One of my classes today was so ill-behaved, so out of control, that they made me cry, then continued talking and shouting over me while I cried and didn't even care. 🙃 They have been the worst part of my day every day all year. Nothing I have tried has helped. I'm done.
Teachers, if your principal asks you to do something you suspect is shady, and they will not put it in writing, will not talk to you face to face, and/or will only tell you to do this via a third party administrator, that is a huge huge huge red flag.
My doctor told me today that her most distressed, depressed patients right now are teachers. It's universal. She's hearing everything about F. Miles and the takeover and sees how much it's impacting teacher mental health.
@TeachMrReed
Thank you! Kids of all ages need the mental break. They also need to be reminded that school is a community. Every time I've let them play games before a break, I see kids learn new names in class, kids speak up who never have, new friends made. I'll defend it every time.
Like Houston? We've been begging you to step in and do something for months and you're ignoring us. Mike Miles is harmful to our students. Please help us.
We have districts where one or two ideologues armed with megaphones and rich donors are overriding school librarians and educators with decades of experience.
We can’t let it happen.
@patsy1979
Thank you. It's so difficult because I feel like they DO trust me and like me, but their behavior doesn't reflect it. And I don't know how to get them to make the connection.
Seven people have observed my classroom between yesterday and today. It's the second day of school. How are we supposed to views this as anything but intimidation & scare tactics?
@houston_tsta
@HoustonCVPE
@HFT2415
@houstonisdwatch
If anyone has kids taking PSAT today-- it's an absolute shit show. HISD was in charge of entering kids into the online system. There are hundreds of kids at my school that are unable to test because they were never entered. Parents, please complain!
@mr_dsantos
@HISDSupe
@Santos4HISD
@mzkatdan
@HisdMyrna
"Houston ISD says they are now brainstorming innovative ways to recruit and retain qualified teachers to help address the shortage." How many overpaid admins or consultants are getting paid for this "brainstorming"? Just. Pay. Us. More. It's that simple.
Houston Public Media confirmed that multiple Houston ISD campuses are not providing speech therapy, just over a month after the district slashed 21 special ed contractors.
Oppose the takeover. Speak at Thur board meeting. File a grievance.
Miles was triggered by a man in the compensation session today who asked "How many kids will you teach this year? How much do you get paid?" Miles lectured us on professionalism then said he's earned his $ because he's "helped hundreds of thousands of kids". Dallas ISD, rebuttal?
I slept for 12 hours last night. Cried as I was getting into bed. I was observed by 12 people this week. The most was 4 in one day. My whole body aches from not being able to sit, not even at lunch because I still had so much to do.
I have never been so emotionally, physically, mentally exhausted by the first week of school. This is not sustainable. Teachers are going to burn out before the end of the semester.
I have never been so emotionally, physically, mentally exhausted by the first week of school. This is not sustainable. Teachers are going to burn out before the end of the semester.
@houstonisdwatch
It's going to take me 13 years to earn another $5k. That is absolutely insane. And then everyone complains that teachers don't stay in the profession long. You can't have it both ways and demand "highly qualified" people and then never reward their qualifications and expertise.
"School districts that improve need a leader who makes sound decisions, builds healthy working conditions for educators, and can foster high levels of community trust. Miles is failing in all of those areas."
Problem is, TEA doesn't actually want to help HISD.
I've exchanged so many texts with colleagues today who feel completely hopeless and ready to give up. We're not even an NES school, but are being forced to follow the every 4 minutes thing as well as being observed by district goons on day 1. Just fire me and get it over with.
I have never seen so many teachers at my school on the Saturday before school starts. It was as if it were a regular work day. We were given so little time to work in our rooms that most of us had no choice. Thanks, F. Miles.
@NaeheeK
They've been this way all year. 60% of the class are SPED students who have been mainstreamed for the 1st time this year. Behavior is uncontrollable. No form of discipline changes things. I've tried talking to parents/guardians/coaches, write-ups, removing privileges, new seats.
