On the October 31st Kojo Nnamdi radio program on WAMU, Superintendent Starr admitted that the elementary school proposal is not tied to the high school start time proposal. So why is Superintendent Starr lumping these two proposals into one recommendation?
Answer: The teachers' union wants more planning time for elementary school teachers because of the demands of the Pearson/MCPS Curriculum 2.0 implementation. The high school start time issue provides a popular "carrot" with which to slip in the union's expensive demand.
Answer: The teachers' union wants more planning time for elementary school teachers because of the demands of the Pearson/MCPS Curriculum 2.0 implementation. The high school start time issue provides a popular "carrot" with which to slip in the union's expensive demand.
Bet you didn't know that a group of MCPS administrators and teachers' union representatives have been working on the elementary school planning time issue for a year?
Meetings of the JOINT WORKGROUP ON ELEMENTARY PLANNING were held in 2012 on November 8, November 28, December 18, and in 2013, on January 9, January 31, February 28, May 15, and May 30.
Meetings of the JOINT WORKGROUP ON ELEMENTARY PLANNING were held in 2012 on November 8, November 28, December 18, and in 2013, on January 9, January 31, February 28, May 15, and May 30.
The Joint Workgroup was to make recommendations to the MCEA and MCPS Bargaining Teams for discussion and inclusion in contract negotiations. The Workgroup report was completed June 1, 2013, but was not made public until September 23, 2013, just a week before Superintendent Starr's press conference on high school start times.
The goal of the Workgroup was to develop and prioritize options for increasing planning time within the student day. Here's the Report.
Another story the Post won't cover.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the extra 30 minutes could be for daily PE??
ReplyDeleteWhat do you imagine that will cost in salary and benefits for the additional PE teachers? any idea? $30 million? There is a cost associated with adding in more teachers.
DeleteWhy would they need so much more planning time? The curriculum comes in binders, scripted.
ReplyDeleteTraining, YES - there has been training given as close to THE WEEK BEFORE a new marking period's curriculum was to begin (that's when they got the binders, as it was being rolled out year by year and apparently quarter by quarter). But more TIME in the school day?
And from where will this time come? Will kids actually begin to get longer specials, or perhaps specials more than once weekly?
Elementary kids are already spending far far too much time in seats, especially the younger kids. No way should a 5YO or a 6YO be spending so much time putting pencil to paper. I absolutely cannot countenance the idea of a longer school day for elementary school.
One would hope that the proposal gets more "refined" as it nears implementation. As "option d" looks to be the choice of Dr. Starr, it should be noted that it includes more specials for the kids (a great idea). But it also includes more recess (unsupervised opportunities for bullying for some kids) and the kicker - weekly or monthly early release days. Working parents will LOVE that!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 11/4 12:38 pm, "the curriculum comes in binders, scripted", really? Are you in a classroom? If so, your students must love the monotonous presentation of material you provide. I know there are those pushing for that but I know just as many good teachers pushing back, wanting their individuality to shine through (which can make for better teachers). Planning time - individual or collaborative - can be a good thing and elementary teachers actually have less of it than secondary. But, I agree that the elementary students, especially the younger ones, are too overwhelmed by the current workload and I am not an advocate of the extended day nor are the elementary teachers I know. Unfortunately the teachers I know who are advocates for the children tend to be in the minority. They too are disillusioned by their colleagues. But, when your leadership is out of the classroom for years this happens. And yes, Janis, they recognize the need to challenge the status quo of their union, its leadership and its system.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: If elementary teachers need more "planning time" why can't that just be added to the school day? Why do the students have to hang around the school for that planning time? That is the proposal being put forward: find a way to keep the kids busy while the teachers have more planning time.
DeleteI have not said that I teach from the binders - just that the curriculum comes in them. There are still teachers here who close the door and do it their way when they can. Why in the world would you assume that I am one who teaches from the script? I know there are teachers out there who hate what their profession is becoming. Want to see scripted and scary? http://www.engageny.org/resource/common-core-video-series-kindergarten-mathematics-double-10-frames This is the *absolute opposite* of the way I teach; the day I am told I *must* teach anything like this is the day I turn around and walk out the door of the principal's office, and I'll thank you to not make the assumption that I would do otherwise.
DeleteElementary teachers have far FAR less planning time than their secondary colleagues; being compensated for the longer hours they must put in after school hours I don't have a problem with in the least, but there is no need for the students to be in school longer for that to happen. If they are willing to pay the elementary teachers for that extra 30 minutes, then increase the duty hours for elementary school teachers and pay them accordingly - and let the kids go home!
I'm not a teacher, but if I'm salaried and you propose adding 120+hours to my work requirement then you better be damned sure you're going to pay. Oh, and you should be paying time+half, this is overtime, right? I'm a CPA, I make sure I'm paid for the work I do, what's fair is fair, "Doctor" Starr isn't giving away proportional salary, why should those who do the actual work give up more than they already give to the county..unpaid and apparently, unappreciated? Sinc Starr's taken over his answer to everything has been cuts to teacher pay/raises or increasing teacher workload, wow, way to appreciate those doing the actual work, dick.
ReplyDelete