From today's Post:

"a U.S. Education Department survey found that, on average, Virginia school districts dismissed 1.3 percent of their teachers in 2007-08. Last school year in Fairfax County, which has about 14,000 teachers, two veteran teachers were dismissed for cause, and two others resigned before they could be fired.

“I think we have the tools currently to get rid of teachers who are ineffective,” said Richard Moniuszko, Fairfax’s deputy superintendent."

Out of 14,000 FCPS teachers, only 0.03% were fired for cause? Really? That's probably less than the number that were arrested last year. So we are to believe that FCPS is so effective in recruiting and professional development that their rate of dismissals is almost 50 times lower that even the low 1.4% in Virginia statewide.

Well, a teacher abusing special ed students for years at Woodson HS wasn't dismissed - she wasn't even re-assigned to a another student population. Parents and other teachers notified the administration that she was abusing those kids, and nothing happened.

I think that the media needs to get involved before FCPS will fire anyone.

Awww, are you mad that you can't demand the firing of a teacher that refuses to grant every whim of your's and all the other helicopter parents?

There's a reason for that----there wouldn't be a single fucking teacher left in FCPS.

resignations are often offered instead of termination in FCPS

Ask Joe Paterno and Jerry Sandusky.

dead wood Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> From today's Post:
>
> "a U.S. Education Department survey found that, on
> average, Virginia school districts dismissed 1.3
> percent of their teachers in 2007-08. Last school
> year in Fairfax County, which has about 14,000
> teachers, two veteran teachers were dismissed for
> cause, and two others resigned before they could
> be fired.
>
> “I think we have the tools currently to get rid
> of teachers who are ineffective,” said Richard
> Moniuszko, Fairfax’s deputy superintendent."
>
> Out of 14,000 FCPS teachers, only 0.03% were fired
> for cause? Really? That's probably less than the
> number that were arrested last year. So we are to
> believe that FCPS is so effective in recruiting
> and professional development that their rate of
> dismissals is almost 50 times lower that even the
> low 1.4% in Virginia statewide.

not many

fo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Awww, are you mad that you can't demand the firing
> of a teacher that refuses to grant every whim of
> your's and all the other helicopter parents?
>
> There's a reason for that----there wouldn't be a
> single fucking teacher left in FCPS.


Typical response - blame the parents.

The Feds fired .5% of workers for cause last year - not a place well known for firing the ineffective. And that's still more than 15 times the rate than FCPS.

The school system can choose to not renew a teacher's contract on a year-by-year basis.

If it makes you feel any better, FCPS fires the hell out of bus drivers and other support staff like custodians, tradesmen (electricians, HVAC, etc)---often for very little cause.

In my 20+ years, I've lost count of the drivers that have been fired. It is one (of many) reasons why there are ALWAYS openings at these positions.

Here's a list of what will happen if these crimes within the County of Fairfax happen on the job:

Child Molestation
Harrassment
Bullying
Not Showing Up For Work
Stealing
Robbery
Larceny
Conspiring to Murder
Murder For Hire
Solicitation
Tresspassing
Drug Dealing
Illegal Weapon/Selling
DUI
DWI
Gossip (depends on what is said and who said what)

Crime is crime. Once you get arrested and put in jail, you are automatically fired for life. You can NEVER get back into the county as an FCPS employee.

There is a big difference between firing and not renewing a contract. Many more than 4 teachers last year did not have their contracts renewed, but it takes a big thing to happen for a teacher to get fired mid-year.

Never Gotten Fired Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Here's a list of what will happen if these crimes
> within the County of Fairfax happen on the job:
>
> Child Molestation
> Harrassment
> Bullying
> Not Showing Up For Work
> Stealing
> Robbery
> Larceny
> Conspiring to Murder
> Murder For Hire
> Solicitation
> Tresspassing
> Drug Dealing
> Illegal Weapon/Selling
> DUI
> DWI
> Gossip (depends on what is said and who said what)
>
>
> Crime is crime. Once you get arrested and put in
> jail, you are automatically fired for life. You
> can NEVER get back into the county as an FCPS
> employee.

Everyone has DUI/DWI

That's one of the HUUUGE problems with education. Its impossible to fire teachers. You could walk into any school and find 15/20% of the teachers in a building that deserve to be fired.

VA Phins Fan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Ask Joe Paterno and Jerry Sandusky.


hey retard, since when is PA in VA?

Woodson Mom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Well, a teacher abusing special ed students for
> years at Woodson HS wasn't dismissed - she wasn't
> even re-assigned to a another student population.
> Parents and other teachers notified the
> administration that she was abusing those kids,
> and nothing happened.
>
> I think that the media needs to get involved
> before FCPS will fire anyone.

