u/Careless-Two2215

Our district and admin have overused the Parent Square communication app to the point that parents have silenced it. When I used Class Dojo I had a lot more engagement because parents knew I was sharing cute photos of class projects, monthly awards, and weekly homework tips. They could also teach how many homework bells their kid got per week. But our district banned us from using Class Dojo because of the app using parent emails. Ok. Fine. We can use it but no patent contact. We can print their awards still. I can track how many families see my Parent Square posts. Only 2 per month. Useless.

This is my first summer vacation without spending time with my children. I'm a single mother and a teacher nearing retirement. My college aged adult children did not come home this summer and we did not make any travel plans. They'll be working or traveling with friends and significant others. I'm happy for them but I'm feeling nostalgic. I have been visiting with my parents who are remarried. Most of my friends are empty nesters too but they're married. I'm starting to feel like a spinster here. How do I spends summers alone?

Several parents have complained preemptively that their students should be allowed to participate in the grade level field days.

Kinder has splash play. First grade has bubble day. 3-5 has junior Olympics. Middle School has park day. Stuff like that. Teachers do all of the work and organize all of the games.

Parents are already making sure their kid gets to participate. Right now, no kids have been excluded school-wide, however we do use the field days as reminders that kids should not get in trouble during the last week of school.

Parents have been so demanding to my partner and me, that we are considering cancelling it in the future. Parents no longer send their kids to school with reminders to respect school rules. These are not the majority of parents but I'm sensing a societal shift and I'm getting sick of it.

I am a single empty nester. I guess I kept looking forward to having the kids spend the night in their old rooms for a few nights over summer. I guess I thought we'd still be going on camping trips or they'd come with the extended family on a cruise this summer. But it just hit me that my feelings of longing for a full house or a family dinner or vacation are over. Why do I still have that aching longing that my kids are just away temporarily but they'll be back?

State test scores came in early this year and our school bombed again. In my grade level alone, we have more than 50% at the lowest level. In my class alone, I have 12 students learning English and 6 students with IEP's. Poverty, trauma, and housing insecurity has always been significant, but lately it's getting worse not better. Most days I feel as though I'm teaching to only 4-6 kids and the rest are in my class for daycare. I spend 90 minutes on in class interventions. My class has shown growth and everyone can read at least some sight words and count but they are way too low for the next grade. I'm worried for the future.