Anyone make it to yesterday's Inspired Teaching open house?

[Anonymous]

Did anyone make it to yesterday's Inspired Teaching open house? If so, what did you think?

[Anonymous]

I was able to attend.

My impression:
1. charismatic principal - she is young and enthuastic but from googling her I did not find any experience in similar positions (note: I did not ask for her credentials at the meeting)
2. saying the right things
3. limited experience with opening a school (but who does)
4. associated with an organization that has a history of success with supporting teachers
5. the financial backing of some large non-profits (Walton fund)

I expect that as with most new endeavors, if you become a part of the school, you are going to have to be open to change, learnings, change of course as they figure things out.

I wish I asked more about ...
... experience of staff for starting a school
... what type of relationships / mentoring they have navigating the process for starting a new school / for starting a new school in DC

[Anonymous]

Does anyone find their name highly annoying? It's kind of like developing a slogan that says "Quality is Job 1!" Oh really? What was job one prior to that clever slogan?

"Inspired Teaching? Really? Have other teachers just been totally uninspired before? What if I want to work there and I'm only inspired some of the time?

I'm sure that Inspired Teaching is based on some new paradigm of teaching, blah blah blah, but I find the name difficult to stomach.

[Anonymous]

yeah, i don't like the name. wouldn't keep me from checking out the school, but it is annoying.

[Anonymous]

The name does fit with a certain approach that is great; however, most teachers who have 'it' (that certain something) have 'it' without necessarily taking inspired teaching training etc. It is annoying, and a bit doctrinaire. That being said, they have identified the qualities 'good classrooms' often have and are putting in effort to implement it.

[Anonymous]

Wow. So now school names are criteria? The school is being run by a nonprofit of the same name that's been around for 10 something years. Like Appletree. What should they have called it? Or maybe the pps are trying to turn people off to shorten the potential waitlist. Jokes aside, I wish them well. They may not have admin experience, but maybe they have more teaching staff than most start up schools.

[Anonymous]

Did they say where it will be located in Sept.? Also are they enrolling all the grades or just Pre-K?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did they say where it will be located in Sept.? Also are they enrolling all the grades or just Pre-K?

Location has not yet been finalized

Grades PreS - 3rd

[Anonymous]

Are applications for the lottery available yet?

[Anonymous]

It's on their website. http://www.inspiredteachingschool.org/

[Anonymous]

I was the snarker. I was cranky

[Anonymous]

Yes, take a deep breath people.

Even the most up and running good charters stumble and fumble about, like all organizations. I've been with a charter for 8 years and you have to take a lot with a grain of salt, have patience, etc. Sometimes I felt in the early years like my child's education was my part-time job, with everything I had to contribute, double-check, reaearch, communicate. If you start looking for faults as early as the open house (the name!) you will go crazy before opening day. And downhill from there.

This charter could be good or even great, but not it's first year, almost certainly. You are getting in and buying a spot for first grade or K or whatever in the future when they get their act together. In the meantime be prepared to be very very patient and keep your expectations for organization low. That said, make sure that your child is treated with respect and that the interactions between children and adults are kind-- you have to have a high threshold there.

[Anonymous]

I see they will be located in Meridian Charter School's former building next year:1328 Florida Avenue for 2012-2013.

[Anonymous]

This is an old thread from last year that someone bumped up. It is not relevant to this weekend's Family Day event.

It took me a minute to figure out why people were talking as though the school hadn't opened yet. Whoever is bumping these threads is really confusing things.