Wow, watching the way they turn on each other does not make me want to become a public school teacher.

I hate to think that good people would be discouraged from entering the system by this kind of attitude.

Yikes !!! What a nasty group of vipers. Who would work around them.Good move DC teacher Chic.

I haven't caught up with her blog in a while but I did read that the fact that she was physically assualted twice by her students this year and having to break up inumberable fights was the tipping point on top of things that have been brewing for some time now.

Good for her.
Thank god I never went into that profession.

For anyone who thinks it "unprofessional" that she (or any teacher) quit mid-year AFTER BEING ASSAULTED, let's have one of your coworkers punch you in the face (or other junky areas), oh, say, once a week, while your boss, the HR department and the company do nothing about it.

Let me know how long you last, 'k?

Until then, STFU on matters you nothing little to nothing about.

I am sick and tired of naifs like Kerry Sylvia trying to claim that my honest, truthful, and extraordinarily stressful complaints against DCPS teachers are unfounded. At our first DCPS elementary I worked with the principal and assistant principal who both seemed to be as good or better than Montgomery County counterparts I met. One had a PhD and the other was in a program. The teachers at this school though were universally terrible. There were literally THREE teachers in the school that I thought were above average, another 10 or so who were acceptable and every other teacher and aide was unacceptable. THANKFULLY Michelle Rhee's rules got 9 "teachers" fired from that school.

Let's talk about how these teachers behaved:
1. Missed approximately 20 days of school for reasons such as a broken foot or death of an cousin.
2. Did not turn in my children's work until the last day of school, including such projects as pumpkins and thanksgiving turkeys and handwriting examples which we didn't receive UNTIL THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!
3. Emails, letters and memos contained countless grammatical and some spelling errors which gave me no confidence that the children were learning English. My kids were speaking in a faux-English patois by the end of the year which they snapped out of in camp where the college students spoke real English.
4. His teachers drove up and parked many days around 8:30 for an 8:40 start and we saw them leave at 3:30pm when the lot cleared out. They were universally unprepared for classes.
5. Teachers incessantly played the "blame game" and one specific teacher complained that it was everyone else's problem (Rhee wanted too much change, the administration didn't support them, parents talked down to her with their law degress and PhDs. Then we find out over the summer that the teacher failed her Praxis exams- and every one of my friends who is a teacher claimed those exams are a cakewalk- and got fired. So the teacher, so far like every teacher I've spoken to, lied about who was REALLY responsible for her classroom failures.

FOR SHAME KERRY SYLVIA, FOR SHAME! You and Mayor Barry are one and the same.

Ha! The biggest variables are the kids and most importantly, parent involvement. Why would a kid listen to a teacher when he can literally do anything he wants at home? Guess what, school isn't supposed to be fun and games. Learning takes commitment - by both the kids and the parents.

Teachers are NOT the problem in these terrible schools. Why do you think the good ones all leave?

Kerry, you are simply uninformed on DCPS issues and misread my post. I and other parents at my school have been talking about your suspicious group and your policies to which we disagree.

I DO NOT CARE what the current underperforming teachers need, other than they need to find another job. Is that clear?

RHEE MUST FIRE THEM because they are not real teachers. Do you get it? You are part of the problem, not part of the solution.

I could care less what your name is, your ideas are more of the same-old same-old from 20 years ago.

You're both right. There are bad teachers, bad students and little to no admin support. I'm in support of video cameras in classrooms. That way both can be monitored. Hey, if they're getting federal money, it's good to see how it's being spent. Name another business that isn't monitored? Generally, problem students usually are problems in multiple classes and not just one.

Neener, I'm so curious about the school where your kids used to go. For some reason, it sounds like Bancroft, which some middle class families had tried to make their own. But it just didn't work, as most of the kids there were too out of the control, the teachers too ghetto and the administration unwilling to make the reforms needed to keep those families enrolled. I'm a DCPS teacher and I know I could get get a job elsewhere, but keep staying as I live in the community where I work. What are you referring to that there were teachers who were not real teachers? And yess, Praxis I is a cakewalk. That is, if you're educated (as my teacher friends and I are).

I don't think anyone is saying that Rhee should not get rid of the bad teachers. The problem is that there are many good teachers who are having a hard time without the appropriate supplies, administrative supports and training.

It is apparent that some posters really don't understand the challenges that many students bring into the classroom. Students are two or three grade levels behind, they have emotional problems, they lack home support, they experience violence in their communities, etc. If your kid goes to a school west of the park you don't encounter these students often so it is easy to be unaware of how difficult it can be. Instead it is easier to rant against those who are in the trenches.

Let's look at Hart Middle School: How can anyone defend Rhee's actions? Her first decision to consolidate two poorly performing schools that have a history of feuding between students of both schools was a disaster in the making. Rhee then hires an inexperienced principal and underestimates the number of students who will be enrolled in the school. This led to staff shortages that according to the Post article, still exists--sorry, long term subs are not the same as teachers. Then Rhee fails to implement the social services component to address students' mental health needs and behavior problems.

Instead of asking these questions, some people want to attack the teachers and parents who raise concerns about these issues. Again, I guess it is hard to understand what is happening in most schools when you have children enrolled in schools west of the park or if you do not have any children in DCPS at all.

I wouldn't respond to Swalve. A mountain of paperwork is the actual grading my wife does on a daily basis--20 students times 3 classes is a bit much and that doesn't include the tapes she listens to for the speaking portion of foreign languages. And a good portion of the job is done outside of class--tutoring before and after school, committee's, and yes, a syllabus because preparation is a major part of education. And when you deal with younger students, you have to prepare for almost every minute of the day. And for those who think that good teachers stay and face adversity and actual physical abuse in some cases, you're an idiot. Good teachers have options and one is not to be abused.

First of all, the reason teachers are held to a higher standard than professionals in other fields is quite simple - we are teaching children. People who take on certain professions accept and must be held to a higher standard. Not that they always live up to that standard, but that they should be expected to try. The police, doctors, firefighters - you can add to the list - are expected to put up with situations that other professions "would never put up with". As a teacher in a DC School I can tell you that I took the job knowing full well that it was not going to be easy. I have been hurt several times, accused twice of things I didn't do and suffered harassment from a hostile principal who did not like teachers that advocated for their student's well being (which I did on a daily basis). I'm not saying that teachers have to put up with anything that comes their way but those that enter the DC Schools know they aren't entering Kansas, Toto.

The harshness that has been directed towards DC Chic (and I am one of those quoted above)comes from teachers who have been reading her blog and listening to her make her own harsh judgments about the teachers around her, her principal, as well as many teachers she doesn't really know but has felt justified in condemning. One of her posts is even titled "The Librarian is an Idiot". She has said several times in her blog that she would never just leave her kids "high and dry" and in just as many posts she has ruminated about quitting and going to a charter or private school. She touts her performance reviews but clearly has serious doubts about the quality of the person who actually gave her those reviews. There are more but you can discover them on your own by going through her archive. Chic has done almost no self-reflecting in her blog, spending most of the time justifying her actions and tallying up the votes on those who agree with her and those who don't, as if this argument is a popularity contest.

DC schools need teachers that are willing to fight hard to change the system. Many are trying to do that and have been doing this for years. Kerry Sylvia is one such teacher. Their are parents and advocate groups who have tried and continue to try to do the same, such as DC Voice and Margot Berkey. What DC schools does not need is a pontificating, self-righteous, self-promoting teacher who allows six 9 year olds to run her out of her classroom. Perhaps she should have gotten a job at Sidwell, Maret, Cathedral or some other fine, private school where the children don't behave like "animals" and where her excellent teaching skills would not be wasted.