Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ours starts the year doing this but then it’s over after a week or two. My sons play a travel sport with teammates from 7 HSs in northwestern Fairfax. All of them say most students avoid bathroom at all costs due to prohibited activities happening in there.

Up in Montgomery County, MD, the schools finally had to resort to locking the students out of the school bathrooms entirely. Meaning: students just had to hold it until school ends and they arrive back home.

The Washington Post did a whole series on the problem.

Montgomery County has video cameras in front of the bathroom door filming people. So why would they need to lock them or ave supervision?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers don’t monitor bathrooms typically. That’s some else’s job.

This year it is teachers' jobs.

I don’t understand how teachers have time for that on top of all of their other duties.

When something needs to get done, just throw it on the teachers. Don’t worry. They’ll get their own work done at home, I guess.

Who else do you think should be responsible for monitoring the bathrooms then?

Our MS has placed monitors across all bathrooms and at hallway intersections. Staff assigned those locations take their laptops with them and still get work done (emails at least) and it has definitely cut down on behaviors and cutting classes. I frequently see my APs in the halls at a desk, monitoring students. And my principal is out in the school as well when they have time.

If you want a "safe" school, everyone needs to pitch in to make that happen.

This is so degrading to teachers who are paid to teach. Just wait until a students looks over the shoulder at a teacher looking at emails in a hallway and reads something confidential or someone complains the teacher wasn’t looking up when a fight occurred because they were on their laptop.

The real reason why it is an issue is that schools no longer give consequences like lengthy detentions or suspend students so students don’t care if they are caught. They just have to do some hocus pocus restorative justice talk and they are on their way to get in some more trouble.

I honestly don't know why it's such a bad thing to ask a teacher to sit outside the bathrooms at a desk with their laptops for an hour once a week. They're staff at the school. It takes a village to run a school. Do your part and pitch in. It won't mean that we don't value you as an educator. Everyone has grunt work to do at work and at home, no matter who you are.

Because teachers are already doing FAR MORE than their part. When there is a job to do, it falls on a teacher. It doesn’t go to admin or to staff. You should shadow a teacher for a week to see how little time they get to tend to their own work. So your “just an hour” may be the only hour that teacher can grade, plan, answer emails. And now that work is rendered unimportant (again) as the teacher is pulled away (again).

It is disrespectful because it removes priority from the teacher’s actual job. Teachers are expected to grade in a timely manner, prepare effective and engaging lessons, answer emails promptly… but every hour they have at school is taken by meetings and duties.

Telling a teacher to “do their part” when they are carrying the weight of many is disrespectful, too. I do my part and that of about 3 other people a day.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the reasoning for teachers manning stations outside bathrooms or schools locking bathroom doors?

A huge number of kids are vaping in the bathrooms

Smoking in bathrooms has been an issue for decades. Why does it seem we need more monitoring? What was the inflection point?

Vaping is worse for their lungs than smoking.

Who cares? If kids want to destroy their body during the school day, have at it.

Yup. I agree. They're only harming themselves. Not the school's or teacher's problem

I think it's wonderful that FCPS administration and staff are doing what they can to keep our kids healthy and safe while under their watch. Thank you so much!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers don’t monitor bathrooms typically. That’s some else’s job.

This year it is teachers' jobs.

I don’t understand how teachers have time for that on top of all of their other duties.

When something needs to get done, just throw it on the teachers. Don’t worry. They’ll get their own work done at home, I guess.

Who else do you think should be responsible for monitoring the bathrooms then?

Our MS has placed monitors across all bathrooms and at hallway intersections. Staff assigned those locations take their laptops with them and still get work done (emails at least) and it has definitely cut down on behaviors and cutting classes. I frequently see my APs in the halls at a desk, monitoring students. And my principal is out in the school as well when they have time.

If you want a "safe" school, everyone needs to pitch in to make that happen.

This is so degrading to teachers who are paid to teach. Just wait until a students looks over the shoulder at a teacher looking at emails in a hallway and reads something confidential or someone complains the teacher wasn’t looking up when a fight occurred because they were on their laptop.

The real reason why it is an issue is that schools no longer give consequences like lengthy detentions or suspend students so students don’t care if they are caught. They just have to do some hocus pocus restorative justice talk and they are on their way to get in some more trouble.

I agree that it is degrading. It is also disrespectful.

We need to move past this culture that teachers should just “do more”.