So she is still teaching there? And supposedly abusing kids? If you really feel this is true, why haven't you gone further with the information?

bus driver Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If it makes you feel any better, FCPS fires the
> hell out of bus drivers and other support staff
> like custodians, tradesmen (electricians, HVAC,
> etc)---often for very little cause.
>
> In my 20+ years, I've lost count of the drivers
> that have been fired. It is one (of many) reasons
> why there are ALWAYS openings at these positions.


Howm many are because of random drug tests and loss of CDLs?. Interesting that the cops and fireman are drug tested too but people who work with kids in school never are, even when hired.

We (and other parents) did fight against the abuse. We went up the food chain, regional and county-wide. And the issue was again and again kicked back to the principal - who, when he met with our parent group said: "She's a bully and a bad teacher, but she's got documented "issues" so I can't get rid of her." We begged the principal to re-assign her to a non-teaching position, so she couldn't abuse other kids. He said,"I'll see what I can do."

What ended up happening? Higher functioning disabled kids "who are more able to defend themselves" (quote from Vice Principal) were placed with her. The administration said that she'd be monitored closely and "counseled" on her behavior.

We gave the FCPS administration the chance to make the right decisions, and no one there did. We've since moved our child to another school, but if we had it to do over again, we would have contacted CPS and alerted the media about the abuse.

Know of a teacher who was terminated from a school with all the appropriate documentation sent in to HR. He was rehired three years later and is now back in the FCPS system. Another one was given the opportunity to resign after his third school in FCPS. He left and went to Loudon County, I guess they never call about references or check last evaluations.

Emeritus Q. Beaker Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That's one of the HUUUGE problems with education.
> Its impossible to fire teachers. You could walk
> into any school and find 15/20% of the teachers in
> a building that deserve to be fired.

No dude, your percentages are off. You could walk into any school and find 100% of teachers that SOMEBODY thinks deserves to be fired.

That is why they can not and do not allow neurotic parents to make personnel decisions.

Why not have teacher evaluations from either students or parents? I remember doing them at the end of every college class. Seems to me teachers should in some way be accountable to their students, even if the student reviews were only informational. My kids have had FCPS teachers that were disorganized and unpleasant to deal with, and showed up every day looking like an unmade bed. I know the test scores were fine in that class - so no amount of analysis would let you know that the teacher was a real jerk. I'm not suggesting we have popularity contests, but it would be nice if FCPS had a regular, formal way to solicit feedback from students and parents on the teachers.

not even threat of indictment causes FCPS parents to demand that principals or teachers be fired, no where else on earth can criminals stand in good stead...the parents simply either do not care or they are so submissive they will put up with anything

Why not? Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm not suggesting we have popularity contests, but it
> would be nice if FCPS had a regular, formal way to
> solicit feedback from students and parents on the
> teachers.

That is EXACTLY what you are suggesting.

You say that you know the test scores were fine. But you object to the teacher's appearance and demeanor. That's a popularity contest, hon.

They're teachers, not candidates for Homecoming Queen.

Why do people take bait from trolls.

If you want to get an uprise, post these posts about FCPS.
Goodnight Troll!

To Woodson Mom - the problem is the principal and the incompetent staff he has surrounded himself with. He routinely speaks out of both sides of his mouth, tells parents what he thinks they want to hear and then tells Gatehouse something else. He's gutless and can't even, or won't control his staff. I personally placed him on notice with regard to my kids IEP and his staff F'ing up and 45 days later still no action. Worse yet is the AP over Special Services, he's just one of those angry homosexuals. You did the right thing by getting your kids out, its what I'm doing.

teachers performance and their ability to deliver the product to the consumer (an education to the students) should be evaluated by the only people who actually know its quality-the students. If you read Rate My Teachers (which bad teachers hate) they are quite fair, if not overly accommodating. (girls always say nice things about even crappy teachers) Most of the people who make comments on this blog either don't have kids or have stupid opinions about their stupid kids, not the ones who care enough to fight back. Teachers should have anonymous questionnaires, like those in college-no different, and should be evaluated based on how well they perform, like any other job. The excuses teachers use to suck ("I am going through a divorce", I am feeling bad, I need an operation, my mother is sick) would not be relevant anywhere else on earth. Trolls start your engines.

I think the only time they could truly be fired, not one of those quit or be fired things, is if they were doing twenty years prison time.

yeah right Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Why not? Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I'm not suggesting we have popularity contests,
> but it
> > would be nice if FCPS had a regular, formal way
> to
> > solicit feedback from students and parents on
> the
> > teachers.
>
> That is EXACTLY what you are suggesting.
>
> You say that you know the test scores were fine.
> But you object to the teacher's appearance and
> demeanor. That's a popularity contest, hon.
>
> They're teachers, not candidates for Homecoming
> Queen.

