Anonymous
Post 04/12/2025 17:20     Subject: Re:Teacher trainee?
Anonymous wrote:Does the Trainee know they won't get credit for their years of experience on the step pay scale?

Initially, I was told I only had to do 3 Methods courses, Praxis, and a few VDOE modules. When I completed them, HR said I needed 27 credits, even though I have 2 Master's degrees.

They arbitrarily added coursework, without giving me a list of eligible courses. I was kept on the trainee pay scale, and, despite fulfilling all the requirements of a contracted teacher, I was not told that the yrs of full-time teaching experience would not be credited.

I still trust that our FCPS School Board will remedy this mistake, once they are made aware of it. They are a group of accomplished, hardworking members who have teacher-student interests at the forefront.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2025 17:09     Subject: Teacher trainee?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It's our area's way of "fully staffing" schools with folks who have no training.


I give it 10 years until the majority of teachers come in alternatively. Nobody is majoring in it anymore.
not true. We know several college kids majoring in it right now—male and female. It’s a cushy major in college with lots of time to enjoy life on the side. Not like physics or chemistry.


Unfortunately, it’s extremely unlikely that they will stay in teaching.

Agreed 💯. It would be an intriguing statistic to track.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2025 17:08     Subject: Teacher trainee?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The trainees at our school suck. They have no idea how to teach and it’s been hard. I have to reteach my child on a daily basis. It is horrible having a trainee as your child’s teacher.
Dont worry. Some teachers aren’t much better.

Peeps! Have you actually been in a classroom all day (let alone in charge of 20-30 mostly overindulged kids everyday)? Completely no context, callous comments like these is why teachers have no incentive to put their hearts into their low-paid jobs.
DYK, teachers go through regular evaluations, observations, and out-of-pocket recertifications? Add parental insult to injury = the why bother you may be seeing.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2025 17:00     Subject: Teacher trainee?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It's our area's way of "fully staffing" schools with folks who have no training.


I give it 10 years until the majority of teachers come in alternatively. Nobody is majoring in it anymore.
not true. We know several college kids majoring in it right now—male and female. It’s a cushy major in college with lots of time to enjoy life on the side. Not like physics or chemistry.


Unfortunately, it’s extremely unlikely that they will stay in teaching.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2025 16:56     Subject: Teacher trainee?
Anonymous wrote:The trainees at our school suck. They have no idea how to teach and it’s been hard. I have to reteach my child on a daily basis. It is horrible having a trainee as your child’s teacher.

Managing parents has become a before/after contract hours, unpaid - and least gratifying - part of a teacher's job. When did we parents become so hands-on and disrespectful of the people with whom our kids spend most of their waking hours? Caution: huge budget cuts are coming to a school near you, which means more career teachers are going to retire/quit. Aggressive parents, unruly students, and no budget for positive payscale prospects makes teaching a lose-lose proposition.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2025 16:53     Subject: Teacher trainee?
Anonymous wrote:The trainees at our school suck. They have no idea how to teach and it’s been hard. I have to reteach my child on a daily basis. It is horrible having a trainee as your child’s teacher.
Dont worry. Some teachers aren’t much better.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2025 16:52     Subject: Teacher trainee?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It's our area's way of "fully staffing" schools with folks who have no training.


I give it 10 years until the majority of teachers come in alternatively. Nobody is majoring in it anymore.
not true. We know several college kids majoring in it right now—male and female. It’s a cushy major in college with lots of time to enjoy life on the side. Not like physics or chemistry.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2025 16:44     Subject: Teacher trainee?
Anonymous wrote:The trainees at our school suck. They have no idea how to teach and it’s been hard. I have to reteach my child on a daily basis. It is horrible having a trainee as your child’s teacher.

Lol, read the post above. It's such condescension and disrespect, typical of arrogance that comes from the affluence in our area, that's driving our teachers out of the profession in the first place. Some kids come to school looking for a break from overbearing, helicopter parents, and they don't pay attention in class because they know they have to rinse and repeat at home. Could you possibly volunteer or sub at your child's school? I had new respect for any/all educators after volunteering at my child's school.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2025 16:16     Subject: Teacher trainee?
The trainees at our school suck. They have no idea how to teach and it’s been hard. I have to reteach my child on a daily basis. It is horrible having a trainee as your child’s teacher.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2025 16:16     Subject: Teacher trainee?
Anonymous wrote:It's our area's way of "fully staffing" schools with folks who have no training.

