Anonymous wrote:Hi,

I'd like to resurrect this thread because I'm thinking of leaving my school and coming to DCPS. I am in the suburbs but I won't mention the school district. I read a lot of the advice but I'd like to know if anything has changed? I read that Antwan Wilson is gone, is this for the better? Have working conditions improved since "IMPACT" is no longer a thing? Please advise. Thank you.

Antwan was honestly a non-factor. DCPS has been a struggling district...hell probably since inception. There is a lot of corruption and collusion at the top. There is a culture of disrespect that is not only tolerated but sometimes even encouraged. DCPS is for teachers who will always do what is asked regardless of their personal morals. They will turn a blind eye when a colleague is being bullied or targeted. The test score scandal is just one of the many problems as a result of people keeping their mouth shut and looking the other way. People who are willing to go along with the demands of the administrators for the sake of a paycheck and lifestyle do well. Their loyalty is to the life the are building and not to the collective community. It is not a criticism, just an observation. You have to be Stepford Teacher (get the cultural reference) to do well IMO.

What district are you in now? DCPS is traumatizing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP here. Not only does our social worker suck, the behavior tech has no idea what they are doing and has so many issues in the upper grades, there is zero support for grades under 2nd.

It’s why I left.

Last year most schools got rid of behavior techs as not included in budget, I think they are back this year, another failed experiment. Basically run for the hills, you may get lucky but most vacancies will be at struggling schools. Not only that the principals and assistant principals routinely rotate or leave, it's a mess all the way around. Teachers develop PTSD after working at DC public schools.

I started in DCPS, got IMPACTed out, and moved to the suburbs. My principal introduced me to a group of teachers who came from DCPS in previous years. It was seriously like a therapy session during teacher week. "You don't have to be on guard here. No one is going to steal your belongings. They're not going to enact a new policy mid-year. There are no 'gotcha' surprise observations." I saw a student curse out a teacher and get suspended immediately. I'd never seen that in DCPS. It was always "the kids are dealing with trauma..."

The stress eating and happy hours ended almost immediately, but it took me an entire school year before I fully recovered. There is no amount of money that would make me go back.

I left a "good" DCPS for independent school and never looked back despite far lower pay. I would not advise DCPS unless I were a lady or gentleman of leisure and it was something of a hobby or charitable act that I could quit at any moment . Agree that FCPS really has its act together.

Anonymous wrote:Hi,

I'd like to resurrect this thread because I'm thinking of leaving my school and coming to DCPS. I am in the suburbs but I won't mention the school district. I read a lot of the advice but I'd like to know if anything has changed? I read that Antwan Wilson is gone, is this for the better? Have working conditions improved since "IMPACT" is no longer a thing? Please advise. Thank you.

You'd have better luck posting schools you are considering or willing to work at. There are extreme variations school to school. In the end though, you have to be a very flexible person able to deal with a lot of instability and unknowns. We're building the plane as we're flying it but no one knows what the parts are!

Anonymous wrote:Hi,

I'd like to resurrect this thread because I'm thinking of leaving my school and coming to DCPS. I am in the suburbs but I won't mention the school district. I read a lot of the advice but I'd like to know if anything has changed? I read that Antwan Wilson is gone, is this for the better? Have working conditions improved since "IMPACT" is no longer a thing? Please advise. Thank you.

IMPACT is still used to evaluate teachers. Wilson’s departure did not change the evaluation system.

Depends on your position and credentials and how long you intend to stay. Some suburban teachers only stay for a year or two----for the hazardous pay and then they go back from whence they came. It's not a bad thing per day because DCPS always has rotating doors. The money is good as long as you keep your head down, you'll be fine. As long as you don't go east of the river, you'll be fine. As long as you have a supportive admin, you'll be fine. As long as you have children who come to school prepared, you'll be fine. As long as you have supportive colleagues, you'll be fine. As long as your students come from supportive families, you'll be fine. As long as the teachers in your building aren't mostly TeachForAmerica or some other teaching program where more than half the staff are in their first year, you'll be fine. As long as DCPS next scandal doesn't impact you, you'll be fine. ..........catch the drift here?

Hi,

I'd like to resurrect this thread because I'm thinking of leaving my school and coming to DCPS. I am in the suburbs but I won't mention the school district. I read a lot of the advice but I'd like to know if anything has changed? I read that Antwan Wilson is gone, is this for the better? Have working conditions improved since "IMPACT" is no longer a thing? Please advise. Thank you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP here. Not only does our social worker suck, the behavior tech has no idea what they are doing and has so many issues in the upper grades, there is zero support for grades under 2nd.

It’s why I left.