Such crap. Everyone in life, from the fry cook to the CEO, is evaluated not just on the hard metrics of their job but also on how well they interact with their co-workers, customers, etc. Test scores are huge, and should be an important and primary part of a teachers evaluation. But their attitude and deportment should count for something. The straight A student will do well almost no matter what on the standardized tests, but if the teacher makes class miserable, where else will you catch that unless you solicit feedback from the primary consumer of what the teacher does.

You cannot take a college class or a professional development course without getting a teacher evaluation at the end of the class.

I knew a teacher once who lost her job at a school (she was transferred) because she would leave her dirty coffee cup in the teacher's lounge. She actually was a pretty good teacher, but had a very hard time getting along with other teachers and the principal.

Of course, the dirty coffee cup was just an indicator of how she was inconsiderate of her peers, but it was annoying and when asked what the problem was by her superiors, the principal could only come up with the dirty coffee cup.

This teacher did get shifted from school to school--not because she was a bad teacher, but because she was hard to get along with.

I've often wondered what happened to her.

The real way it works is that the higher up you are on the food chain in FCPS, the more likely it is you have the "oppurtunity to resign" rather than be fired or criminally prosecuted. Think about some recent departures....hmmm

We had a new teacher show up at our ES this fall - a transfer from a GT center. I thought at the time it was weird that someone would move from a center to a local school - seemed like transferring to a lower prestige job. Turns out she's been chronically absent all year long - I'd say she's been at school 60% of the school days, if that. Pass the trash in FCPS.

another example Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> We had a new teacher show up at our ES this fall -
> a transfer from a GT center. I thought at the
> time it was weird that someone would move from a
> center to a local school - seemed like
> transferring to a lower prestige job. Turns out
> she's been chronically absent all year long - I'd
> say she's been at school 60% of the school days,
> if that. Pass the trash in FCPS.

Maybe she is undergoing cancer treatments? I work with a lady like that and she's out a lot. Who the hell knows?

The transfer from GT center to regular school makes sense though. The anchor babies and other trash in regular school aren't going to learn anything anyway, so a sub is fine for them. Not so at the GT centers.

fo Wrote:

>
> Maybe she is undergoing cancer treatments? I work
> with a lady like that and she's out a lot. Who
> the hell knows?

That's what disability and FMLA are for. There's close to 30 kids waiting for a teacher to come in every day - if you are going to be out constantly for whatever reason for a long period of time, the school Principal should be telling the teacher to go out on FMLA or disability. It's not fair to the students to have a revolving door of substitutes for months at a time. It really a failure of management.

another example Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That's what disability and FMLA are for. There's
> close to 30 kids waiting for a teacher to come in
> every day - if you are going to be out constantly
> for whatever reason for a long period of time, the
> school Principal should be telling the teacher to
> go out on FMLA or disability. It's not fair to
> the students to have a revolving door of
> substitutes for months at a time. It really a
> failure of management.


Dude, I said "who the hell knows". I don't know and you and the other idiot certainly don't know.

That's why you can not let every dumb-ass parent perform the principal's duties.

Furthermore, FCPS are NOT nice people to work for, not by any stretch of the imagination. If this teacher is getting away with poor attendance, then she either knows somebody or is lawyered up and they're afraid to fuck with her.

fo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> Dude, I said "who the hell knows". I don't know
> and you and the other idiot certainly don't know.
>
> That's why you can not let every dumb-ass parent
> perform the principal's duties.

I don't know why she's out. When my kid's teacher is out 3 days out of every week for long stretches at a time, it's time for the principal to get a long term sub and tell the teacher to come back when they can show up as expected on a regular basis. So if the principal actually did the job they were supposed to, it would not be an issue.

You have no clue what you're talking about. Not only have my mother, father, brother, and I all worked for FCPS, but we all know our school system is 10 times better than most school systems. 80% of the time FCPS recieves complaints about an instructor it is normally the child lying to the parent about conduct in the classroom, usually as an excuse for poor grades. 19.9999% of the time it is due to a unstable parent or guardian of whom the school system can not do much about except for offer free guidance counseling. The other 0.0001% of the time it's something the teacher did which can be easily corrected.


