Teacher voices lacking in Fairfax County plans for full-day Mondays
School Board to vote on new elementary schedule next week
http://www.fairfaxtimes.com/article/20140620/NEWS/140629995/1117/teacher-voices-lacking-in-fairfax-county-plans-for-full-day-mondays&template=fairfaxTimes

As the Fairfax County school system rushes toward a decision on whether to eliminate Monday early dismissals for elementary schools for next school year, lack of teacher and community input has some officials calling for a slowdown.

The absence of teacher voices in particular has proved a sticking point in the debate over an issue inextricably tied to teacher planning time.

Elementary schools in Fairfax County currently have early dismissals on Mondays. The final bell rings 2.5 hours earlier on Mondays than it does the rest of the week.

The proposal to move to full-day Mondays would increase time in the classroom for students. But that time on Monday afternoons currently is used by teachers for lesson planning, training and meetings.

If the school system takes away that planning time, it would need to be found elsewhere. The threat to teacher planning time has been a hurdle to eliminating Monday early dismissals in the past.

Even with planning time, nearly one-third of Fairfax County educators said they spent more than 10 hours each week on school work outside of the regular school day, according to a survey conducted by the school system earlier this year. Any threat to in-school time for grading and lesson plans does not sit well with teachers.

The proposal before the School Board now includes teacher planning time as a key piece, with stricter regulations laid down. Teachers would be guaranteed 240 minutes per week for individual planning, and 75 minutes each week for collaborative work.

The plan was formed, though, by a working group of principals and administrative staff but no teachers or community members.

Interim deputy superintendent Dan Parris, who led the group, noted that its members were working with a September 2015 implementation in mind, which would have provided time for a more comprehensive engagement plan. However, Superintendent Karen Garza has pushed for elimination of Monday early dismissals starting this September.

School Board member Patty Reed (Providence) acknowledged the perceived benefits for both students and teachers built into the plan, but expressed concern over not bringing teachers to the table at all before making the decision. The School Board plans to vote on the proposed schedule at its next meeting on June 26.

“Just because we’ve heard from teachers for years about workload and planning time, we can’t assume anything,” Reed said. “This might be one of those times we want to over-communicate.”

So far, that has not been the case in regards to the new schedule proposal, according to Kimberly Adams, the president of the Fairfax Education Association, a union representing more than 5,000 school employees.

“We spoke with Dan Parris just 24 hours prior to the first presentation on the proposed schedule change [on May 28],” Adams said. “The teacher voice was not in the room for the first six months of that conversation.”

Adams and Steve Greenburg, president of another union, the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers, both are supportive of the goal of establishing full-day Mondays for elementary schools. But Adams is worried over the breakneck pace of implementation should the School Board vote to make the change for the next school year.

“Though there are a lot of us who want to get it done, there are also a lot of obstacles to overcome,” Adams said.

To try to address these concerns, the school system is sending out a survey to all elementary teachers and parents this week to gauge support for the proposal. Still, Parris cautioned the School Board of the dangers of moving too quickly on the plan.

“I think the organization believes it can happen, but as much as I want it go well, there will be some rough spots in the road,” Parris said. “If we could have done this with more engagement, then we would have. It would have cleared the path.”

WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. I don't want to work a whole day on Monday. Do you know how rough it is getting only 10 weeks off in the summer?????

Teacher voices are not lacking in this debate. The middle school and high school teachers want the elementary school teachers to work as many hours with the kids as they do. The secondary teachers have done the math - they are getting screwed. Time for you to do your faculty meetings, department meetings and other meetings after school like the rest of them do. Take home your grading like the rest of them do.