You know all the threads about missing assignments in the gradebook? Work that hasn’t been returned?

Pick what you want. If you want teachers to focus on education, then they must be given time to work. If you want teachers filling every second of their days doing every random task necessary within the school building, then don’t complain when education suffers.

And grading in the hallway? I need a desk and a place to focus. It already takes 7-10 minutes per writing assignment. How much more time will it taken as I’m getting interrupted every 30 seconds?

What is so disrespectful about asking teachers to sit at a desk outside the bathroom for an hour once a week? If grading requires too much attention and focus, then do something else that requires less focus for that one hour. Clean out your email inbox. Organize your calendar. Ask absolutely anyone in any profession about the grunt work that they have to do as part of their job. We all have to pitch in from time to time. It's part of being a team player.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers don’t monitor bathrooms typically. That’s some else’s job.

This year it is teachers' jobs.

I don’t understand how teachers have time for that on top of all of their other duties.

When something needs to get done, just throw it on the teachers. Don’t worry. They’ll get their own work done at home, I guess.

Who else do you think should be responsible for monitoring the bathrooms then?

Our MS has placed monitors across all bathrooms and at hallway intersections. Staff assigned those locations take their laptops with them and still get work done (emails at least) and it has definitely cut down on behaviors and cutting classes. I frequently see my APs in the halls at a desk, monitoring students. And my principal is out in the school as well when they have time.

If you want a "safe" school, everyone needs to pitch in to make that happen.

This is so degrading to teachers who are paid to teach. Just wait until a students looks over the shoulder at a teacher looking at emails in a hallway and reads something confidential or someone complains the teacher wasn’t looking up when a fight occurred because they were on their laptop.

The real reason why it is an issue is that schools no longer give consequences like lengthy detentions or suspend students so students don’t care if they are caught. They just have to do some hocus pocus restorative justice talk and they are on their way to get in some more trouble.

I honestly don't know why it's such a bad thing to ask a teacher to sit outside the bathrooms at a desk with their laptops for an hour once a week. They're staff at the school. It takes a village to run a school. Do your part and pitch in. It won't mean that we don't value you as an educator. Everyone has grunt work to do at work and at home, no matter who you are.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the reasoning for teachers manning stations outside bathrooms or schools locking bathroom doors?

A huge number of kids are vaping in the bathrooms

Smoking in bathrooms has been an issue for decades. Why does it seem we need more monitoring? What was the inflection point?

Vaping is worse for their lungs than smoking.

Who cares? If kids want to destroy their body during the school day, have at it.

Yup. I agree. They're only harming themselves. Not the school's or teacher's problem

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m the first poster and revising my post slightly. I am supposed to sit in a hallway and work during a dedicated time once per week so I guess I technically do have a hall duty.

This almost never happens since it conflicts with mandatory dept meetings or IEP/504 meetings since I teach the team taught classes.

I use the student bathroom daily so technically I monitor that too. We don’t have a staff bathroom anywhere near our part of the building. Teachers are always in the student bathrooms using them because that’s all we have in our HS.

You count using the bathroom as monitoring it?

What would you have that teacher do? She already wrote that her free time is taken up by meetings, so she can’t linger in the bathroom all period.

If teachers are in and out, then there is some spotty monitoring. Teachers, contrary to DCUM’s expectations, aren’t superhuman and can’t do more than one thing at a time.

Anonymous wrote:I’m the first poster and revising my post slightly. I am supposed to sit in a hallway and work during a dedicated time once per week so I guess I technically do have a hall duty.

This almost never happens since it conflicts with mandatory dept meetings or IEP/504 meetings since I teach the team taught classes.

I use the student bathroom daily so technically I monitor that too. We don’t have a staff bathroom anywhere near our part of the building. Teachers are always in the student bathrooms using them because that’s all we have in our HS.

You count using the bathroom as monitoring it?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers don’t monitor bathrooms typically. That’s some else’s job.

This year it is teachers' jobs.

I don’t understand how teachers have time for that on top of all of their other duties.

When something needs to get done, just throw it on the teachers. Don’t worry. They’ll get their own work done at home, I guess.

Who else do you think should be responsible for monitoring the bathrooms then?

Our MS has placed monitors across all bathrooms and at hallway intersections. Staff assigned those locations take their laptops with them and still get work done (emails at least) and it has definitely cut down on behaviors and cutting classes. I frequently see my APs in the halls at a desk, monitoring students. And my principal is out in the school as well when they have time.

