Anonymous
02/13/2014 11:34
Subject: Re:Teachers are NOT the enemy!
This doesn't make sense. Joshua Starr arrived in July 2011. And by "watered down curriculum", you mean Curriculum 2.0, right? But if your child is bringing home As semester after semester, your child's curriculum has not been Curriculum 2.0, and much of their schooling was in an MCPS not superintended by Starr. And especially the MCPS students who are now failing (you say) in top flight colleges and universities did not have Curriculum 2.0, and almost none of their schooling was in an MCPS superintended by Starr.
Nonsense. The grade inflation existed before Curriculum 2.0 and during Curriculum 2.0 implemtation. And it contiunes after Curriculum 2.0 implementation. And for the last decade and this decade. It is absolutely assinine that a student population (normal distribution) will have 80% make the honor roll and 30 % with stright As. This is stupid. What then is the puropse of grades? Why not get rid of all grades if you make a mockery of the process.
Guess who the students are who do not make the honor roll? I wonder if these are the kids without voices or parents like you hovering over the schools? Or kids who are not representative of the lousy teachers who are supposedly teaching them?
Mr Starr and his phony educational experts have failed when shools in their system have 80% on the honor roll. Are all these students simply taking the same water downed course materials over and over again?
Anonymous
02/13/2014 11:23
Subject: Teachers are NOT the enemy!
This doesn't make sense. Joshua Starr arrived in July 2011. And by "watered down curriculum", you mean Curriculum 2.0, right? But if your child is bringing home As semester after semester, your child's curriculum has not been Curriculum 2.0, and much of their schooling was in an MCPS not superintended by Starr. And especially the MCPS students who are now failing (you say) in top flight colleges and universities did not have Curriculum 2.0, and almost none of their schooling was in an MCPS superintended by Starr.
Anonymous
02/13/2014 11:17
Subject: Re:Teachers are NOT the enemy!
Mr. Starr and his cronies have created the problem with families and their schools and teachers.
When my kids come home with straight As and do very little homework why in the hell would you not expect me as a parent to inquire about the lack of challenge and ask for advancement.
As a parent I will not be satisfied with my child bringing home stright As semester after semester. There is a significant problem with this approach. The child is not challenged. As a wannabe mathematician, if all you do for your ego is simple problems over and over again to get an A then it is time to move on to more difficult problems!
MCPS and teachers are sending young kids the wrong message when up to 80% of their students are on the honor roll and up to 30% have straight As. Only a foolish superintendent, principals and teachers would be alarmed by the clamour for increasing challenge, enrichment and advancement in the educational curriculum.
The extraordinary number of MCPS honor roll and straight A students implicitly and explicitly demand a more challenging curriculum and opportunities for subject advancement for challenge. You will set these MCPS students up for failure down the road when they enter the real educational world (top flight colleges and universities with top flight professors) who increasingly claim these kids can't write and argue cogently and have poor mathematical preparation. This is what I hear at the next level. But, how can this be so these kids have been honor roll super stars from middle school through high school?
MCPS has created the public furor and demands for challenging education through their watered down curriculum and intense grade inflation marked be honor roll distinction (like a tin trophy or ribbon) for almost every child. This is a recipe for future disaster.
When my kids come home with straight As and do very little homework why in the hell would you not expect me as a parent to inquire about the lack of challenge and ask for advancement.
As a parent I will not be satisfied with my child bringing home stright As semester after semester. There is a significant problem with this approach. The child is not challenged. As a wannabe mathematician, if all you do for your ego is simple problems over and over again to get an A then it is time to move on to more difficult problems!
MCPS and teachers are sending young kids the wrong message when up to 80% of their students are on the honor roll and up to 30% have straight As. Only a foolish superintendent, principals and teachers would be alarmed by the clamour for increasing challenge, enrichment and advancement in the educational curriculum.
The extraordinary number of MCPS honor roll and straight A students implicitly and explicitly demand a more challenging curriculum and opportunities for subject advancement for challenge. You will set these MCPS students up for failure down the road when they enter the real educational world (top flight colleges and universities with top flight professors) who increasingly claim these kids can't write and argue cogently and have poor mathematical preparation. This is what I hear at the next level. But, how can this be so these kids have been honor roll super stars from middle school through high school?
