Janney Vent

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Warning; I have nothing constructive to say here. I’m just venting. No, I’m not a troll.

Like many, we moved to the neighborhood for the public school. Like many, I have since learned that you don’t move “for the schools”. But this school’s stunning lack of competence leads to a level of disorganization and chaos that is beyond anything I would consider normal for an elementary school. It is way too crowded. A few teachers are good and try their best (4th grade team is pretty good) but many are burnt out and/or spend all their time on odd activist lessons (no, I’m not a conservative troll either). One of my three has since graduated and is in a non DCPS middle and none of these odd curriculum additions were either necessary or relevant to her preparation for MS. In fact, she was woefully unprepared for MS. She’s doing wonderfully now. Something is wrong with Janney in particular and DCPS in general. I don’t know what happened or if it’s always been like this. I’m too angry and exhausted to explain every incident that has frustrated us right from the beginning. A quick summary:

- kid number one was a horrible speller and struggled with reading. We were told it’s normal and that it would eventually click. Never clicked. Confidence shot as a result. New school somehow was able to support the issue and get it fixed. Kid is thriving in new school and is helping other kids with their HW.

- kid two has accommodations. We still get complaints about kid’s focus in class. Yeah, no sh*t. Support staff is MIA, no response to emails, no recognition that supports might need to be adjusted. Clearly no communication between teachers and administrative staff. Teachers constantly coming to us to “fix it”.

- kid three is young but is having so many issues socially (due to chaos? Large number of kids? Something else?)

We’re exhausted. Feel free to roast if you must but someone out there must be experiencing this too. It can’t just be us. My understanding is that our house may get moved to the Mann boundary. There’s a lot of rumbling over here about it and people aren’t happy primarily due to impact on home values. I’m not sure it’s such a bad thing. That place needs to have about half the population it is currently dealing with. We’ll be moving soon as a result of all of this. Just a fair warning to others. Do your homework and never move “for the school”.

I think it’s really unfair for you to blast an entire school because your kids have had less than ideal experiences. There are plenty of kids at Janney who are thriving socially and academically and the size of the school has had no negative impacts on them. It sounds like the school is not the best fit for you and your kids, but I don’t think you can extrapolate to the entire population because you’re exhausted. It sounds like your kids need supports that, frankly, most kids there probably don’t need. Perhaps you’d be better off in a more curated, private school environment that is structured to handle your kids’ academic and social difficulties. But if your kid has a behavioral issue that is disruptive to the class, that will be up to you to handle regardless of where they go to school.

No. Janney and all public schools are required to provide accommodations and supports for students who qualify. Doesn’t sound like OP’s kids are disruptive. Doesn’t sound like you have any idea of the law, much less any experience with school supports/accommodations. Lucky you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Warning; I have nothing constructive to say here. I’m just venting. No, I’m not a troll.

Like many, we moved to the neighborhood for the public school. Like many, I have since learned that you don’t move “for the schools”. But this school’s stunning lack of competence leads to a level of disorganization and chaos that is beyond anything I would consider normal for an elementary school. It is way too crowded. A few teachers are good and try their best (4th grade team is pretty good) but many are burnt out and/or spend all their time on odd activist lessons (no, I’m not a conservative troll either). One of my three has since graduated and is in a non DCPS middle and none of these odd curriculum additions were either necessary or relevant to her preparation for MS. In fact, she was woefully unprepared for MS. She’s doing wonderfully now. Something is wrong with Janney in particular and DCPS in general. I don’t know what happened or if it’s always been like this. I’m too angry and exhausted to explain every incident that has frustrated us right from the beginning. A quick summary:

- kid number one was a horrible speller and struggled with reading. We were told it’s normal and that it would eventually click. Never clicked. Confidence shot as a result. New school somehow was able to support the issue and get it fixed. Kid is thriving in new school and is helping other kids with their HW.

- kid two has accommodations. We still get complaints about kid’s focus in class. Yeah, no sh*t. Support staff is MIA, no response to emails, no recognition that supports might need to be adjusted. Clearly no communication between teachers and administrative staff. Teachers constantly coming to us to “fix it”.

- kid three is young but is having so many issues socially (due to chaos? Large number of kids? Something else?)

