Langley 25?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^I'm not BM (Bullis/bully mom) but I have to add: it's not just that she insists on having the last word (she does) but that every single thread that directly, indirectly, tangentially relates to Langley or any high school issue becomes her personal battlefield where she trots out her same 5 stories of how Langley was too stressful for her (er, her DD). And then goes on and on and on and on as if saying over and over makes it sound like others agree. Any point raised by any other poster is shot down immediately with her tired little retorts such that no one else wants to bother discussing the relevant issue anymore. So the thread dies (and maybe she thinks she's won). Bully for you.

not sure why everyone thinks there is only 1 person unhappy at Langley. There are many. And most of the type A parents are still oblivious even after 2 suicides and multiple channels of dissemination of info that children are stressed and have difficulties at fcps high schools and ESPECIALLY Langley.

It is just a shame what goes on and on and on. same problems, same stress and same denials.

same crowd of over achievers and athletes that bond together and reinforce how nice Langley is.

see - http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/after-woodson-high-suicides-a-search-for-solace-and-answers/2014/04/11/a394dc64-b069-11e3-a49e-76adc9210f19_story.html

Ok, I've had more than enough of your innuendo. I'm a Langley parent and my kids are by no means overachievers or athletes. They're pretty much your average kids, with average friends. And they are happy, or as happy as any teen in any high school is going to be. They try hard, do their work, get enough sleep, hang out with friends, live their lives. They don't have whatever hangups you're trying to make it sound like "many" Langley students have. You and your ridiculous axe to grind need to take a vacation and see a therapist about YOUR issues and stop trying to make it sound like the entire school community is at fault. Clearly, you have larger issues going on.

Um, I'm Bullis Mom. And I didn't post any of the above. But by all means, enjoy your rant

Didn't say you were Bullis Mom. Doesn't really matter who you are; your bitterness speaks volumes. And my "rant" was simply in reaction to your rants. That's what happens as a consequence of people posting the same things over and over. Eventually, rational people lose their patience.

My 'bitterness' is not 'bitterness'. It's sadness over the fact that Jack Chen wrote EXACTLY why he committed suicide, his parents shared that, perhaps hoping to help someone else, and the article says teachers, administrators and the community are 'baffled and searching for answers'. No, actually they aren't. They are searching for reasons not to look inward and make changes. Jack Chen told them outright what to do. If they would take that note and make changes based on it, things would get much better for teenagers, especially in high pressure schools. But I could tell by the 'baffled people' in that article, they STILL don't get it, even though Jack Chen's note hit them in the face with it.

So you can throw whatever crap you want at me - I truly don't care because it's not YOUR feelings I am trying to protect. I don't need to stroke your ego, or that of any other parent, because how you feel doesn't really matter to me. It's not about you sweetheart. It's about kids like Jack Chen, who step in front of trains because they feel that's their only option. And even THAT isn't enough to get people to listen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:IMO, as a parent of a rising 9th grader in Langley district, rational people should examine why Langley and Woodson have had recent suicides. This includes parents of kids who seem well-adjusted.

Thank you. This is very well-said.

[Anonymous]

Here are five things that would reduce student stress in FCPS.

1. Later HS start times
2. Scaled-back AAP programs
3. Higher teacher/administrator salaries
4. Firing of teachers who are incompetent/have track records of verbally abusing students
5. Redistrict certain middle/high schools to avoid current concentrations of low and high-income students

If we do none of them, nothing will change, except at some point we may start to candidly acknowledge student deaths as a cost of doing business around here, in the same way that people at Toyota and GM meet behind the scenes and consider if they really want to fix a problem with their vehicles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here are five things that would reduce student stress in FCPS.

1. Later HS start times
2. Scaled-back AAP programs
3. Higher teacher/administrator salaries
4. Firing of teachers who are incompetent/have track records of verbally abusing students
5. Redistrict certain middle/high schools to avoid current concentrations of low and high-income students

If we do none of them, nothing will change, except at some point we may start to candidly acknowledge student deaths as a cost of doing business around here, in the same way that people at Toyota and GM meet behind the scenes and consider if they really want to fix a problem with their vehicles.

Late HS Start times. Scaled-back AAP programs. Those are the stupidest things I heard. My DS is doing great at Langley. Only one person wants change at Langley and we all know who that is. Everyone else is doing just great!

[Anonymous]

Later start times / great idea. TJ already has it. Not sure limiting AP classes can be enforced.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here are five things that would reduce student stress in FCPS.

