Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do agree on the class lists because that is what my kids care most about. While there could have been more comms and evidently the caveats needed to be bolded I did think things were relatively clear and transparent in terms of the process they were going to take, who was going to be involved etc... if parents were really interested and had talents to contribute they could have volunteered to take part in those committees. It looks like lots of parents were in fact on them.

I do a also agree that comms around the pivot and rationale for what happened have not been forthcoming, but I assume that will be part of the scheduled town hall. Also, based on my experience in other orgs, I imagine that this was a complex mix of l reasons (Safety, HR, quality and child mental health which I hadn’t thought of but someone mentioned in here somewhere) and that many involve sensitivities that can’t fully be discussed and if they can be discussed take time to prepare. I am in the task force for my own company related to our response and it is a hot sticky mess in a much more heavily resourced org with far fewer complexities. Knowing the likely factors, particularly around what I assume from the WaPo letter are HR and equity related, we may not get full answers. Knowing how organizations function and the tensions they face I’m going to have to be okay with that. I also really just don’t feel that means teachers were prioritized over families for heartless reasons. I’m sorry your experience has not been positive. I think there are very real organizational tensions in a situation like this that it’s a shame if we can’t recognize that. Totally fair for people to flag management and communications missteps and issues you see or note where things could have gone better, but I think unfair that people are assigning motivations to any of this without the facts or even assumptions that are based on how any business or school would be run. I don’t love to final plan either, but I love that I feels like September can be an experimental month with gradual ramp up to more. We shall see though.

I’m grateful for the discourse and sorry people are feeling so hurt. I don’t mean to discount that at all. Those are real feelings, they just happen to be different from mine. I started mentally prepping for this a few weeks ago when more schools started closing and the stories of school and camp infections started popping up, but would probably be really upset too if this was fresher.

A big contibuting factor for many who feel duped is the fact that we were told that JK -1 would be on campus barirng a spike or local/regional change in the pandemic. Since there hasn't been a big change locally, we were expecting JK - 1 to start on campus, as promised.

Anonymous wrote:I do agree on the class lists because that is what my kids care most about. While there could have been more comms and evidently the caveats needed to be bolded I did think things were relatively clear and transparent in terms of the process they were going to take, who was going to be involved etc... if parents were really interested and had talents to contribute they could have volunteered to take part in those committees. It looks like lots of parents were in fact on them.

I do a also agree that comms around the pivot and rationale for what happened have not been forthcoming, but I assume that will be part of the scheduled town hall. Also, based on my experience in other orgs, I imagine that this was a complex mix of l reasons (Safety, HR, quality and child mental health which I hadn’t thought of but someone mentioned in here somewhere) and that many involve sensitivities that can’t fully be discussed and if they can be discussed take time to prepare. I am in the task force for my own company related to our response and it is a hot sticky mess in a much more heavily resourced org with far fewer complexities. Knowing the likely factors, particularly around what I assume from the WaPo letter are HR and equity related, we may not get full answers. Knowing how organizations function and the tensions they face I’m going to have to be okay with that. I also really just don’t feel that means teachers were prioritized over families for heartless reasons. I’m sorry your experience has not been positive. I think there are very real organizational tensions in a situation like this that it’s a shame if we can’t recognize that. Totally fair for people to flag management and communications missteps and issues you see or note where things could have gone better, but I think unfair that people are assigning motivations to any of this without the facts or even assumptions that are based on how any business or school would be run. I don’t love to final plan either, but I love that I feels like September can be an experimental month with gradual ramp up to more. We shall see though.

I’m grateful for the discourse and sorry people are feeling so hurt. I don’t mean to discount that at all. Those are real feelings, they just happen to be different from mine. I started mentally prepping for this a few weeks ago when more schools started closing and the stories of school and camp infections started popping up, but would probably be really upset too if this was fresher.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with the statement by the former Trustee and parent of a teacher. I am not sure what some of the parents are expecting during this up-side-down time. I do know that the dedicated teachers at Burgundy will provide the most supporting and student-centered education you are going to get anywhere in this area. I recall another time full of fear - 9/11, and the DC shooter, which occurred back to back. Burgundy teachers gathered their flocks and created a circle of caring and open discussion that allowed the kids to cope and learn how to manage stress. All you parents who are now under stress, let Burgundy again hold and nurture and teach your children. They will look back on these times and Burgundy school with gratitude and appreciation to the teachers. I hope you will too.

