AppleTree Public Charter preschool - candid opinions please.

[Anonymous]

Actually "Sit and Watch" is used pretty regularly at Lincoln Park. I was upset about this at first until I took the time to observe the classroom for a while and I realized that if administered correctly by the teachers it can be quite effective and doesn't upset the kids at all. It is different than "time out" because the child in "sit and watch" is still engaged in the classroom and the teacher is constantly checking in with them.

Also, reports about their strictness on attendance and timeliness are true. They are forgiving the first couple of times but after that they are quite strict about enforcing the time and it is because the children inside the classroom need to be there for morning meeting to get themselves oriented and prepared for the day. It has been good for us as a family and I'm happy to say that while we may have gotten to school with no shoes on and unbrushed hair, we've nevertheless always made it by 8:45.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Actually "Sit and Watch" is used pretty regularly at Lincoln Park. I was upset about this at first until I took the time to observe the classroom for a while and I realized that if administered correctly by the teachers it can be quite effective and doesn't upset the kids at all. It is different than "time out" because the child in "sit and watch" is still engaged in the classroom and the teacher is constantly checking in with them.

Also, reports about their strictness on attendance and timeliness are true. They are forgiving the first couple of times but after that they are quite strict about enforcing the time and it is because the children inside the classroom need to be there for morning meeting to get themselves oriented and prepared for the day. It has been good for us as a family and I'm happy to say that while we may have gotten to school with no shoes on and unbrushed hair, we've nevertheless always made it by 8:45.

At the Columbia Heights Appletree open house, the principal said that the teachers do NOT engage with the children in the sit-and-watch chair unless the child gets up or tries to leave. In that case, they stop the timer, don't make eye contact, and place them back in the chair, then leave.

[Anonymous]

That is interesting. I'm the PP that said the teachers were constantly checking in with them. But by that I didn't mean directly interacting, I meant more that they were observing carefully. Nevertheless your comment suggests different teachers are implementing it differently, at least at two different campuses.