We take home tons of work. We have to teach reading, spelling, writing, science, social studies, health, internet safety, manners, shoe tying, conflict resolution skills and many more things. We don't get a full planning period every day. We get a 30 minute block during which we have to take the kids to the specialist (art, music, PE), then take the kid with an upset stomach to the clinic, then run to the bathroom, then quickly make copies for the afternoon because the guidance counselor cancelled her lesson and we need to fill the time, then run by the library to check on Johnny's missing book because Johnny's mom is sending nastygrams. Then, we have to return parent emails and run by the office to check our mailboxes, as we are required to do periodically during the day. If we teach special ed kids, we may have to go WITH them to the specials. If we teach special ed kids, we have to eat with them in the cafeteria, so we don't even get a lunch break. In the middle of our lunch break or "planning" time, we may get called to our students to help with behavior issues or because someone's mom decided to pick up her kid early without letting us know, so we have to get the kid and the backpack to the front office. The Monday afternoon time is the only uninterrupted time we have to work on plans in a thoughtful way, not broken up by constant interruptions. This the time we have to meet with new teachers and have IEPs and other meetings. And of the four Mondays a month, usually there is one holiday or snow day or snow day makeup, and another is worthless staff development. Then there are meetings outside of the building that we have to go every month on a Monday afternoon. Not to mention the millions of little tasks like collecting picture money or lunch money or yearbook money, cutting out things, putting manipulatives together for lessons etc etc. This is a much different job than teaching one or two subjects, having a block of time for planning and lunch as happens in most high schools. The high school teachers work hard, but the elementary teachers need blocks of times, too. I have not heard any plans of how the county is going to miraculously save our planning time without hiring more specialists, and still, the special classes are only 30 minutes long for K-3 and 40 for 4-6. This plan doesn't make sense.

Where is Fairfax Educational Association when you need them?

High school and middle school teachers have plenty of time to do administrative things....elementary school teachers DO NOT!

Thirty to forty-five minutes pass by quickly when students are in electives such as music or PE.

Additionally, principals demand all sorts of crazy things in lure of teachers doing what they need to do for their class.

Talking about NO TEACHING GOING ON NOW....if early closing materializes, there will not be any teaching whatsoever................


PRESENTLY:

Elementary school children cannot count to a million. They cannot write on a straight line. They form their letters incorrectly...FROM BOTTOM UP AND THE TEACHER DO NOT CARE. They know nothing about "dates" "years", etc.

They cannot speak because the teacher does not give them the opportunity to speak. The cannot recite a passage from memory. The do not know grammar because the teacher does not teach grammar...there is NO grammar lesson.

They do not know multiplication facts. They do not know how to divide!!! They do not know fractions and percents...and the middle school and high school wonder why the students cannot do higher-level mathematics.

They cannot not read because there is no phonics and an eclectic approach to reading and spelling.

What ever happened to vocabulary lessons? None of that is transpiring!!!!

PRESENTLY, THERE IS NO TEACHING....WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF EARLY MONDAY CLOSING IS TAKEN AWAY?

ElemTeach Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> We take home tons of work. We have to teach
> reading, spelling, writing, science, social
> studies, health, internet safety, manners, shoe
> tying, conflict resolution skills and many more
> things. We don't get a full planning period every
> day. We get a 30 minute block during which we have
> to take the kids to the specialist (art, music,
> PE), then take the kid with an upset stomach to
> the clinic, then run to the bathroom, then quickly
> make copies for the afternoon because the guidance
> counselor cancelled her lesson and we need to fill
> the time, then run by the library to check on
> Johnny's missing book because Johnny's mom is
> sending nastygrams. Then, we have to return parent
> emails and run by the office to check our
> mailboxes, as we are required to do periodically
> during the day. If we teach special ed kids, we
> may have to go WITH them to the specials. If we
> teach special ed kids, we have to eat with them in
> the cafeteria, so we don't even get a lunch break.
> In the middle of our lunch break or "planning"
> time, we may get called to our students to help
> with behavior issues or because someone's mom
> decided to pick up her kid early without letting
> us know, so we have to get the kid and the
> backpack to the front office. The Monday afternoon
> time is the only uninterrupted time we have to
> work on plans in a thoughtful way, not broken up
> by constant interruptions. This the time we have
> to meet with new teachers and have IEPs and other
> meetings. And of the four Mondays a month, usually
> there is one holiday or snow day or snow day
> makeup, and another is worthless staff
> development. Then there are meetings outside of
> the building that we have to go every month on a
> Monday afternoon. Not to mention the millions of
> little tasks like collecting picture money or
> lunch money or yearbook money, cutting out things,
> putting manipulatives together for lessons etc
> etc. This is a much different job than teaching
> one or two subjects, having a block of time for
> planning and lunch as happens in most high
> schools. The high school teachers work hard, but
> the elementary teachers need blocks of times, too.
> I have not heard any plans of how the county is
> going to miraculously save our planning time
> without hiring more specialists, and still, the
> special classes are only 30 minutes long for K-3
> and 40 for 4-6. This plan doesn't make sense.


