Honestly, there’s zero pressure coming from school itself. It’s basically the same as it’s always been—actually, the curriculum feels even lighter these days—and the teachers are all just walking on eggshells, trying to stay out of trouble... The real weight is coming from parents demanding nothing less than straight A's. Then you've got the peer pressure, too—everyone feeling like they need the latest iPhone or those specific designer sneakers just to fit in. School isn't the one driving that cycle.
hiddenseal14 said:I truly hope this all turns out to be nothing more than some tall tale.
Which ones? You mean what that manchild wrote, or my own attempts at calling people out if they ever try that stuff with me? Because honestly, I’d do it—even if it was the very last thing I ever did at this school.
What really gets to me is how much of a man-child my colleague is—he just casually tosses around phrases like he’s some kind of victim being "harassed" by everyone. I honestly wonder what his plan is if his students just decide to stop showing up entirely because they're done with chemistry. Would he actually bother filing the truancy reports, or would he just shrug his shoulders and pretend it isn't his problem?
Man, if I were actually that lady, everyone would be scrambling to file complaints with the inspectors, the Department of Education, the local county offices, and even the NCES—you just know there’d be a massive, endless chain reaction of people trying to overturn every single decision made.
We really need to close that gap—and I mean narrow it down so much that even the kids living downtown have the exact same opportunities as those out in the suburbs. I mean, what’s the point of having music lessons or sports programs in the city if the kids in the outskirts are totally left behind? Everyone should be able to stay late for after-school activities until 5:00 PM! 👍It’s just a total fantasy right now.
Also, I had another question: what age group are you actually enrolling? From what I’ve been hearing through the grapevine, there's a massive amount of interest from parents in the metro area—mostly because of that free after-school program, which sounds amazing, honestly—but at the same time, the parents whose kids are already in the pilot programs are actually looking into transferring them to schools that aren't part of the experiment at all.
rowdypanther12 said:Does anyone remember the name of that journalist over at NBC who covers education? I can't seem to Google it—my brain is just totally fried today. I want to see if she's ever done an interview or a segment on this topic; from what I recall, she’s actually pretty sharp and really knows her stuff.
There was actually a full episode of her show on Yahoo! (it airs Friday afternoons) dedicated entirely to this subject about a month ago. They brought in all sorts of people—supporters, critics, everyone from parents to the Secretary of Education—to get different perspectives. It was a really solid, well-researched deep dive, IMHO.
Susan James said:The real trouble is that these raises aren't being applied equally to everyone. My concern is that some teachers—maybe because their school is running an experimental program—might end up getting a full salary even without a full workload. (At least, that's how I understood what he was saying 🤔). Then you have the inequality in the classrooms: some first graders might be in school from 8 to 2 or even 5, with all meals provided and plenty of after-school activities included for free. Meanwhile, other kids will stay until 5 but parents will still be footing the bill for extra programs and meals. Some families just won't have that luxury... where is the "equality" they keep preaching about? 🤔
@manchild, let me know as soon as you hear what comes out of that meeting with the Los Angeles school principals regarding what exactly they'll be protesting. It looks like you're pretty much in the loop on this one! 🐔
Basically, those people who would have had a full schedule if we hadn't jumped into this experiment—meaning they'd hit their full hours normally, but now they won't because of how the hours are being counted—they’ll actually be paid for a full load for the duration of the trial. Take, say, a tech teacher who currently has 12 teaching hours, 2 hours of homeroom duty, and maybe picks up 4 more hours as an hourly staffer, then tops off the rest of their 24-hour week with extracurriculars and stuff—they'll keep getting their full paycheck just like before. Even though, strictly looking at the paperwork, nothing except actual classroom instruction counts toward their official working hours... which means on paper, they're only working 60% of the time. They'd get a little 2.5% bonus for homeroom and ExxonMobil, and they’d basically be doing all that extra hourly work out of pure love for the school (honestly, that was just some broke official from the Department of Education saying during a presentation when someone asked why anyone would bother with scheduling or shift lead duties if there's no pay involved for it)
And honestly, if you’re pulling extra hours because you’re teaching English or math, they just slap you with more responsibilities—as if that’s some kind of reward—and then, oh boy, will they "generously" pay you for it. Truly, we should all be throwing a parade! How incredibly selfless of them! Let’s all just celebrate this amazing generosity, shall we?
