Eastern magnet Humanities program vs Archdiocese of DC middle school

[Anonymous]

Trying to see if we should accept our child’s spot for the humanities magnet at Eastern MS. We were planning for our child to attend an Archdiocese of DC parochial school until this offer from Eastern came. Anyone in DCUM has experience with Eastern’s magnet program and an Archdiocese parochial school, and have thoughts on this?

Or in the alternative, anyone knows how MCPS’ Math 6+ or AIM curriculum at MCPS compares versus the Math curriculum at Archdiocese of DC parochial schools?

TIA!

[Anonymous]

Oh, boy! Another public school v Catholic school debate on DCUM. Grabbing the popcorn.

[Anonymous]

Very few people would have experience with both. The math curriculums are totally different so hard to comaprw

[Anonymous]

Please read old threads. Some kids really enjoy the school and program, but others hate it and when I say hate it I mean hate it.
I don't know about the curriculums but the instruction can be hit or miss at Eastern. One very good female teacher. One really poor teacher who happens to be male.

[Anonymous]

If you value indoctrination then go catholic, but if things like critical thinking or academics matter then Eastern.

[Anonymous]

Eastern is an incredible opportunity for a kid who enjoys the Humanities, and kids go on to excellent HS programs, including in STEM.

What does you kid what to do?

[Anonymous]

It's not the most conservative place just so you know.

[Anonymous]

What's your plan for HS? Is your kid in a parochial ES now or in public?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you value indoctrination then go catholic, but if things like critical thinking or academics matter then Eastern.

LOL

I’m not Catholic, but MCPS certainly does its own version of ‘indoctrination’. And to think that any MCPS middle school values critical thinking and academics is a bit…laughable. MCPS middle schools are not very strong at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you value indoctrination then go catholic, but if things like critical thinking or academics matter then Eastern.

LOL

I’m not Catholic, but MCPS certainly does its own version of ‘indoctrination’. And to think that any MCPS middle school values critical thinking and academics is a bit…laughable. MCPS middle schools are not very strong at all.

You don’t know anything about the magnet program at Eastern do you?

[Anonymous]

OP, I sense from the way you labeled the archdiocese that you're not an active Catholic in the area (the name is different from what you used). If you are Catholic from another region you might find Catholicism in the DC area to be surprisingly conservative, depending on what parish or school you're plugged into.

You'll also want to think about resources, opportunities, and supports in Catholic vs public school. Not an issue at the high-end Catholic high schools, but potentially at a smaller grade school.

[Anonymous]

I can't speak to the parochial school, but here's what I can offer about Eastern:

* High academic standards, with a lot of kids taking Bs and (gasp) Cs for the first time.

* Tons of reading, including of what DCUM types tend to consider the "Western Canon."

* Accelerated English instruction, which MCPS has eliminated in other middle schools

* Interdisciplinary approach that encourages kids to make linkages between subjects

[Anonymous]

C'mon. Eastern humanities magnet all the way

[Anonymous]

Where is the student coming from, and what do you anticipate they’ll do for high school?

If your plan is an MCPS high school, especially if they may be interested in a magnet program, I’d say Eastern for sure. The humanities magnet will prepare them well for an IB Diploma program, and the accelerated math track would line up with the STEM magnet programs, making acceptance a bit easier. Private schools often segment and pace math differently, so the courses may not align with the MCPS tracks as well.

But culturally, it may depend on where you’re coming from and the kid’s personality. Mine was able to tune out negatives and go with the flow, but some kids are more sensitive to distractions or to competitive peers. If they’re currently in a small Catholic school, Eastern will be a huge shift. But assuming they’ll be starting as a 6th grader with everyone else, it’s likely they’ll adjust eventually.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Trying to see if we should accept our child’s spot for the humanities magnet at Eastern MS. We were planning for our child to attend an Archdiocese of DC parochial school until this offer from Eastern came. Anyone in DCUM has experience with Eastern’s magnet program and an Archdiocese parochial school, and have thoughts on this?

Or in the alternative, anyone knows how MCPS’ Math 6+ or AIM curriculum at MCPS compares versus the Math curriculum at Archdiocese of DC parochial schools?

TIA!

The question of whether you should accept it is easy: you should accept the spot while you sort it out. You can always decline later once you have more information and the spot will be offered to someone else in the lottery pool.

My child is in the Humanities program and I would recommend it without reservation for the reasons others have stated here. It's the only MCPS middle school to offer an enriched literacy curriculum (while not exactly the TPMS magnet, students at other middle schools do have the opportunity for advanced math, at least). All of my child's teachers have been excellent (don't know who this "one bad male" teacher is that PP mentioned - in any event, I don't think my child had them).

That said, it's an urban public school, and likely to be a very different environment than Catholic school. Suggest you look on the private school boards for information about the specific parochial school you are considering as you are unlikely to find much here.