One thing is obvious, you can't teach them how to write paragraphs....

Welcome to the real world....

Teacher Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Teacher voices are not lacking in this debate.
> The middle school and high school teachers want
> the elementary school teachers to work as many
> hours with the kids as they do. The secondary
> teachers have done the math - they are getting
> screwed. Time for you to do your faculty
> meetings, department meetings and other meetings
> after school like the rest of them do. Take home
> your grading like the rest of them do.

My wife and I both teach for FCPS. I know the differences first hand. Secondary teachers don't differentiate their lessons and plan remediation and enrichment activities for all of their students. It's pretty much "one size fits all" for the class. It takes hours to input grades and complete the elementary standards based progress reports. At the middle and high school levels the grades that have been totaled throughout the quarter only have to be verified and submitted.

If they need the planning time so badly, why does the parking lot at my kid's elementary school empty by 1:45.

If you guys would stop lying about your reasons then we could at least have a conversation about it, but you keep playing these bullshit games.

As to the teacher who's lamenting having unexpected tasks pop up at work, cry me a fucking river. That sounds just like.. You know.. Every other job in the world.

I am supportive of planning time for elementary teachers, but some of the comments about what High School teachers do and don't do are ridiculous.

I deal with 150 students (and their parents). I teach two subjects and I do differentiate, assess, go to IEP and 504 meetings, remediate, document. I also during planning have to go to CT meetings and other staff meetings. After school, I am tutoring, calling and emailing parents, grading, planning. On top of that, I sponsor a huge club and I have to keep track of agendas, rules, finances, attendance etc... School gets out at 2:10, I normally stay until 4:30 or 5pm every day and I spend every Sunday grading and planning (approximately 8 hours).

My point: don't throw your colleagues in middle and high schools under the bus. We appreciate and respect what you do.

Teacher Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Teacher voices are not lacking in this debate.
> The middle school and high school teachers want
> the elementary school teachers to work as many
> hours with the kids as they do. The secondary
> teachers have done the math - they are getting
> screwed. Time for you to do your faculty
> meetings, department meetings and other meetings
> after school like the rest of them do. Take home
> your grading like the rest of them do.

Speak for yourself. I'm a middle school teacher and this statement does not convey how I feel at all about the issue. I think elementary teachers get royally screwed when it comes to planning. I, personally, don't have a problem with them having that time on Mondays. What I don't understand is how Garza plans on giving them planning time if they make Monday a full day. Where are they going to squeeze in that time throughout the week? Are they planning on extending the school day???

I guess I'm wondering how the elementary schools of the world (most of them) that don't have Monday early release manage. I had never heard of Monday early release until I moved here. ????????

I have lived in six states...an early release day sometime during the week was common in all of them.

Teachers work their asses off and ought to be paid like valued professionals and given the tools, time and support needed to succeed. Administrative overhead is where the real money is wasted. But in this county, the schools do a pretty good job. If your kid us effed up, with these resources, look in the damn mirror. As for the half day off- hire enough teachers so that no work gets taken home by anyone and work gets done at work.

must save $$ or something Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I guess I'm wondering how the elementary schools
> of the world (most of them) that don't have Monday
> early release manage. I had never heard of Monday
> early release until I moved here. ????????

This.

I'm not saying teachers are not overworked and have too much to do on any given schoolday, but I've never understood the 1/2 day Mondays.

