To The Interim Superintendent, Administrators and Members of the Board of Education of the Minneapolis Public Schools
Because:
Working directly with students and being prepared for the next day's work with them are the most important responsibilities teachers and related service professionals have;
High-quality lessons and meaningful interactions each day are paramount to successful teaching and learning;
Teachers and related service professionals are already short of adequate time to prepare for the next day's work with students:
We, the undersigned, are disturbed by the following:
The proposed seven-period day schedule will interfere with adequate preparation time by reducing bookend times to less than 15 minutes;
Workloads that were supposed to decrease under new MPS declarations and a Memorandum of Agreement have increased. Class sizes and caseloads are growing and there are now additional meetings, professional development sessions, and new initiatives for next year;
At the middle school level, dismissal times have been changed so that teachers and students are expected to leave the grounds at the same time, which is not a workable situation;
Preparation times during the day are being used up for things other than preparation, i.e., IEP meetings, professional development, paperwork, data entry, lack of reserves, PDPLC, team meetings, and so on;
The back-to-school week, now being called "Workshop Week", has greatly reduced our ability to prepare for the start of the school year with students; there was never an agreement that this time would be cut to less than two days -- an unacceptable timeframe for being well-prepared for students, and;
Teachers are being asked to stay for meetings after work hours on a volunteer basis;
THEREFORE, MPS Teachers and Related Service Professionals call upon you to take the following actions:
Minneapolis Public School leadership will put a moratorium on all initiatives and time changes to the school day and/or school year until such time as a thorough review can be taken of the urgent need for the changes, their impact on teaching and learning, and the implementation support that will be provided for the changes. This review must be done WITH the professionals who work with students on a daily basis in buildings. Given that being prepared for our work with students is one of our most important responsibilities, we expect that any changes resulting in a loss of preparation time for professionals, will be adjusted or not implemented.
Updates
June 7, 2015
250 signatures. The weight of this issue is clear.
Reached 250 supporters
June 6, 2015
Reached 100 supporters
June 4, 2015
115 Comments
The idea that LESS preparation time will benefit students is backwards. Maybe we can increase revenue in the theater community by having more performances and less rehearsal. Quantity (seat time) cannot replace quality (well prepared experiences).
In the current climate, paperwork and data entry holds more weight than the quality of our face-to-face interactions with students. The volume of data/paperwork takes time away from preparation, and thus reduces meaningful interactions and service. It makes me feel less professional.
Fantastic, highly trained, optimistic teachers who have dedicated their lives to public education are feeling like a rubber band that has been stretched to the breaking point. Already. Don't make us snap. Respect us. Give us more time to prepare to do what we love; not less.
My time is not being respected and my working conditions have deteriorated completely. How many teachers do you have in MPS with Ivy-League graduate degrees and/or doctorates? Do you value what we do for children or not? Thanks, Anne Marie Plante
As a special education teacher with a large caseload I do not have time to thoroughly prepare curriculm and complete due process requirements in the time allotted. As a result I work EVERY evening at home and on weekend.!!!!!
I Fully agree with htis petition
I work with Special Ed teachers. They told me that they stayed to do the paperwork and prepare materials for the next classes until 5 or 6pm (2-3 hours after their working time). They have life! They need to be home with their spouse and family! Good teachers work hard to make sure the students get their education. Please think of teachers' needs and students' needs.
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To The Interim Superintendent, Administrators and Members of the Board of Education of the Minneapolis Public Schools
Because:
Working directly with students and being prepared for the next day's work with them are the most important responsibilities teachers and related service professionals have;
High-quality lessons and meaningful interactions each day are paramount to successful teaching and learning;
Teachers and related service professionals are already short of adequate time to prepare for the next day's work with students:
We, the undersigned, are disturbed by the following:
The proposed seven-period day schedule will interfere with adequate preparation time by reducing bookend times to less than 15 minutes;
Workloads that were supposed to decrease under new MPS declarations and a Memorandum of Agreement have increased. Class sizes and caseloads are growing and there are now additional meetings, professional development sessions, and new initiatives for next year;
At the middle school level, dismissal times have been changed so that teachers and students are expected to leave the grounds at the same time, which is not a workable situation;
Preparation times during the day are being used up for things other than preparation, i.e., IEP meetings, professional development, paperwork, data entry, lack of reserves, PDPLC, team meetings, and so on;
The back-to-school week, now being called "Workshop Week", has greatly reduced our ability to prepare for the start of the school year with students; there was never an agreement that this time would be cut to less than two days -- an unacceptable timeframe for being well-prepared for students, and;
Teachers are being asked to stay for meetings after work hours on a volunteer basis;
THEREFORE, MPS Teachers and Related Service Professionals call upon you to take the following actions:
Minneapolis Public School leadership will put a moratorium on all initiatives and time changes to the school day and/or school year until such time as a thorough review can be taken of the urgent need for the changes, their impact on teaching and learning, and the implementation support that will be provided for the changes. This review must be done WITH the professionals who work with students on a daily basis in buildings. Given that being prepared for our work with students is one of our most important responsibilities, we expect that any changes resulting in a loss of preparation time for professionals, will be adjusted or not implemented.
Updates
June 7, 2015
250 signatures. The weight of this issue is clear.
Reached 250 supporters
June 6, 2015
Reached 100 supporters
June 4, 2015
115 Comments
School Counselors also need time to prepare for the next day's work. Between meeting with students/parents, team meetings, and other obligations, it's diffult to have quality time to prepare for quality counseling programming and services.
The idea that LESS preparation time will benefit students is backwards. Maybe we can increase revenue in the theater community by having more performances and less rehearsal. Quantity (seat time) cannot replace quality (well prepared experiences).
In the current climate, paperwork and data entry holds more weight than the quality of our face-to-face interactions with students. The volume of data/paperwork takes time away from preparation, and thus reduces meaningful interactions and service. It makes me feel less professional.
Fantastic, highly trained, optimistic teachers who have dedicated their lives to public education are feeling like a rubber band that has been stretched to the breaking point. Already. Don't make us snap. Respect us. Give us more time to prepare to do what we love; not less.
My time is not being respected and my working conditions have deteriorated completely. How many teachers do you have in MPS with Ivy-League graduate degrees and/or doctorates? Do you value what we do for children or not? Thanks, Anne Marie Plante
As a special education teacher with a large caseload I do not have time to thoroughly prepare curriculm and complete due process requirements in the time allotted. As a result I work EVERY evening at home and on weekend.!!!!!
I Fully agree with htis petition
I work with Special Ed teachers. They told me that they stayed to do the paperwork and prepare materials for the next classes until 5 or 6pm (2-3 hours after their working time). They have life! They need to be home with their spouse and family! Good teachers work hard to make sure the students get their education. Please think of teachers' needs and students' needs.
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School Counselors also need time to prepare for the next day's work. Between meeting with students/parents, team meetings, and other obligations, it's diffult to have quality time to prepare for quality counseling programming and services.