We’re exhausted. Feel free to roast if you must but someone out there must be experiencing this too. It can’t just be us. My understanding is that our house may get moved to the Mann boundary. There’s a lot of rumbling over here about it and people aren’t happy primarily due to impact on home values. I’m not sure it’s such a bad thing. That place needs to have about half the population it is currently dealing with. We’ll be moving soon as a result of all of this. Just a fair warning to others. Do your homework and never move “for the school”.

I think it’s really unfair for you to blast an entire school because your kids have had less than ideal experiences. There are plenty of kids at Janney who are thriving socially and academically and the size of the school has had no negative impacts on them. It sounds like the school is not the best fit for you and your kids, but I don’t think you can extrapolate to the entire population because you’re exhausted. It sounds like your kids need supports that, frankly, most kids there probably don’t need. Perhaps you’d be better off in a more curated, private school environment that is structured to handle your kids’ academic and social difficulties. But if your kid has a behavioral issue that is disruptive to the class, that will be up to you to handle regardless of where they go to school.

No. Janney and all public schools are required to provide accommodations and supports for students who qualify. Doesn’t sound like OP’s kids are disruptive. Doesn’t sound like you have any idea of the law, much less any experience with school supports/accommodations. Lucky you.

The OP hasn’t mentioned an IEP or 504. Janney will informally accommodate kids who don’t have these plans, but they are certainly not required to do so. It sounds like OP is on the informal plan and shouldn’t have been.

[Anonymous]

I think it’s really unfair for you to blast an entire school because your kids have had less than ideal experiences. There are plenty of kids at Janney who are thriving socially and academically and the size of the school has had no negative impacts on them. It sounds like the school is not the best fit for you and your kids, but I don’t think you can extrapolate to the entire population because you’re exhausted. It sounds like your kids need supports that, frankly, most kids there probably don’t need. Perhaps you’d be better off in a more curated, private school environment that is structured to handle your kids’ academic and social difficulties. But if your kid has a behavioral issue that is disruptive to the class, that will be up to you to handle regardless of where they go to school.

I don't think OP is extrapolating anything but sharing her experiences. Judging from the responses, a lot of people are frustrated as well. Perhaps you'd be better off attempting compassion...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like all 3 of OPs kids were special needs kids. That is what I assume private schools is usually for - for kids who can’t cut it in mainstream public. (yes, I know public is supposed to provide supports to special needs students, but there just isn’t sufficient funding for that.) Not sure I see your point here.

You have it twisted. Everyone can cut it in DCPS. OP's kid was probably slipping through the cracks because zero attention is given to the middle of the road readers.

[Anonymous]

I was in one of those classrooms for almost a year. All 24 kids got a lot of support. There were so many professionals in and out of the classroom every day. There were pull-outs, small groups, and one-on-one work.
The teacher was there several times a week early morning to tutor older kids who were behind. I don't know what else you want the school to do. Size was mostly a problem during recess and breaks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like all 3 of OPs kids were special needs kids. That is what I assume private schools is usually for - for kids who can’t cut it in mainstream public. (yes, I know public is supposed to provide supports to special needs students, but there just isn’t sufficient funding for that.) Not sure I see your point here.

I don't think this is what most privates think they are for

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like all 3 of OPs kids were special needs kids. That is what I assume private schools is usually for - for kids who can’t cut it in mainstream public. (yes, I know public is supposed to provide supports to special needs students, but there just isn’t sufficient funding for that.) Not sure I see your point here.

You have it twisted. Everyone can cut it in DCPS. OP's kid was probably slipping through the cracks because zero attention is given to the middle of the road readers.

But it doesn’t sound like her kid was middle of the road. She knew there was a problem and sat back and waited for the school to fix it for her. That’s not the way public school works in any district. Sorry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP- you aren't alone.

There are a lot of things Ive been impressed with (referrals to the school psych for loneliness, excellent pullout structure to right-size learning), I think the teachers are mostly great (WAY better education than Key FWIW which my kids also attended). But for whatever reason they can't even seem to write a single personalized line on a child in a report card. I know they care about these kids, As a parent, that matters to me. You have 25 kids, write one line.