This county seems to try to complicate things and reinvent the wheel. The new grading system is a joke. It took years to devise, test, and now implement. For what? Why not average out grades like the rest of the world and have a concrete number grade to show students and parents evidence of learning.

Resolve the half day to full day Mondays by consulting with a district who has successfully managed planning time for teachers who don't have 1/2 day Mondays. Implement it. Soften the blow of the change by carving away at some of the teacher' other responsibilities.

I know this is about changing the elementary school schedule but does anyone know if this changes things for high schools? They talk about switching from 180 days to 990 hours or something. So I'm thinking that means we wouldn't have to make up as many snow days.

must save $$ or something Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I guess I'm wondering how the elementary schools
> of the world (most of them) that don't have Monday
> early release manage. I had never heard of Monday
> early release until I moved here. ????????


That's a valid question. I will say, having taught in several other divisions in Indiana and Ohio, that I never had to jump through the multitude of hoops that I do now in FCPS. The teacher evaluation program, amount of mandatory professional development, and CLT meetings to go over test score data alone was an absolute shock to my system...I NEVER had so much "other stuff" to do anywhere else that I taught.

This year, I attended a plethora of mandatory staff development meetings on Mondays that were out of the building, I had to quickly jump in my car and drive to other locations for training until 5 or 6 Pm. That might explain the earlier poster who wondered why parking lots empty out early on Mondays.

Sorry for my typo.

We couldn't lengthen this past Monday to a full day make up for missed snow days because of "teacher training." They instead added on Wednesday, which with early release will be a whopping 2 hours and 40 minutes. What a joke. My daughter was complaining about all the movies they've watched lately, which is surprising considering how much she loves TV. If she's complaining it must be terrible.

BTW at our school that oh so important training they needed was CPR. Thank goodness we have a few more people trained in that for the last 8 hours of the year!

I hope they add full day Mondays, though the proposed school year calendar will then include a lot more full days off for "teacher training."

Eliminating Monday early closing hurts teachers
http://www.fairfaxtimes.com/article/20140624/OPINION/140629692/1065/eliminating-monday-early-closing-hurts-teachers&template=fairfaxTimes

As an elementary-level schoolteacher for 33 years in the Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), I must share some thoughts regarding Superintendent Garza’s push to eliminate Monday early closing for elementary students (“Teacher voices lacking in district’s schedule proposal,” Fairfax County Times, June 20-22, 2014):

1. The most important aspect is the fact that FCPS elementary teachers have had NO input into this decision. Eliminating Monday early closings will certainly impact not only their planning but also their collaboration with other teachers, training opportunities, and effectiveness as teachers.

2. The final bell in elementary schools does not ring “2.5 hours earlier on Mondays.” It rings only 2 hours earlier. What is missing from the article is that a half hour was added to each of the other four days when Monday early closing was instituted, meaning that students did not lose any instructional time.

3. Ten years ago, when Monday early closing was under one of its frequent attacks, I “did the math.” Most students attend elementary school for seven years. Since several school holidays occur on Mondays, students actually have about 11 more school days with that extra half hour added to those four days (The Fairfax Journal, March 24, 1994).

4. In 1989, during an earlier assault on Monday early closing, I surveyed the teachers in my elementary school as to just how they spent those hours of planning time on Monday afternoons. In just one school, teachers reported over 70 different activities—all school-related, all for the benefit of the students—that occurred during those uninterrupted hours.

5. It should be pointed out that the two hours of early closing is more than that in terms of planning time. It is a minimum of 2.5 hours (in my school, 1:30-4:00 p/m/), and few of us ever left at 4:00.

6. Although elementary teachers are supposed to have a half hour of “planning time” daily, in reality this does not happen. Planning time occurs when the students are in music, PE, or the library for the half hour. However, the teacher is required to walk the students to the class and pick them up afterwards, which cuts precious minutes off their half hour.

Also, due to scheduling problems, on some days a teacher may not have a planning time at all, while on another day the planning time will be two half-hours, usually not consecutive. Yet even if they were consecutive, the teacher must still accompany the students from one class to another.