If you want a "safe" school, everyone needs to pitch in to make that happen.

This is so degrading to teachers who are paid to teach. Just wait until a students looks over the shoulder at a teacher looking at emails in a hallway and reads something confidential or someone complains the teacher wasn’t looking up when a fight occurred because they were on their laptop.

The real reason why it is an issue is that schools no longer give consequences like lengthy detentions or suspend students so students don’t care if they are caught. They just have to do some hocus pocus restorative justice talk and they are on their way to get in some more trouble.

I agree that it is degrading. It is also disrespectful.

We need to move past this culture that teachers should just “do more”.

You know all the threads about missing assignments in the gradebook? Work that hasn’t been returned?

Pick what you want. If you want teachers to focus on education, then they must be given time to work. If you want teachers filling every second of their days doing every random task necessary within the school building, then don’t complain when education suffers.

And grading in the hallway? I need a desk and a place to focus. It already takes 7-10 minutes per writing assignment. How much more time will it taken as I’m getting interrupted every 30 seconds?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the reasoning for teachers manning stations outside bathrooms or schools locking bathroom doors?

A huge number of kids are vaping in the bathrooms

Smoking in bathrooms has been an issue for decades. Why does it seem we need more monitoring? What was the inflection point?

Vaping is worse for their lungs than smoking.

Who cares? If kids want to destroy their body during the school day, have at it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers don’t monitor bathrooms typically. That’s some else’s job.

This year it is teachers' jobs.

I don’t understand how teachers have time for that on top of all of their other duties.

When something needs to get done, just throw it on the teachers. Don’t worry. They’ll get their own work done at home, I guess.

Who else do you think should be responsible for monitoring the bathrooms then?

Our MS has placed monitors across all bathrooms and at hallway intersections. Staff assigned those locations take their laptops with them and still get work done (emails at least) and it has definitely cut down on behaviors and cutting classes. I frequently see my APs in the halls at a desk, monitoring students. And my principal is out in the school as well when they have time.

If you want a "safe" school, everyone needs to pitch in to make that happen.

This is so degrading to teachers who are paid to teach. Just wait until a students looks over the shoulder at a teacher looking at emails in a hallway and reads something confidential or someone complains the teacher wasn’t looking up when a fight occurred because they were on their laptop.

The real reason why it is an issue is that schools no longer give consequences like lengthy detentions or suspend students so students don’t care if they are caught. They just have to do some hocus pocus restorative justice talk and they are on their way to get in some more trouble.

Teachers monitored hallways, lunches, and bathrooms over 30 years ago. Nothing has changed.

There absolutely needs to be staff monitoring the hallways and the bathrooms, especially before school and after school or at hotspots the county should be investing funds in more security guards and vaping detectors and other measures that would cut down on vaping and cutting class. Sadly, this needs to happen. I like how one teacher mentioned they can work on their laptop outside in the hall and it’s cutting down on vaping and cutting class and the teachers are still getting work done.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers don’t monitor bathrooms typically. That’s some else’s job.

This year it is teachers' jobs.

I don’t understand how teachers have time for that on top of all of their other duties.

When something needs to get done, just throw it on the teachers. Don’t worry. They’ll get their own work done at home, I guess.

Who else do you think should be responsible for monitoring the bathrooms then?

Our MS has placed monitors across all bathrooms and at hallway intersections. Staff assigned those locations take their laptops with them and still get work done (emails at least) and it has definitely cut down on behaviors and cutting classes. I frequently see my APs in the halls at a desk, monitoring students. And my principal is out in the school as well when they have time.

If you want a "safe" school, everyone needs to pitch in to make that happen.

I teach in a different district. My role is to instruct.

There are many non-classroom based people who have fewer obligations and more unstructured time than teachers.

Ideally, schools should hire more security. But if they can’t/won’t, I don’t see how putting even more on overworked teachers is an effective strategy. It certainly isn’t helping keep people in the profession.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the reasoning for teachers manning stations outside bathrooms or schools locking bathroom doors?

A huge number of kids are vaping in the bathrooms

Smoking in bathrooms has been an issue for decades. Why does it seem we need more monitoring? What was the inflection point?

The inflection point was when everyone started walking around with a smartphone. Same thing with fighting, using racist language, and all other kinds of bad behavior. It's been going on for ages but now schools can't pretend it's not an issue.