Last year most schools got rid of behavior techs as not included in budget, I think they are back this year, another failed experiment. Basically run for the hills, you may get lucky but most vacancies will be at struggling schools. Not only that the principals and assistant principals routinely rotate or leave, it's a mess all the way around. Teachers develop PTSD after working at DC public schools.

I started in DCPS, got IMPACTed out, and moved to the suburbs. My principal introduced me to a group of teachers who came from DCPS in previous years. It was seriously like a therapy session during teacher week. "You don't have to be on guard here. No one is going to steal your belongings. They're not going to enact a new policy mid-year. There are no 'gotcha' surprise observations." I saw a student curse out a teacher and get suspended immediately. I'd never seen that in DCPS. It was always "the kids are dealing with trauma..."

The stress eating and happy hours ended almost immediately, but it took me an entire school year before I fully recovered. There is no amount of money that would make me go back.

I feel for you. DCPS is not a place for new teachers. They even admit they don't have systems or training in place to help new teachers be successful. Only a very small percentage of their hiring is brand new teachers. We could be developing awesome teachers but instead we IMPACT them out.

I’m glad someone picked up on the “uncleanliness” comment. Seriously? Stay where you are. There are enough employees in the system who look down on the kids. Unbelievable.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP here. Not only does our social worker suck, the behavior tech has no idea what they are doing and has so many issues in the upper grades, there is zero support for grades under 2nd.

It’s why I left.

Last year most schools got rid of behavior techs as not included in budget, I think they are back this year, another failed experiment. Basically run for the hills, you may get lucky but most vacancies will be at struggling schools. Not only that the principals and assistant principals routinely rotate or leave, it's a mess all the way around. Teachers develop PTSD after working at DC public schools.

I started in DCPS, got IMPACTed out, and moved to the suburbs. My principal introduced me to a group of teachers who came from DCPS in previous years. It was seriously like a therapy session during teacher week. "You don't have to be on guard here. No one is going to steal your belongings. They're not going to enact a new policy mid-year. There are no 'gotcha' surprise observations." I saw a student curse out a teacher and get suspended immediately. I'd never seen that in DCPS. It was always "the kids are dealing with trauma..."

The stress eating and happy hours ended almost immediately, but it took me an entire school year before I fully recovered. There is no amount of money that would make me go back.

Op, come to dcps because you are committed to educational equality. Join us because you want to give kids a fighting chance to have success. Please don’t come of the money. Every year I see good digger transplants. You spend the year crying and complaining. We pick up your slack- then you bolt.

Anonymous wrote:PP here. Not only does our social worker suck, the behavior tech has no idea what they are doing and has so many issues in the upper grades, there is zero support for grades under 2nd.

It’s why I left.

Last year most schools got rid of behavior techs as not included in budget, I think they are back this year, another failed experiment. Basically run for the hills, you may get lucky but most vacancies will be at struggling schools. Not only that the principals and assistant principals routinely rotate or leave, it's a mess all the way around. Teachers develop PTSD after working at DC public schools.

PP here. Not only does our social worker suck, the behavior tech has no idea what they are doing and has so many issues in the upper grades, there is zero support for grades under 2nd.

It’s why I left.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Four year olds are cursing at their teachers?!!! Oh my goodness. That's absurd, no wonder DCPS is a mess. How does one discipline a four year old at school for that behavior? Seems like you are fighting against culture and family values.

This is an interesting question. I am an ECE teacher and two years ago I had 5 major behavioral issues in my classroom. MAJOR, think hitting, biting, pushing, swearing, jumping on tables, breaking stuff, etc. It was pretty much impossible.

With an IEP, a social worker, and a behavior support paraprofessional.

That doesn’t work when your social worker says they aren’t experienced with three year olds and sends us to early stages which doesn’t give IEPs for behavior. Or at least that’s what I was told

A seeming behavior problem can overly any number of IEP-eligible diagnoses, even in preschool. They will also evaluate for speech, hearing, vision, and various other things. It can be really helpful even if it doesn't result in an IEP.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Four year olds are cursing at their teachers?!!! Oh my goodness. That's absurd, no wonder DCPS is a mess. How does one discipline a four year old at school for that behavior? Seems like you are fighting against culture and family values.

This is an interesting question. I am an ECE teacher and two years ago I had 5 major behavioral issues in my classroom. MAJOR, think hitting, biting, pushing, swearing, jumping on tables, breaking stuff, etc. It was pretty much impossible.

With an IEP, a social worker, and a behavior support paraprofessional.

That doesn’t work when your social worker says they aren’t experienced with three year olds and sends us to early stages which doesn’t give IEPs for behavior. Or at least that’s what I was told

Sorry your social worker sucks? Try for the behavior tech.