Hold up. “Gathered their flocks”? Isn’t that exactly what the teachers have said they are unwilling to do? We are asking them to nurture our kids (let alone “hold” them, Lord!) and they are saying they can’t do it. Smh

Anonymous wrote:I agree with the statement by the former Trustee and parent of a teacher. I am not sure what some of the parents are expecting during this up-side-down time. I do know that the dedicated teachers at Burgundy will provide the most supporting and student-centered education you are going to get anywhere in this area. I recall another time full of fear - 9/11, and the DC shooter, which occurred back to back. Burgundy teachers gathered their flocks and created a circle of caring and open discussion that allowed the kids to cope and learn how to manage stress. All you parents who are now under stress, let Burgundy again hold and nurture and teach your children. They will look back on these times and Burgundy school with gratitude and appreciation to the teachers. I hope you will too.

Anonymous wrote:I agree with the statement by the former Trustee and parent of a teacher. I am not sure what some of the parents are expecting during this up-side-down time. I do know that the dedicated teachers at Burgundy will provide the most supporting and student-centered education you are going to get anywhere in this area. I recall another time full of fear - 9/11, and the DC shooter, which occurred back to back. Burgundy teachers gathered their flocks and created a circle of caring and open discussion that allowed the kids to cope and learn how to manage stress. All you parents who are now under stress, let Burgundy again hold and nurture and teach your children. They will look back on these times and Burgundy school with gratitude and appreciation to the teachers. I hope you will too.

Anonymous wrote:Go mama bear. Your daughter is amazing and an inspiration. I’m sorry the parents of these young kids have not had exposure to her and other really awesome teachers at the school. It’s a real shame for people to have had to miss out on the magic of the full kindergarten experience since those teachers are the best of the best. I’m also sorry that you felt duped somehow which i still just really don’t understand. I’d urge you to think about how signing a contract with someone under uncertain circumstances without intending to stick with it if things didn’t go your way is also duping and immature. I get the financial constraints and I get the disappointment, but if those were factors for your family you should not have signed your name. I too have a young kid and I knew what I was getting into. What I am disappointed in is that you are publicly vilifying teachers and scapegoating other people for an ill advised decision you made. I’m not saying this to be mean, but put the blame gun down for a minute and look in the mirror at your own actions.

Anonymous wrote:I agree with the statement by the former Trustee and parent of a teacher. I am not sure what some of the parents are expecting during this up-side-down time. I do know that the dedicated teachers at Burgundy will provide the most supporting and student-centered education you are going to get anywhere in this area. I recall another time full of fear - 9/11, and the DC shooter, which occurred back to back. Burgundy teachers gathered their flocks and created a circle of caring and open discussion that allowed the kids to cope and learn how to manage stress. All you parents who are now under stress, let Burgundy again hold and nurture and teach your children. They will look back on these times and Burgundy school with gratitude and appreciation to the teachers. I hope you will too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a Burgundy alumni parent and former Trustee, I would like to remind people on this thread that many of you are making general statements about the school that are hateful, demoralizing to the teachers, damaging to the reputation of the school and simply untrue. I understand that you are disappointed and angry that Burgundy is not planning to reopen on September 8th with a fully in-person program. Some of you feel like the school made a bait and switch or falsely advertised its plans. That feeling may be justified. Others are angry about the timing of communications from the school, that is also understandable. But to say that parents’ opinions were not taken into account is not true. Many members of the Board of Trustees are current parents, and there were additional parent representatives on the planning committees. Many teachers and administrators are also parents of children in the school and they pay tuition too. So let’s be clear about who has input in the reopening planning. As to the generalized vitriol and sweeping complaints about the teachers, calling them mediocre and lazy, is unfair and uncalled for. You might have one or two in mind, but don’t you realize that all of them will take it personally and feel unsupported and betrayed? How is that helping your child? How does that help the school?

Putting on my mama bear hat here, my daughter, who is a Burgundy teacher, worked tirelessly this spring to provide the 8th graders with the best ending to their Burgundy years as she possibly could. It was like pulling teeth to get every student (34 in all) to send in a video of themselves so that every single one of them could be featured in the virtual musical. She spent hours upon hours working with the students online to rehearse and then perform their scenes so that they could be filmed. Editing a 50 minute film is no easy task, try doing it and see how long it takes you!

