Your/your kid's recent experience at Walls

[Anonymous]

Rather than a comparison thread (Walls vs. whatever school) I would love to simply hear your (and your kid's) thoughts about, and experiences at Walls the past couple of years. How are the teachers/classes/curriculum/student body/extracurriculars/location/building?

Any and all information (the good, bad, the ugly) would be so helpful to those of us with kids trying to decide whether to attend next year!

TIA

[Anonymous]

Do you not know how to search DCUM? At least two threads on the exact same topic...not a comparison, just tell me about Walls and your kid's experience.

[Anonymous]

I have no answers but would love to know more also. I often read parents say "sink or swim" here but it seems to be written by parents with swimmers. Anyone have their obviously bright kid not do well with the self starter environment that Walls seems to be? DS loves an open/creative learning environment but thrives in a more structured one so I'm a little concerned that he could be a sinker!

[Anonymous]

Our experience is...meh. The kids are mostly lovely (i.e., no behavior problems). That is the biggest asset by far. Administration is not very communicative or helpful. Teachers are a real mixed bag. Many seem to think a lot of busy work is good teaching. Some are actually pretty bad (arbitrarily give harsh grades with little to no feedback). But some are fine and a few have been great. They haven't really found any clubs/activities that have been a great fit and the commute is rough. Not sure we will send our (now 7th grader) to Walls if they get in next year.

[Anonymous]

Lots of grade inflation -
Lots of value put on completing assignments vs content mastery
My sink kid has spent 3 years drowning - and just learning to swim
But I do not think things would have been any different at out IB school. For our child - COVID set them back significantly as they struggled making connections in 100% virtual environment freshman year and recovery from that took time

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lots of grade inflation -
Lots of value put on completing assignments vs content mastery
My sink kid has spent 3 years drowning - and just learning to swim
But I do not think things would have been any different at out IB school. For our child - COVID set them back significantly as they struggled making connections in 100% virtual environment freshman year and recovery from that took time

I'm glad to hear that your child is starting to swim! Was the struggle a positive/learning experience or more of a miserable one? Starting during COVID is hard, and yeah, difficult to know if it would have been different elsewhere. I'm glad you are both past it now.

[Anonymous]

Not good. Good for a very few. Sink or swim is accurate but mostly sinking based on crppy administration and teachers, not kids ability.

[Anonymous]

My kid has had a good experience at Walls.
We live very close to JR and he has friends at both JR and Walls.
He has never regretted going to Walls. He has a great friend group. Has liked most of his classes.
He has taken 10+ APs and mostly gotten all 5s without studying like crazy.
Some teachers are excellent, some mediocre. French was a bad experience but I heard complaints about Spanish and French from his JR friends as well
College admissions have been good this year

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not good. Good for a very few. Sink or swim is accurate but mostly sinking based on crppy administration and teachers, not kids ability.

It is an academics-focused school. To succeed there, it helps to be intrinsically motivated and independent. I’m sorry your child had a bad experience but I’m not sure what you were expecting

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not good. Good for a very few. Sink or swim is accurate but mostly sinking based on crppy administration and teachers, not kids ability.

It is an academics-focused school. To succeed there, it helps to be intrinsically motivated and independent. I’m sorry your child had a bad experience but I’m not sure what you were expecting

This!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not good. Good for a very few. Sink or swim is accurate but mostly sinking based on crppy administration and teachers, not kids ability.

It is an academics-focused school. To succeed there, it helps to be intrinsically motivated and independent. I’m sorry your child had a bad experience but I’m not sure what you were expecting

More than they provided through COVID.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not good. Good for a very few. Sink or swim is accurate but mostly sinking based on crppy administration and teachers, not kids ability.

It is an academics-focused school. To succeed there, it helps to be intrinsically motivated and independent. I’m sorry your child had a bad experience but I’m not sure what you were expecting

It is one thing to be academics focused - but the administration does nothing. The last AP never responded to an email - even when the Principal was cc'd.

[Anonymous]

Been a good experience so far. Some of it seems to be a weeding out process but kid has adapted and is rolling now. Like any school, there are some good teachers and some are bewildering.

Both teachers and administration have been incredibly responsive. Actually, I think the staff over communicates. The Juniper emails come fast and furious Monthly meetings with HSA and LSAT occur to keep parents abreast. They are really trying to turn the school back over to the kids-planning dances and other activities. Covid took a lot of that away. If your kid is not a self-starter or has executive functioning issues, I'd be very cautious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not good. Good for a very few. Sink or swim is accurate but mostly sinking based on crppy administration and teachers, not kids ability.

So why stay if it's not a fit?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Been a good experience so far. Some of it seems to be a weeding out process but kid has adapted and is rolling now. Like any school, there are some good teachers and some are bewildering.

Both teachers and administration have been incredibly responsive. Actually, I think the staff over communicates. The Juniper emails come fast and furious Monthly meetings with HSA and LSAT occur to keep parents abreast. They are really trying to turn the school back over to the kids-planning dances and other activities. Covid took a lot of that away. If your kid is not a self-starter or has executive functioning issues, I'd be very cautious.

Yes. It is a good school for motivated kids who have above average levels of executive functioning. Some of the AP teachers are good but they really treat the classes as college level. There is not a lot of hand holding.
That being said it is no TJ or Montgomery Blair magnet. But a reasonable amount of work is expected