7. I note that the Times article states that “…teachers would be guaranteed 240 minutes per week for individual planning and 75 minutes per week for collaborative work.” This equals 63 minutes a day, 33 minutes more than the half hour they now have. Where would a teacher’s students be located during those times? Who would be in charge of them? Would this necessitate hiring more personnel? Would the new hires be teachers, instructional assistants, or caretakers?

8. I was extremely disappointed that neither teacher organization now supports Monday early closing. In 1997, the Fairfax Education Association (FEA) was “firmly committed” to the continuance of early closing (FEAtures, Feb. 1997), and the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers (FCFT) was likewise supportive of keeping Monday early closing. Have teachers’ jobs become less in need of this valuable planning time in the ensuing years? Hardly. (See for example “Half full or half empty?” Fairfax County Times, Aug. 2-4, 2013.) Ask any teacher about those extra duties, responsibilities, preparation, and paperwork that have become part of their job!

9. There does not appear to have been any significant cost to FCPS when Monday early closing was instituted in the early 1970’s. In 1990, the cost for eliminating early closing was estimated to be between $5.6 and $7.2 million (“School Plan’s Price,” The Washington Post, Nov. 8, 1990). What would be the cost today, nearly 25 years later? Likely much greater.

Eliminating Monday early closing would cause hardship for the elementary teachers, a considerable expense for FCPS, and no gain in instructional time for students.

Roxanne H. Cramer, Fairfax

Watching channel 21, School board meeting.....


Pee eww........ I do not want it to pass.


I want to keep mini mondays

Disgusted

It's about time FCPS actually prioritized student learning in considering school scheduling. Half-day Mondays shrunk instructional time to the point that one out of every five school days is wasted for the kids.

And I have it on good authority that those Monday afternoons are rarely leveraged for actual teacher planning.

This misguided practice is rare and needs to end. Check out neighboring school districts and beyond for better models for teacher planning time.

Kids will be in school full day Monday

Eliminating Monday early closing hurts teachers
http://www.fairfaxtimes.com/article/20140624/OPINION/140629692/1065/eliminating-monday-early-closing-hurts-teachers&template=fairfaxTimes

As an elementary-level schoolteacher for 33 years in the Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), I must share some thoughts regarding Superintendent Garza’s push to eliminate Monday early closing for elementary students (“Teacher voices lacking in district’s schedule proposal,” Fairfax County Times, June 20-22, 2014):

1. The most important aspect is the fact that FCPS elementary teachers have had NO input into this decision. Eliminating Monday early closings will certainly impact not only their planning but also their collaboration with other teachers, training opportunities, and effectiveness as teachers.

2. The final bell in elementary schools does not ring “2.5 hours earlier on Mondays.” It rings only 2 hours earlier. What is missing from the article is that a half hour was added to each of the other four days when Monday early closing was instituted, meaning that students did not lose any instructional time.

3. Ten years ago, when Monday early closing was under one of its frequent attacks, I “did the math.” Most students attend elementary school for seven years. Since several school holidays occur on Mondays, students actually have about 11 more school days with that extra half hour added to those four days (The Fairfax Journal, March 24, 1994).

4. In 1989, during an earlier assault on Monday early closing, I surveyed the teachers in my elementary school as to just how they spent those hours of planning time on Monday afternoons. In just one school, teachers reported over 70 different activities—all school-related, all for the benefit of the students—that occurred during those uninterrupted hours.

5. It should be pointed out that the two hours of early closing is more than that in terms of planning time. It is a minimum of 2.5 hours (in my school, 1:30-4:00 p/m/), and few of us ever left at 4:00.

6. Although elementary teachers are supposed to have a half hour of “planning time” daily, in reality this does not happen. Planning time occurs when the students are in music, PE, or the library for the half hour. However, the teacher is required to walk the students to the class and pick them up afterwards, which cuts precious minutes off their half hour.

Also, due to scheduling problems, on some days a teacher may not have a planning time at all, while on another day the planning time will be two half-hours, usually not consecutive. Yet even if they were consecutive, the teacher must still accompany the students from one class to another.