1. Later HS start times
2. Scaled-back AAP programs
3. Higher teacher/administrator salaries
4. Firing of teachers who are incompetent/have track records of verbally abusing students
5. Redistrict certain middle/high schools to avoid current concentrations of low and high-income students

If we do none of them, nothing will change, except at some point we may start to candidly acknowledge student deaths as a cost of doing business around here, in the same way that people at Toyota and GM meet behind the scenes and consider if they really want to fix a problem with their vehicles.

Late HS Start times. Scaled-back AAP programs. Those are the stupidest things I heard. My DS is doing great at Langley. Only one person wants change at Langley and we all know who that is. Everyone else is doing just great!

Thanks for disagreeing in such a respectful manner. It's hard to read the recent articles and think "everyone" is doing just great, but don't let that stop you from boasting about your own child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here are five things that would reduce student stress in FCPS.

1. Later HS start times
2. Scaled-back AAP programs
3. Higher teacher/administrator salaries
4. Firing of teachers who are incompetent/have track records of verbally abusing students
5. Redistrict certain middle/high schools to avoid current concentrations of low and high-income students

If we do none of them, nothing will change, except at some point we may start to candidly acknowledge student deaths as a cost of doing business around here, in the same way that people at Toyota and GM meet behind the scenes and consider if they really want to fix a problem with their vehicles.

Late HS Start times. Scaled-back AAP programs. Those are the stupidest things I heard. My DS is doing great at Langley. Only one person wants change at Langley and we all know who that is. Everyone else is doing just great!

Thanks for disagreeing in such a respectful manner. It's hard to read the recent articles and think "everyone" is doing just great, but don't let that stop you from boasting about your own child.

Tunnel vision. It's all about My Kids and I don't care about Your Kids.

[Anonymous]

Late HS Start times. Scaled-back AAP programs. Those are the stupidest things I heard. My DS is doing great at Langley. Only one person wants change at Langley and we all know who that is. Everyone else is doing just great!

Classic Langley response.

[Anonymous]

I think also changing our state's colleges acceptance policies. A lot of the stress comes from the kids in NOVA needing a 4.3 to get into UVA compared to a student in other parts of the state needing a 3.6.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think also changing our state's colleges acceptance policies. A lot of the stress comes from the kids in NOVA needing a 4.3 to get into UVA compared to a student in other parts of the state needing a 3.6.

There is an increasing amount of colleges who are doing away with the ACT and SAT. I hope more follow.

And this is what happens when fairness is emphasized over achievement

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here are five things that would reduce student stress in FCPS.

1. Later HS start times
2. Scaled-back AAP programs
3. Higher teacher/administrator salaries
4. Firing of teachers who are incompetent/have track records of verbally abusing students
5. Redistrict certain middle/high schools to avoid current concentrations of low and high-income students

If we do none of them, nothing will change, except at some point we may start to candidly acknowledge student deaths as a cost of doing business around here, in the same way that people at Toyota and GM meet behind the scenes and consider if they really want to fix a problem with their vehicles.

Do what is in your power. I think it begins at home. Earlier bedtime if that is a problem. Have your child take a less rigorous course load if that is a problem. Have your child take fewer extra curricular activities if that is a problem. 3 out of 5 of your suggestions are within the parents domain- not the school's. My children attend McLean HS. Both take the higher level classes and have plenty of time to do their homework. Why? They do not overload their time with tons of extra curricular activities and they go to bed at a reasonable time. I have noticed that they are able to do their homework faster before dinner than after dinner- because they are fresher. If they wait until after dinner it takes 30-50% longer- partly because they are tired and partly because they keep checking their social networks more frequently than right after school. So, if you are complaining about the amount of homework- observe your child to see if they are being efficient with the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think also changing our state's colleges acceptance policies. A lot of the stress comes from the kids in NOVA needing a 4.3 to get into UVA compared to a student in other parts of the state needing a 3.6.

Look beyond UVA. Our state has actually done and excellent job increasing the number of available college spots over the past few decades.. However, they are not at UVA, or William and Mary or VA Tech (although some are are). They are at some of the other excellent in state institutions. VCU, CNU, Mary Washington and GMU offer excellent in state options.

UVA, W&M and VPI are mature institutions and should not grow bigger. They also need to have a geographically (within the state especially, but also without) diverse student body if they want to maintain their status - otherwise they risk becoming a regional universities catering to NOVA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here are five things that would reduce student stress in FCPS.

1. Later HS start times
2. Scaled-back AAP programs
3. Higher teacher/administrator salaries
4. Firing of teachers who are incompetent/have track records of verbally abusing students
5. Redistrict certain middle/high schools to avoid current concentrations of low and high-income students

If we do none of them, nothing will change, except at some point we may start to candidly acknowledge student deaths as a cost of doing business around here, in the same way that people at Toyota and GM meet behind the scenes and consider if they really want to fix a problem with their vehicles.

