Hardy v Deal

[Anonymous]

Can your kid hold it for an entire day? If not, then neither. Horror stories about what happens in those bathrooms. Our friend’s middle schoolers hold it because they don’t want to risk it.

[Anonymous]

Ha. Sadly I know that's true. Avoid the bathrooms at all costs.

Any recent Hardy families who can speak to their experience and realistic expectations for the new year with a new principal?

[Anonymous]

Our Hardy rising 7th grader did not want to switch schools, even after last year's events prompted some members of their friend group to decamp to private school. We are guardedly optimistic about the new principal -- the outsize effect of a good principal on school culture was what drew us to Hardy a year ago -- and we appreciate some of the features you can only find at Hardy. Like Italian language. And the archery team (although, in fairness, Deal archery beat Hardy for last year's championship).

[Anonymous]

Hardy may be able to evolve and bounce back fairly quickly because it’s small. Though I heard that with the principal issues last year they lost a number of teachers, including the excellent music teacher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hardy may be able to evolve and bounce back fairly quickly because it’s small. Though I heard that with the principal issues last year they lost a number of teachers, including the excellent music teacher.

I believe the music teacher went to MacArthur, correct? If so that may be more for the opportunity than a statement about how quickly Hardy can rebound.

[Anonymous]

Does Hardy have students go through metal detectors/screening in the morning like Deal does?
How is the building compared to Deal’s?

[Anonymous]

Is your child high performing? If so Deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does Hardy have students go through metal detectors/screening in the morning like Deal does?
How is the building compared to Deal’s?

Yes to metal detectors.

I’ve never been inside Deal so I can’t compare, but Hardy looks like the middle school I attended in the early 90s. I don’t think it’s been renovated anytime in recent memory.

We are not returning for 7th grade. I’m happy they are getting a new principal and hope that turns it back around. We had high hopes. Had to make a decision whether to apply out last fall with the information we had at the time and no one seemed to be fixing things, so that made the decision fairly easy. Our child was not happy and had an awful year. Loved Italian though! That was a great class.

[Anonymous]

Deal is great until you have a teacher leave mid year and they're not replaced (DC is super slow in hiring) and then your kid does not get instruction in a core subject for months on end.

I had this happen twice to one of my kids. (English in 6th grade and 8th grade). My other two kids sailed through without an issue.

You'll hear a variety of opinions about Deal because of things like this and because only some kids are the unlucky ones who experience it. I'm a very chill parent but the complete lack of instruction for months on end is a little much to ignore. Had I only had my other two kids I would have nothing but positive to say about Deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Deal is great until you have a teacher leave mid year and they're not replaced (DC is super slow in hiring) and then your kid does not get instruction in a core subject for months on end.

I had this happen twice to one of my kids. (English in 6th grade and 8th grade). My other two kids sailed through without an issue.

You'll hear a variety of opinions about Deal because of things like this and because only some kids are the unlucky ones who experience it. I'm a very chill parent but the complete lack of instruction for months on end is a little much to ignore. Had I only had my other two kids I would have nothing but positive to say about Deal.

I'll also add that once you have this happen (the lack of any teaching for half a year or more in a core subject) it tends to make you skittish about DCPS in general. We ended up putting this kid in private for high school as did many of the parents from this group at Deal. I had heard the stories of no physics teacher at JR and no French teacher at Walls that year (and this past year of no AP psych teacher or AP Environmental Science teacher at JR) and was like, "Nope. We're not dealing with that again." Other kids sailed straight through a great Deal experience and had no hesitation to use JR.

[Anonymous]

Read the recent threads on Hardy. Budget cuts and no music, art, electives, etc….

If that is important to you, go with Deal

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Read the recent threads on Hardy. Budget cuts and no music, art, electives, etc….

If that is important to you, go with Deal

Uh, read all the other threads about the parents' petition last Spring.

This stuff has been fixed. The schedule slots and elective offerings have been restored.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can your kid hold it for an entire day? If not, then neither. Horror stories about what happens in those bathrooms. Our friend’s middle schoolers hold it because they don’t want to risk it.

My child is going to Deal this coming year. What is the problem with the bathroom?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Deal is great until you have a teacher leave mid year and they're not replaced (DC is super slow in hiring) and then your kid does not get instruction in a core subject for months on end.

I had this happen twice to one of my kids. (English in 6th grade and 8th grade). My other two kids sailed through without an issue.

You'll hear a variety of opinions about Deal because of things like this and because only some kids are the unlucky ones who experience it. I'm a very chill parent but the complete lack of instruction for months on end is a little much to ignore. Had I only had my other two kids I would have nothing but positive to say about Deal.

Half of Hardy's 7th graders had virtually no science instruction for a quarter of the last school year for exactly the same reason.

[Anonymous]

I guess the question, or one of the questions, is which school is more likely to have a mid year loss of a teacher, and which can manage it better. Hard to predict. Maybe the new Hardy principal will be a draw for new teachers?