7. I note that the Times article states that “…teachers would be guaranteed 240 minutes per week for individual planning and 75 minutes per week for collaborative work.” This equals 63 minutes a day, 33 minutes more than the half hour they now have. Where would a teacher’s students be located during those times? Who would be in charge of them? Would this necessitate hiring more personnel? Would the new hires be teachers, instructional assistants, or caretakers?

8. I was extremely disappointed that neither teacher organization now supports Monday early closing. In 1997, the Fairfax Education Association (FEA) was “firmly committed” to the continuance of early closing (FEAtures, Feb. 1997), and the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers (FCFT) was likewise supportive of keeping Monday early closing. Have teachers’ jobs become less in need of this valuable planning time in the ensuing years? Hardly. (See for example “Half full or half empty?” Fairfax County Times, Aug. 2-4, 2013.) Ask any teacher about those extra duties, responsibilities, preparation, and paperwork that have become part of their job!

9. There does not appear to have been any significant cost to FCPS when Monday early closing was instituted in the early 1970’s. In 1990, the cost for eliminating early closing was estimated to be between $5.6 and $7.2 million (“School Plan’s Price,” The Washington Post, Nov. 8, 1990). What would be the cost today, nearly 25 years later? Likely much greater.

Eliminating Monday early closing would cause hardship for the elementary teachers, a considerable expense for FCPS, and no gain in instructional time for students.

Roxanne H. Cramer, Fairfax

Great news. Now can we please go back to traditional report cards with number/letter grades for elementary schools? This 1,2,3,4 system is beyond ridiculous.

In answer to your question, elementary teachers in other districts that don't have early dismissal are at their breaking points. They do not have as much planning time as the secondary teachers. It is obvious that the nasty posters have no idea what it is like to be a teacher. Teaching is not like other jobs, of which I have done plenty! In our district, even if you have achieved National Board, you still have to invest time and treasure into taking 6 credits for each 5 year period. So... you work, you spend your free time working, and you spend your free time going to school. This is constant. And the 8 weeks you have off--for which you do NOT get paid as we are 10 month employees--you are either working another job or going to school.

Justsayin2011 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> In answer to your question, elementary teachers in
> other districts that don't have early dismissal
> are at their breaking points. They do not have as
> much planning time as the secondary teachers. It
> is obvious that the nasty posters have no idea
> what it is like to be a teacher. Teaching is not
> like other jobs, of which I have done plenty! In
> our district, even if you have achieved National
> Board, you still have to invest time and treasure
> into taking 6 credits for each 5 year period.
> So... you work, you spend your free time working,
> and you spend your free time going to school. This
> is constant. And the 8 weeks you have off--for
> which you do NOT get paid as we are 10 month
> employees--you are either working another job or
> going to school.


If it doesn't work for you leave. I had a job where it required 6 days a week 10 hours a day, I left to have more family time. I had another job I just didn't like, I found another job. I had a job I liked but didn't pay the bills, I found another job. I worked for 3 governmental agencies, I didn't have a say what hours I worked, what days I worked (yes weekends and holidays), what location I worked at and didn't negotiate a salary. We got 2 weeks off a year and we didn't have sub that could come in for us at no cost when we decided to take off. This is what the rest of the working world has, most of us are tired of your whining.

Elementary teachers do work hard. Parents with children generally see what they do and appreciate it.

The half-day Mondays, however, were a real burden on families with elementary children. That needed to be changed. Teachers everywhere get by without these.

And go to a job fair is correct. If you find the job too overwhelming, find another one. If many other teachers feel the same, FCPS will face a teacher drain and will have to respond.

Everyone should stay focused on the real problems: the bloated bureaucracy and the SOL testing regime. Too, too much money is spent outside the classroom. The system needs more teachers and smaller classes. And the whole system will just be an exercise in nothingness as long as the SOL/Common Core approach is in place.

We need to be giving our students opportunities to do real things, not sitting in classrooms all day, filling in circles labeled A, B, C, and D. How long would you remained engaged if that is what you were asked to do day after day for years on end, especially when you think about how much physical and mental energy you had at ages 15-18?

