Considering pulling kid from Wilson

[Anonymous]

This year has been awful on so many levels, from terrible classes to toxic friend groups who use drugs. Have you ever considered pulling your kid from a high school? How would that work?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This year has been awful on so many levels, from terrible classes to toxic friend groups who use drugs. Have you ever considered pulling your kid from a high school? How would that work?

What grade? Mine gets on a bus right after school and could care less which friend or student does drugs. Classes are terrible though according to him (easy, boring) and school is overcrowded. He goes there for social reasons I guess. Sitting at home would not be good for home. I will see what he learned or not over the summer break.

[Anonymous]

What’s terrible about the classes other than normal Team complaints?

Your kid needs to find new friends. I would not remove my kid from a school unless there was some danger or they aren’t being educated.

[Anonymous]

Normal teen complaints

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What’s terrible about the classes other than normal Team complaints?

Your kid needs to find new friends. I would not remove my kid from a school unless there was some danger or they aren’t being educated.

OP described both of those things.

[Anonymous]

Well, what's your other option? Would you homeschool? Could you get him into a private school somewhere?

[Anonymous]

Pulled our son out a few years back. There was bullying which shut him down mentally & impacted his ability (interest) to do school work. Some admin/teachers tried to be supportive others not so much (gist being telling him to ignore the bullies & find new people to hang with). Had been working with therapist so it was pretty clear that leaving Wilson would be the best thing fir him. Finding another option was tough, but managed for I to a private at the very beginning of junior year. Took all of junior year and part of senior for him to start to feel secure in his abilities. Graduated, did a gap year in Senegal & went on to university. Our oldest has a good experience at Wilson so won’t bash the school, except to say I think staff (for the most part) didn’t know how to deal with that type of situation

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, what's your other option? Would you homeschool? Could you get him into a private school somewhere?

I homeschooled my child last year and it was great. I kept my child socially connected with positive friends and activities. There is a homeschooling page on dcum as well as lots on Facebook like SEA (secular, eclectic, academic). What are your means like? DC is great about homeschooling in one regard - very hands off. However, they don't provide resources- other states do. We used the library a LOT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, what's your other option? Would you homeschool? Could you get him into a private school somewhere?

I homeschooled my child last year and it was great. I kept my child socially connected with positive friends and activities. There is a homeschooling page on dcum as well as lots on Facebook like SEA (secular, eclectic, academic). What are your means like? DC is great about homeschooling in one regard - very hands off. However, they don't provide resources- other states do. We used the library a LOT.

NP. What is your feeling about homeschooling in HS and then college? I am interested in doing longterm homeschooling but worried it might make the college application process more difficult (no GPA, no recs from teachers, etc.).

Also, beyond activities, do homeschooling resources in DC enable you to find other homeschooling families and do some joint coursework? I know this is possible at the elementary level, but I worry there are not enough homeschooling high schoolers in the area to do something similar at this level. It would be nice to be able to pool resources for science learning, for instance.

[Anonymous]

DD and her friends report there are pretty bad fights at Wilson multiple times a day. Fights in hallways, in class. Boy on girl, kids getting jumped etc. I know this is “normal” high school behavior but it’s become quite disruptive for DD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s terrible about the classes other than normal Team complaints?

Your kid needs to find new friends. I would not remove my kid from a school unless there was some danger or they aren’t being educated.

OP described both of those things.

I disagree. Where is the danger? What constitutes a terrible class?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD and her friends report there are pretty bad fights at Wilson multiple times a day. Fights in hallways, in class. Boy on girl, kids getting jumped etc. I know this is “normal” high school behavior but it’s become quite disruptive for DD.

It isn't normal. This behavior doesn't happen in all high schools. Teenagers don't have to be violent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD and her friends report there are pretty bad fights at Wilson multiple times a day. Fights in hallways, in class. Boy on girl, kids getting jumped etc. I know this is “normal” high school behavior but it’s become quite disruptive for DD.

It isn't normal. This behavior doesn't happen in all high schools. Teenagers don't have to be violent.

DD showed me a video of a few of the fights that are going around Instagram. It’s so sad. Some are in class, some are at the Whole Foods corridor after school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD and her friends report there are pretty bad fights at Wilson multiple times a day. Fights in hallways, in class. Boy on girl, kids getting jumped etc. I know this is “normal” high school behavior but it’s become quite disruptive for DD.

Bad fights in HS multiple times daily is not normal. Do we want our kids to learn to ignore violence, like they do in Upper Darby and elsewhere?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD and her friends report there are pretty bad fights at Wilson multiple times a day. Fights in hallways, in class. Boy on girl, kids getting jumped etc. I know this is “normal” high school behavior but it’s become quite disruptive for DD.

It isn't normal. This behavior doesn't happen in all high schools. Teenagers don't have to be violent.

Agree- it is not normal. There are fights in the hallways all the time. One can smell weed in the entrance, at sporting events, and I’m told in the bathrooms. At least one class my kid is in there are constant disruptions from students. The teachers get no support from administration. The school is a mess.

There’s very little learning taking place and there’s constant chaos.

What are the choices besides moving?