Helping "connect some of the dots" on PLCs

*DING*DING*DING*  ...and we have a winner folks!!

HMMMM isn't that the norm...really enjoyed your response there support!!!

I regret to say that I agree with it being impossible to measure...however, it is impossible because of how this is all set up...there's NO way it will work and create the "success" it is suppose to be.

 As for your question about PLCs

All you have to do is research and figure out what is done.

For me...and my staff.

WE have to come up with yet another strategy...also referred to as "The Teacher now has to become the parent to these low performing children"

We have hashed over hours and hours of ways to meet the needs, hours and hours of ways to implement and target each and every individual need of the children.  A teacher is limited to the manpower and hours we work.

Teachers can not be expected to make up for the slack of the parents that do not parent.  I am referring to parents that don't care for their children, who are negative role models, deal drugs, abuse, neglect, never attend a meeting or conference, never read at night with thier child(ren) and never once sit down to help with their child's homework.  The list goes on and on.  WE the teachers simply are saying, stop MAKING us come up with one more impossible thing to do, where unfortunately the kids we are talking about were born with at least 2 strikes against them in life.  I am sorry for this, I do all I can, but I do have other children with other needs that's just as important as the low performing children.  That need will never change...the only way to change it is...for the world to end ...or we raise them just as soon as they are delivered in the hospital on their birth date.  I keep a record of my children in my room, with every homework list, every email I reply and write, each and every interium report, and every reminder and hint to give to the parents that don't do a thing with their children. That's my proof of what I  do during the day and my connection with my parents.  The ball has to be thrown back onto the parents like I just described.  FORCING us to sit down and talk about the SAME OLE ISSUES year after year....does nothing!  Never has and nothing will.

PLC's will be like TRAILBLAZERS...the best thing...it will solve every problem.  However..the power hungry WCPSS...presented it as... THIS IS the program you will use!  YOU WILL teach this as the only resource. YOU WILL not use other sources, since we want "consistency" across the grade levels.  THIS WILL BE the only thing you use.  Well...the teachers were not fools, we saw right through it.  Year after year...we would get updates of changes and then we would get updates on how to supplement skills that TRAILBLAZERS didn't cover.  It was amazing...OH lets not forget...how Math Trailblazers is here to stay...LOL ...i got so much satisfaction when this was thrown to the curb so fast a few months ago when we adopted the new program.  PLC will be done the same way.  Someone make a note of this...and I'll smile with "glee" in a few years.

My PLC is are more likely different than another schools....due to the principals role, and the goal for that school.  We are just saying...LET ME TEACH...that's what I signed up to do.  I didn't sign up to waste time, writing out a plan, writing out agendas, and notes, and forms...so that we can send them to you SUPPORTER.....so that you can keep your job up there on WAKE FOREST RD>

 Everyone!!!  Supporter here.....just wants me to disclose more and more about "my PlC's" so they can do a little more investigating to find out "where " i work and then they can apply the heat to me! :-)

But I'm not stupid LOL...i'll give you just enough information...but that's it...nothing more and nothing less.

Have a great day guys!!

Parents, go out and talk with your child's teacher...open up a discussion, and listen.  IF you have friends that are teachers...talk with them, lend an ear, you can learn so much.  Supporter....get out of your office...go visit a school and do my dirty work....it won't be long before you will starting whistling a different tune!

Teach248,

Thank you for your comments.  My concern is that all the 1 hour releases and early releases places an extra burden on parents especially since the releases will happen on Wednesdays.  I still don't understand why the releases couldn't be on Fridays....at least that would have allowed for a compromise with parents.  Also, I firmly believe that we need to measure this to see if it works or not.  If there are no measures then there will be no accountability.  If, after a year, the measures suggest success, then yes we should continue it (although the release dates should be changed to Fridays).  In the same manner, if the measures show that the PLCs are not providing benefits then we should stop the program.  Please let me know your thoughts. Am I missing something with this proposed approach?

I hope you have also had a chance to see comments on this blog that are not dismissive of teachers. I think part of the negativity on this particular issue has been a communication and timing issue.

Most parents do not understand PLCs, many have not even heard of them. I'd never heard of PLCs at the school we attended last year. Most parents did not hear about the bell schedule change in advance of the decision. What they do know is that suddenly they have to scramble to rearrange their family, childcare and work schedules for next year for something they do not understand and in which they had no input. I know there were four parents on the committee, but from a parent's perspective unless you were one of those four parents or were asked by one of those four parents, or at least warned by your school, you had no input.