@NicholasFerroni
I'm really happy with how my little reading nook turned out, and my library labels. However, my favorite part of the room was last year when the students slowly took over one corner of the room and made it an art/writing gallery. I hope this year's students will do it as well!
Fired a ton of people, keeps reassigning admins and principals, and is probably going to see a mass exodus of teachers next year. Of course it's going to be difficult. But you're the one in charge, my guy, so for once take responsibility for what you've done.
Know y'all's rights. Admins are threatening teachers with termination for posting negative opinions of Mike Miles on social media, but teachers have rights as private citizens. This takeover is a political affair and we're allowed to have opinions on it.
I need people from outside Texas to understand that teachers do not have unions in the traditional sense. I keep seeing comments about how the takeover is the union's fault, or how we should strike. It's great that you can't fathom a state where that doesnt exist!
#HISD
Supe repurposed his 2012 “Destination 2020” Dallas speech as “Destination 2035” speech to Houston teachers on Wed. Here’s the rerun side by side w/the original.
Miles is recycling policies that failed in Dallas. Tell him no thank you!
#opposehostiletakeover
@MarchioneGuitar
@GeneforTexas
Y'all keep trying to blame Dems, but Republicans are in charge of education in the state. They control the curriculum and standards and the budgets dor districts. The city of Houston has zero control or influence over HISD.
@houstonisdwatch
So many kids use school as a place of refuge from difficult home lives. They need joy and happiness and to know someone cares about them. Miles wants to take all of it away to create little yes-people who obey and keep their heads down. That's not what these kids need.
This morning, Miles once again argued that elective teachers do not deserve the same pay as subject teachers. From TEA and Mike Morath's own mouth, fine arts improve academic achievement and teach the skills Miles keeps saying our students lack.
41 yes votes, 18 no votes. This, despite the overwhelming comments against District of Innovation, the public surveys, the articles, the social media posts. It still passed because F. Mike was able to appoint his own people to the DAC committee in order to get his way.
Don't believe a word this liars says. He threatened our jobs, so now everyone is coming to school sick or putting off personal needs like appointments. This is happening because of intimidation.
WE WERE STILL IN A PANDEMIC. I had Covid twice AND pneumonia last year.
I'm so sick of y'all trying to characterize us as lazy or unwilling to work. An uncomfortable shift in attitude? For you, maybe, because you have a poor one. Learn to treat people better.
Nearly ten percent of
@HoustonISD
’s teachers were chronically absent last year. Turning this around will require a fundamental (and uncomfortable) shift in attitude, mindset, and culture.
#txed
My school got an email saying we will be observed by the district this week, possibly tomorrow. The day after a break. My group chat is all about job postings and who is hiring right now. 🙃
Where to begin? You aren't even a teacher, you're an assistant superintendent earning a 6 figure salary. You're implying that teachers who choose to leave don't love their jobs. You're spreading toxic positivity in a time when teachers are begging for help. Go home and sit down.
So many tweets from ppl leaving the education profession and they are entitled to that choice. I am here to share that I am not leaving edu. I choose to stay not bc I am built differently & do not have moments of struggle, but I simply love what I do. Anyone else choose to stay?
From
@ProseFrancine
: "It’s hard to imagine what students will learn from these cheerless, punitive spaces – except for the grim possibility that they are being prepped for incarceration."
"writing your ideas down, scribbling your observations and thoughts, you accelerate and highlight your creative mind power." but we were explicitly told that we cannot let students journal or do any kind of free writing. 🤔
It is impossible for teachers to complete lesson planning, creating assessments, modifying for IEPs/504s, grading, data tracking, behavior and parent contact documentation, and every other task we are given. We only get 45 minutes/day where we are not actively teaching.
