Please recommend your family friendly neighborhood with playground, metro and good schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am amazed by the thinly veiled racism on this thread. I hope that all of you talking about avoiding "the ghetto" or "free and reduced lunch" are really just using euphemisms for "people of color" and you sound like bigots.

I'm the poster who used "free and reduced lunch." I explicitly avoided mentioning race, because there's plenty of poor white trash where I'm from that I am reluctant to have my kids around either.

I'm also not one who'll freak out over a FRL percentage greater than 5%. Some folks are poor, and let's face it -- it's probably not ideal to be in an extreme low-poverty environment.

But once that percentage starts creeping up above 40-50%, you gotta start wondering. Will your kid be busy teaching his classmates the English he learned at 3-4? Will the teacher be teaching a 3rd grade class at a 1st grade level? Will the parents simply not be committed to education (come on, they can't ALL be hard-working folks who've just met a little misfortune?) In some cases, you can give it a try, but in others, you just get the vibe that the administration is all about the at-risk kids and yours is going to get ignored unless he is in the top 10% of self-starters.

But for full disclosure, since I'm a bigot and all, where do YOU live and send your kids to school?

I am a the PP you are responding to. I realize what you are saying, and those are valid concerns. When backed up by your thought process, rather than just thrown out, they sound much less bigoted. Also, I don't know you, have no idea if you are a bigot or not. I was not calling you one. I was simply stating that comments like yours, when set apart from any knowledge of your deeper thought processes, makes you sound like one.

I live in Mount Pleasant with an infant. Not sure where the little one will go to school when the time comes. Also not sure how that has any bearing on my opinion about racist comments.

I also called things ghetto and talked about reduced lunches. It has nothing to do with race, it has everything to do with the fact that with poverty comes crime. We can't deny it. COME ON! OPEN UR EYES. And a high rate of kids who don't speak English is a problem too b/c the teachers spend more time helping them than keeping up with the class.

I understand the like between poverty and crime, and the challenges that come with a large number of ESL students. Not debating that those are problems, just commenting on the language. You are the one who needs to open your eyes if you think those comments have nothing to do with race.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am amazed by the thinly veiled racism on this thread. I hope that all of you talking about avoiding "the ghetto" or "free and reduced lunch" are really just using euphemisms for "people of color" and you sound like bigots.

I'm the poster who used "free and reduced lunch." I explicitly avoided mentioning race, because there's plenty of poor white trash where I'm from that I am reluctant to have my kids around either.

I'm also not one who'll freak out over a FRL percentage greater than 5%. Some folks are poor, and let's face it -- it's probably not ideal to be in an extreme low-poverty environment.

But once that percentage starts creeping up above 40-50%, you gotta start wondering. Will your kid be busy teaching his classmates the English he learned at 3-4? Will the teacher be teaching a 3rd grade class at a 1st grade level? Will the parents simply not be committed to education (come on, they can't ALL be hard-working folks who've just met a little misfortune?) In some cases, you can give it a try, but in others, you just get the vibe that the administration is all about the at-risk kids and yours is going to get ignored unless he is in the top 10% of self-starters.

But for full disclosure, since I'm a bigot and all, where do YOU live and send your kids to school?

I am a the PP you are responding to. I realize what you are saying, and those are valid concerns. When backed up by your thought process, rather than just thrown out, they sound much less bigoted. Also, I don't know you, have no idea if you are a bigot or not. I was not calling you one. I was simply stating that comments like yours, when set apart from any knowledge of your deeper thought processes, makes you sound like one.

I live in Mount Pleasant with an infant. Not sure where the little one will go to school when the time comes. Also not sure how that has any bearing on my opinion about racist comments.

I also called things ghetto and talked about reduced lunches. It has nothing to do with race, it has everything to do with the fact that with poverty comes crime. We can't deny it. COME ON! OPEN UR EYES. And a high rate of kids who don't speak English is a problem too b/c the teachers spend more time helping them than keeping up with the class.

