Shout out to Kilmer Middle School!
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Anonymous
| The problem is that they are making kindness a transaction. The kid gets a free snack for performing kindness. |
Anonymous
| Good citizenship awards are nothing new. The Kilmer thing feels a bit contrived or, as PP said, transactional. Like a hamster tapping a pedal in their cage until they get a pellet. |
Anonymous
It was just a one way write up last year by teachers about a few kids a week doing good deeds? Which is it? All schools have this or its different? What do other schools do? |
Anonymous
You are kind to people at work and get paid for it. Is that not also a transaction? |
Anonymous
I’ve had two kids go through it and we don’t have complaints. My youngest is in 8th now. It’s middle school and only 2 years. Personally, I don’t like how they put the kid’s names for the positive referrals in the weekly newsletter but that’s my personal opinion. There are so many kids there and we don’t need to the small write up about Jack and Jane every week or whoever. |
Anonymous
Without the names, it becomes even more inane. But what's truly inane are some of the reasons for these referrals. "Jack says good morning and is happy." -- |
Anonymous
According to this forum, anytime anyone has anything positive or even non-negative to say, it’s due to a representative, etc pretending to be a real person. Disagree with SB bashing? You are in the SB or a SB bootlicker! Like IB? You work for the IBO! Proud of your kid’s school for something? You are an employee!! Defend a teacher? Ah! You probably work for Gatehouse! It’s freaking hilarious at this point. |
Anonymous
You have a point but, c'mon, read the OP. It's weirdly over-the-top. A more honest assessment would be "Kilmer doesn't suck any longer, and they encourage kids to be nice to one another." |
Anonymous
| OP here. My experience was that Kilmer was the best of all the schools my kids attended, public and private. The staff was the most attentive to my children. I'm sorry you had a bad experience but it sounds like it was several years ago. I didn't and had several children go through the school. I really like the staff and principal and wanted to spread some good news for FCPS and for them. I didn't think the program was in other schools and thought my post might help to get the word out that its a program that admin, teachers, students and parents all seem to like. Article came out this week. No other agenda. |
Anonymous
Cringe. |
Anonymous
Completely agree. They are mature enough to understand that one must strive to do good things because that is the right thing to do, and not because of any reward. Middle schoolers should instead be encouraged to do volunteer work without seeking any compensation (community service hours, or résumé building). Teach them to volunteer out of the goodness of their hearts. |
Anonymous
| But that is exactly what the program is encouraging. There is no major transaction. It's just recognizing good from students of actions already completed voluntarily. The transaction is the recognition. Have you never heard of positive encouragement to get more of what you'd like to see from children? Maybe if you remove the program you can have kids doing nasty things to each other and spending more time talking about those interactions. Sounds like a DCUM dream school. |
Anonymous
DP, but I’d just prefer that the school teach good citizenship and behavior as part of a traditional civics class rather than come up with a contrived program like this. And OP sounds absolutely nutty in her effusiveness. |
Anonymous
Kilmer has never sucked for our family. We have some gripes with FCPS and some families have had undisciplined kids, but no issues with the school over the past five years. |
Anonymous
The 8th grade history class is called civics which teaches citizenship and all kids have volunteer requirements as part of middle school graduation. Do you have a middle schooler? |