Lets face it people, there isn't a career field on the planet which has perfect employees. People constantly complain about police officers, judges,
Politicians, etc. When in actuality it's much easier to complain about something on an anonymous MSG board than it is to do something about it, like become a teacher yourself.

well my sense of it, is that you can be fired in FCPS if you are a GOOD teacher (they hate that), but you can be a white collar criminal and an administrator and stay forever

another example Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> fo Wrote:
>
> >
> > Maybe she is undergoing cancer treatments? I
> work
> > with a lady like that and she's out a lot. Who
> > the hell knows?
>
> That's what disability and FMLA are for. There's
> close to 30 kids waiting for a teacher to come in
> every day - if you are going to be out constantly
> for whatever reason for a long period of time, the
> school Principal should be telling the teacher to
> go out on FMLA or disability. It's not fair to
> the students to have a revolving door of
> substitutes for months at a time. It really a
> failure of management.

I went to Lanier Middle School in Fairfax City for seventh grade. My math teacher got breast cancer and I ended up having close to thirty substitute teachers. The next year my parents had me transferred to Rocky Run Intermediate, and into GT as well. The difference between these two schools and my experience was profound. It matters where you send your kid to school!!

Never Gotten Fired Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Here's a list of what will happen if these crimes
> within the County of Fairfax happen on the job:
>
> Child Molestation
> Harrassment
> Bullying
> Not Showing Up For Work
> Stealing
> Robbery
> Larceny
> Conspiring to Murder
> Murder For Hire
> Solicitation
> Tresspassing
> Drug Dealing
> Illegal Weapon/Selling
> DUI
> DWI
> Gossip (depends on what is said and who said what)
>
>
> Crime is crime. Once you get arrested and put in
> jail, you are automatically fired for life. You
> can NEVER get back into the county as an FCPS
> employee.


Interesting that conspiring to murder and murder for hire are on the list but not murder. Just don't tell anyone and don't take money and you can murder and keep your job.

@What - sure............you go ahead and believe that one....

Open school in a snow day, DUMBASS FCPS

heres what is rampant and not on the list: sexual harassment, conflict of interest , lying cheating stealing, being an asshole-the character traits of administrators will get you up the food chain in FCPS- what doesnt work: being effective, kids like you...testing is all that matters, FCPS sucks

Don't like fcps? Send your kids to private school. Don't like private school or fcps? Move the fuck away! Maybe one of the southern schools will be more to your tastes.

I know a FCPS teacher who was fired for showing up for work drunk.

Can you be fired for being as dumb as a box of rocks? What if you can't write coherently and/or send a simple email that's not rife with spelling, grammar and usage errors? What if the labels in your classroom that help emerging readers are misspelled? What about sending home a spelling list WITH spelling errors? What if you, as a parent, are considered an elitist snob for correcting these errors and bringing it to the attention of the teacher?

I went to a small liberal arts college and had classes with many teachers-in- training. collectively, this group whined and complained about their coursework and struggled in core classes. The education majors were not serious academics and certainly not the top students. I know that most states, including Virginia, no longer allow a declared major of Education, but let's just say that the teachers I know now aren't setting the world on fire with their intellectual brillance.

Snail Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I know a FCPS teacher who was fired for showing up
> for work drunk.

Since when is that a fireable offense? I'm glad I show up sober. But sure as hell am drunk by 10:30 am.

Snail Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I know a FCPS teacher who was fired for showing up
> for work drunk.


TJAT WAS LCPS SORRRY FOR THE MIS UNDERSTANDING

The problem is the inconsistency with principals. In some schools the principals let the teachers get away with all kinds of stuff. This encourages other teachers (who might normally follow the rules) to do the same. If a principal is too "nice", the staff walks all over him/her. Of course these principals attract the teachers who are seeking to "get away with something". So you get some schools where the problem just multiplies. The principals set the tone for the school and they need to be chosen VERY carefully. There are some teachers who are fabulous inside the classroom, but are not terribly collegial and can annoy people because they are eccentric or have idiosyncracies. The principal needs to be careful not to be biased against these types (they are usually much smarter than the principal and the kids learn a lot from them). Unfortunately, these types usually need some protections (it's hard for humans to put aside their biases).

An easy way to get the shaft from FCPS is to report other teachers for misconduct.

If you think a teacher is targeting/bullying your kid in any way, or if another kid is bullying your child, a hidden camera/mic does wonders for evidence. They come as small as keychains or pens now, no one would even guess its a camera unless they actually had it in their hands.

That is all.

My Biology teacher is never here and she still working

Canya Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Can you be fired for being as dumb as a box of
> rocks? What if you can't write coherently and/or
> send a simple email that's not rife with spelling,
> grammar and usage errors? What if the labels in
> your classroom that help emerging readers are
> misspelled? What about sending home a spelling
> list WITH spelling errors? What if you, as a
> parent, are considered an elitist snob for
> correcting these errors and bringing it to the
> attention of the teacher?

