What is really going on at GWMS?

[Anonymous]

I want to hear from parents, teachers, staff, or students at George Washington Middle School in Alexandria. I really need to know. I hear horror stories from neighbors and on social media. Is it really that dangerous? Is the attrition of staff so severe? What is an average student experience? I hear about kids not using the bathroom due to vaping or assaults, tons of fights, teachers being assaulted by students, no teacher or gym class, what is up? Why is ACPS getting away with this?

[Anonymous]

My 6th grader has never once come home talking about any of those things. She loves it other than getting used to the idea of having homework.

She's not the most observant kid, so she may just be oblivious, or it may be that the problems are more with the older kids (the 6th graders are on their own floor most of the day) so she isn't around them yet.

[Anonymous]

I have an 8th grader and a 7th grader there. They smell weed daily. They see fights weekly. The bathrooms look like some from El Salvador. The classrooms are stuffed and the teachers are overwhelmed.

This post will be pulled down as soon as the PTAC calls Jeff. Just watch.

[Anonymous]

On the fights, I wonder if there is a way to find or compile statistics on that. I am an Alexandria parent of a middle school student who is not in the district right now. I do have contact with parents some of my child’s friends who both described their children being in the vicinity of multiple fights in the GWMC cafeteria. I am not sure how frequently they are happening.

[Anonymous]

Even PTAC prez was complaining on Facebook this week that several of her GWMS student's teachers have left this year, including 2 in the last week. The comments on her post were eye opening as almost all of them had same issues.

No one is immune. Severe staff issues. People quitting in the middle of the year

[Anonymous]

Are things better at Hammond? Worse?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are things better at Hammond? Worse?

I was talking to a Hammond parent who used to worm for the district. Her description suggested similar issues which is surprising since they are less talked about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are things better at Hammond? Worse?

I was talking to a Hammond parent who used to worm for the district. Her description suggested similar issues which is surprising since they are less talked about.

Work - typo

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Even PTAC prez was complaining on Facebook this week that several of her GWMS student's teachers have left this year, including 2 in the last week. The comments on her post were eye opening as almost all of them had same issues.

No one is immune. Severe staff issues. People quitting in the middle of the year

National polling of teachers shows that they are leaving primarily because of violence in the schools. There is increased violence because of the well documented mental health impacts on kids from the school shut downs.

The PTAC president enthusiastically and publicly supported ACPS when it wouldn't even consider getting special ed kids back in school or at risk kids back in school. She and her PTAC pals helped ACPS keep the doors firmly closed to everyone. Her crony, the then PTAC president was on private school open house zooms while actively refusing to say a word of criticism against ACPS.

Now when the consequences of her own actions begin to impact her...now she speaks up.

[Anonymous]

Yes, there are fights, kids vaping, vandalism, and other problems. However, these issues are usually confined to a small group of kids. It’s possible your kid might witness something, but they are unlikely to get involved. Also, the reports of violence are often exaggerated. (Last month’s DCUM post on the staff member who was attacked was far from the truth of what actually happened.) Just get your kid in the honors classes, since those attract better students.

Teacher retention is not just a problem at GWMS; it’s a national issue. You don’t have to read far into DCUM to realize that teachers are not respected. Even if the majority of kids and parents are great, it only takes a few bad apples to make a teacher’s life miserable. GWMS is particularly challenging because it draws from Alexandria’s richest and poorest neighborhoods, which have competing priorities. Teachers have to instruct the affluent kid who travels to Europe and whose parents expect them to attend an Ivy League college, as well as the student five grade levels behind whose single parent doesn’t speak English and is struggling to put food on the table. Obviously those are extreme examples, but it is hard to meet everyone’s needs, and the differences have become more pronounced in the last few years. There are lots of easier jobs out there that pay a lot more.

-ACPS staff member

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, there are fights, kids vaping, vandalism, and other problems. However, these issues are usually confined to a small group of kids. It’s possible your kid might witness something, but they are unlikely to get involved. Also, the reports of violence are often exaggerated. (Last month’s DCUM post on the staff member who was attacked was far from the truth of what actually happened.) Just get your kid in the honors classes, since those attract better students.

