Hardy IB Population

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think people get suspicious when you tell them to go to the (new) neighborhood school to improve its academic quality. Middle school is only three years, so parents want to send their kids to a school of good quality, not necessarily have their kids be the ones to work through the problems.

Yes, and I want the middle school to improve my child's "academic quality." That is the job of the faculty and administrative leadership. The school should not depend on my child and other heretofore well-prepared kids for superficial paper gains (standardized test score increases) which are no substitute for real and tangible improvements in academic quality.

You're right. You shouldn't send your child there. My well-prepared child did fine there but it obviously wouldn't work for your child.

Agreed. My well-prepared kid did great, but if you don't think your child is right for Hardy you are free to send him elsewhere, and should do so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think people get suspicious when you tell them to go to the (new) neighborhood school to improve its academic quality. Middle school is only three years, so parents want to send their kids to a school of good quality, not necessarily have their kids be the ones to work through the problems.

Yes, and I want the middle school to improve my child's "academic quality." That is the job of the faculty and administrative leadership. The school should not depend on my child and other heretofore well-prepared kids for superficial paper gains (standardized test score increases) which are no substitute for real and tangible improvements in academic quality.

You're right. You shouldn't send your child there. My well-prepared child did fine there but it obviously wouldn't work for your child.

Agreed. My well-prepared kid did great, but if you don't think your child is right for Hardy you are free to send him elsewhere, and should do so.

Exactly - which is why Ward 3 wants another middle school that will push and pull and fully challenge their kids to reach higher academically, not a school that looks their kids to goose the school's test scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: For the umpteenth time, there is no mysterious Hardy old guard. There are parents - IB and OOB - that send their kids to Hardy. Their kids are there for three years, during which some parents are active in the school PTO. Then those parents move on to high school and other opportunities. They - rightfully - end their involvement with Hardy when their kids move on. Stop acting like there is some organized group acting like they want thes school to be like it was in 1975 [or 1985, or 1995, or 2005...]. There is only parents who want a good education for their children. When you refer to currents parents as some kind of "old guard" all it says is that you are too lazy to bother visiting the school and talking to current parents.

I haven't been in Hardy this year, but I followed the school closely 2010-2013 trying to decide if my own kids should attend. At that time, there definitely was an old guard, consisting of teachers who were dead-set opposed to changes in the school, and alumni and long-time washingtonians -- almost entirely not current parents -- who saw Hardy as a milestone victory in the fight against segregation that they weren't giving back. There's a reason the replacement of the principal became a city-wide issue.

You "followed the school closely"? Can you clarify if you did or did not actually cross the threshold and enter the building?

You are right about the teachers circa-2010. But wrong about the teachers now. Some may be set in their ways, but that's cause they are old school teachers - not because of some big Hardy thing. At any rate, they are now on board with Principal Pride.

You are lying - flat out lying - about the alumni and long-time Washingtonians. I was a Hardy parents, was very active on the PTA, and was very close to the teachers and Princiapl at the time. No such outside group of alumni and long-time Washingtonians that had any interest or influence on the school.

Please stop this "old Hardy guard" canard.

How did they get rid of the pre-2010 faculty with the "old DC" attitude? Are they all gone ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Exactly - which is why Ward 3 wants another middle school that will push and pull and fully challenge their kids to reach higher academically, not a school that looks their kids to goose the school's test scores.

I want a pony.

Whatever you want, the council is not going to fund a new MS in W3 as long as Hardy has slots left open to OOB students. And its not Hardy - ALL schools do better when better prepared kids attend.

as for challenge, I think you might look at the curriculum.

[Anonymous]

Let's face it, most WOTP parents think that Hardy is crap. How does DCPS address that reality

[Anonymous]

As we know, Bowser has promised "Alice Deal for everyone." But the reality in Ward 3 is that some students get Deal and the rest get Raw Deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
How did they get rid of the pre-2010 faculty with the "old DC" attitude? Are they all gone ?

In 2011 I was told by a Hardy teacher, to my face and quite forcefully, that as an in-boundary parent I had no right to try and change the direction of the school. That teacher is still listed on the staff directory at:
http://www.hardyms.org/apps/staff/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
How did they get rid of the pre-2010 faculty with the "old DC" attitude? Are they all gone ?

