Raise Issues AND bring Solutions by BHSS MATH DEP'T

Feeling burnt out; Morale is lower; feeling like we are expected to do TOO much and as such overwhelmed; can’t keep up with initiatives; work-life balance is being compromised

yjoh1208 — 2024-11-25 21:28:51 UTC

LOOK INTO COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT for assessment

yjoh1208 — 2024-11-25 21:29:04 UTC

Consistency amongst courses; Doing things differently and being ok with that (and within courses).

yjoh1208 — 2024-11-25 21:29:16 UTC

Opportunities to allow student success- (marvellous mistakes- are they working?)

yjoh1208 — 2024-11-25 21:29:30 UTC

Marvellous Mistakes has been counterproductive. Students will not take studying seriously because they bank on Marvellous Mistakes fixing their mark (even though it doesn't bring it up that significantly if they do it).

2024-11-26 13:45:44 UTC

Teaching Learning Skills

2024-11-26 15:13:09 UTC

We shared that we are burnt out, and feel that we keep being asked to do more, and that our mental health is struggling. While I really appreciate it was brought up to the leadership team as well, I feel that the solution of having us teach learning skills is another "solution" that asks us to do more. We are really struggling as is, and when we brought it up, we really wanted more support from admin, or guidance or SERTs. However, it seems that the solution presented, is for us to now make a lesson on learning skills - which at the end of the day, is unfortunately still more work/effort on our part. While I agree that teaching learning skills is important, can this task be delegated elsewhere, so that the responsibility of making these lessons does not also fall onto the classroom teachers, who are already burnt out and stressed as it is?

There should be no extra help or teacher answering questions on the day of a test (i.e. AM class has written, PM students get extra help from a teacher and then write their test in the afternoon). This gives PM students an advantage.

2024-11-27 18:48:47 UTC

Course teams are getting too big and difficult to stay consistent (with dates, types of assessments, timing of lessons). Will we be supported to completely run a course individually on our own?

2024-11-27 18:49:49 UTC

In an ideal world, conversations are great and can be a rich, authentic task. However, they are not feasible and quite difficult to manage, because the students are taking too long to think/answer and this is in turn, taking a toll on teachers.

2024-11-27 18:50:38 UTC

When classes write on different days, the integrity of the test is compromised. The numbers are "changed" but the nature of the questions are still the same.

2024-11-27 18:51:33 UTC

Why are we doing Summary Sheets and Marvellous Mistakes? If it's for the benefit of the student, why are teachers marking them? And if they are marked, why does it only benefit students that are at-risk? I feel that this sends a message that we are teaching to help students scrape by and get (not earn) the credit. We are not valuing hard work or those that are actually trying.

2024-11-27 18:53:46 UTC

If the school wants to provide accommodations (like extra unlimited time), there needs to be a room open 24/7 with supervising staff to allow this to happen. Teacher should not be giving up lunch or prep to supervise and accommodate for these students.

2024-11-27 18:54:46 UTC

"Spice level" on tests is great because it gives students a choice, but I am finding that students are spending more time trying all three or deciding which one to choose, instead of focusing their time on tackling the challenge problem to begin with.

2024-11-27 19:03:54 UTC

Overall expectations has decreased the opportunity to ask more critical thinking type questions on tests.

2024-11-27 19:04:21 UTC

I am frequently revisiting the reasons behind why I became a teacher and it feels like a lot of the things I am now doing are going against all the reasons why I wanted to become to become a teacher. I came to this profession because I wanted to help students see that math is fun and an exciting challenge, but I find I am lowering the level of difficulty and dropping my standards every semester.

2024-11-27 19:15:30 UTC

Too many changes, sometimes against our will

2024-11-28 02:27:18 UTC

I’m unsure why we’re implementing so many changes, at once, which adds to our burnout. ie. In order to assess by overall expectations, we need to cycle the topics. Changes within the last few years? 1) Added conversations/seminars 2) Added mandatory summary sheets or equivalent (ie. Marvellous Mistake) 3) Cycled all if not most grades 4) Need to make tests to fit double timed (school implemented). Due to the systematic changes, I feel I have less say or choice in the way I’d like to teach. I don’t think it’s feasible to have a grade team of six to eight people, doing everything consistently.