Additionally, the culture is SO equity-focused that (for fear of "not checking my privilege") I have avoided on numerous occasions voicing concerns about my child being harassed and hit by other kids, simply bc they are POC. Multiple repeat offenders that bite, hit, grope, use wildly inappropriate language. My kid will be ok, so I swallow it.

The Fistbook debacle asking young children to identify and write down the racists in their family...the Trans posters in the Kindergarten hall reminding kids who can't read or even comprehend yet that "everyone gets to choose if they are a boy or a girl or both or neither or something else"...the teachers who CONTINUE to mask. There is a way to teach children to be good human beings without the self-flagellating kabuki.

As a neighborhood parent, it feels like there is an abnormal amount of energy placed on things that -- in the scheme of elementary education --don't matter. My kids can't tell time and they don't know the months in the year. They don't know the states on the east coast, but they will learn about American Revolution mainly from the perspective of indigenous populations.

I'm not incensed, but I am indifferent to what is supposedly the finest ES in the city. I won't miss it, and I won't give money until they get their priorities in check. But then again, I am an outlier in a neighborhood of "In this house we believe"ers.

I'm EOTP and none of this is happening at our DCPS elementary. I wonder if this is a thing that only happens in majority white schools?

+1. I was going to say the same.

There are staff and teachers that think they solve the problem of MAGA-types far off in TX or CO by subjecting the inoffensive kids of NW DC to lots of lessons about equity. At least that's my nice take on it. It more cynical moments, it appears as people using kids to feel their own power.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You are making me feel very satisfied with our experiences at Mann and Hardy (well, Hardy this year).

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's hilarious that people here think these issues only pop up in DCPS schools. They're in every school district: rich, poor and in between.

Signed,
A parent who got fed up with Janney, moved to allegedly exceptional Montgomery County, and encountered the exact same problems in the schools there.

NP. Agree! I think people need to know that the American public education system is in shambles. Media covers dumb culture wars (see book bans, when really we should be focusing on reading for example) but there are larger funding issues, dumb standardized testing instead of focusing on writing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP- you aren't alone.

There are a lot of things Ive been impressed with (referrals to the school psych for loneliness, excellent pullout structure to right-size learning), I think the teachers are mostly great (WAY better education than Key FWIW which my kids also attended). But for whatever reason they can't even seem to write a single personalized line on a child in a report card. I know they care about these kids, As a parent, that matters to me. You have 25 kids, write one line.

Additionally, the culture is SO equity-focused that (for fear of "not checking my privilege") I have avoided on numerous occasions voicing concerns about my child being harassed and hit by other kids, simply bc they are POC. Multiple repeat offenders that bite, hit, grope, use wildly inappropriate language. My kid will be ok, so I swallow it.

The Fistbook debacle asking young children to identify and write down the racists in their family...the Trans posters in the Kindergarten hall reminding kids who can't read or even comprehend yet that "everyone gets to choose if they are a boy or a girl or both or neither or something else"...the teachers who CONTINUE to mask. There is a way to teach children to be good human beings without the self-flagellating kabuki.

As a neighborhood parent, it feels like there is an abnormal amount of energy placed on things that -- in the scheme of elementary education --don't matter. My kids can't tell time and they don't know the months in the year. They don't know the states on the east coast, but they will learn about American Revolution mainly from the perspective of indigenous populations.

I'm not incensed, but I am indifferent to what is supposedly the finest ES in the city. I won't miss it, and I won't give money until they get their priorities in check. But then again, I am an outlier in a neighborhood of "In this house we believe"ers.

This was not our experience at an EOTP ES. Maybe because it was majority minority? Telling time was taught in second grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP- you aren't alone.

There are a lot of things Ive been impressed with (referrals to the school psych for loneliness, excellent pullout structure to right-size learning), I think the teachers are mostly great (WAY better education than Key FWIW which my kids also attended). But for whatever reason they can't even seem to write a single personalized line on a child in a report card. I know they care about these kids, As a parent, that matters to me. You have 25 kids, write one line.

Additionally, the culture is SO equity-focused that (for fear of "not checking my privilege") I have avoided on numerous occasions voicing concerns about my child being harassed and hit by other kids, simply bc they are POC. Multiple repeat offenders that bite, hit, grope, use wildly inappropriate language. My kid will be ok, so I swallow it.