She also worked with students to provide a virtual “last dance” and a fun, social time for the middle school, involving hours of planning and then working all Friday night of the dance.

Oh, and she spent an entire 12 hour Saturday, driving 245 miles in the DMV to deliver yard signs to every 8th grader, filming the “surprise” for the students and their families. And then worked countless hours making an iMovie of the day.

And then there was graduation and writing personal letters to graduates and on and on.

My daughter is many things, but she is absolutely not “lazy.” And what does she get in return for all of this?
A parent email complaining about their child not being prominently featured in the movie and parents complaining that the students didn’t have enough input into the graduation format. (She worked hours planning it with the students, who were disappointed that they could not have an in-person event). And by the way, no thank you gift, no card, no flowers, no nothing from 8th grade parents. (A few sent thank you emails, you are the ones that keep teachers smiling!)

So why does she want to teach your children? Because she loves them. And she wants to be a mentor and teacher to them at this particular time in their young lives.
-She is the one they come to when they are worried about a friend's health and safety.
-She is the one that suspects a student might have eating issues and calls you, the parents.
-She is the one who coaches your daughters outside the bathroom door on how to insert a tampon so that they can go swimming with their classmates.
-She is the one that is directing your students, looking for their hidden talents, helping your students discover something new in themselves.

And she is only one of the many Burgundy teachers who do this every day.

And by the way, she is one of the “specials” teachers, but she didn’t make the schedule for the spring DL, so blaming teachers for the schedule is also just plain wrong.
She also sent home weekly lessons and videos, especially to 4/5 students, to support their learning and to provide them with a fun activity during the DL time. Many students chose not to participate in this lessons.

I have been part of the Burgundy community for 33 years. Our son started kindergarten/transition in 1987. And then our two daughters followed. The 16 years that my children were at Burgundy were some of the best years of our family’s life together and I wouldn’t trade them for anything. The experiences that we shared at the Cove, on field trips and during festivals and the Fair with other Burgundy families are some of our happiest memories of our children's childhoods. And we made lifelong friends with other parents, people who have enriched our lives and made living in the DC area without our families (who live in Florida and California) not only bearable, but wonderful. There were problems and challenges when we came to Burgundy in 1987, and as those were resolved, others have arisen. This pandemic is a difficult challenge, but not one that Burgundy people working together to build a positive consensus cannot meet. Burgundy has thrived over these almost 75 years because it has always had a dedicated community of parents, teachers, students and administrators who are committed to the school’s continual renewal and success. There have also always been critical flamethrowers (a small minority, but still) who burn bridges and try to tear down the school on their way out the door. In my experience, these people are not helpful in bringing about positive change. I urge current parents to think about positive ways that they can help Burgundy meet this new challenge and to contribute their skills and talents so that Burgundy will be able to provide its unique educational experience to their children now and in the years to come. It is my hope that Burgundy as a school and community will continue to evolve and thrive not just for your children, but for your (and my) grandchildren.

I have been vocal in this thread, but I do agree with you that teachers are taking a lot of heat for the failures of the administration and the board. I have teachers at Burgundy who I adore and care about deeply. It sounds like your daughter is a lovely and dedicated teacher and I have no doubt that she is positively impacting the lives of many children.

I have talked to many, many other current parents and every single one of them feels deceived in some way. We have not been given information. We feel stressed out and abandoned. We know for a fact that our 1st graders won't be in school due to teachers not wanting to come (and in some cases, I recognize a legitimate medical need that requires them to stay home, which I 100% support). Nothing is being done to help us with our children through remote learning. Additional teachers are not being hired to help out the teachers who cannot come in.

We had a bad experience with kindergarten remote learning in the spring, which involved 0 - 60 minutes of Zoom calls per day. We extended patience and grace, and let all of that slide, shouldering all of the burden as we tried to work and care for very young children. We expected more from Burgundy in the fall but they continue to degrade our trust through lack of transparency and what is coming across as unfulfilled promises. They are worried about staff members, and childcare for staff members, but somehow expect parents to bring kids to school in October, and return a couple of hours later in the middle of the work day, commute back home, and then guide the kids through remote learning in the afternoon? Do you see how this might come across as not being cared for as part of the supposed community? I feel devasated and hurt and let down, and unfortunately my trust in Burgundy has been tarnished so I do no feel optimisic about how things will go this year.