My son brought home a writing assignment the other day (elementary school) that his teacher 'corrected' by sprinkling unnecessary commas in just about every sentence. It's sad when you have to tell your kid to ignore the corrections, the teacher doesn't know what she's doing. I toyed with idea of buying her an 'Elements of Style', but I figured that was too in-your-face.

The typos and grammatical errors in the letters and e-mails home are quite amusing. Looking for them is really the only thing that motivates me to read them, and I'm never disappointed.

Why do you think so many incompetent people are going into teaching? Why do you think the colleges let these people through (graduating people who can't write)? Does a college education mean anything anymore?

The numbers are suspect. I believe there is an underlying cause for these numbers to be so low. Maybe they offer all teachers a resignation option before being fired. That would be foolhardy to pass up unless you're aiming for a lawsuit. Maybe he's not counting teachers let go due to criminal incidents. No way did only 4 teachers out of 14000 get fired.

grammar! Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Canya Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Can you be fired for being as dumb as a box of
> > rocks? What if you can't write coherently
> and/or
> > send a simple email that's not rife with
> spelling,
> > grammar and usage errors? What if the labels
> in
> > your classroom that help emerging readers are
> > misspelled? What about sending home a spelling
> > list WITH spelling errors? What if you, as a
> > parent, are considered an elitist snob for
> > correcting these errors and bringing it to the
> > attention of the teacher?
>
> My son brought home a writing assignment the other
> day (elementary school) that his teacher
> 'corrected' by sprinkling unnecessary commas in
> just about every sentence. It's sad when you have
> to tell your kid to ignore the corrections, the
> teacher doesn't know what she's doing. I toyed
> with idea of buying her an 'Elements of Style',
> but I figured that was too in-your-face.
>
> The typos and grammatical errors in the letters
> and e-mails home are quite amusing. Looking for
> them is really the only thing that motivates me to
> read them, and I'm never disappointed.


Let me guess, Dogwood Elementary?

catch a pedo-teacher doodling a childs no-nos in the act, otherwise you cannot. Teachers will continue to doodle until they get caught cus that's how they roll.

From my experience and understanding, you basically have to commit a felony offense to be fired at any point in the year. "Dismissed" seems to cover only those teachers terminated for a criminal offense. There are many more teachers who don't have their contracts renewed at the end of the school year. (Yes, they ended up getting shuffled around the county or to another county.) Determining which criminal offenses deserve firing seems arbitrary. A former teacher at my previous school was quietly asked to leave after he admitted to having sex with a student. He ended up at another school in the next county over. He should have gone to jail.

It's really a shame. As a teacher, I am embarrassed by the lack of professionalism among my colleagues. I make an effort to look professional, be prompt and organized, and put time and effort into my teaching. It makes me angry that I get the same paycheck as my special-ed co-teacher (nothing against special ed, just this one person) who shows up late to every class (or not at all), does no planning or grading, and is more concerned with being friends with the kids. Complaining would make for an awkward teaching situation, so I keep my mouth shut and bear it. She dresses inappropriately (skimpy clothes on a not-so-slim body), speaks incorrectly (poor grammar, incorrect use of vocabulary... in an English class), and can't do any better than the kids on the lessons. She should be fired. Why isn't she? Because her students' scores are relatively good despite her absence from the classroom (thanks to my teaching them consistently). I'm not trying to toot my own horn--but this is the reality of public education.

I know of a case where a teacher was having a relationship with a student in Arlington County. Arlington County asked them to resign and they got hired by Fairfax County.


Woodson Mom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Well, a teacher abusing special ed students for
> years at Woodson HS wasn't dismissed - she wasn't
> even re-assigned to a another student population.
> Parents and other teachers notified the
> administration that she was abusing those kids,
> and nothing happened.
>
> I think that the media needs to get involved
> before FCPS will fire anyone.

Thank the unions for this.


dead wood Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> From today's Post:
>
> "a U.S. Education Department survey found that, on
> average, Virginia school districts dismissed 1.3
> percent of their teachers in 2007-08. Last school
> year in Fairfax County, which has about 14,000
> teachers, two veteran teachers were dismissed for
> cause, and two others resigned before they could
> be fired.
>
> “I think we have the tools currently to get rid
> of teachers who are ineffective,” said Richard
> Moniuszko, Fairfax’s deputy superintendent."
>
> Out of 14,000 FCPS teachers, only 0.03% were fired
> for cause? Really? That's probably less than the
> number that were arrested last year. So we are to
> believe that FCPS is so effective in recruiting
> and professional development that their rate of
> dismissals is almost 50 times lower that even the
> low 1.4% in Virginia statewide.