I agree that teachers of different grade levels should not turn on each other. All of us have challenges, but we've chosen those challenges over others ourselves. Yes, middle and high school teachers have more students, but fewer subject areas for which to prepare. Elementary teachers had early release Mondays until last night, but high schools generally have late opening once a week so that teachers can meet for Collaborative Learning Teams in addition to their two planning periods out of a seven-period schedule. High school teachers whom students respect are asked to write many college recommendations on their own time, while elementary teachers spend a great amount of their own time figuring out how to differentiate for their students, whose skills tend to vary more than middle or high school students in a particular class. The list could go on and on. As an elementary teacher, I have nothing but respect for all that middle and high school teachers do, and know that I could never fill their shoes. Having said that, unless some of the mandatory meetings and inefficient professional development are reined in, I don't see how elementary teachers are going to have the planning time described in the resolution. I think most teachers would choose more time with students over time analyzing data about students, which is what eats up our current "planning time".

" Having said that, unless some of the mandatory meetings and inefficient professional development are reined in, I don't see how elementary teachers are going to have the planning time described in the resolution. I think most teachers would choose more time with students over time analyzing data about students, which is what eats up our current "planning time".

+1000 It's time to stop looking at numbers and start looking at children.

What you have to remember though is as high school teacher, we start at 7:10 in the morning. If you need your precious "planning" time, then get your butt up, get into school at 7:10 everyday, then you have, assuming your contract hours are for 8:55, an extra hour and 45 minutes 5 days a week! That's an extra 8 hours and 45 minutes of planning time. STOP complaining! Arriving at work at 7:10 and staying until 4:30 everyday... guess what? Us High School teachers do that too and *gasp* we take work home too.

What you're really frustrated about is that your precious planning time is not during the middle of the day, so you can get paid to plan AND still get up after 8 hours of sleep to work from 8:55 until 4:30. Too bad, too sad.

high school teacher Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What you have to remember though is as high school
> teacher, we start at 7:10 in the morning. If you
> need your precious "planning" time, then get your
> butt up, get into school at 7:10 everyday, then
> you have, assuming your contract hours are for
> 8:55, an extra hour and 45 minutes 5 days a week!
> That's an extra 8 hours and 45 minutes of planning
> time. STOP complaining! Arriving at work at 7:10
> and staying until 4:30 everyday... guess what? Us
> High School teachers do that too and *gasp* we
> take work home too.
>
> What you're really frustrated about is that your
> precious planning time is not during the middle of
> the day, so you can get paid to plan AND still get
> up after 8 hours of sleep to work from 8:55 until
> 4:30. Too bad, too sad.

A little teacher-on-teacher violence. Love it. And keep shoveling the BS about taking home work and counting on the ignorance of the taxpayer to believe it.

THe insertion of the silly PD and SPD to the schedule as a sop to HS teachers was not thought through as all of them are B days, or even days, which mean that three or four classes miss four full days of instruction throughout the school year all before AP/IB and SOL tests. This matters, especially to AP/IB classes. It is obvious that the calendar planners did not consult HS teachers or adminstrators before randomly inserting days off for students. More of the "fire, aim, ready" manner of instituting new FCPS programs.

Equity Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
... but
> high schools generally have late opening once a
> week so that teachers can meet for Collaborative
> Learning Teams in addition to their two planning
> periods out of a seven-period schedule.


At the last STAC meeting, Dr. Garza said this would end next year.

The elementary schools did get money for this program, so that some students have extra "specials" so that teachers can get planning time. But not all teachers in the school.Some still don't have the hour of planning time per day. Some specials are extended to an hour for little kids. An hour of music class for a first grader is way too long.

But, there appears to be money for the administrators to all get new double computer monitors so that they don't have to switch between one screen and the other when working. I don't have time to go to the bathroom some days, and the principals can't be bothered to minimize one screen and look for information on another? FCPS needs to spend money where it is needed, such as reducing class size. Our school has 28 kids in almost all second grade classes, but the adminstrators all have new computer monitors.