We are new to Robert Frost Middle School and Not Impressed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I liked was way more impressed with my child’s middle school experience than my child’s high school experience. This was JW/RM.

That's a shocker. Vast majority of parents I spoke to, and including us, preferred RM to JW, which was completely lackluster, especially the academics. Even my kids are happy to be out of JW and now at RM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. I don’t find the work to be very challenging, it’s too crowded, everybody’s in “advanced” classes. We moved here from a much better school system. But sounds lif this is considered great among you folks I guess there’s no point in moving to another cluster.

We also moved here for the schools, and I do find the MS to be the weakest link here in general. My kids are now in HS, and went through ES all the way to HS in MCPS.

IMO, MCPS must make the MS purposefully "not challenging" except for the magnets. Maybe they think that MSers are going through so much change from being little kids to teens that they don't want to burden them with too much academics. IDK... but I do find it lackluster. The mean girl ticks up in MS, too, IMO.

HS is so much better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. I don’t find the work to be very challenging, it’s too crowded, everybody’s in “advanced” classes. We moved here from a much better school system. But sounds lif this is considered great among you folks I guess there’s no point in moving to another cluster.

We also moved here for the schools, and I do find the MS to be the weakest link here in general. My kids are now in HS, and went through ES all the way to HS in MCPS.

IMO, MCPS must make the MS purposefully "not challenging" except for the magnets. Maybe they think that MSers are going through so much change from being little kids to teens that they don't want to burden them with too much academics. IDK... but I do find it lackluster. The mean girl ticks up in MS, too, IMO.

HS is so much better.

I'm grateful every time I read these posts that my kids went to TPMS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I liked was way more impressed with my child’s middle school experience than my child’s high school experience. This was JW/RM.

That's a shocker. Vast majority of parents I spoke to, and including us, preferred RM to JW, which was completely lackluster, especially the academics. Even my kids are happy to be out of JW and now at RM.

I listened to the JW principal (many years ago) say that MS was about social development more than academics. Agree RM was better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. I don’t find the work to be very challenging, it’s too crowded, everybody’s in “advanced” classes. We moved here from a much better school system. But sounds lif this is considered great among you folks I guess there’s no point in moving to another cluster.

We also moved here for the schools, and I do find the MS to be the weakest link here in general. My kids are now in HS, and went through ES all the way to HS in MCPS.

IMO, MCPS must make the MS purposefully "not challenging" except for the magnets. Maybe they think that MSers are going through so much change from being little kids to teens that they don't want to burden them with too much academics. IDK... but I do find it lackluster. The mean girl ticks up in MS, too, IMO.

HS is so much better.

I'm grateful every time I read these posts that my kids went to TPMS.

PP here.. yea, I regret not having DC apply to TPMS. I thought the same as MCPS about DC going from ES magnet (HGC at the time) to MS, and there being so much change, and I didn't want to burden DC with more challenging academics. Huge mistake. DC was soo bored in MS and found it difficult to find a like minded peer group. DC is so much happier at the magnet HS.

I have a younger DC who is not as "high achieving" as the older DC, but still higher performing. The supposed "enriched" classes in MS that MCPS offers as a concession to the "lottery" MS magnet are a joke. MCPS doesn't offer enough magnet type programs in the MS. Another evidence of MS being the weakest link in MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I liked was way more impressed with my child’s middle school experience than my child’s high school experience. This was JW/RM.

That's a shocker. Vast majority of parents I spoke to, and including us, preferred RM to JW, which was completely lackluster, especially the academics. Even my kids are happy to be out of JW and now at RM.

I listened to the JW principal (many years ago) say that MS was about social development more than academics. Agree RM was better.

IMO they are not doing a great job of even the social development given all the mean behavior I hear about at JW. It's not the worst MS in the county, but I don't find JW impressive, at all. I'm not sure what ^^PP found so great about JW. I found the Principal to be checked out tbh. DCs like a few of the teachers, but for the most part, lackluster. It's a huge school, too, probably one of the biggest if not the biggest in the county, and possibly even MD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. I don’t find the work to be very challenging, it’s too crowded, everybody’s in “advanced” classes. We moved here from a much better school system. But sounds lif this is considered great among you folks I guess there’s no point in moving to another cluster.

This is a problem across all MCPS middle schools. If you like your house and community it is not worth moving just for MS. You'll still be unhappy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I liked was way more impressed with my child’s middle school experience than my child’s high school experience. This was JW/RM.

That's a shocker. Vast majority of parents I spoke to, and including us, preferred RM to JW, which was completely lackluster, especially the academics. Even my kids are happy to be out of JW and now at RM.

I listened to the JW principal (many years ago) say that MS was about social development more than academics. Agree RM was better.

