Anonymous
Post 12/22/2011 23:21     Subject: Re:Why is Winter Break so short?
Thank you quoted teacher! I think it's a vicious cycle--parents think: they aren't missing anything so why not pull them out early, teachers think: they aren't going to come to class so why not just review old material/have fun days/etc.


I'm the "quoted teacher" and I want to thank you for pointing out the vicious cycle. I saw an attendance drop in my classes today, and am expecting an avalanche tomorrow. I'm still going to teach!
Anonymous
Post 12/22/2011 21:22     Subject: Why is Winter Break so short?
My 1st grader has a spelling test tomorrow.
Anonymous
Post 12/22/2011 17:27     Subject: Why is Winter Break so short?
My MS son just reported that 3 of his classes are having cookie parties tomorrow and a Disney movie in another (YAY PB's). Pretty heavy week until today but sounds like it is over
Anonymous
Post 12/22/2011 15:28     Subject: Re:Why is Winter Break so short?
Anonymous wrote:
School isn't prison, you know. If you need an extra day or two off to travel, then have your child take the day off. What's the school going to do. My child would get far more benefit from a trip to see extended family and to travel than he would by filling out a holiday worksheet, word-find, etc. (or, my favorite, watching a movie on the promethean board). They're your kids, schedule their vacation time as you choose.


First, many teachers, myself included, teach new material right through the last day of school before break (Friday 12/23 this year).

Second, you're right, you can schedule yuor vacation as you choose. Don't complain, however, that your child missed an important lesson when YOU took him/her out of school, and don't complain if his/her grade is lower on an exam due to missing the material the day YOU decided to take him/her out of school.

Third, don't expect me to tutor your kid so he/she can understand what he/she missed when YOU took him/her out of school! Being sick and missing school is one thing. Missing school to go to Florida is completely different!


Thank you quoted teacher! I think it's a vicious cycle--parents think: they aren't missing anything so why not pull them out early, teachers think: they aren't going to come to class so why not just review old material/have fun days/etc.

We parents, are all adults and can make choices for our children, but like them, we should have to live with the consequences. If that means we need to get the new material and review it with our children during our extended vacation, so be it. If that means we cut our vacation short because we don't want our children to miss a day of school then it is what it is. Teachers work hard and don't need the added hassle of dealing with your scheduling conflicts.

It's the same issue for working parents--bosses can approve or deny time, and either way we are responsible for our work. If we miss a deadline due to our extended absence, then we deal with the consequences.
Anonymous
Post 12/22/2011 13:19     Subject: Re:Why is Winter Break so short?
PP..my children have attended 3 different MCPS schools and the homework is posted on line (always for MS and sometimes for ES) and can always be turned in late (after an excused absense)...and can always be turned in late for any reason with a grade penalty. Our PTA bought PB for portable classrooms when they were added to the school after the inital set was purchased for the inside classroom. I don't live in a "preferred" MCPS area. Not sure what is going on in your school but those policies are not from the county.
Anonymous
Post 12/22/2011 13:07     Subject: Why is Winter Break so short?
Anonymous wrote:School isn't prison, you know. If you need an extra day or two off to travel, then have your child take the day off. What's the school going to do. My child would get far more benefit from a trip to see extended family and to travel than he would by filling out a holiday worksheet, word-find, etc. (or, my favorite, watching a movie on the promethean board). They're your kids, schedule their vacation time as you choose.


The school is going to call that an "unexcused absence," and deny your child the option to make up work, which depending on the age of the child and the work done that day, could have a huge impact on child's grade.

If child is in high school, especially AP classes, it could effect his college choices.

That is what the school is going to do.
Anonymous
Post 12/22/2011 12:29     Subject: Re:Why is Winter Break so short?
School isn't prison, you know. If you need an extra day or two off to travel, then have your child take the day off. What's the school going to do. My child would get far more benefit from a trip to see extended family and to travel than he would by filling out a holiday worksheet, word-find, etc. (or, my favorite, watching a movie on the promethean board). They're your kids, schedule their vacation time as you choose.


While I agree with you, we do try to respect the school policies. What bothers me is that performance incentives for schools are influenced by attendance. This plays out in schools not allowing homework assignments to be posted on-line. Our first welcome to MCPS packet was a huge policy document that must of included statements that students are never allowed to turn in homework after absences and that homework assignments are only provided by teachers in class only. The best that you can do if find a friend and make a copy but then they can't turn it in anyway. The rationale for this is to provide a disincentive for parents to take kids out for vacation.