Although I think it is a problem to get rid of truly bad teachers, most of the teachers parents want to get rid of aren't bad, it is the parents that are bad and overly demanding. They are too cheap to pay for private school and too lazy too homeschool, so they decide instead the answer is to be a bully. The helicopter parents are raising narcistic spoiled brats who will most likely become bad people just like themselves. They think the teachers are always against them and instead of being two adults working together they choose to be their kids attorney/friend.
Who turns to another adult and asks a child "is that true'?



fo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Awww, are you mad that you can't demand the firing
> of a teacher that refuses to grant every whim of
> your's and all the other helicopter parents?
>
> There's a reason for that----there wouldn't be a
> single fucking teacher left in FCPS.

Many who go into teaching are actually quite competent. The problem is that they don't stay because dealing with the parents is so difficult when so many of the parents act like children. Helicopter parents, parents who think the school is a daycare, and parents who never hold their kid accountable....ever. You want good teachers to stay then don't treat them like they are your employee/slave.


Did they go to real college? Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Why do you think so many incompetent people are
> going into teaching? Why do you think the
> colleges let these people through (graduating
> people who can't write)? Does a college education
> mean anything anymore?

katiesmith Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> They
> think the teachers are always against them and
> instead of being two adults working together they
> choose to be their kids attorney/friend.
> Who turns to another adult and asks a child "is
> that true'?
>

Who asks a child to verify what their teacher has said? After you see utter disorganization in the classroom, sporadic grading, inability to put out report cards on time, attendance issues, lack of mastery of the subject matter, and slovenly dress - to name just a few - believing the teacher as if it's the word of God is not what you are going to get from most parents. Want respect? Behave in a way that commands it, and don't tolerate poor behavior among your peers either.

his not fired

MR.THOMAS POT SMOKER Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> his not fired


Were his eyes bloodshot? Was he chowing down a bag of dorritos during class

What about horrible principals? I'm sure they're out there, but how do you know unless you have a sit down with one?

Wow. I came across this by accident doing a Google search for something else and I have to say, I haven't felt so insulted in a while. Also, now I understand where students these days learn such disrespect. Just because you are behind a screen does not mean you have the right to publicly bash an entire profession.

There are people who should be fired in every profession, but as an FCPS employee I can say that there are plenty more effective teachers than an average school district, and good teachers far outnumber bad ones. Unfortunately, our society doesn't value teachers and apparently many people think that they are not the most intelligent of people. They make assumptions about all because of one and complain rather than take real action.

I am not saying FCPS has the best policies; it's a bureaucracy and it's imperfect. However, I would like to correct a few things:
1 unions have nothing to do with teachers keeping their jobs - teacher unions in VA are an absolute joke.
2 if you want to retain good teachers and get rid of the losers, consider an actual respectable pay increase, at least to those who deserve it. Tax payers have a say in this!
3 I have a BA in English from a competitive university, recently noted for having the smartest students in the nation, and I have colleagues who went there too. I could have entered any number of professions, but CHOSE to teach your kids because I enjoy it. Things like this all-to-common thread make me enjoy it less.
4 I have a masters degree in elementary education and have attended many hours of additional graduate classes and professional development in my 8 years of teaching. Many of my colleagues have advanced degrees as well. We respect the intelligence of engineers, doctors, and lawyers with such degrees. Why not teachers?
5. Parents carry a lot of weight. Go complain to the superintendent instead of whining online and teaching your kids to do the same.

Hahaha As a teacher of kids, one thing I know is you can't tell an adult anything they their agenda doesn't want to hear.. So your fairly well written post is about to be treated like Hitler's diary. wait for it...

...and because I believe grammar is important, *all-too-common

All this bitching about FCPS. Why? If you send your kid to public school you hate them so why do you care about FCPS? A real parent would never subject their child to a public school and have people they don't even know teach their children. To me that is just child abuse.

Annemh Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Wow. I came across this by accident doing a Google
> search for something else and I have to say, I
> haven't felt so insulted in a while. Also, now I
> understand where students these days learn such
> disrespect. Just because you are behind a screen
> does not mean you have the right to publicly bash
> an entire profession.
>
> There are people who should be fired in every
> profession, but as an FCPS employee I can say that
> there are plenty more effective teachers than an
> average school district, and good teachers far
> outnumber bad ones. Unfortunately, our society
> doesn't value teachers and apparently many people
> think that they are not the most intelligent of
> people. They make assumptions about all because of
> one and complain rather than take real action.
>
> I am not saying FCPS has the best policies; it's a
> bureaucracy and it's imperfect. However, I would
> like to correct a few things:
> 1 unions have nothing to do with teachers keeping
> their jobs - teacher unions in VA are an absolute
> joke.

Then get out of the union.

> 2 if you want to retain good teachers and get rid
> of the losers, consider an actual respectable pay
> increase, at least to those who deserve it. Tax
> payers have a say in this!