@siempre_sarah
Yup! When I directly asked a district-level newbie about extra time on the quiz at the end of the ~45 min NES lessons, he said "no" and then changed the subject.
Why are
@SecCardona
or
@DrBiden
not saying anything about this? Hello? Y'all throw out words, that's all you do. Show us that we matter. People in Houston are begging y'all to step in and do something about this takeover. Would you want to work in these conditions?
@pinkheadprods
@tinytexanmomma
I am so sorry that happened. I don't think any teacher watching thought you kids were to blame. We know how hard you all work and always love to see our district's students shine. It was upsetting that you were being used as props, especially when he's devalued arts programs.
@DrChaeEd
I'd be able to save money instead of living paycheck to paycheck. Buy a house so I can stop sinking money into overpriced rent. Pay off the student loans that are hanging over my head all the time. Help my parents out more as they get older. Do fun things like travel.
@houstonisdwatch
She's not, and she can't. But that's the point: set up the district to fail from the beginning, then say "look, public education doesn't work!" and wwo, what a coincidence that there's a bunch of pro-charter people on the board and donors ready to step in and "fix" it!
I'm about to finish my 3rd year. I can go to Fort Bend and earn $60k + $1100 master's stipend. That amount will take me over 13 years to earn in HISD, and no master's stipend.
Today's Mike Miles show should be national news. It was egotistical propaganda for a man who already failed as superintendent of Dallas ISD. How much did it cost? Is this why he wanted to be able to spend $1 million unchecked?
@usedgov
@SecCardona
@BetoORourke
@JacksonLeeTX18
@heymrsbond
We have to use our leave and we have to have a doctor's note to miss 3 or more days. It used to be 7. I used all my leave last year because of Covid and pneumonia.
Am I reading this correctly that my campus will lose 23 teachers and 2 APs? We don't have enough as it is! I had to get additional desks today because of new kids added to my sections.
Look, I get why students and families are concerned that HISD doesn't close until the last minute. "Y'all just want to get paid!" Well... yes. Schools don't receive funding without attendance. Be mad at the lawmakers who made that happen. Vote for elections that affect education.
#HISD
is closely monitoring weather conditions in our area. Should there be any change to the weather affecting normal school operations, we will provide updates on our social media channels and on .
There is too much last minute information and changes being filtered down from Miles. Principals are giving us info they literally just received last night or this morning that overrides stuff from last week. Make up your mind, dude.
Thank you! I was saying the same thing to my colleagues! You want to "highlight our award winning fine arts students" while also saying elective teachers should earn less and outsourcing NES electives?? Will someone call him out?
@HoustonChron
@KHOU
@KPRC2
@abc13houston
Thinking about the fine arts students that just performed here at the
#HISD
convocation- I cannot explain the irony that we just sat through; a fine arts performance for a district that now doesn’t value the work of the fine arts teachers that put the kids up on stage.
HISD teachers booed F Mike Miles during the pay-for-performance presentation today. He threatened to remove disruptive people and find out who they are. Where would he put them? In a discipline zoom room? 🤔 Teachers want to be heard. Not patronized.
So we're seeing the NES high school curriculum fir English in this PD sesh and.... It's bad, y'all. So, so bad. Like, however bad you thought it was, add some lower expectations to that. How much did they pay for this??
@heymrsbond
@TSmithED1219
Absolutely this. So much of our time is checking off boxes on whatever new to-do list has been given to us that has nothing to do with planning instruction.
As much as I gripe about raises, we need an influx of counselors, social workers, and wraparound services. We are not prepared to deal with the social, emotional, and mental health of students post-pandemic. Summer break isn't going to magically fix the problems.
Cool, get ready to bleed teachers 😗
Every other district: Giving real raises
HISD: Nah. We're gonna measure you based on student scores on state tests. Now you either gotta teach the test all year or hope you teach advanced level classes w/high-achieving students.