You might want to familiarize with ESOL in Fairfax County and how it works before saying things like this. In Fairfax County, students who know little to no English are in their own separate ESOL classes. They are not just thrown in with the general population for mainstream teachers to deal with. It is not until they have at least an intermediate level of English, that they go into mainstream classes where they generally are some of the top students in the class - IMO because they have worked so hard to get there. We do have students who are beginning students of English and basically illiterate in their native language and they will never move into mainstream classes because they don't have the skills to do so (this is in high school). Usually they end up dropping out because of their age or just general frustration. Fairfax County is actually very strict about the skills ESOL students need to go to mainstream classes - much more so than other counties in the area.

[Anonymous]

08:05 -- thank you! I was going to point out the same thing but you did a MUCH better job!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

You might want to familiarize with ESOL in Fairfax County and how it works before saying things like this. In Fairfax County, students who know little to no English are in their own separate ESOL classes. They are not just thrown in with the general population for mainstream teachers to deal with. It is not until they have at least an intermediate level of English, that they go into mainstream classes where they generally are some of the top students in the class - IMO because they have worked so hard to get there. We do have students who are beginning students of English and basically illiterate in their native language and they will never move into mainstream classes because they don't have the skills to do so (this is in high school). Usually they end up dropping out because of their age or just general frustration. Fairfax County is actually very strict about the skills ESOL students need to go to mainstream classes - much more so than other counties in the area.

Don't you think an intermediate level is English is too low to be put in general mainstream classes? Students should have mastered the language. Otherwise, I can see where they hold the whole class back. You can't tell me that all the ESOL students don't cost Fairfax County a lot of money and time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

You might want to familiarize with ESOL in Fairfax County and how it works before saying things like this. In Fairfax County, students who know little to no English are in their own separate ESOL classes. They are not just thrown in with the general population for mainstream teachers to deal with. It is not until they have at least an intermediate level of English, that they go into mainstream classes where they generally are some of the top students in the class - IMO because they have worked so hard to get there. We do have students who are beginning students of English and basically illiterate in their native language and they will never move into mainstream classes because they don't have the skills to do so (this is in high school). Usually they end up dropping out because of their age or just general frustration. Fairfax County is actually very strict about the skills ESOL students need to go to mainstream classes - much more so than other counties in the area.

Don't you think an intermediate level is English is too low to be put in general mainstream classes? Students should have mastered the language. Otherwise, I can see where they hold the whole class back. You can't tell me that all the ESOL students don't cost Fairfax County a lot of money and time.

ALL students cost Fairfax County a lot of money and time. Are you trying to say that ESOL students do not deserve the money and time because English is not their first language?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Currently live in Dupont Circle area of DC. Have kids 5 and 2.5 year old. Both parents work full time in DC downtown. Would like to move to a nice neighborhood that works for all of us. Walking distance to a well visited playground that can meet other families, close enough to metro line and good schools with active PTA. Thanks!!

Garrett Park fits that bill. Very active PTA - lovely new neighborhood elementary school as of Jan 2012. Great park - and community pool with community swim team. Post Office and community events for fourth of July and Halloween. Lovely sidewalks. Grovesnor metro less than a mile away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Currently live in Dupont Circle area of DC. Have kids 5 and 2.5 year old. Both parents work full time in DC downtown. Would like to move to a nice neighborhood that works for all of us. Walking distance to a well visited playground that can meet other families, close enough to metro line and good schools with active PTA. Thanks!!

Garrett Park fits that bill. Very active PTA - lovely new neighborhood elementary school as of Jan 2012. Great park - and community pool with community swim team. Post Office and community events for fourth of July and Halloween. Lovely sidewalks. Grovesnor metro less than a mile away.

And to add - Garrett Park is in the "North Bethesda" or "White Flint" or "Rockville" part of Montgomery County (nomenclature may change depending on who you ask, how long they've lived here, and whether they're a developer) - behind Strathmore Hall and on the red line.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those PP that suggested Falls Church-Haycock area, where is the playground that most families congregate? thanks!!

We most often go to (and meet other moms at) Lincoln Park. Also lots of Falls Church City residents there; it's near the border.