MCPS has created the public furor and demands for challenging education through their watered down curriculum and intense grade inflation marked be honor roll distinction (like a tin trophy or ribbon) for almost every child. This is a recipe for future disaster.
Anonymous
02/13/2014 08:48
Subject: Teachers are NOT the enemy!
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Completely agree with 8:29-
Saying you hate it when parents want their kids placed in higher level classes than what they are capable is really an arrogant statement. When you have 30 kids in your classroom, how do you really know the capabilities of each student?
I as a parent will move mountains to ensure that my kids are prepared for class. If my kid has an average IQ and works twice as hard as the other kids in the class but at the end of the day also earns an A, what's your beef?
I get it that some parents are entitled and want special treatment for their snowflakes in the advanced class. That would irk me too. If I'm not asking for special treatment, what's wrong with giving my DS a chance?
Signed-
A mom whose kids always earn straight A's but still has to fight like hell with teachers like you to keep in them in the highest levels.
Schools would be more likely to let kids try working at higher levels, but people like you will immediately blame the teachers if it doesn't go well.
No, I hold my kids accountable but teachers like OP. will tell me my kids aren't capable since their standardized test scores aren't in the 90th percentile.. I've actually been told that my straight A kid would do better in lower classes because they have to work harder. I cringe at this response and ask well aren't there kids who got B's?
Anonymous
02/13/2014 07:45
Subject: Teachers are NOT the enemy!
Anonymous wrote:Completely agree with 8:29-
Saying you hate it when parents want their kids placed in higher level classes than what they are capable is really an arrogant statement. When you have 30 kids in your classroom, how do you really know the capabilities of each student?
I as a parent will move mountains to ensure that my kids are prepared for class. If my kid has an average IQ and works twice as hard as the other kids in the class but at the end of the day also earns an A, what's your beef?
I get it that some parents are entitled and want special treatment for their snowflakes in the advanced class. That would irk me too. If I'm not asking for special treatment, what's wrong with giving my DS a chance?
Signed-
A mom whose kids always earn straight A's but still has to fight like hell with teachers like you to keep in them in the highest levels.
Schools would be more likely to let kids try working at higher levels, but people like you will immediately blame the teachers if it doesn't go well.
Anonymous
02/13/2014 07:25
Subject: Teachers are NOT the enemy!
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:To my child's teacher,
Yes, you had our email address WRONG for the first five months of school. I had to send you about 4,000 email in late January to finally get you to realize it. You fought me tooth and nail. You also kept telling me, "I wish you had brought this to my attention sooner." WEll, guess what, I couldn't, b/c I didn't know I wasn't even getting ANY EMAILS, b/c you sent them to the wrong EMAIL ADDRESS!! Did you not get a "message not sent" reply or something like that? If so, did you DO something about it? So yeah, I am TICKED that it took me, wondering if I was going crazy, to do a LOT of research, to figure out what the heck was going on, to finally ascertain that, lo and behold, it was you, stupid you, who had had our email address WRONG for the first five months of school.
And oh yeah, you have not once apologized.
and, if anyone on here is wondering if my tone was the same when I dealt with the teacher, no, it wasn't, it was sickly sweet and not accusatory, very sycophantic, b/c I did not want her to retaliate against my DD in any way.
Even though she is the one who made the mistake in the first place!
So yeah, DD's K teacher, you ARE my enemy.
And did I mention that this is the same email list that parents use to send out bday party invites, volunteer optys, etc.?? And when I told her this, the teacher said, "That is not my problem. They are not supposed to. I will remind them again."
Ok, thanks for NOTHING, you mean witch.
We are dealing with a 6yo girl here, who got no bday party invites from her friends, and you don't even apologize.
You, teacher, ARE my blood-sworn enemy.
Wow so your kid misses some birthday invites and so the teacher is your blood sworn enemy? Are we suddenly on game of thrones? You need to slow your roll.