Personally, I think most teachers work really hard and certainly the good ones here do not get paid their worth. I understand that teachers feel frustrated when people do not appreciate how hard they work. A lot of working parents work really hard and long hours too and it feels like that was not appreciated, so parents are feeling frustrated too. I think the not on Fridays issue did not help either, especially with people who are expected to stay until 5 or later at their jobs on Fridays. Wednesdays or Fridays did not matter to me personally, but I think the comment about hurting teacher morale if students got to leave early but teachers had to stay did not come across well -- sort of feeds the "they just want to have their day end by 3:00 and take 12 weeks off per year" misconception.

Also, the overall level of parental frustration grows the more times that it feels WCPSS pulls the rug out from under parents. Some parents have had the rug pulled out from under them at least once or more already with reassignments and MYR. I have. As I put it in another post they have had their carefully stacked house of cards coordinating work, home and school location, work demands, family schedule, and childcare blown down. Personally, I want to keep being a good parent and doing all the right things, but the more times I have to restack my cards the less energy I have to do it all.

I don't know how many schools you have worked in and know you cannot say to protect your anonymity, but is it possible that your school is a model school and another school may not be using PLCs as beneficially? Having been a parent in two different schools, it seems there is a lot of disparity between schools as far as school leadership, teaching methods, vision, attitude, respect for parental input, etc. and I get the impression that at some schools the needs of the above average kids do not get the same focus  -- another source of parental frustration.

I hope that makes sense and I hope you continue to post.

LOL this is too funny.

as I said in a past post...just look up on the internet and you can find the very same information on what "PLC " is all about.

NOTHING you have proven.  BUT good try though.

I didn't say I wanted to "micro manage" the teachers, I just want to know, like another poster just pointed out, why these meetings are SOOOOO important that they had to rush this vote through in matter of weeks. 

I want to know what goes on at PLC meetings. As a TAXPAYER I want to know what goes on in these meetings.  As a parent, I want to know how they promote student success and how it is measured (as pointed out by the other poster.)

 I didn't call you "sunshine and rainbows", it was more a knock on ME! I want to stop being the negative person you label me as! I want to buy into all of the crap WCPSS dishes out to parents, but the problem is, I was not raised to sit back and be walked on. What idiots I had for parents, huh?

I feel totally manipulated, walked on, talked down to, igonred, bullied.... by WCPSS!  All I want are answers to my questions.  The question on the table right now , and no one is answering it on this blog anyway, is WHAT PLC'S ARE GOOD FOR?

Are the teachers supporting it or are we being told by the teacher's association they are supporting it.

What an intelligent question you have expressed here rr77rr99!

Teachers for too long have been looked at as the "lesser" ones in the arena called education.  The profession has mainly been women.  Women are suppose to mild, meek, and obey.  Well, this day and time, WOMEN don't fit that mold anymore.  There's many of us out there working hard for every child our classroom and when the people up in "upper manag." start rolling out the requirements of the "newest" and latest things"  we get our feathers up in a ruffle.  I carry myself as a proud teacher...and a proud woman.  I have a voice.  I am tired of being made out the fool and I am tired of being "bullied" by my so called "leaders".

That's why I am speaking out.  I wish I could get more teachers to come here and share and speak....but they are too "scared"...fearing that somehow they could be "found out".  ISN'T THAT SAD!!!

Isn't that pretty much bullying!!!!  LOL

I'm at the point in my career...where I don't care, I am going to voice my concern and opinion whether you agree or disagree.  STOP pushing more "$hit" across my desk and TELLING me YOU ARE, or YOU WILL do this!   That isn't the approach.  IT certainly isn't the approach I use with my kids in my classroom!  I treat them with respect at all times, and I JUST want that same respect in return from my peers.

As I said before in another post...PARENTS...you are now getting a good taste of the "mess" that teachers have had to put up with for decades.  YOU DEAL WITH IT and move on....LOL....im just kidding...however sadly...this has been the way things have and are done.

Please get the word out....continue to pressure WCPSS.  There's got to be something we can do to save our sanity and save the system from loosing out on good teachers and VALUABLE teachign time.

As a teacher...I would give up every early dismissal day from now to eternity.  This shows how much value they are for us.  JUST LET ME TEACH MY CHILDREN!!!!!  Is that such a hard concept to comprehend and grasp??????