Downcounty Strategizing and System-Wrangling - spinoff from academically advanced kid in DCC thread

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think lots of people who live in the DCC (where I live) often have an inflated idea of what those west county schools offer.

It's the same curriculum -- if it's unchallenging and uninspiring here, it will be the same over there. The difference is the peer group, but is that really significant?

I fight to get my kids into magnets not because I don't want them going to school with poorer kids or kids of color, but because the MCPS curriculum and trend towards teaching to the middle isn't all that enriching. With the magnets, teachers are more motivated (in general) and create lessons that are integrated and enriching.

'

OP here. I fight to get my kids into magnets for the same reasons you do. I do not believe as you do, however, that the MCPS curriculum is taught in the same way at a DCC school as it is at a western MoCo school. DCC schools are under pressure for good test scores, and overemphasize reading and math at the expense of e.g. science and social studies. Western MoCo, with its largely uniformly affluent population, is not under that same pressure.

I agree that the magnet classes teachers are vastly better at teaching integrated and enriching lessons - and that's because they have the freedom to do so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:9:30 does that apply to TPES Primary Magnet?

We have known families who have sent their kids to this magnet, and not been impressed. They have basically said it is ok, but not worth moving unless you are really trying to get out of your homeschool for some reason. One family moved back to homeschool, and the other said they wouldn't do it again had they known what it would be like. TPES was not a problem, it just wasn't worth the hassle of sending kids outside the neighborhood school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think lots of people who live in the DCC (where I live) often have an inflated idea of what those west county schools offer.

It's the same curriculum -- if it's unchallenging and uninspiring here, it will be the same over there. The difference is the peer group, but is that really significant?

I fight to get my kids into magnets not because I don't want them going to school with poorer kids or kids of color, but because the MCPS curriculum and trend towards teaching to the middle isn't all that enriching. With the magnets, teachers are more motivated (in general) and create lessons that are integrated and enriching.

'

OP here. I fight to get my kids into magnets for the same reasons you do. I do not believe as you do, however, that the MCPS curriculum is taught in the same way at a DCC school as it is at a western MoCo school. DCC schools are under pressure for good test scores, and overemphasize reading and math at the expense of e.g. science and social studies. Western MoCo, with its largely uniformly affluent population, is not under that same pressure.

I agree that the magnet classes teachers are vastly better at teaching integrated and enriching lessons - and that's because they have the freedom to do so.

I can compare a Chevy Chase regular ES with a magnet and even in Chevy Chase they overemphasize testing/reading/math at the expense of science and social studies. It's all the same -- kids in the western side of the county don't get more hours of science, etc. I think people who pay a lot for west side schools kid themselves when they say the curriculum is different. It's just not.

[Anonymous]

There's very little decent Social Studies curriculum in ANY MD state elemntary school.

That's a fault of the state voluntary curriculum. It just doesn't require much at any grade level, and since there's no state test even that little bit that is required is often taught as an afterthought.

And, the early years are all about Map Skills, Community Helpers, Rights and Obligatins -- all important of course but harly an interesting meaty curriculum. Where are the ancient Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Indus Valley civilization, Mesopotamia,China, silk road, Crusades, medieval ages, knights and serfs, Renaissance; etc etc etc?

[Anonymous]

My kid is at Eastern and is getting a lot of detailed, interesting content in World Studies about the ancient world. A little late but still!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What were the unacceptable home schools?

Why does it matter? They are DCC schools.

It matters to me bc I live there and am trying to figure out if the schools are unacceptable to me. Curious which ones you are referring to and why they are unacceptable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What were the unacceptable home schools?

Why does it matter? They are DCC schools.

It matters to me bc I live there and am trying to figure out if the schools are unacceptable to me. Curious which ones you are referring to and why they are unacceptable.

I'm not going to publicly announce that X school is unacceptable to me, because that amounts to public trashing of that school, which isn't fair. "Unacceptable" is a very subjective adjective because what is unacceptable to one person may be quite acceptable to another, and vice-versa.

I figured out whether the schools were unacceptable for my kids and me (specifically) and I'm sure you can do the same for your family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What were the unacceptable home schools?

Why does it matter? They are DCC schools.

It matters to me bc I live there and am trying to figure out if the schools are unacceptable to me. Curious which ones you are referring to and why they are unacceptable.

I'm not going to publicly announce that X school is unacceptable to me, because that amounts to public trashing of that school, which isn't fair. "Unacceptable" is a very subjective adjective because what is unacceptable to one person may be quite acceptable to another, and vice-versa.