Anonymous
02/13/2014 04:56
Subject: Teachers are NOT the enemy!
We would be friends with such a teacher. We hate it when classes are dumbed down. Since our Dudleykins scores in the 99.99 on standardized tests but is a C student we won't need to worry about less deserving capable students being put in the same class.
Anonymous
02/12/2014 10:30
Subject: Teachers are NOT the enemy!
Anonymous wrote:NP/Parent - I thought about writing earlier and now I see 6 pages of people talking past each other.
I easily can see a teacher getting frustrated by unrealistic parents. I am a coach/scout leader and I see it all the time. It must be worse for teachers. I am sympathetic to OP.
In my experience, I would say that most of my kid's teachers are very good and seem to 'know' my kids. On the other hand, I have experienced 'cynical' and poor teachers too. My two kids each had special needs that many teachers mostly dismissed. It wasn't until testing that the school started to get on board. For parents that are frustrated, you have to get out of opinion-based discussions and present factual proof through testing. This is true for both GT and SN.
On a higher level, I think the union, BOE, and MCPS administrators really let down both teachers and parents. MCPS has GT programs for the top 1-2% and special needs help for another small percentage. The rest of the kids are treated all the same. That is unrealistic and puts a lot of pressure on teachers. It also builds resentment among parents because a lot of smart kids really are bored. I think teachers know this. Meanwhile, for other kids, the one size fits approach is frustrating because they are being pushed to fast. They need more help. They learn at a slower pace. They might have working memory or executive function issues. Once they get behind, they can start to give up. This requires herculean efforts by tired parents to keep their kids on pace with the class homework and assignments. We feel like we are doing the school system's job by doing all the teaching at home. In the end, it is unrealistic to expect an average teacher to cover this variability and it is frustrating for a parent to deal with this. We need to stop being angry at each other and work together to have more options for different kinds of learners.
On top of all this, the school system gives out fairly worthless report cards and won't voluntarily report MAP-M or MAP-R scores until it is too late at the end of the year. It feels to parents like the schools are trying to hide data with the hope that we won't complain about kids falling behind or being bored.
I have other issues with MCPS too, but I will leave them alone. In the end, I think MCPS is not overly concerned with parents needs on many levels. Many teachers care about the kids an parents, but the system needlessly put's parents and teachers in conflict. This builds the resentment you see in DCUM. As I stated at the beginning, though, I also think some parents and teachers probably are idiots and would be bad in any environment. For this situation OP, I can empathize. Good luck. I am one of the parents who wants to be on your side, but it can be hard for me.
+1. I also think that the system is set up to favor those who speak up and this creates the problem that the OP is complaining about. My DS was a couple of grades above in math for two years and would just rush through his work and doodle. We treated the classwork like reinforcement and would continue to advance him by doing lessons at home. It wasn't until this year when I heard a parent during one of the school sessions talking about continuing special instruction for her child that I spoke up and asked if my DS could join. They checked with his prior teacher and records and agreed to try it out and now he is flourishing and doing all sorts of great lessons.
I hate to be the squeeky wheel but had I not spoken up, we would not be in the same place. I don't think I would push for advancement in areas where my DS needs help or is on level but I also think there are many kids who are on the cusp or advanced who could benefit from more specialized programs. I just don't see the resources for that so while I have lucked out, I know others who are frustrated. And if you are going to get special instruction, it is not going to happen by itself - parents must advocate. I think it depends on the approach of the parent and the mindset of the teacher/administration that determines how that exchange turns out.
Anonymous
02/12/2014 10:03
Subject: Re:Teachers are NOT the enemy!
Teachers are NOT the enemy!
Today's teachers are NOT the solution either.
Very true.
Anonymous
02/12/2014 09:27
Subject: Re:Teachers are NOT the enemy!
Teachers are NOT the enemy!
Today's teachers are NOT the solution either.
Tis a shame.
Today's teachers are NOT the solution either.
Tis a shame.
Anonymous
02/12/2014 06:26
Subject: Re:Teachers are NOT the enemy!