Anonymous wrote:As a Burgundy alumni parent and former Trustee, I would like to remind people on this thread that many of you are making general statements about the school that are hateful, demoralizing to the teachers, damaging to the reputation of the school and simply untrue. I understand that you are disappointed and angry that Burgundy is not planning to reopen on September 8th with a fully in-person program. Some of you feel like the school made a bait and switch or falsely advertised its plans. That feeling may be justified. Others are angry about the timing of communications from the school, that is also understandable. But to say that parents’ opinions were not taken into account is not true. Many members of the Board of Trustees are current parents, and there were additional parent representatives on the planning committees. Many teachers and administrators are also parents of children in the school and they pay tuition too. So let’s be clear about who has input in the reopening planning. As to the generalized vitriol and sweeping complaints about the teachers, calling them mediocre and lazy, is unfair and uncalled for. You might have one or two in mind, but don’t you realize that all of them will take it personally and feel unsupported and betrayed? How is that helping your child? How does that help the school?

Putting on my mama bear hat here, my daughter, who is a Burgundy teacher, worked tirelessly this spring to provide the 8th graders with the best ending to their Burgundy years as she possibly could. It was like pulling teeth to get every student (34 in all) to send in a video of themselves so that every single one of them could be featured in the virtual musical. She spent hours upon hours working with the students online to rehearse and then perform their scenes so that they could be filmed. Editing a 50 minute film is no easy task, try doing it and see how long it takes you!

She also worked with students to provide a virtual “last dance” and a fun, social time for the middle school, involving hours of planning and then working all Friday night of the dance.

Oh, and she spent an entire 12 hour Saturday, driving 245 miles in the DMV to deliver yard signs to every 8th grader, filming the “surprise” for the students and their families. And then worked countless hours making an iMovie of the day.

And then there was graduation and writing personal letters to graduates and on and on.

My daughter is many things, but she is absolutely not “lazy.” And what does she get in return for all of this?
A parent email complaining about their child not being prominently featured in the movie and parents complaining that the students didn’t have enough input into the graduation format. (She worked hours planning it with the students, who were disappointed that they could not have an in-person event). And by the way, no thank you gift, no card, no flowers, no nothing from 8th grade parents. (A few sent thank you emails, you are the ones that keep teachers smiling!)

So why does she want to teach your children? Because she loves them. And she wants to be a mentor and teacher to them at this particular time in their young lives.
-She is the one they come to when they are worried about a friend's health and safety.
-She is the one that suspects a student might have eating issues and calls you, the parents.
-She is the one who coaches your daughters outside the bathroom door on how to insert a tampon so that they can go swimming with their classmates.
-She is the one that is directing your students, looking for their hidden talents, helping your students discover something new in themselves.

And she is only one of the many Burgundy teachers who do this every day.

And by the way, she is one of the “specials” teachers, but she didn’t make the schedule for the spring DL, so blaming teachers for the schedule is also just plain wrong.
She also sent home weekly lessons and videos, especially to 4/5 students, to support their learning and to provide them with a fun activity during the DL time. Many students chose not to participate in this lessons.

I have been part of the Burgundy community for 33 years. Our son started kindergarten/transition in 1987. And then our two daughters followed. The 16 years that my children were at Burgundy were some of the best years of our family’s life together and I wouldn’t trade them for anything. The experiences that we shared at the Cove, on field trips and during festivals and the Fair with other Burgundy families are some of our happiest memories of our children's childhoods. And we made lifelong friends with other parents, people who have enriched our lives and made living in the DC area without our families (who live in Florida and California) not only bearable, but wonderful. There were problems and challenges when we came to Burgundy in 1987, and as those were resolved, others have arisen. This pandemic is a difficult challenge, but not one that Burgundy people working together to build a positive consensus cannot meet. Burgundy has thrived over these almost 75 years because it has always had a dedicated community of parents, teachers, students and administrators who are committed to the school’s continual renewal and success. There have also always been critical flamethrowers (a small minority, but still) who burn bridges and try to tear down the school on their way out the door. In my experience, these people are not helpful in bringing about positive change. I urge current parents to think about positive ways that they can help Burgundy meet this new challenge and to contribute their skills and talents so that Burgundy will be able to provide its unique educational experience to their children now and in the years to come. It is my hope that Burgundy as a school and community will continue to evolve and thrive not just for your children, but for your (and my) grandchildren.