FFX county teachers are paid extremely well.


> 3 I have a BA in English from a competitive
> university, recently noted for having the smartest
> students in the nation, and I have colleagues who
> went there too. I could have entered any number of
> professions, but CHOSE to teach your kids because
> I enjoy it. Things like this all-to-common thread
> make me enjoy it less.

You have an English degree. All that is good for is teaching. You're not fooling anybody.

> 4 I have a masters degree in elementary education
> and have attended many hours of additional
> graduate classes and professional development in
> my 8 years of teaching. Many of my colleagues have
> advanced degrees as well. We respect the
> intelligence of engineers, doctors, and lawyers
> with such degrees. Why not teachers?

Uh, are you serious? Gotta be a troll. You're a baby sitter at best.


> 5. Parents carry a lot of weight. Go complain to
> the superintendent instead of whining online and
> teaching your kids to do the same.

All you did is come on here and bitch. I guarantee you're a liberal bitch with too much time on their hands and a busy body. Don't worry, you'll have your 3 month paid vacation soon.

Worthless cunt.

Annemh Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> There are people who should be fired in every
> profession, but as an FCPS employee I can say that
> there are plenty more effective teachers than an
> average school district,

You point is that FCPS sucks less? If that the approach for our 'world class' schools?

> They make assumptions about all because of
> one and complain rather than take real action.

If you've been through enough years at FCPS with your kids, it's not one. Maybe one per grade, but a whole lot more than one.

> 2 if you want to retain good teachers and get rid
> of the losers, consider an actual respectable pay
> increase, at least to those who deserve it.

You are well paid. State requires 990 hours of instruction time per year. Average teacher salary in FCPS is 60K/year - higher in older grades. That would be an average of $66/hr. That's working 5.5 hours per day, 180 days of the year. If you were to compare that to a commercial job working approx 1800 hours per year, that's $118K per year. Now, in absolute terms it's a lot less, but by looking at in the number of hours worked, you are being paid very well, even if you throw in all those 'nights and weekends' you have to spend grading papers for the same subject you've taught for years and years.

Even if you say those are 8 hours days not 5.5, you are still making more than $40/hr. And that's just the average. Classroom teachers top out at over 100K/year in FCPS.


> 4 I have a masters degree in elementary education
> and have attended many hours of additional
> graduate classes and professional development in
> my 8 years of teaching.

Most likely from GMU, paid for by FCPS. Professional development paid for with in service days when you were on the clock.

@Annemh - not too sure why yr getting all the venom.

no, I'm wrong. I've seen what y'all deal with............so I guess I do know LoLz

pic unrelated
Attachments:

Amazing.
Let me just clarify:
I DON'T belong to a union and never said I did. If you were my student, I'd teach you to read more carefully. VA is a "right to work" state. Unions can accomplish very little. I belonged briefly until I realized just how little the union can do, and how much of my paycheck was going towards union dues.

I actually earned my Masters from UVA and not a cent was paid for by FCPS. In fact, I am still paying student loans for this degree.

Summer break is actually when a lot of professional development happens, and teachers often pay for it themselves. That summer break is about 8 weeks, btw, not three months and it's unpaid.

I love the fact that you think you can calculate my pay based on 5.5 hrs a day, I believe it was. My students are at school from 9-4. Do the math for that first. I am at school from 8 to at least 5, usually later each day and then there are the additional hours at home. I just have to laugh at that math.

Obviously I like what I'm doing enough to keep doing it even though the pay increase has been minimal, at best. Does not even cover cost of living increase in the area. I'm okay without more money if I could at least get a little respect. I work hard for my money and take pride in my work. My students are happy and most pass advanced on all their SOL's, which is what so many use to judge teacher success. Parents of my students are also happy. But seriously, send your child elsewhere if you hate it so much. That's one less to deal with in a growing population.

I won't dignify the poster above you with an answer, but would love to know what he does for a living, if anything.

I've said my two cents and have now lost a little faith in my Fairfax community. I'll stick with inspiring and educating young minds and get my peace there.

I don't think you read carefully enough to catch this, either, but the comment about unions was in response to a previous poster saying that unions are why teachers can't be fired, which is far from the truth.

I teach, plan, and grade for multiple subjects a day, actually,and enjoy the challenge of switching up grade levels every so often, so clearly it's not the same thing year after year, but so what if it were? It would still be time and effort invested - many jobs are repetitive in what one does, but you're not making any sort of point there. Your argument needs work. Do you not get that it's thanks to a teacher that you can write your thoughts on here in the first place? Why such bitterness? Go do some good in the world.

+1. Mad huh?