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:
Actually, i am 16:26, and i hear that i am not allowed to have an opinion, because of my kid's iq. Arbitrary, but whatever. You all are so far beyond rational it's pointless. But as a factual matter you are TOTALLY wrong about me in your assumption. I would be delighted to pay higher taxes for better SN services. I never said my kid got the rawest end of this deal. I fully get that the SN kids have it worse. I used to work with them.
Well, no, actually, I specifically asked for your opinion. What size should the classes be? And how many extra teachers will be necessary to teach those smaller classes? And how much more in taxes are you willing to pay for the salaries of those teachers?
No, you didn"'t. You asked that in response to someone else's thread. Then you just asserted that i wouldnt want funds to go to SN kids. And you are totally wrong. I have voted for higher ed funds in the past, and would gladly do it again. And no, not just for gifted kids. And, hey, don't forget that many gifted kids also have SN, so nice try in pitting them against each other.
Then I apologize. I asked, in response to somebody else's post (not yours), how large the classes should be, etc. And then somebody else (not me) said that somebody else (not you, if you're not the one about the class size) wouldn't want funds to go to SN kids. There are lots of different posters posting here.
Anonymous
02/12/2014 00:22
Subject: Teachers are NOT the enemy!
NP/Parent - I thought about writing earlier and now I see 6 pages of people talking past each other.
I easily can see a teacher getting frustrated by unrealistic parents. I am a coach/scout leader and I see it all the time. It must be worse for teachers. I am sympathetic to OP.
In my experience, I would say that most of my kid's teachers are very good and seem to 'know' my kids. On the other hand, I have experienced 'cynical' and poor teachers too. My two kids each had special needs that many teachers mostly dismissed. It wasn't until testing that the school started to get on board. For parents that are frustrated, you have to get out of opinion-based discussions and present factual proof through testing. This is true for both GT and SN.
On a higher level, I think the union, BOE, and MCPS administrators really let down both teachers and parents. MCPS has GT programs for the top 1-2% and special needs help for another small percentage. The rest of the kids are treated all the same. That is unrealistic and puts a lot of pressure on teachers. It also builds resentment among parents because a lot of smart kids really are bored. I think teachers know this. Meanwhile, for other kids, the one size fits approach is frustrating because they are being pushed to fast. They need more help. They learn at a slower pace. They might have working memory or executive function issues. Once they get behind, they can start to give up. This requires herculean efforts by tired parents to keep their kids on pace with the class homework and assignments. We feel like we are doing the school system's job by doing all the teaching at home. In the end, it is unrealistic to expect an average teacher to cover this variability and it is frustrating for a parent to deal with this. We need to stop being angry at each other and work together to have more options for different kinds of learners.
On top of all this, the school system gives out fairly worthless report cards and won't voluntarily report MAP-M or MAP-R scores until it is too late at the end of the year. It feels to parents like the schools are trying to hide data with the hope that we won't complain about kids falling behind or being bored.
I have other issues with MCPS too, but I will leave them alone. In the end, I think MCPS is not overly concerned with parents needs on many levels. Many teachers care about the kids an parents, but the system needlessly put's parents and teachers in conflict. This builds the resentment you see in DCUM. As I stated at the beginning, though, I also think some parents and teachers probably are idiots and would be bad in any environment. For this situation OP, I can empathize. Good luck. I am one of the parents who wants to be on your side, but it can be hard for me.
I easily can see a teacher getting frustrated by unrealistic parents. I am a coach/scout leader and I see it all the time. It must be worse for teachers. I am sympathetic to OP.
In my experience, I would say that most of my kid's teachers are very good and seem to 'know' my kids. On the other hand, I have experienced 'cynical' and poor teachers too. My two kids each had special needs that many teachers mostly dismissed. It wasn't until testing that the school started to get on board. For parents that are frustrated, you have to get out of opinion-based discussions and present factual proof through testing. This is true for both GT and SN.
