Flora Singer ES

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I said MCPS teachers and administrators call it Flora....including teachers at OTES and Flora. And who really cares?

Okay, so from this response I'm getting that you don't have a kid actually at Singer. Do you live here in Silver Spring? Do you really truly know people who currently teach at OTES and Singer that say, "Flora?"

Do you work for MCPS? How is it that you know so many administrators and teachers in this area? Please tell us in what general area of the county you live. Because I have a kid at OTES and I have never once heard anyone call the school Flora. Not once in regular conversation.

I have only posted one other time in this thread.

[Anonymous]

Who cares? People really need to get a life.

[Anonymous]

I doubt you know the "real reason" the teacher left the school. You sound like a gossipy negative person.

[Anonymous]

I know teachers and admins, so yes, I know the real reason. Again, who cares? Please let this thread die. You people need to accept the fact that some people will call the school by a different name than you....and who cares? You need to accept the fact that some people have friends who work for mcps in various schools and in the admin....big deal. You have to accept the fact that some people are privy to info that you aren't....so what?

Let this thread die. I never said anything negative about the school. Period. For whatever reason, some folks got caught up on the Flora thing.

PS - her own memoir is called Flora. Does that appall you too?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know teachers and admins, so yes, I know the real reason. Again, who cares? Please let this thread die. You people need to accept the fact that some people will call the school by a different name than you....and who cares? You need to accept the fact that some people have friends who work for mcps in various schools and in the admin....big deal. You have to accept the fact that some people are privy to info that you aren't....so what?

Let this thread die. I never said anything negative about the school. Period. For whatever reason, some folks got caught up on the Flora thing.

PS - her own memoir is called Flora. Does that appall you too?

Honestly we can all tell you are full of shit. You live in Rockville or some other area and know a few people in mcps who called it flora before it was probably even open. One thing is sure...you don't live around here and don't really know what you're talking about. You can act like you know more than you do on here because you are anonymous. Nice job googling her book,lol.

[Anonymous]

I still can't stop calling it McKenney Hills!

[Anonymous]

I know plenty, but obviously I can't post why the teacher is no longer there. I just think its so silly that some of you think it's impossible for folks to have more info than you, etc. I might live in SS, or maybe I don't. Do you think the teachers from FSM (is that better?) live in the immediate neighborhood? Is it possible that a teacher from FSM is my neighbor in Frederick (or Bethesda or Olney)? Is it possible that my aunt works in MCPS admin? Is it possible that I live in the OTES neighborhood and my kids went through that school? WHO CARES? The bottom line is that ANYONE is entitled to have an opinion on ANY school, right? And folks can get info from lots of sources, right?

And just to reiterate it yet again: I never said anything negative about the school. Everyone I know there (families and teachers) LOVE it.

And yes, perhaps you are correct that I heard the Flora reference (multiple times from multiple people) shortly before and immediately after the school opened....so maybe it didn't catch on. Although I suspect down the road it might (if people keep calling it flora singer, then there's a great chance it will be shortened to flora...just like rosa (that's what my friends who teach in that cluster call rosa parks).

Peace.

[Anonymous]

Can the Singer parent who is so obsessed with it not being called Flora stop giving the rest of us Singer parents a bad name? Please? Why does it matter? I've also never heard it called Flora, but I don't care if the PP calls it that.

I also don't call it the "cafetorium" but I'm guessing that PP was joking with the comment about not being a PTA mom.

This thread is devolving into what is usually the tone of the Private/Independent Schools threads. Let's be more civil, please?

Regarding assumptions and generalizations about ESOL/Farms and parent participation, all communities are different. While there may be trends, you need to go with first hand information.

[Anonymous]

I am glad to hear such positive reports about Singer.

I truly don't understand the nature of this thread, though. I don't know why uninvolved parties would be continuously posting about why their choices were better, how they have the inside scoop, or quibble incessantly about minor details.

I am a teacher in the county considering a move into the neighborhood and considering applying to join the Singer staff. I was looking for an informed discussion on the pros and cons of the new school.

I ended up being appalled by the classist overtones, petty quibbling, and straight out belligerence perpetuated by someone who self-identified as someone who has the time to troll the Flora Singer thread just because she "knows someone there."

Can actual parents of Flora Singer students give me their perspective about what makes the school a good place for teaching and learning?

Thank you very much to to all of you who respect our time and energy by truly trying to share valuable information!

-Curious Educator

[Anonymous]

Good luck to you Curious Educator. This board reliably gets nasty within 3-4 posts and you just added a comment to a 9-page thread a month after the last poster did. I'd recommend starting a new one, otherwise people will just jump back on the bandwagon.

It is totally entertaining though.....

[Anonymous]

Hey Curious Educator--I am also a teacher in the county and know two people who moved over to join the staff at Singer. Granted, this is based from their perspective and not my own, but they both shared with me that they were disappointed with the "community" of staff members, and the transition of creating an entirely new staff was a difficult one. One teacher said she felt almost everyone was out for themselves, and did not want to collaborate with each other. This is likely the case in most brand new schools, but something to consider.

Again, just the feedback I received from two teacher friends, but it's something. I don't think parents of students there are going to be able to tell you much about what kind of work environment the school has for the staff.

[Anonymous]

As a parent I love Singer. What would you like to know?

[Anonymous]

Hey Curious Educator -

I think I'm the troll you referred to, but I know teachers there who LOVE it...they love the school, like the principal, and like the community.

PS - I would think you might agree that teachers often have the inside scoop at schools....and if folks have friends and family who teach at a school, then it's reasonable for those folks to hear things about a school (or teachers, or administrators) that the average parent wouldn't hear.

PPS - please note that I said the teachers I know at FS LOVE the school and are quite happy there. That's not to say that the PP who knows folks there is incorrect...her friends might have a very different opinion....and that's okay, and that's to be expected. I'm confident that if you polled the staff and parents atvANY school you would find a mixed bag in terms of opinions about any school....that's human nature.

[Anonymous]

Hey all! A bit hesitant to resurrect this thread due to the pointless bickering about the name, lol, but I was wondering if test scores were available yet? Wondering how FS did in comparison to OT, for instance.

[Anonymous]

Do you mean MSAs of 3rd and 4th graders? I don't think they are available yet. I do know that 7 third graders from Singer got into the HGC for next year and two kids got in from OTES.