IMO they are not doing a great job of even the social development given all the mean behavior I hear about at JW. It's not the worst MS in the county, but I don't find JW impressive, at all. I'm not sure what ^^PP found so great about JW. I found the Principal to be checked out tbh. DCs like a few of the teachers, but for the most part, lackluster. It's a huge school, too, probably one of the biggest if not the biggest in the county, and possibly even MD.

+1. The idea that MCPS is focusing on "social development" in MS is definitely a joke.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. I don’t find the work to be very challenging, it’s too crowded, everybody’s in “advanced” classes. We moved here from a much better school system. But sounds lif this is considered great among you folks I guess there’s no point in moving to another cluster.

If you're not happy with Frost, there is no point moving around MCPS. You should look to private. Frost is as good as it gets. One of my kids went to Eastern magnet and we actually preferred Frost. Eastern has it's own set of problems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I liked was way more impressed with my child’s middle school experience than my child’s high school experience. This was JW/RM.

That's a shocker. Vast majority of parents I spoke to, and including us, preferred RM to JW, which was completely lackluster, especially the academics. Even my kids are happy to be out of JW and now at RM.

RM is a mess. The administration can not answer questions. The classes (besides IB) are not at all challenging. They are literally going through the motions.
The only thing my child likes is open lunch. (Yes they are a good student. No they did not get a C).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. I don’t find the work to be very challenging, it’s too crowded, everybody’s in “advanced” classes. We moved here from a much better school system. But sounds lif this is considered great among you folks I guess there’s no point in moving to another cluster.

Which school system?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I liked was way more impressed with my child’s middle school experience than my child’s high school experience. This was JW/RM.

That's a shocker. Vast majority of parents I spoke to, and including us, preferred RM to JW, which was completely lackluster, especially the academics. Even my kids are happy to be out of JW and now at RM.

RM is a mess. The administration can not answer questions. The classes (besides IB) are not at all challenging. They are literally going through the motions.
The only thing my child likes is open lunch. (Yes they are a good student. No they did not get a C).

I have two kids at RM.

One is a super high achiever, in IB magnet, and doesn't find most of the classes challenging, just a lot of work. But, DC is an outlier.

The other is not in IB but is taking AP classes. Some of the teachers are great; some are just meh.

But, both quite like RM. Yes, they also love the open lunch. Not everyone will love RM, of course, but not everyone loves the W schools, either.

But, as I stated, none of the parents I know preferred JW over RM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I liked was way more impressed with my child’s middle school experience than my child’s high school experience. This was JW/RM.

That's a shocker. Vast majority of parents I spoke to, and including us, preferred RM to JW, which was completely lackluster, especially the academics. Even my kids are happy to be out of JW and now at RM.

RM is a mess. The administration can not answer questions. The classes (besides IB) are not at all challenging. They are literally going through the motions.
The only thing my child likes is open lunch. (Yes they are a good student. No they did not get a C).

I have two kids at RM.

One is a super high achiever, in IB magnet, and doesn't find most of the classes challenging, just a lot of work. But, DC is an outlier.

The other is not in IB but is taking AP classes. Some of the teachers are great; some are just meh.

But, both quite like RM. Yes, they also love the open lunch. Not everyone will love RM, of course, but not everyone loves the W schools, either.

But, as I stated, none of the parents I know preferred JW over RM.

Just because you don’t know anyone who did doesn’t mean no one does.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I liked was way more impressed with my child’s middle school experience than my child’s high school experience. This was JW/RM.

That's a shocker. Vast majority of parents I spoke to, and including us, preferred RM to JW, which was completely lackluster, especially the academics. Even my kids are happy to be out of JW and now at RM.

I listened to the JW principal (many years ago) say that MS was about social development more than academics. Agree RM was better.

IMO they are not doing a great job of even the social development given all the mean behavior I hear about at JW. It's not the worst MS in the county, but I don't find JW impressive, at all. I'm not sure what ^^PP found so great about JW. I found the Principal to be checked out tbh. DCs like a few of the teachers, but for the most part, lackluster. It's a huge school, too, probably one of the biggest if not the biggest in the county, and possibly even MD.

We are at a different MS (a non-W and not JW) and I would agree. MS is pretty terrible. Academically terrible and they’re not doing much for social development either. I actually wish they held the kids to higher academic standards just to even keep the kids busier than they are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. I don’t find the work to be very challenging, it’s too crowded, everybody’s in “advanced” classes. We moved here from a much better school system. But sounds lif this is considered great among you folks I guess there’s no point in moving to another cluster.

Which school system?

There are lots of better public school systems in this country when compared to MCPS. MCPS is a dysfunctional mess. Some fantastic teachers, but they are struggling to work in a mess of a district. And MS is most definitely the worst.