The Fistbook debacle asking young children to identify and write down the racists in their family...the Trans posters in the Kindergarten hall reminding kids who can't read or even comprehend yet that "everyone gets to choose if they are a boy or a girl or both or neither or something else"...the teachers who CONTINUE to mask. There is a way to teach children to be good human beings without the self-flagellating kabuki.

As a neighborhood parent, it feels like there is an abnormal amount of energy placed on things that -- in the scheme of elementary education --don't matter. My kids can't tell time and they don't know the months in the year. They don't know the states on the east coast, but they will learn about American Revolution mainly from the perspective of indigenous populations.

I'm not incensed, but I am indifferent to what is supposedly the finest ES in the city. I won't miss it, and I won't give money until they get their priorities in check. But then again, I am an outlier in a neighborhood of "In this house we believe"ers.

This was not our experience at an EOTP ES. Maybe because it was majority minority? Telling time was taught in second grade.

Ya, ours either (majority minority EOTP DCPS). I find the school is really careful talking about race, probably because they don't want to traumatize the brown and black kids by making them feel less than. There is a lot of pride (black pride in February, Hispanic heritage). They never ask white kids to talk about racism in their families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP- you aren't alone.

There are a lot of things Ive been impressed with (referrals to the school psych for loneliness, excellent pullout structure to right-size learning), I think the teachers are mostly great (WAY better education than Key FWIW which my kids also attended). But for whatever reason they can't even seem to write a single personalized line on a child in a report card. I know they care about these kids, As a parent, that matters to me. You have 25 kids, write one line.

Additionally, the culture is SO equity-focused that (for fear of "not checking my privilege") I have avoided on numerous occasions voicing concerns about my child being harassed and hit by other kids, simply bc they are POC. Multiple repeat offenders that bite, hit, grope, use wildly inappropriate language. My kid will be ok, so I swallow it.

The Fistbook debacle asking young children to identify and write down the racists in their family...the Trans posters in the Kindergarten hall reminding kids who can't read or even comprehend yet that "everyone gets to choose if they are a boy or a girl or both or neither or something else"...the teachers who CONTINUE to mask. There is a way to teach children to be good human beings without the self-flagellating kabuki.

As a neighborhood parent, it feels like there is an abnormal amount of energy placed on things that -- in the scheme of elementary education --don't matter. My kids can't tell time and they don't know the months in the year. They don't know the states on the east coast, but they will learn about American Revolution mainly from the perspective of indigenous populations.

I'm not incensed, but I am indifferent to what is supposedly the finest ES in the city. I won't miss it, and I won't give money until they get their priorities in check. But then again, I am an outlier in a neighborhood of "In this house we believe"ers.

This was not our experience at an EOTP ES. Maybe because it was majority minority? Telling time was taught in second grade.

Ya, ours either (majority minority EOTP DCPS). I find the school is really careful talking about race, probably because they don't want to traumatize the brown and black kids by making them feel less than. There is a lot of pride (black pride in February, Hispanic heritage). They never ask white kids to talk about racism in their families.

Same experience at my WOTP minority majority. There is a lot of pride for different cultures. It’s more elevation of races that didnt get recognized historically but nothing like OP describes happening at Janney.

[Anonymous]

I’ve come to dread February every year at Janney. My kids come home feeling like they have personally caused an entire race of people to be harmed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like all 3 of OPs kids were special needs kids. That is what I assume private schools is usually for - for kids who can’t cut it in mainstream public. (yes, I know public is supposed to provide supports to special needs students, but there just isn’t sufficient funding for that.) Not sure I see your point here.

+1. If your kid is having trouble with reading you don’t just let it go and hope for the best. It’s also up to you to advocate for your kid, including getting them tested for learning disabilities, which sounds like needed to happen with kids #1 and 2. No school — public or private — is going to save your kids and it’s totally misguided to think that they should or will.

Nope. OP here. #1 was tested and no issues. Schools stopped teaching phonics at some point. After much debate, some districts are bringing it back. #1 is now at a private. Thriving, actually excelling, with very little intervention on our part. It’s amazing. She’s a different person here. I wish I would have gone to a school like this. Every child should know what this is like. We are spending an obscene amount of money for this and can’t do it for all three so that’s why the move. Out of the DC area.