Anonymous wrote:My kids go to private school where they are always cognizant of the required ratios. For school aged kids I think that is 1:15. Teachers and staff supervise recess. They can't use volunteers unless the volunteers are supervised by staff. I think this is all completely mandatory and required by the licensing regulations. They could lose their right to operate if they don't comply. Aren't public schools subject to the same rules?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Again, back to the subject: is this lack of supervision Safe for children?

Interesting that this discussion encapsulates so much of what is wrong in public education -- so much discussion of teacher pay, rights, breaks, etc. and So Little Discussion of what makes sense for children.

dense

Do you think we just make our money?

There is no money in the budget to pay for aides. bottom line

And to expect elementary teachers to give up their pathetic planning period to do so is unreasonable. They're jobs are demanding enough.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP here. I think OP is raising a valid issue. As for the idea that it's not the principal's job to ensure there is sufficient staffing to cover recess/lunch, I disagree. At our elem, the assistant principal has always been responsible. So at elems that don't have an assistant, wouldn't it be the principal's job, or his/her designee? More lunch supervision is needed for the younger kids, especially kindergarten, so I can see not having much coverage for the 4-5th graders. On the playground, though, that's another issue. If a child is seriously injured on the playground, the county would certainly be sued, so it only makes sense to provide sufficient coverage. At our elem, also, we hear constantly of the need for more lunch/recess supervision. I can understand that it's always nice to have more, but the tone of these requests makes it sound as though the supervision is lacking. It's a concern of mine, too, but I can't be up there frequently since I work FT, just as many parents do. I think it's something to ask Starr about. I don't think our elem had a very difficult time finding people to take those jobs, but all their hours were reduced to nothing.

Principals have meetings they are required to attend. So oftentimes, they are out at odd times, leaving - in most cases at the elementary level - ONE AP to run the school. Should the AP leave the school to do recess duty?

That is NOT a reasonable long-term solution.

Furthermore, any teacher forced to step in can grieve that demand and win. This isn't to say that teachers are selfish (although Lord knows that the public thinks so). It means that this is their time for lunch and/or planning. Sadly, the planning period for elementary school teachers is limited. So they need to make the most of the time given.

Allocations from central office ARE TO BE USED specifically for X, Y, and Z. So if a principal tries to use an academic intervention allocation to pay for an aide, it may not fly. So they are restricted in how many aides they can hire.

Again, put your money where your mouth is and agree to pay more taxes to support YOUR public school. And I highly doubt, based on your post, that your school is overcrowded if your principal can remedy the problem this easily.

So until you know how the system works from the inside out, you can't begin to offer suggestions on this forum.

Frankly, screw you. People like you are the reason I have developed a poor impression of MCPS. I am not required to know all about how the system works from the inside to ask a simple question about who supervises recess. Your lack of professionalism on this forum does not reflect well on you or your fellow teachers. You need to GROW UP.

Anonymous wrote:Again, back to the subject: is this lack of supervision Safe for children?

Interesting that this discussion encapsulates so much of what is wrong in public education -- so much discussion of teacher pay, rights, breaks, etc. and So Little Discussion of what makes sense for children.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP here. I think OP is raising a valid issue. As for the idea that it's not the principal's job to ensure there is sufficient staffing to cover recess/lunch, I disagree. At our elem, the assistant principal has always been responsible. So at elems that don't have an assistant, wouldn't it be the principal's job, or his/her designee? More lunch supervision is needed for the younger kids, especially kindergarten, so I can see not having much coverage for the 4-5th graders. On the playground, though, that's another issue. If a child is seriously injured on the playground, the county would certainly be sued, so it only makes sense to provide sufficient coverage. At our elem, also, we hear constantly of the need for more lunch/recess supervision. I can understand that it's always nice to have more, but the tone of these requests makes it sound as though the supervision is lacking. It's a concern of mine, too, but I can't be up there frequently since I work FT, just as many parents do. I think it's something to ask Starr about. I don't think our elem had a very difficult time finding people to take those jobs, but all their hours were reduced to nothing.

Principals have meetings they are required to attend. So oftentimes, they are out at odd times, leaving - in most cases at the elementary level - ONE AP to run the school. Should the AP leave the school to do recess duty?

That is NOT a reasonable long-term solution.

Furthermore, any teacher forced to step in can grieve that demand and win. This isn't to say that teachers are selfish (although Lord knows that the public thinks so). It means that this is their time for lunch and/or planning. Sadly, the planning period for elementary school teachers is limited. So they need to make the most of the time given.

Allocations from central office ARE TO BE USED specifically for X, Y, and Z. So if a principal tries to use an academic intervention allocation to pay for an aide, it may not fly. So they are restricted in how many aides they can hire.

Again, put your money where your mouth is and agree to pay more taxes to support YOUR public school. And I highly doubt, based on your post, that your school is overcrowded if your principal can remedy the problem this easily.

So until you know how the system works from the inside out, you can't begin to offer suggestions on this forum.

Frankly, screw you. People like you are the reason I have developed a poor impression of MCPS. I am not required to know all about how the system works from the inside to ask a simple question about who supervises recess. Your lack of professionalism on this forum does not reflect well on you or your fellow teachers. You need to GROW UP.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not a teacher. Haven't left my desk for lunch in years. Never have 1 hour, or anything close to it for lunch. Rarely leave the office before 7:30 or 8pm. Work weekends regularly. Don't have summers off. Don't have a union negotiating my benefits.

Again, don't understand why teachers or other staff can't supervise kids during lunch or recess.

How wonderful for you. Please keep in mind though that sitting at one's quiet office desk during the day, is light years away from being in a classroom full of busy children. There really is zero comparison. Environment plays a huge role in the need for a break. Teachers aren't just sitting at their 'desks,' when they're with their students. Not the good ones anyway.

Anonymous wrote:Not a teacher. Haven't left my desk for lunch in years. Never have 1 hour, or anything close to it for lunch. Rarely leave the office before 7:30 or 8pm. Work weekends regularly. Don't have summers off. Don't have a union negotiating my benefits.

Again, don't understand why teachers or other staff can't supervise kids during lunch or recess.

Anonymous wrote:Again, back to the subject: is this lack of supervision Safe for children?

Interesting that this discussion encapsulates so much of what is wrong in public education -- so much discussion of teacher pay, rights, breaks, etc. and So Little Discussion of what makes sense for children.

Anonymous wrote:Not a teacher. Haven't left my desk for lunch in years. Never have 1 hour, or anything close to it for lunch. Rarely leave the office before 7:30 or 8pm. Work weekends regularly. Don't have summers off. Don't have a union negotiating my benefits.

Again, don't understand why teachers or other staff can't supervise kids during lunch or recess.