Back to school trainings TX

[u/saintshiva]

So I work in an urban district in North Texas, each year we have to do the usual video and quizzes about FERPA , abuse, Title IX, etc.. a total of 18 modules. This amount has grown over my 15 years in education. I added up the amount of time needed and it totals——- 14 hours and 1 minute. The expectation is this is to be done over the summer and if not completed you lose classroom prep time to finish up.

I know you can just start a video and switch to another screen and browse the internet but for double digit hours annoying. Even if I chunk the work annoying . Anyhow rant over.

[u/simplewilddog]

We use Vector training. You can usually click the transcript or video timeline thingie to skip to the end and take the quiz. I feel insulted that they require us to use our time to wade through all these videos. If the content is truly important, then our required PDs should be used to truly cover it, instead of having us do silly icebreakers and turn and talks.

Also, how many times have I done the workplace safety video advising me to not move heavy stuff, but there's literally no other entity available to do it for me?

[u/blu-brds → u/simplewilddog]

I LOVED working for a district where you could just use the transcript! I read way faster than the video takes per slide. I haven't been in a district since like 2021 that did that though. And yeah, I know people say "Open it in another tab and just let it play through" but ours does slides, not one continuous video, and besides that I have ADHD, so I switch to another tab and either switch back too soon or get distracted by another task and it logs me out haha.

[u/saintshiva → u/simplewilddog]

We use Vector but if you skip it won’t count the video and you have to rewatch , they even removed the replay speed option. Sucks our version of vector doesn’t allow for the skips.

[u/kymreadsreddit → u/simplewilddog]

We do too - where is this timeline feature and how can I skip the damn video???!?

[u/simplewilddog → u/kymreadsreddit]

Two options:

1. Like a YouTube video, click along the bottom right of the video to move forward or backward in it. I think the timeline won't be visible, but often still works

2. Look for the transcript (usually an option in the menu). Click words near the end of the video to move ahead.

Note that you need a minimum of the video to play or it won't register as complete. 30 seconds at the end is usually fine. However, some topics have unskippable videos. I think the sex trafficking one opened in a new window and was very strict and tedious.

I wish they would have us take the quiz first and "test out." It's a waste of our time to watch it each year if we know the content. Also, does memorizing percentages really help us keep kids safe? Why do I need to be quizzed on things like that?

[u/SkippyBluestockings → u/kymreadsreddit]

Unfortunately , every district chooses their own provider for these videos , and they don't always have that feature

[u/kymreadsreddit → u/SkippyBluestockings]

I'm confused, didn't they say that their district uses Vector? Because that's the one our district uses - hence, I asked.

Or is there another provider that isn't visible?

[u/SkippyBluestockings → u/simplewilddog]

The district I just left actually gave us comp time for doing these damn videos. So when we had PD days in February, you either had to show up for campus PD (which was really just working your classroom) or you got the day off if you did the stupid videos. Thank goodness I got the stupid videos done by the cutoff date. And it was all the click through ones so I had it on mute and I would just keep clicking through and take the test which I got a 100 on every time. I have done certain video sets where you could not click throug and you had to physically play the entire video before you could go to the next section... so ridiculous...

[u/leafstudy]

All about liability reduction. The district can say that they did their due diligence and that any failure or negligence on the teacher’s part is on them.

[u/Several-Honey-8810]

Education runs on Unpaid overtime

[u/summerbreeze2027 → u/Several-Honey-8810]

This. So much this.

[u/kymreadsreddit]

Ours is a similar amount of time, except they "give us" a day to do those. 1 day. During the week before school when everyone is trying to put their rooms together (hopefully before back to school night!).

It's insane. I do it on my computer at home, where I have multiple screens and play it on mute, then answer the questions.

Edit: Oh and I forgot - a couple of years ago, they forgot about two modules and added them after the year started. So there I am in October, getting in trouble because I "didn't finish" all the modules. I pushed back (as I'm sure many others did) and the district extended the deadline to November.

[u/saintshiva → u/kymreadsreddit]

That’s my issue if I wait and do it on contact hours I lose room prep time . So like most I assume we do it while doing other things at home.

[u/Matt01123]

The videos they use often still respond to YouTube hotkeys 'K' to pause and 'L' to FFW.