Teacher retention is not just a problem at GWMS; it’s a national issue. You don’t have to read far into DCUM to realize that teachers are not respected. Even if the majority of kids and parents are great, it only takes a few bad apples to make a teacher’s life miserable. GWMS is particularly challenging because it draws from Alexandria’s richest and poorest neighborhoods, which have competing priorities. Teachers have to instruct the affluent kid who travels to Europe and whose parents expect them to attend an Ivy League college, as well as the student five grade levels behind whose single parent doesn’t speak English and is struggling to put food on the table. Obviously those are extreme examples, but it is hard to meet everyone’s needs, and the differences have become more pronounced in the last few years. There are lots of easier jobs out there that pay a lot more.

-ACPS staff member

The Alexandria way...segregation is the solution. Always.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, there are fights, kids vaping, vandalism, and other problems. However, these issues are usually confined to a small group of kids. It’s possible your kid might witness something, but they are unlikely to get involved. Also, the reports of violence are often exaggerated. (Last month’s DCUM post on the staff member who was attacked was far from the truth of what actually happened.) Just get your kid in the honors classes, since those attract better students.

Teacher retention is not just a problem at GWMS; it’s a national issue. You don’t have to read far into DCUM to realize that teachers are not respected. Even if the majority of kids and parents are great, it only takes a few bad apples to make a teacher’s life miserable. GWMS is particularly challenging because it draws from Alexandria’s richest and poorest neighborhoods, which have competing priorities. Teachers have to instruct the affluent kid who travels to Europe and whose parents expect them to attend an Ivy League college, as well as the student five grade levels behind whose single parent doesn’t speak English and is struggling to put food on the table. Obviously those are extreme examples, but it is hard to meet everyone’s needs, and the differences have become more pronounced in the last few years. There are lots of easier jobs out there that pay a lot more.

-ACPS staff member

The Alexandria way...segregation is the solution. Always.

It’s open enrollment. Anyone can take honors. And while the correlation isn’t perfect, in general the kids who get in trouble are not taking honors classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, there are fights, kids vaping, vandalism, and other problems. However, these issues are usually confined to a small group of kids. It’s possible your kid might witness something, but they are unlikely to get involved. Also, the reports of violence are often exaggerated. (Last month’s DCUM post on the staff member who was attacked was far from the truth of what actually happened.) Just get your kid in the honors classes, since those attract better students.

Teacher retention is not just a problem at GWMS; it’s a national issue. You don’t have to read far into DCUM to realize that teachers are not respected. Even if the majority of kids and parents are great, it only takes a few bad apples to make a teacher’s life miserable. GWMS is particularly challenging because it draws from Alexandria’s richest and poorest neighborhoods, which have competing priorities. Teachers have to instruct the affluent kid who travels to Europe and whose parents expect them to attend an Ivy League college, as well as the student five grade levels behind whose single parent doesn’t speak English and is struggling to put food on the table. Obviously those are extreme examples, but it is hard to meet everyone’s needs, and the differences have become more pronounced in the last few years. There are lots of easier jobs out there that pay a lot more.

-ACPS staff member

The Alexandria way...segregation is the solution. Always.

Not only that, it’s endorsed and promoted by an “ACPS staff member”. On brand.

[Anonymous]

As predicted, this was heavily pruned to be favorable to ACPS.

So bizarre

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, there are fights, kids vaping, vandalism, and other problems. However, these issues are usually confined to a small group of kids. It’s possible your kid might witness something, but they are unlikely to get involved. Also, the reports of violence are often exaggerated. (Last month’s DCUM post on the staff member who was attacked was far from the truth of what actually happened.) Just get your kid in the honors classes, since those attract better students.

Teacher retention is not just a problem at GWMS; it’s a national issue. You don’t have to read far into DCUM to realize that teachers are not respected. Even if the majority of kids and parents are great, it only takes a few bad apples to make a teacher’s life miserable. GWMS is particularly challenging because it draws from Alexandria’s richest and poorest neighborhoods, which have competing priorities. Teachers have to instruct the affluent kid who travels to Europe and whose parents expect them to attend an Ivy League college, as well as the student five grade levels behind whose single parent doesn’t speak English and is struggling to put food on the table. Obviously those are extreme examples, but it is hard to meet everyone’s needs, and the differences have become more pronounced in the last few years. There are lots of easier jobs out there that pay a lot more.

-ACPS staff member

The Alexandria way...segregation is the solution. Always.

Not only that, it’s endorsed and promoted by an “ACPS staff member”. On brand.

If the reports of violence are exaggerated, it's because ACPS is on a communications lockdown. I didn't think it was possible for communications to get worse after Helen "we keep a list of problem parents" Lloyd left but ACPS always manages to find the basement.