In 2011 I was told by a Hardy teacher, to my face and quite forcefully, that as an in-boundary parent I had no right to try and change the direction of the school. That teacher is still listed on the staff directory at:
http://www.hardyms.org/apps/staff/

It doesn't matter. DCPS teachers know where their bread is buttered. If and when Hardy becomes majority-IB, teachers will fall over themselves to keep their bloated gravy-train salaries flowing. They know they're not employable for anything remotely close to the same salary if they get kicked off the train.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
How did they get rid of the pre-2010 faculty with the "old DC" attitude? Are they all gone ?

In 2011 I was told by a Hardy teacher, to my face and quite forcefully, that as an in-boundary parent I had no right to try and change the direction of the school. That teacher is still listed on the staff directory at:
http://www.hardyms.org/apps/staff/

Lovely. Seems like the old guard is still around to ensure that no one messes with that "unique culture" at the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
How did they get rid of the pre-2010 faculty with the "old DC" attitude? Are they all gone ?

In 2011 I was told by a Hardy teacher, to my face and quite forcefully, that as an in-boundary parent I had no right to try and change the direction of the school. That teacher is still listed on the staff directory at:
http://www.hardyms.org/apps/staff/

It doesn't matter. DCPS teachers know where their bread is buttered. If and when Hardy becomes majority-IB, teachers will fall over themselves to keep their bloated gravy-train salaries flowing. They know they're not employable for anything remotely close to the same salary if they get kicked off the train.

This isn't exactly a ringing endorsement of a highly dedicated, talented faculty. Groan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
How did they get rid of the pre-2010 faculty with the "old DC" attitude? Are they all gone ?

In 2011 I was told by a Hardy teacher, to my face and quite forcefully, that as an in-boundary parent I had no right to try and change the direction of the school. That teacher is still listed on the staff directory at:
http://www.hardyms.org/apps/staff/

Who is she/he? Just give us the initial please.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
How did they get rid of the pre-2010 faculty with the "old DC" attitude? Are they all gone ?

In 2011 I was told by a Hardy teacher, to my face and quite forcefully, that as an in-boundary parent I had no right to try and change the direction of the school. That teacher is still listed on the staff directory at:
http://www.hardyms.org/apps/staff/

Who is she/he? Just give us the initial please.

I cannot see any of the 6th or 7th grade teachers saying something like this (unless you had been very rude). They are all fully oriented towards the well-being of the students and respect & collaboration with the families... Is it one of the 8th grade teachers? As a Hardy parent I also would like to know. Can you give us the initials?

[Anonymous]

Are Hardy's 8th grade teachers bad?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are Hardy's 8th grade teachers bad?

No they are equally good, but I personally know only the 6th and 7th grade teachers (my child is in 7th grade). I am confident that none of them would even confront a parent this way.
I am intrigued by the PP, and really would like to know the identity of the teacher the PP was referring to is. Because if he says for instance that it was BW or SB that I will know for sure that the PP is a liar. If he says EM I will know that he's a liar too, but for a different reason. But it could also be the case that I should be concerned instead... So , since this Board is for helping each other, and sharing information anonymously, I kindly invite the PP to give us the initials of this hostile Hardy teacher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think people get suspicious when you tell them to go to the (new) neighborhood school to improve its academic quality. Middle school is only three years, so parents want to send their kids to a school of good quality, not necessarily have their kids be the ones to work through the problems.

Yes, and I want the middle school to improve my child's "academic quality." That is the job of the faculty and administrative leadership. The school should not depend on my child and other heretofore well-prepared kids for superficial paper gains (standardized test score increases) which are no substitute for real and tangible improvements in academic quality.

You're right. You shouldn't send your child there. My well-prepared child did fine there but it obviously wouldn't work for your child.

Agreed. My well-prepared kid did great, but if you don't think your child is right for Hardy you are free to send him elsewhere, and should do so.

Exactly - which is why Ward 3 wants another middle school that will push and pull and fully challenge their kids to reach higher academically, not a school that looks their kids to goose the school's test scores.

I think you missed the point here. Hardy right now CAN push, pull, and fully challenge your kid to reach higher academically. So you should feel free to send them. But if not, the school does not need him or her to goose the test scores, so send him or her wherever you are comfortable. If you don't send your child to Hardy, there is one group of parents that will be upset - those whose primary questions is "How many IB are going to Hardy." But sending your child elsewhere won't make Hardy any better or any worse.