I figured out whether the schools were unacceptable for my kids and me (specifically) and I'm sure you can do the same for your family.

It's a pointless thread if you can't even identify WHAT was unacceptable to you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What were the unacceptable home schools?

Why does it matter? They are DCC schools.

It matters to me bc I live there and am trying to figure out if the schools are unacceptable to me. Curious which ones you are referring to and why they are unacceptable.

I'm not going to publicly announce that X school is unacceptable to me, because that amounts to public trashing of that school, which isn't fair. "Unacceptable" is a very subjective adjective because what is unacceptable to one person may be quite acceptable to another, and vice-versa.

I figured out whether the schools were unacceptable for my kids and me (specifically) and I'm sure you can do the same for your family.

So instead you are going to trash all of the DCC schools without explaining?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What were the unacceptable home schools?

Why does it matter? They are DCC schools.

It matters to me bc I live there and am trying to figure out if the schools are unacceptable to me. Curious which ones you are referring to and why they are unacceptable.

I'm not going to publicly announce that X school is unacceptable to me, because that amounts to public trashing of that school, which isn't fair. "Unacceptable" is a very subjective adjective because what is unacceptable to one person may be quite acceptable to another, and vice-versa.

I figured out whether the schools were unacceptable for my kids and me (specifically) and I'm sure you can do the same for your family.

It's a pointless thread if you can't even identify WHAT was unacceptable to you.

Here's what is unacceptable to me:

*Safety issues: Bullying incidents, vandalism, general safety problems and the school administration's ineffectiveness in handling these.
*Lack of challenge in non-math classes/lack of differentiation
*Teaching to the test, lack of attention to non-reading & math subjects
*Lack of critical mass of highly-able students
*Run-down facility: Non-working bathrooms, water fountains not working, overcrowdedness

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid is at Eastern and is getting a lot of detailed, interesting content in World Studies about the ancient world. A little late but still!

Grade 6! Why wait until 6th grade to study ancient civ?!?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's very little decent Social Studies curriculum in ANY MD state elemntary school.

That's a fault of the state voluntary curriculum. It just doesn't require much at any grade level, and since there's no state test even that little bit that is required is often taught as an afterthought.

And, the early years are all about Map Skills, Community Helpers, Rights and Obligatins -- all important of course but harly an interesting meaty curriculum. Where are the ancient Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Indus Valley civilization, Mesopotamia,China, silk road, Crusades, medieval ages, knights and serfs, Renaissance; etc etc etc?

DD went through elementary in Churchill district. Like a PP said, it was all about reading and math. Basically zero science except for a unit on butterflies and catepillars. Map skills and community helpers in social studies. We yanked her after 5th grade and put in her private. Way more interesting curriculum in science and social studies.

[Anonymous]

I hear you, OP. I live in Silver Spring and have a really crappy ES school to choose from, a mediocre middle school, and the DCC high schools to choose from for my DD. My DH and I don't have the money to buy in Bethesda or CC (or Potomac or Rockville). We're stuck. It burns me up that we pay the same rate in taxes and have nothing to show for it from a schools perspective.

[Anonymous]

To the OP: at least your kids got into the magnet programs --- MOST kids don't, so they end up in their neighborhood schools.

AND GUESS WHAT? MOST kids do just great!

The MCPS curriculum IS UNIFORM across the county. The only different variable from school to school is student population.

Finally, to all the haters on various threads about Olney/Brookeville: This is precisely why families move out to Olney/Brookeville --- where the housing is affordable and the schools are excellent. Sure the commute to DC super stinks, but that's the trade-off people make when they can't afford Bethesda, Potomac, CC or the nice part of K-town.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To the OP: at least your kids got into the magnet programs --- MOST kids don't, so they end up in their neighborhood schools.

AND GUESS WHAT? MOST kids do just great!

The MCPS curriculum IS UNIFORM across the county. The only different variable from school to school is student population.

Finally, to all the haters on various threads about Olney/Brookeville: This is precisely why families move out to Olney/Brookeville --- where the housing is affordable and the schools are excellent. Sure the commute to DC super stinks, but that's the trade-off people make when they can't afford Bethesda, Potomac, CC or the nice part of K-town.

These are contradictory statements. If the MCPS curriculum is uniform, and MOST kids do just great, then why do you need to move to Olney/Brookeville for "excellent" schools?