On a higher level, I think the union, BOE, and MCPS administrators really let down both teachers and parents. MCPS has GT programs for the top 1-2% and special needs help for another small percentage. The rest of the kids are treated all the same. That is unrealistic and puts a lot of pressure on teachers. It also builds resentment among parents because a lot of smart kids really are bored. I think teachers know this. Meanwhile, for other kids, the one size fits approach is frustrating because they are being pushed to fast. They need more help. They learn at a slower pace. They might have working memory or executive function issues. Once they get behind, they can start to give up. This requires herculean efforts by tired parents to keep their kids on pace with the class homework and assignments. We feel like we are doing the school system's job by doing all the teaching at home. In the end, it is unrealistic to expect an average teacher to cover this variability and it is frustrating for a parent to deal with this. We need to stop being angry at each other and work together to have more options for different kinds of learners.
On top of all this, the school system gives out fairly worthless report cards and won't voluntarily report MAP-M or MAP-R scores until it is too late at the end of the year. It feels to parents like the schools are trying to hide data with the hope that we won't complain about kids falling behind or being bored.
I have other issues with MCPS too, but I will leave them alone. In the end, I think MCPS is not overly concerned with parents needs on many levels. Many teachers care about the kids an parents, but the system needlessly put's parents and teachers in conflict. This builds the resentment you see in DCUM. As I stated at the beginning, though, I also think some parents and teachers probably are idiots and would be bad in any environment. For this situation OP, I can empathize. Good luck. I am one of the parents who wants to be on your side, but it can be hard for me.
Anonymous
02/11/2014 22:20
Subject: Re:Teachers are NOT the enemy!
Anonymous wrote:
Actually, i am 16:26, and i hear that i am not allowed to have an opinion, because of my kid's iq. Arbitrary, but whatever. You all are so far beyond rational it's pointless. But as a factual matter you are TOTALLY wrong about me in your assumption. I would be delighted to pay higher taxes for better SN services. I never said my kid got the rawest end of this deal. I fully get that the SN kids have it worse. I used to work with them.
Different PP here from the one asking you about ideal class sizes.
Cut the crap. It's been explained to you that THIS THREAD IS NOT ABOUT YOU. It's about parents who have "skewed" and unrealistic expectations. You insist that's not you. If that's true, then following basic logic, we have to conclude that you and your different set of issues don't belong on this thread.
(The gifted "martyr" thing bugs me.... Especially when you make yourself a martyr about stuff like "skewed expectations" that you also claim doesn't apply to you.)
Anonymous
02/11/2014 22:01
Subject: Teachers are NOT the enemy!
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:What I have a problem with is:
-Skewed expectations of your child's abilities (want them in a higher group than they are capable)
-The expectation of special treatment without valid reason
-Constantly wanting to alter the way I do things and sending in things you find on teacherspayteachers that I should try!!!!!
-Constant criticism
-Down-talking me to colleagues
OP, former teacher here, from a school with high FARMS/ESOL rate. In my career, I didn't have the problems you listed above. (Of course I had different problems - some you could relate to, others you probably couldn't.) If you're really a good teacher, you should consider changing schools, to avoid burnout.
+1 I also taught at a title 1/practically. 100% farms school (native Spanish speakers) and wouldn't have it
any other way.
Anonymous
02/11/2014 21:48
Subject: Re:Teachers are NOT the enemy!
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:
Actually, i am 16:26, and i hear that i am not allowed to have an opinion, because of my kid's iq. Arbitrary, but whatever. You all are so far beyond rational it's pointless. But as a factual matter you are TOTALLY wrong about me in your assumption. I would be delighted to pay higher taxes for better SN services. I never said my kid got the rawest end of this deal. I fully get that the SN kids have it worse. I used to work with them.
Well, no, actually, I specifically asked for your opinion. What size should the classes be? And how many extra teachers will be necessary to teach those smaller classes? And how much more in taxes are you willing to pay for the salaries of those teachers?
No, you didn"'t. You asked that in response to someone else's thread. Then you just asserted that i wouldnt want funds to go to SN kids. And you are totally wrong. I have voted for higher ed funds in the past, and would gladly do it again. And no, not just for gifted kids. And, hey, don't forget that many gifted kids also have SN, so nice try in pitting them against each other.