2024-11-28 11:25:48 UTC

How do I follow the IEP, to accomodate for students to give an alternative way to response (verbally assess), without being the given the time and space to do so? Eg. I’ve been having to give up my entire lunch period to facilitate this, for every test day, as there’s no other time in the day for this. Unless I have a back to back lunch/prep period, this means either skipping out on lunch or eating with the students preference (not my preference, but my only way at this time). Yet, we are not allowed to YAPA out, on such days, to help facilitate this or alike.

Students should not be taking MCR3U, if they passed MPM2D with Level 1 (50-59%). Students should not be taking MHF4U, if they passed MCR3U with Level 1 (50-59%).

2024-11-28 11:46:45 UTC

Sometimes it’s the Marvellous Mistake or Summary Sheets or a Conversation that has the student going from a 35-45% and making it to a 50%. Then proceeds to do the above.

What may have been opportunities for students to improve, have come next year teacher’s burden, due to the bumped pass.

Students should be directed to 11M or/and Data Management (or no 12U) in these cases.

Can guidance and the math dep’t work together to have more thought out course selections? If we flag the Level 1’s in MPM2D and MCR3U students to guidance at the end of the semester, can they follow up to reduce the likelihood of the students to take these very challenging courses?

Do we eliminate marvellous mistakes or equivalent?

Resource Creation and Sharing

2024-11-28 14:37:04 UTC

Sometimes it feels like there is a lot of pressure for us to share all/most of our resources from a course. With course teams getting so big, balancing the workload as a course team has become tough and we end up with some individuals who are pressured to make/share all of their resources with the rest of the team. This is fine when everyone is willing and is contributing to course resources, but sometimes it feels like we are expected to always share work that we have put many hours into making, without necessarily having any or the same amount of resources shared back from the ones who are asking for them. Sometimes there is an invisible expectation to share resources with the team/that someone will always provide the resources needed for a course. Individuals may feel that they don't need to take initiative to also make new resources that can be shared with the team. I don't think we all need to be teaching with the same resources, and if a teacher would like to share their resources, that's great. But if a teacher has opted not to share something, it is sometimes uncomfortable for others to ask them for resources and pressure them to share something that they did not volunteer to share themselves.

Cycles vs Units: Should we keep at cycling?

2024-11-30 11:05:12 UTC

Where is the ministry or board document where we have to either 1) cycle or 2) assess by overall expectations? I know we are to assess by overall expectation, but K/T/C/A still addresses the matter. Can we see this visually, mandating the needs?

MPM2D is not heavily cycled, it follows a predictable pattern, but even so, we need to consider teachers teaching the course for the 1st time or not having cycled.

Meanwhile, MHF4U was cycled for the first time. Is it working? Can we have different teachers teach as units vs. cycles? This means different tests days and different assessments altogether, for the most part. If so, who will decide if the difficulty of the test is consistent? Is it up to our professional judgement, or will the dep't head need to check over? Or can we have flexibility ie. approx. the same # of assessments but do not have to have the same kinds of assessments with each other.

And in the future, what will do as new dep't members come into the dep't (as LTO's or new contracts)?

Usually with cycles, every school/person cycles it a little differently. Are we going to anticipate every new member to adapt to how we're currently teaching?

We also don't always have "new" teachers hired as contract but have or will have veteran teachers coming to our school, who have already taught the course many, many times over.

Where are the SERTs?

2024-11-30 11:41:56 UTC

Isn't it the SERT's role to be more involved during their YREM period to support the students, with IEP's? There are SERT's that are more involved by email and some SERT's that have not reached out, by any means, meanwhile we're expected to follow all of the assessment accommodations, without being provided time/space, to do so. I would love to, but unless our prep period is connected to our lunch period, it is proving to be difficult.

Emails from parents: Mark Update

2024-11-30 22:06:50 UTC

I'm getting more emails from parents, asking about marks, now that we've been choosing to release marks in a certain way, ie. by levels or after certain units/cycles are completed. And then I end up sharing it with them anyways. Isn't this counterintuitive?

Can we leave it up to the discretion of the teacher? I'd rather just leave it open as a grade %. There's too many things that I need to be doing to be consistent.

GETTING TO KNOW THE CLASS

jasminebamford — 2025-02-03 20:58:40 UTC

Share something that you have tried recently that was new for you