Either this park, the playground at the elemntary school (during non-school hours of course), or Clemyjontri which really isn't walking distance but is definitely close by and a fun park to go to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Haycock Road looks like its really close to 66. Do you hear the incessant hum of the traffic?

Nope. Still too far away. We sometimes hear the metro trains going by and occaisionally the pile driving from construction on 66 but those would be the only instances. And we live .5 a mile from 66.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live near Haycock Road in the fairfax county section pf Falls Church. It's lovely. Those neighborhoods are a mixture of nice and really nice homes. Not many mansions like other parts of McLean school district but certainly above average with more renovations happening.

What I like is the accessibility factor. I can walk to the metro. I can walk to the neighborhood pool. I can walk to the Falls Church farmers market. I can walk to some decent (not fancy but decent) restaurants. I can walk to the grocery store. It takes me 25 minutes to drive to work, door to door, to L street. I have a hybrid so I can zip down 66. And the schools (McLean high) are great. It's pretty ideal for me but certainly not status-y like McLean or Great Falls.

are the houses in that area expensive? what is the price range? anything for $500K?

Smaller 3bdrm/2ba usually go for around 600K but sometimes you can find a motivated seller willing to sell for less. You just need to keep looking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

You might want to familiarize with ESOL in Fairfax County and how it works before saying things like this. In Fairfax County, students who know little to no English are in their own separate ESOL classes. They are not just thrown in with the general population for mainstream teachers to deal with. It is not until they have at least an intermediate level of English, that they go into mainstream classes where they generally are some of the top students in the class - IMO because they have worked so hard to get there. We do have students who are beginning students of English and basically illiterate in their native language and they will never move into mainstream classes because they don't have the skills to do so (this is in high school). Usually they end up dropping out because of their age or just general frustration. Fairfax County is actually very strict about the skills ESOL students need to go to mainstream classes - much more so than other counties in the area.

Don't you think an intermediate level is English is too low to be put in general mainstream classes? Students should have mastered the language. Otherwise, I can see where they hold the whole class back. You can't tell me that all the ESOL students don't cost Fairfax County a lot of money and time.

Actually, you would be surprised what an intermediate level of English is in ESOL in Fairfax County - students are very fluent orally, as well as in reading and writing. So much so that the ESOL students at this level (at least at my school) usually read and write better than the 9th grade students they are in class with. And as far as mainstream classes these intermediate ESOL students are taking, they are 9th grade classes - usually World History 1 and Biology. It is not until students are at an advanced level of ESOL (basically only one ESOL class in their schedule), that they take English 9, Chemistry, and other more advanced classes. You can believe me or not, but in my 11 years of teaching experience at my Fairax County school, the ESOL students are generally just as prepared and sometimes more studious than the "regular" American students - at least in the general ed. classes. They are not holding classes back - there simply isn't time to do that really with all the content that needs to be taught. And yes, the ESOL students do cost the county money and time, but so do Special Ed classes, and other "special" classes that the county offers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like the Ridge Road area in Arlington, near Crystal city.

I just drove over there for the first time recently and was amazed at what a beautiful neighborhood this is! Is there anything walkable around there?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Haycock Road looks like its really close to 66. Do you hear the incessant hum of the traffic?

Nope. Still too far away. We sometimes hear the metro trains going by and occaisionally the pile driving from construction on 66 but those would be the only instances. And we live .5 a mile from 66.

Would this be the north or south of I-66?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Haycock Road looks like its really close to 66. Do you hear the incessant hum of the traffic?

Nope. Still too far away. We sometimes hear the metro trains going by and occaisionally the pile driving from construction on 66 but those would be the only instances. And we live .5 a mile from 66.

Would this be the north or south of I-66?

North.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Haycock Road looks like its really close to 66. Do you hear the incessant hum of the traffic?

Nope. Still too far away. We sometimes hear the metro trains going by and occaisionally the pile driving from construction on 66 but those would be the only instances. And we live .5 a mile from 66.

Would this be the north or south of I-66?

North.

Thanks for the information. I thought if it is north of I-66, it will be too far to walk to Lincoln park and the metro. But I suppose you can use the school playground. Is the school playground well visited by families with young kids?