@jkirk___
I did something similar yesterday-- coloring pages, Uno, Jenga, checkers, and chess. Saw kids quickly learn names, include quiet kids who were on their own, and I got to just talk to them. Loved seeing them laugh and be happy. Even big kids need time to just be kids.
They're thriving because you haven't messed with their school yet. If you'd leave everyone else alone and use your influence to properly fund poorer schools, they could thrive too.
I had the pleasure of visiting with students, teachers, and Principal Lambropoulos at
@HoustonISD
's
@EnergyIHS
, a STEM-focused magnet. The Energy model blends science, math, and language arts into rich, project-based learning. See how kids there are thriving!
It has taken four years to get my classroom library in shape the way I want it, and to add a reading nook. Labels on books were colored dots that represented genres, now they have an image/word with the color + shelf labels. Still a lot of work to do but love seeing progress!
@Becca_Carballo
@HoustonISD
@HoustonChron
We need answers about the principal of Bellaire High school. Superintendent has repeatedly ignored the community and won't even give a timeline. It's been nearly six months of "temporary" reassignment. We don't even know what he's accused of.
@houstonisdwatch
But teachers are the ones who need time clocks to *checks notes* make sure we're not stealing time. Which is kind of impossible when you're salaried and the nature of teaching requires unpaid overtime.
HISD superintendent stars in his own musical, “depicting how the new superintendent will rekindle the extinguished spirits of burnt-out teachers, give hope to hopeless students, and bestow a visionary plan to save public education.”
@HoustonCVPE
@HFT2415
It's really not that hard to make our salaries on par with surrounding districts, especially with ESSR funds coming in. At this point, it's purposeful refusal and a slap in the face to all of us who busted our tails working through Covid.
Oh my goodness. This got a heck of a response. On the one hand, it's nice to know I'm not alone. On the other hand, it's really frustrating and sad how many of us are feeling the same way. I appreciate all the suggestions. I'm trying to respond to as many as possible.
One of my classes today was so ill-behaved, so out of control, that they made me cry, then continued talking and shouting over me while I cried and didn't even care. 🙃 They have been the worst part of my day every day all year. Nothing I have tried has helped. I'm done.
Spending on software is particularly frustrating. We just had a year and a half of virtual instruction. What teacher is dying for MORE software after that? How does it help students?
@teacherspeck
Sure, why not? I've already tried calling home, write-ups to office, talking to coaches, taking away privileges, new seating charts, 1:1 conversations. Nothing has changed. This has been going on since day 1.
This is the point. They push out the undesirable students and also the high achievers who have mastered content (they do worksheets in the Zoom Room). This leaves behind the students who don't need as much extra help so then their test scores look like they're showing growth.
This repackaging of No Child Left Behind's focus on test scores MIGHT *marginally* increase test scores, but isn't it easy to increase test scores when you push out undesirable students by placing them in punishment centers that used to be libraries?
@triciaebarvia
I wish my district were more transparent about how they report confirmed cases, and that they'd actually bother to communicate policy/procedure changes to teachers.
My school feels safe, considering. Minimal students chose F2F, most are online. No issues w/masks. Plenty of PPE.
Typical of Mike Miles and his cronies-- they pick and choose what to hear while dismissing everyone else as naysayers. It's straight from the Trump and Abbott playbook.
This is a single student out of 15 interviewed, and the only one who had anything positive to say.
The text is from Gather Together in my Name, one of Maya Angelou's memoirs. In this scene, Angelou is 17 and the man is older-- enough to be a legal adult. Did HISD figure "screw it, they all think we're groomers anyway" when they chose this for *eighth grade *??
The problem is that Miles doesn't care if we're on his side. Yesterday he kept dismissing criticism as the minority, insisting that people online are spreading misinformation. He has a fragile ego and really believes he's right, to the point here refuses to even engage with us.
@heymrsbond
I've had black students ask me my opinion on this word in the past, but I always tell them that I don't get to have one. If another black student would rather they not use it, they need to respect that. But I'm not about to tell them that they can't say it.