1. One wonders why we have to come up with creative ways to fill teacher vacancies - could be that teachers have to deal with the condescension, disrespect, and know-it-all attitude of parents in "our area" - cause-effect of the need to "fully staff" our schools.
2. "The folks who have no training" are carefully vetted by FCPS - they are long term subs, IAs, parents who have put their children through the system and have volunteered during that time, professionals transitioning for various reasons, including those looking for something meaningful to do with their time and, maybe, give back to their community...until they find out why there are those vacancies in the first place, and run for the exits!
3. Like the draft or jury duty, our country should introduce mandated teaching service in a public school for all of us to learn to respect our diligent, hardworking, sincere educators, entrusted with molding the foundation of the future of our country.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2025 15:24     Subject: Re:Teacher trainee?
FCPS hired at least 363 Teacher Trainees to fill urgent vacancies. Does anyone know how many stayed the course? Admin and the teaching community is largely supportive, but you are 95% on your own to figure out the ropes of lesson planning, the curriculum, attending CLTs, 504/IEP/MTSS/Committee meetings, parent teacher conferences before/during/after contract hrs, sending weekly newsletters, taking your students to/from recess, lunch and specials, completing progress reports, grading, and being the social-emotional support for your young students. Teachers are frontline workers who are told they don't join the profession for the money, but for love...Teachers ought to demand the money for doing what they love - then respect for the profession will soon follow.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2025 15:03     Subject: Re:Teacher trainee?
Does the Trainee know they won't get credit for their years of experience on the step pay scale? Initially, I was told I only had to do 3 Methods courses, Praxis, and a few VDOE modules. When I completed them, HR said I needed 27 credits, even though I have 2 Master's degrees. They arbitrarily added coursework, without giving me a list of eligible courses. I was kept on the trainee pay scale, and, despite the fact that I fulfilled all the requirements of a contracted teacher, I was not told that the yrs of full-time teaching experience would not be credited. I still trust that the School Board will remedy this mistake, once they are aware of it. Our FCPS Board is a group of hardworking members who have teacher-student interests at the forefront.
Anonymous
Post 08/16/2024 18:52     Subject: Teacher trainee?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It's our area's way of "fully staffing" schools with folks who have no training.


I give it 10 years until the majority of teachers come in alternatively. Nobody is majoring in it anymore.


Not true. My DD just graduated with her Elementary Education Degree with SPED - of course she had no problem getting a job.

There are fewer majors in it, for sure, and she'll be living at home until she saves up some money to move out, but I wouldn't say "nobody."

The problem is it's a national problem—and with many states such as VA offering universal licensure by reciprocity—if my DD had wanted to, she could have gone anywhere to teach. Schools are so desperate that they are doing Zoom interviews and hiring pretty much on the spot. Even though DD's degree was in ES and her student teaching was all ES focused, she was being actively recruited by HS principals who were calling her directly to convince her to teach HS SPED.

What they really need to do is focus on WHY there is such a teacher shortage....and it's not just about salary. My DD refuses to teach anything higher than ES and prefers lower grades just so she doesn't have to deal with all the political/cultural war BS in schools nowadays. And I won't say how I feel about it, but I'm so glad my kids are not in school today, and will be homeschooling any future grandchildren to ensure they learn to respect all beliefs equally and that there is no true or false, right or wrong belief.



It is absolutely true in my district. It is unusual for new teachers to come from a teacher prep program in college.


With such a teacher shortage, new teachers coming from college teacher prep programs have the pick of the litter...many years ago....new teachers were usually relegated to teaching in less desirable Title 1 schools and had to put in the "trench work" before moving up and out. My DD was being recruited by so many good schools within a 10 mile radius of home that she didn't even consider interviewing for any schools where her commute would have been more than 20 minutes.

She was warned that while the administration at her new school is great, it's the parents that can be difficult to work with. Also, the attrition level for teachers is also at an all-time low of 3 years -- another result of the huge teacher shortage...any teacher not happy could quit after 1-3 yrs and even during the middle of the school year and almost immediately get hired in another school.


It is true.
Anonymous
Post 08/16/2024 16:26     Subject: Teacher trainee?
Anonymous wrote:It is false that FCPS is not hiring trainees anymore. And it’s also false that they have just 1 year to complete their classes and praxis. We have 1 going into year 3 with no sign of finishing.

The tough part is they can’t do IEP meeting and really shouldn’t have SPED students but they do so these kids don’t have a licensed teacher and someone else on the team needs to be in the IEP meeting which is commitment for them.


Yup it adds additional work to the other SPED caseloads. Many of the unfilled spots are SPED-this problem gets worse every year. SPED is a thankless and stressful position-very little admin support.
Anonymous
Post 08/16/2024 12:02     Subject: Teacher trainee?
It is false that FCPS is not hiring trainees anymore. And it’s also false that they have just 1 year to complete their classes and praxis. We have 1 going into year 3 with no sign of finishing.

The tough part is they can’t do IEP meeting and really shouldn’t have SPED students but they do so these kids don’t have a licensed teacher and someone else on the team needs to be in the IEP meeting which is commitment for them.