The pressure they're putting on schools is just unreal—people are telling me that these politically appointed principals are basically having backroom deals with the founders, then showing up at the school gates to announce they’re signing everyone up for this "experiment." In the smaller districts, it’s even worse; they’re practically bullying people, claiming that if they don't sign on, the whole school will be shuttered in a couple of years. They're making it sound like this is the only way anyone can even keep their job for the next four years.
Jason Morgan, she’s basically saying that when people pick an education major, they’re actually going into college with the intention of teaching—not that they end up stuck in a classroom because they couldn't land anything better, like someone else was arguing earlier.
I'm not entirely sure what you're getting at there—it feels like a bit of a typo or maybe just a random thought drifting through? If you were trying to say something specific, feel free to loop back and let me know. I tend to ramble a bit anyway, so I don't mind a little clarification! kaže: So, if you take what she said at face value—that her manager refuses to step in because he’d basically just be sitting around doing nothing—then you’ve got to look at the subtext there. It sounds like her boss isn't actually managing anything at all. He's just... well, he's essentially a ghost in the office. 🤣 Does anyone else at their school get the feeling that their principal isn't actually... doing anything? Like, at my place, it feels like they're constantly buried under a mountain of paperwork and chasing after some random certification—just endless bureaucracy, really. It’s kind of frustrating when you feel like the leadership is more focused on filing cabinets than what's actually happening in the hallways. 🤷
My kid just isn't listening—it’s like there's a total disconnect. I actually went as far as hiring a private consultant to step in and handle the discipline side of things, but honestly? It feels like a complete waste of money. The guy is basically just sitting around doing nothing while I'm left holding the bag. That’s exactly why our school system is falling apart—honestly, it’s pretty depressing when you think about it. They end up picking administrators who are basically just looking for the path of least resistance, which suits them perfectly. They go for the types who won't rock the boat, because let's face it, if they hire someone actually dedicated to making things better, that person is going to start working hard... and then the lazy ones would actually have to pick up the pace too. Nobody wants that kind of pressure, I guess.
Just a quick correction here—it’s not actually possible to bypass the school board. The board itself consists of two teachers, one staff member, one parent representative, and three representatives from the founding district. They make the final call on whether to sign up for the experimental program via a majority vote. However, they *can* technically go against the wishes of the teacher's council, the staff union, or the PTA. As long as they get just one vote from those four groups, they have enough leverage—and honestly, none of those individual members are legally bound to vote strictly according to whatever their respective councils decided. That rule only applies during principal elections; for everything else, they vote based on their own conscience and judgment, regardless of what the larger group wants. So, once you factor in those three founding representatives, getting into the experimental program becomes a lot easier.
Good grief, honestly... it’s just wild how these miserable, incompetent people can turn up their noses at the idea of working 30 hours a week directly with students in the public school system—acting all high and mighty like they can just knock out all their prep, grading, and endless paperwork in ten hours at home instead of the actual thirty it takes to support those classroom hours. And then—get this—they actually expect to be paid more than a cashier at a local Target! I mean, seriously, it’s either pure laziness or just straight-up greed. It’s honestly exhausting to watch.
But honestly, if you’re stuck teaching math or English, you’re looking at an obligatory 24 hours in the classroom—and then, if the principal feels like being extra, they might tack on some homeroom duties too (for basically peanuts), not to mention all the B1 stuff. Plus, there's the endless mountain of grading essays, formative assessments, and all those other paperwork headaches that come with the territory. It feels like every single year, these administrative tasks multiply faster than anything else—honestly, even rats have more discipline when it comes to staying organized than this school system does when it comes to multiplying its own bureaucracy. And hey, why stop there? Let's just have teachers stay through the night shift to handle student counseling, too. That sounds like a brilliant plan, right? Because, clearly, we're all being paid on par with neurosurgeons. ☕
So, instead of hitting that 10% benchmark, I was looking at what the grade level totals have actually been up to this point... and honestly? They basically just hit you with a -5% penalty.
hiddenseal14 said:It is quite frankly infuriating that there wasn't even a single gathering regarding CDS held in Miami 😬
It did happen at Getaldić, though—at least that’s what I heard from some folks. And apparently, people are saying they heard the exact same talking points being thrown around during those European People's Party events in both Seattle and Washington, D.C. Down in Seattle, the directors were supposedly mortified by the whole thing. The Washingtonians didn't really say much about how they felt, but over in San Francisco, I heard even a few of the directors were nodding along.