Another wasted day of school at MCPS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids aren't in a W school.

What were you thinking?!?

You gotta fix that quick!

Why? The curriculum is uniform across the county. Same crummy education in W schools and Silver Spring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Really, I heard "W" cluster kids invented cold fusion today and then walked on water in PE.

Their tutor finished the cold fusion project for them and they only use water for bong hits.

[Anonymous]

Not wasted in our kindergartener's school - sounds like just a handful of kids were out and they had a pretty normal day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I haven't been in a Starbucks in years, and I'm not sure what you are trying to say with that comment, pp. Are you trying to imply that I'm lazy? I assure I am not. I have a demanding job and value education. I attended catholic school and received an excellent education. Sadly, I can't afford private school for my handful of kids. I have a fifth grader who is in the 2.0 guinea pig class, and I'm terrified about making the transition to middle school. Simply put: mcps does not prepare students with the basic skills to be a successful student. Elementary students never have to study to prepare for a test, and yet they are magically expected to do that for multiple subjects once they enter MS. In private school, you learn those skills from the get go. Mcps doesn't formally teach vocabulary, and yet it has it's own category on report cards. Grammar was a subject when I was in school; in mcps, "grammar" is a worksheet completed independently during the reading block when your kid isn't meeting with the teacher for 15 minutes of reading group.

I don't mind helping my kids with homework. But I am beyond annoyed that I have to teach my kids basic foundational skills that should be taught in school.

No PP was implying that you are tiring. Based on your response, I agree with this assessment. RELAX

[Anonymous]

Do you have a fifth grader, pp? I do. And it's a struggle for him to write two coherent paragraphs. When I raised my concerns with his teacher, she told me that most of the kids struggle with it and that his writing skills are above average. Bottom line: the bar is set very low in elementary school...but not in MS. Next year will be a rude awakening. It's ridiculous that mcps can't prepare students for success.

I'm not a tiger mom...I'm a slacker mom. I'm not overreacting.

Question: What's the longest essay your fifth grader has written without assistance from his teacher or a parent? At our school, it's two paragraphs. And the content is crummy. I was writing reports by fifth grade. My fifth grader hasn't written one single report in elementary school. I think that's shocking. My nephews in other states are receiving a far better education than my kid. It's pathetic.

[Anonymous]

My kid's grade Evelyn had a field trip, so very few kids participated in TYCTWD.

[Anonymous]

To wit: my kid got an ES on an explanation that included this word: whent (went). Sigh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you have a fifth grader, pp? I do. And it's a struggle for him to write two coherent paragraphs. When I raised my concerns with his teacher, she told me that most of the kids struggle with it and that his writing skills are above average. Bottom line: the bar is set very low in elementary school...but not in MS. Next year will be a rude awakening. It's ridiculous that mcps can't prepare students for success.

I'm not a tiger mom...I'm a slacker mom. I'm not overreacting.

Question: What's the longest essay your fifth grader has written without assistance from his teacher or a parent? At our school, it's two paragraphs. And the content is crummy. I was writing reports by fifth grade. My fifth grader hasn't written one single report in elementary school. I think that's shocking. My nephews in other states are receiving a far better education than my kid. It's pathetic.

Move?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids aren't in a W school.

What were you thinking?!?

You gotta fix that quick!

Why? The curriculum is uniform across the county. Same crummy education in W schools and Silver Spring.

My kids in Clarksburg are getting a good education. Maybe you should move here?

[Anonymous]

Yes, that's the response: move. Because it's so easy for parents to quit their jobs, sell their homes, uproot their family, ignore responsibilities related to caregiving for grandparents, etc.

Interesting that the suggestion isn't, "Too bad mcps has fallen from grace...what can we do to improve the system?"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To wit: my kid got an ES on an explanation that included this word: whent (went). Sigh.

Was the explanation a really great explanation? If so, do you think that the teacher should have given the really great explanation a P because your kid spelled the word whent instead of went?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, that's the response: move. Because it's so easy for parents to quit their jobs, sell their homes, uproot their family, ignore responsibilities related to caregiving for grandparents, etc.

Interesting that the suggestion isn't, "Too bad mcps has fallen from grace...what can we do to improve the system?"

That's because I don't think that MCPS has.

[Anonymous]

I think it's beyond sad that my second grader can't spell the word "went." In the same paragraph he also used "there" instead of "their." He also spelled a number of other words incorrectly. But I can't blame him...they don't teach phonics or spelling (word their way at our school is pathetic). He's above average (according to his teacher and his test scores), and he's in the highest reading group (reading a year above grade level). So I guess I need to blame myself for not teaching him more at home. I'll keep trying...but I think it's annoying that I have to teach him basic skills because mcps has opted to take a sub-par approach to teaching.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's beyond sad that my second grader can't spell the word "went." In the same paragraph he also used "there" instead of "their." He also spelled a number of other words incorrectly. But I can't blame him...they don't teach phonics or spelling (word their way at our school is pathetic). He's above average (according to his teacher and his test scores), and he's in the highest reading group (reading a year above grade level). So I guess I need to blame myself for not teaching him more at home. I'll keep trying...but I think it's annoying that I have to teach him basic skills because mcps has opted to take a sub-par approach to teaching.

He probably can spell went. And lots of people (including adults with advanced degrees from fancy universities) mix up there and their.

My child in third grade has had weekly spelling/vocabulary every year so far, so evidently no spelling is not an MCPS-wide thing.

[Anonymous]

Then consider your kid lucky, pp. Kids do words their way at our school and zero vocabulary (at least there's no evidence of vocabulary work coming home). My nephew at private school has a vocabulary and spelling workbook as well as a grammar book. He also has regular homework assignments. My kids usually get one math sheet with a couple problems and are supposed to read (whatever they want, and there's no writing assignment to go along with it). No tests, so nothing to study for.