Annemh Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I don't think you read carefully enough to catch
> this, either, but the comment about unions was in
> response to a previous poster saying that unions
> are why teachers can't be fired, which is far from
> the truth.
>
> I teach, plan, and grade for multiple subjects a
> day, actually,and enjoy the challenge of switching
> up grade levels every so often, so clearly it's
> not the same thing year after year, but so what if
> it were? It would still be time and effort
> invested - many jobs are repetitive in what one
> does, but you're not making any sort of point
> there. Your argument needs work. Do you not get
> that it's thanks to a teacher that you can write
> your thoughts on here in the first place? Why
> such bitterness? Go do some good in the world.

I am nothing but a basic parent and I am sick and tired of nasty remarks made about teachers and how easy they have it. You really put it out there. You don't have it easy. It goes on and on and on and on. Weekends, evenings, summer, holidays. Planning takes up a huge amount of time. You don't just walk into a classroom and pull it off without planning. Thank you for what you do for our children.

What an incompetent liberal bitch. You assholes actually hate your children enough that you'll let a failure at life like this cunt "teach" them?

Public school is run by failures at life for future failures. Libs have destroyed public education.

wonderfully put Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Annemh Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I don't think you read carefully enough to
> catch
> > this, either, but the comment about unions was
> in
> > response to a previous poster saying that
> unions
> > are why teachers can't be fired, which is far
> from
> > the truth.
> >
> > I teach, plan, and grade for multiple subjects
> a
> > day, actually,and enjoy the challenge of
> switching
> > up grade levels every so often, so clearly it's
> > not the same thing year after year, but so what
> if
> > it were? It would still be time and effort
> > invested - many jobs are repetitive in what one
> > does, but you're not making any sort of point
> > there. Your argument needs work. Do you not get
> > that it's thanks to a teacher that you can
> write
> > your thoughts on here in the first place? Why
> > such bitterness? Go do some good in the world.
>
> I am nothing but a basic parent and I am sick and
> tired of nasty remarks made about teachers and how
> easy they have it. You really put it out there.
> You don't have it easy. It goes on and on and on
> and on. Weekends, evenings, summer, holidays.
> Planning takes up a huge amount of time. You don't
> just walk into a classroom and pull it off without
> planning. Thank you for what you do for our
> children.


WTF is wrong with you? Clearly you're just another anti child lib.
Public school teachers are there for one reason only. The 3 month paid vacation. They are the English majors in college who never wanted to try.

Thanks, "wonderfully put" parent poster. Much appreciated.

The poster below you could use some vocabulary development. And manners. And a dictionary. I love the assumption of my political leanings, too. Clearly lacking in background knowledge. It's okay, though. I would still be willing to teach him. He'll learn at some point.

Annemh Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks, "wonderfully put" parent poster. Much
> appreciated.
>
> The poster below you could use some vocabulary
> development. And manners. And a dictionary. I love
> the assumption of my political leanings, too.
> Clearly lacking in background knowledge. It's
> okay, though. I would still be willing to teach
> him. He'll learn at some point.

I don't think he will ever learn. And yes, they could use some buffing on their vocab and manners.

Well, you can get fired from fcps by...

Turning up here http://police.onlyinnova.com/

Or here http://www.fairfaxunderground.com/arrests/

Of course, if you are lucky, your employer tries the search feature at FFU. rofl

Annemh Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks, "wonderfully put" parent poster. Much
> appreciated.
>
> The poster below you could use some vocabulary
> development. And manners. And a dictionary. I love
> the assumption of my political leanings, too.
> Clearly lacking in background knowledge. It's
> okay, though. I would still be willing to teach
> him. He'll learn at some point.

An English major with a masters who starts sentences with the word "and". Typical failure at life and the typical teacher that libs want their kids (that they hate) to learn from because they are too self important to give a shit about their child's success in life.

Epic fail!

Man, give it a rest. She schooled you. Read a book. Sentences sometimes start with and, my friend. And it's "failure," not fail.

Hfg Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Man, give it a rest. She schooled you. Read a
> book. Sentences sometimes start with and, my
> friend. And it's "failure," not fail.

+1000

It is well established that there are only two ways to get fired:

- let it slip that you are Christian
- criticize the Dear Leader Obama.

Misuse/mismanagement of public funds is CERTAINLY not a reason to be fired.

White collar crime is completely ignored.

AnneMh Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I actually earned my Masters from UVA and not a
> cent was paid for by FCPS. In fact, I am still
> paying student loans for this degree.

Make sure you sign up for that loan forgiveness from Uncle Sugar with your gubm't job. 10 years and all is forgiven.

... and lots of teachers who should not be fired or harassed by their admin, but are due to good ol' boy politics.