Do what is in your power. I think it begins at home. Earlier bedtime if that is a problem. Have your child take a less rigorous course load if that is a problem. Have your child take fewer extra curricular activities if that is a problem. 3 out of 5 of your suggestions are within the parents domain- not the school's. My children attend McLean HS. Both take the higher level classes and have plenty of time to do their homework. Why? They do not overload their time with tons of extra curricular activities and they go to bed at a reasonable time. I have noticed that they are able to do their homework faster before dinner than after dinner- because they are fresher. If they wait until after dinner it takes 30-50% longer- partly because they are tired and partly because they keep checking their social networks more frequently than right after school. So, if you are complaining about the amount of homework- observe your child to see if they are being efficient with the time.

That was not our experience. It was very much teacher dependent. My kid's English teacher gave reams of homework, lots of essays had 5-7 pages of requirements. The math teacher gave 50+ problems to solve/night. Of course work for EACH problem needed to be fully shown, even though there were maybe four different kinds of problems. Those two classes could give her 2+ hours per night of work combined. Now let's add the others. And that was freshman year, where she was taking one honors course because we told her not to overload herself straight off. Now let's add to that, the 'teacher wars'. If A teacher was going to require a kid to be gone on a field trip and B teacher was giving a test that day, it was often left up to the kid to figure it out; oh, and school policy was if you were gone for only part of the day then you had to take the test you missed by end of day. So it became a catch-22. Then there were the assignments that required the kids rely on their parents to help them get from point A to point B. Well, in this busy area, we know how THAT often goes. So you had administrators out of touch with teachers, teachers out of touch with administrators, and teachers out of touch with teachers. Completely dysfunctional.

For those kids participating in sports, the problems become worse. Now if you were a really good athlete, your GPA wasn't as important because a college was probably recruiting you without even caring much about GPA. If a parent was willing to pony up for college out of state, then GPA isn't that critical - kids can keep a B or even a C average and still find a college to go to. But that's often not the case, which is where the parental pressure comes in. It doesn't take much reading on DCUM to see how competitive and mean the people are in this area. So, as Jack Chen stated so succinctly in his suicide note, the pressures from all sides became intolerable. Unlivable. And thus, sadly, he chose his fate. He took control because no one listened.

But there ARE options. Lots of private schools in this area DO listen, HAVE made these changes, and kids are given the opportunity to excel AND enjoy their high school years. When those administrators read Jack Chen's note, they feel profound sadness. They've found the solution. They could have made things better for Jack because they have made things better for so many kids like Jack.

If you have time, or any inclination, bookmark the blog of John Potter, the headmaster at The New School of Northern VA. This school is often the butt of jokes of parents in this area, but it is highly regarded by the No. VA. educational system. It's not unusual to see other schools send staff and administrators to The New School to see why it works so well. There are blog entries by John, and by New School teachers. It's definitely worth a read

http://newschoolva.com/blog/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think also changing our state's colleges acceptance policies. A lot of the stress comes from the kids in NOVA needing a 4.3 to get into UVA compared to a student in other parts of the state needing a 3.6.

Look beyond UVA. Our state has actually done and excellent job increasing the number of available college spots over the past few decades.. However, they are not at UVA, or William and Mary or VA Tech (although some are are). They are at some of the other excellent in state institutions. VCU, CNU, Mary Washington and GMU offer excellent in state options.

UVA, W&M and VPI are mature institutions and should not grow bigger. They also need to have a geographically (within the state especially, but also without) diverse student body if they want to maintain their status - otherwise they risk becoming a regional universities catering to NOVA.

We are in total agreement here! I have one at GMU and the other wants to go to a southern school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here are five things that would reduce student stress in FCPS.

1. Later HS start times
2. Scaled-back AAP programs
3. Higher teacher/administrator salaries
4. Firing of teachers who are incompetent/have track records of verbally abusing students
5. Redistrict certain middle/high schools to avoid current concentrations of low and high-income students

If we do none of them, nothing will change, except at some point we may start to candidly acknowledge student deaths as a cost of doing business around here, in the same way that people at Toyota and GM meet behind the scenes and consider if they really want to fix a problem with their vehicles.

Late HS Start times. Scaled-back AAP programs. Those are the stupidest things I heard. My DS is doing great at Langley. Only one person wants change at Langley and we all know who that is. Everyone else is doing just great!

I'm not sure if you are aware of how lack of sleep affects the brain.