violence = public school mess.

And still.

I’d choose it over the alternative.

So, then limit your child's social media and here's an idea, set a good example and get off social media. It's funny that you are complaining online about social media. Think about it.

We need security, metal and other detectors, and consequences at school and home for bad behavior.

My kids don't have much time for social media or drugs as we have them in lots of activities and spend time as a family and they are teens. Why aren't you doing the same?

These are among the dumbest ideas I've seen. Metal detectors won't solve anything and the problem isn't social media. You people need to look in the mirror sometime.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Covid is responsible for some of the most recent particularly egregious behavior problems. Kids sat at home on screens for a long time and got (even more) addicted to technology and didn’t have the consistency of school/rules/expectations.

I don’t want to turn this into a union or parent or teacher bashing thread, I just wanted to point out that I believe recent horribleness can be tied to the large scale interruption of learning for public school kids.

At the high school level, I think the legalization of weed (and the narrative of adults saying they use weed to help with their own adhd, and the general normalizing of weed use across the board) is driving the growth in the number of students who come to school high every day, or get high in the bathrooms in the day.

Covid + weed legalization + screen addiction = the present sorry state of many MCPS high school students

(Still think MCPS is doing generally ok, still send my kids there, and still think a churchhill-like attitude is right… it’s better than the alternative!)

I think parents like you find all kinds of ways to rationalize this when it's a combination of the parents and kids. Weed is legal in the state but not the federal level and you need a prescription for it. Parents like you re 100% the problem.

So you DO want to make this into parent bashing. Got it. I don’t. Again, I think it’s a lot of things- an unholy mix of Covid + screen addiction + legalization of weed. At least one teacher above agreed with me…

Another Mcps educator who completely agrees

Again, parents and teachers are allowing this behavior. It’s not screen addiction. Kids are bored, so they turn to screens. Older teens don’t drive and it’s easier to chat online than meet up. Parents aren’t monitoring and supporting their kids and don’t give consequences for bad behavior. Parents allow weed in their homes. Weed had always been here. It’s not nothing new. None of this is.

The kids are absolutely addicted. They are no more bored than they ever were. It’s hard to compete with The Internet/Social Media when it’s at their fingertips and their brains have been wired up (since Covid) to need that dopamine hit more and more. Lots of kids smoke weed out/with friends/in school bathrooms whose parents wouldn’t let them smoke at home. There is indeed a different landscape around weed in the last few years. Parents and teachers are just as good (and sometimes bad) as they ever were. Bashing them is so unproductive. I would argue that our schools need to have stiffer rules around the phones, but with all the school shootings (again, another larger cultural factor at play) parents and teens justifiably would say they need them to be safe. So, I’ll add gun violence to my unholy equation here-

Covid + screen addiction + weed legalization + gun violence = public school mess.

And still.

I’d choose it over the alternative.

So, then limit your child's social media and here's an idea, set a good example and get off social media. It's funny that you are complaining online about social media. Think about it.

We need security, metal and other detectors, and consequences at school and home for bad behavior.

My kids don't have much time for social media or drugs as we have them in lots of activities and spend time as a family and they are teens. Why aren't you doing the same?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Covid is responsible for some of the most recent particularly egregious behavior problems. Kids sat at home on screens for a long time and got (even more) addicted to technology and didn’t have the consistency of school/rules/expectations.

I don’t want to turn this into a union or parent or teacher bashing thread, I just wanted to point out that I believe recent horribleness can be tied to the large scale interruption of learning for public school kids.

At the high school level, I think the legalization of weed (and the narrative of adults saying they use weed to help with their own adhd, and the general normalizing of weed use across the board) is driving the growth in the number of students who come to school high every day, or get high in the bathrooms in the day.

Covid + weed legalization + screen addiction = the present sorry state of many MCPS high school students

(Still think MCPS is doing generally ok, still send my kids there, and still think a churchhill-like attitude is right… it’s better than the alternative!)

I think parents like you find all kinds of ways to rationalize this when it's a combination of the parents and kids. Weed is legal in the state but not the federal level and you need a prescription for it. Parents like you re 100% the problem.

So you DO want to make this into parent bashing. Got it. I don’t. Again, I think it’s a lot of things- an unholy mix of Covid + screen addiction + legalization of weed. At least one teacher above agreed with me…

Another Mcps educator who completely agrees

Again, parents and teachers are allowing this behavior. It’s not screen addiction. Kids are bored, so they turn to screens. Older teens don’t drive and it’s easier to chat online than meet up. Parents aren’t monitoring and supporting their kids and don’t give consequences for bad behavior. Parents allow weed in their homes. Weed had always been here. It’s not nothing new. None of this is.

The kids are absolutely addicted. They are no more bored than they ever were. It’s hard to compete with The Internet/Social Media when it’s at their fingertips and their brains have been wired up (since Covid) to need that dopamine hit more and more. Lots of kids smoke weed out/with friends/in school bathrooms whose parents wouldn’t let them smoke at home. There is indeed a different landscape around weed in the last few years. Parents and teachers are just as good (and sometimes bad) as they ever were. Bashing them is so unproductive. I would argue that our schools need to have stiffer rules around the phones, but with all the school shootings (again, another larger cultural factor at play) parents and teens justifiably would say they need them to be safe. So, I’ll add gun violence to my unholy equation here-

Covid + screen addiction + weed legalization + gun violence = public school mess.