We absolutely need to normalize writing as a part of any discipline. I'm so tired of students complaining that all we do is write in my class and how they wish it were like other subjects. You want them to understand the curriculum? Make them write about it.
When I say “teach” writing, I mean IN and FOR every single content you want students to think deeply and nuanced about the content: ELA, science, social studies and math.
@JayWamsted
I've only had it happen once, but it was a student who, unfortunately, was not viewed favorably by most who knew them. I struggled to process because I felt I had no one to talk to about it. The kid made poor choices but I always had hope they'd come out the other side.
The "district people" did indeed show up right after lunch today. What other profession allows observations that affect your livelihood by some rando who doesn't introduce themselves?? It's all such bullshit.
My school got an email saying we will be observed by the district this week, possibly tomorrow. The day after a break. My group chat is all about job postings and who is hiring right now. 🙃
@meganmmenchaca
@HoustonChron
Please ask him how much his little Broadway show cost! Sound and lighting, song licenses, and were those hired actors? Plus the cost of renting NRG all week!
What all have we lost access to/stopped using so far this year? I know of:
Peardeck
Quizziz
Brain Pop
NWEA
Adobe CC
I'm sure there's more. Is it safe to assume that the money for our subscriptions is being used to pay for some of F. Mike's grand promises to NES schools?
@houstonisdwatch
WTF is this?? "Students are required to perform at the appropriate grade level by the conclusion of the SY". Some of my 9th graders are reading at 3rd grade levels. It is impossible to get them to on level in one school year without significant, one on one intervention.
"We're sitting in a library right now."
"It's not a traditional library."
"It's not a traditional library because they don't have a librarian."
BECAUSE YOU FIRED THEM ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW
The Houston Independent School District announced a plan to eliminate 28 libraries and replace them with a center for work and discipline after allegations of poor academic performance.
@ahylton26
speaks tonight with one librarian and the superintendent to hear both sides.
"engagement is not the same as compliance". LOUDER. SAY IT LOUDER.
Because compliance is all Miles is after. He isn't actually interested in whether they learn or not. He wants compliant children who pass tests. That's not learning.
Parent of an
#HISD
student said."High quality should mean that it's also highly engaging.The kids are going to learn if it's not. This lesson did not engage my daughter, but at home my lesson did and she finally understood it"
This motherf**ker, honestly. He'd rather take something vital away from the students he claims he's helping than let someone else (better) train teachers.
Why did HISD scrap no-cost Verizon program that gave internet, laptops to 56,500 students?
After we did some digging, the answer is coming into focus.
New from
@small_asher
:
@iamDrWill
@veronikellymars
@elissamalespina
But this is not just about information. Books allow you to see other perspectives, to read stories that you can relate to so that you know you're not alone, or just to escape into something for a while. Googling things or watching Tik-Tok is not equivalent.
They want us to address the "learning loss" or whatever buzzword they're using, but won't give us enough money to pay the proper number of staff. They'll use our struggling performance to justify not giving raises. 🙃
Did their parents/guardians know they were pulled from school for this? I need to know what they were told. Because if someone pulled my kid from school to take them off campus to be interrogated by adults, I would be blowing up some phones about it.
@houstonisdwatch
I had covid twice last year, as well as pneumonia. Kids are walking petri dishes of germs. Stress lowers your immune response and God knows this year isn't helping. This man is so gross and smug and just sees teachers as faceless workers who don't deserve respect or compassion.
@houston_tsta
@houstonisdwatch
My team took LOs and DOLs straight from NES lessons to start the week with (we are a non NES school) and were told they were incorrect by HISD observers.
Email from one of the DAC members regarding the recent meeting they had. Pay attention to how Miles evades questions about money, how leadership will try to invalidate anything that makes them look bad, and how they continue to characterize anyone speaking up as "naysayers".