This is just the stupidest thing that I have ever heard and drives me nuts. Our school has a legion of volunteer moms making Xerox copies of worksheets everyday for the classes. Trust me, we would be more than happy to scan them and post them on-line so that teachers would not need to learn how to log into a system and upload a file.
Anonymous
Post 12/22/2011 11:45     Subject: Why is Winter Break so short?
smartboards are a waste of money and they generate a ton of heat and noise into the classroom.
Anonymous
Post 12/21/2011 14:17     Subject: Why is Winter Break so short?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I'm not the PP, but I do wish we could have a couple of days before Christmas and Thanksgiving. We travel out of state to visit family for those holidays, and it's hard to get where we need to be (esp. since our family is largish so it's easier/cheaper to drive rather than fly) without missing a day of school. The half-day on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving is pointless - just give the entire day. I'd love to have Dec. 23rd off as well. It's always tight getting to my great aunt's Christmas Eve party.

I don't want them out all of Thanksgiving week or 2 weeks at Christmas, but I would love an extra day or two for travel.

On the other hand, I think having Easter Monday off is a little silly.


That was a joke, correct?


Nope, not joking . I'm not really looking for sympathy, nor do I seriously expect MCPS to change their calendar to make life easier for me. However, my great aunt's Christmas Eve party is the only time we see some cousins all year. Yeah, we keep up on Facebook, but that's not really the same. We drive across several states to get to her house, and I would hate to miss it. As it is, we make it work, but an extra day off would make everything less hectic. Like I said earlier, a girl can dream.
Anonymous
Post 12/21/2011 14:11     Subject: Why is Winter Break so short?
Anonymous wrote:10:44, those additional days off would have to come from somewhere. The state mandates that the instructional calendar is 180 days. Half days count as one of those days, so that is why school is not cancelled the day before Thanksgiving. If they cancelled it, that would add a day to the end of the school year. If 12/23 was cancelled, same thing. Adding two days often means going into an additional calendar week at the end of the year and then school ending on like a Tuesday when it could have ended on Friday. Then, people would complain that the summer was too short, they couldn't book their vacation for the third week in June, etc.


Yeah, I know, but a gal can dream.

Actually, I'd love to see us move to a more year-round schedule with a much shorter summer break and more small breaks scattered throughout the year. I know that will never happen, though.
Anonymous
Post 12/21/2011 14:08     Subject: Re:Why is Winter Break so short?
Anonymous wrote:

The Parents Coaltion seems like a bunch of loons. I don't care about pouring over MCPS finances to make sure that they never collected $10 from parents. Heck, I would happily donate thousands to schools across the system for some science supplies, some foreign language instruction, or extra PE or recess time. The PTA are focused on entertainment only and barred by legislatuion from fundraising for anything that actually impacts the course instruction. Since this is the case, it only attracts the social moms who don't have an interest in changing the system.



OP here again from out of state. So this means the PTA cannot arrange to buy extras for the classrooms? (Last year ours raised enough to buy smart boards for all of the classrooms; would this be allowed) If not, what do they spend their money on? And is MCPS really lacking in these types of things? It seems like a wealthier district than most.


They don't last forever. Where will you find funds for maintenance and repairs? I don't people look that far ahead.
Anonymous
Post 12/21/2011 14:06     Subject: Why is Winter Break so short?
Anonymous wrote:I'm not the PP, but I do wish we could have a couple of days before Christmas and Thanksgiving. We travel out of state to visit family for those holidays, and it's hard to get where we need to be (esp. since our family is largish so it's easier/cheaper to drive rather than fly) without missing a day of school. The half-day on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving is pointless - just give the entire day. I'd love to have Dec. 23rd off as well. It's always tight getting to my great aunt's Christmas Eve party.

I don't want them out all of Thanksgiving week or 2 weeks at Christmas, but I would love an extra day or two for travel.

On the other hand, I think having Easter Monday off is a little silly.


That was a joke, correct?
Anonymous
Post 12/21/2011 13:44     Subject: Why is Winter Break so short?
Anonymous wrote:School isn't prison, you know. If you need an extra day or two off to travel, then have your child take the day off. What's the school going to do. My child would get far more benefit from a trip to see extended family and to travel than he would by filling out a holiday worksheet, word-find, etc. (or, my favorite, watching a movie on the promethean board). They're your kids, schedule their vacation time as you choose.


First, many teachers, myself included, teach new material right through the last day of school before break (Friday 12/23 this year).

Second, you're right, you can schedule yuor vacation as you choose. Don't complain, however, that your child missed an important lesson when YOU took him/her out of school, and don't complain if his/her grade is lower on an exam due to missing the material the day YOU decided to take him/her out of school.

Third, don't expect me to tutor your kid so he/she can understand what he/she missed when YOU took him/her out of school! Being sick and missing school is one thing. Missing school to go to Florida is completely different!
Anonymous
Post 12/21/2011 13:31     Subject: Why is Winter Break so short?
School isn't prison, you know. If you need an extra day or two off to travel, then have your child take the day off. What's the school going to do. My child would get far more benefit from a trip to see extended family and to travel than he would by filling out a holiday worksheet, word-find, etc. (or, my favorite, watching a movie on the promethean board). They're your kids, schedule their vacation time as you choose.