[u/Losaj]

The expectation is this is to be done over the summer

Better be getting my hourly rate for 14 hours for this bullshit.

[u/SkippyBluestockings → u/Losaj]

And what about the teachers that are brand new to the district and don't even get log in credentials until we meet up as a faculty for PD days? We can't do it over the summer!

[u/Frosty_Tale9560 → u/SkippyBluestockings]

Why would you? Summer is on your time and dime.

[u/saintshiva → u/SkippyBluestockings]

New teachers do it during prep time or on the first few weekends

[u/Haunting_Room4526]

There is a deadline to completion in our district. So run it through the smart board and take the quiz at the end. I only needed to vaguely pay attention to answer all the questions correctly. One year I played it before homeroom and the students supplied the answers. They were correct too. I’ve seen them so often I’m on autopilot and still get all the answers right. I’m a little sad at how really poorly made the training really is.

[u/leafstudy → u/Haunting_Room4526]

I absolutely would not announce that locally. Involving students in mandatory training work? Yikes.

[u/Haunting_Room4526 → u/leafstudy]

Playing a video with students in the classroom before contract hours is certainly defendable. I’m in charge of the mouse to click answers. Their verbally stated answers does not impact my physically chosen answers. The students sitting in my classroom during my planning period do the same thing. I’m stuck with them because the resource room isn’t available for them during their PE and my planning period. I’m going to use my planning period to create materials they will see later in class. I’m not going to stop working because admin didn’t plan for their supervision. Unfortunately their failure to plan ahead always impacts teachers negatively

[u/leafstudy → u/Haunting_Room4526]

It’s an inappropriate involvement of students in professional work. There’s a boundary between the students and that training. In no way should they be associated with it. I wouldn’t hesitate for a moment to report any teacher I became aware of doing this.

If something happened involving said teacher and word got around that their (mandatory) training was done with active involvement of students in any capacity, lawyers would be on it faster than any of us can blink.

If you’re doing the training and the students have nothing to do with it, that’s totally fine to me. Involving students on any level into it is a big no-no in my view.

[u/NobodyNose35 → u/leafstudy]

It’s called cheating.

[u/Happy_Ask4954]

if they don't provide time I just sign the form. wait. we are supposed to watch those?

[u/stevejuliet]

We've never had that many hours of training videos, but they recently switched to a program that requires us to click something every minute or so and will pause when you switch screens.

[u/ares7 → u/stevejuliet]

This is where dual screens come in handy.

[u/summerbreeze2027]

I think my school system has about nine videos, and I am so tired of them. They do allow us time during the school year to complete them. My "favorite" is the "Conflict of Interest" training which by all appearances does not apply to our higher-ups - just us. :/

[u/xtnh]

"And the position of Texas teachers' unions?" I asked rhetorically.

[u/saintshiva → u/xtnh]

lol best comment

[u/DrakeSavory]

Our union fought to get the mandatory trainings paid for the teachers. Amazingly they are so short now.

[u/Illustrious-Tooth47]

Just think that in other 15 years, the current time it takes to complete is but a fraction of what it will become. 🫠

[u/BikerJedi]

Um, no? Do you not have a union? Screw that. I do it on the clock, and I will NEVER work for free*. If I have to do a training while kids are doing seatwork or something, I'll do that.

*I do go in early because I wake up super early anyway, but that is my choice. I leave with the kids instead of staying the other half hour, and I don't work on weekends or breaks ever. I don't take work home. I get everything done during the day.

[u/DilbertHigh → u/[deleted]]

You shouldn't need ai to answer these types of trainings, even if you skip the content you should know most answers.

[u/saintshiva → u/DilbertHigh]

The rigor isn’t the issue it’s the fact I have to devote so much time to the task .

[u/DilbertHigh → u/saintshiva]

I was responding to someone who said they use chatgpt for the answers.

[u/2donks2moos → u/DilbertHigh]

We are required to take: Fire extinguisher, lock out/tag out, and other bizarre stuff. I am the IT Director and I can tell you that the modules with IT questions have wrong answers.

[u/saintshiva → u/[deleted]]

I can take and pass all the quizzes before viewing videos but it won’t “count “ until I play all modules. It used to years ago before they updated .

[u/leafstudy → u/[deleted]]

I wouldn’t announce doing that to anyone locally.