And still.

I’d choose it over the alternative.

So, then limit your child's social media and here's an idea, set a good example and get off social media. It's funny that you are complaining online about social media. Think about it.

We need security, metal and other detectors, and consequences at school and home for bad behavior.

My kids don't have much time for social media or drugs as we have them in lots of activities and spend time as a family and they are teens. Why aren't you doing the same?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Covid is responsible for some of the most recent particularly egregious behavior problems. Kids sat at home on screens for a long time and got (even more) addicted to technology and didn’t have the consistency of school/rules/expectations.

I don’t want to turn this into a union or parent or teacher bashing thread, I just wanted to point out that I believe recent horribleness can be tied to the large scale interruption of learning for public school kids.

At the high school level, I think the legalization of weed (and the narrative of adults saying they use weed to help with their own adhd, and the general normalizing of weed use across the board) is driving the growth in the number of students who come to school high every day, or get high in the bathrooms in the day.

Covid + weed legalization + screen addiction = the present sorry state of many MCPS high school students

(Still think MCPS is doing generally ok, still send my kids there, and still think a churchhill-like attitude is right… it’s better than the alternative!)

I think parents like you find all kinds of ways to rationalize this when it's a combination of the parents and kids. Weed is legal in the state but not the federal level and you need a prescription for it. Parents like you re 100% the problem.

So you DO want to make this into parent bashing. Got it. I don’t. Again, I think it’s a lot of things- an unholy mix of Covid + screen addiction + legalization of weed. At least one teacher above agreed with me…

Another Mcps educator who completely agrees

Again, parents and teachers are allowing this behavior. It’s not screen addiction. Kids are bored, so they turn to screens. Older teens don’t drive and it’s easier to chat online than meet up. Parents aren’t monitoring and supporting their kids and don’t give consequences for bad behavior. Parents allow weed in their homes. Weed had always been here. It’s not nothing new. None of this is.

The kids are absolutely addicted. They are no more bored than they ever were. It’s hard to compete with The Internet/Social Media when it’s at their fingertips and their brains have been wired up (since Covid) to need that dopamine hit more and more. Lots of kids smoke weed out/with friends/in school bathrooms whose parents wouldn’t let them smoke at home. There is indeed a different landscape around weed in the last few years. Parents and teachers are just as good (and sometimes bad) as they ever were. Bashing them is so unproductive. I would argue that our schools need to have stiffer rules around the phones, but with all the school shootings (again, another larger cultural factor at play) parents and teens justifiably would say they need them to be safe. So, I’ll add gun violence to my unholy equation here-

Covid + screen addiction + weed legalization + gun violence = public school mess.

And still.

I’d choose it over the alternative.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Covid is responsible for some of the most recent particularly egregious behavior problems. Kids sat at home on screens for a long time and got (even more) addicted to technology and didn’t have the consistency of school/rules/expectations.

I don’t want to turn this into a union or parent or teacher bashing thread, I just wanted to point out that I believe recent horribleness can be tied to the large scale interruption of learning for public school kids.

At the high school level, I think the legalization of weed (and the narrative of adults saying they use weed to help with their own adhd, and the general normalizing of weed use across the board) is driving the growth in the number of students who come to school high every day, or get high in the bathrooms in the day.

Covid + weed legalization + screen addiction = the present sorry state of many MCPS high school students

(Still think MCPS is doing generally ok, still send my kids there, and still think a churchhill-like attitude is right… it’s better than the alternative!)

I think parents like you find all kinds of ways to rationalize this when it's a combination of the parents and kids. Weed is legal in the state but not the federal level and you need a prescription for it. Parents like you re 100% the problem.

So you DO want to make this into parent bashing. Got it. I don’t. Again, I think it’s a lot of things- an unholy mix of Covid + screen addiction + legalization of weed. At least one teacher above agreed with me…

Another Mcps educator who completely agrees

Again, parents and teachers are allowing this behavior. It’s not screen addiction. Kids are bored, so they turn to screens. Older teens don’t drive and it’s easier to chat online than meet up. Parents aren’t monitoring and supporting their kids and don’t give consequences for bad behavior. Parents allow weed in their homes. Weed had always been here. It’s not nothing new. None of this is.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:7th year MCPS elementary teacher here. My school has been trying to implement RJ the last two years. It is not helping any more than Leader in Me was supposed to help our kids.
I laugh when people say, "My child's teachers don't mention behavior issues so it's not happening at our school". Yea no kidding - do you think we're actually allowed to air the dirty laundry at our schools?

Why can't you mention it if, for example, the behavior issues of other students is affecting their learning? What if student A attacks student B, are you supposed to hide it from student B's parents?

Anonymous wrote:7th year MCPS elementary teacher here. My school has been trying to implement RJ the last two years. It is not helping any more than Leader in Me was supposed to help our kids.
I laugh when people say, "My child's teachers don't mention behavior issues so it's not happening at our school". Yea no kidding - do you think we're actually allowed to air the dirty laundry at our schools?