Vern Williams Leaving Longfellow?

[Anonymous]

I agree that the loss of the Cooper students will have a huge impact on the school. Combine it with the departure of Mr. Williams and it really will change the quality of the AAP program -- instruction and peer group -- at Longfellow.

[Anonymous]

Wow. I'm impressed he's still there. He was my 7th grade math teacher back in the 80s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree that the loss of the Cooper students will have a huge impact on the school. Combine it with the departure of Mr. Williams and it really will change the quality of the AAP program -- instruction and peer group -- at Longfellow.

You sell the school and it's remaining teachers short. It will survive and be better than you seem to think. The program is still a robust program with the students that will remain and one teacher just does not make a program. My two children had fabulous teachers in Algebra Honors and Geometry Honors atLongfellow and they were not Mr. Williams.

[Anonymous]

I had Vern Williams as a teacher when he first started in FCPS 40 years ago! He was so good then I can't imagine how much better he must be with four decades of experience. I especially loved giving him a hard time for being a black conservative/libertarian. He's still the only one I know who isn't a complete charlatan or hatemonger.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree that the loss of the Cooper students will have a huge impact on the school. Combine it with the departure of Mr. Williams and it really will change the quality of the AAP program -- instruction and peer group -- at Longfellow.

You sell the school and it's remaining teachers short. It will survive and be better than you seem to think. The program is still a robust program with the students that will remain and one teacher just does not make a program. My two children had fabulous teachers in Algebra Honors and Geometry Honors atLongfellow and they were not Mr. Williams.

+1. I'm sure the AAP program will be just fine, and the kids will enjoy going to a renovated school that isn't overcrowded.

[Anonymous]

He was my math teacher in 1986! I loved that guy and didn't know he was still there. Awesome teacher!!! My kids will be going to cooper unless we do aap (eldest in 1st grade now) so it'll be interesting to see how the demographics change between Longfellow and cooper.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He was my math teacher in 1986! I loved that guy and didn't know he was still there. Awesome teacher!!! My kids will be going to cooper unless we do aap (eldest in 1st grade now) so it'll be interesting to see how the demographics change between Longfellow and cooper.

If you are zoned for Cooper now, that will be your only AAP option by the time your kids are in MS. No big surprises in terms of demographics are in score. Cooper will look like Langley and Longfellow will look like McLean. The AAP programs will be among the largest in FCPS, except for Carson and Rocky Run.

[Anonymous]

He would have been forced to retire from FCPS at some point very soon regardless.

[Anonymous]

He would have been forced to retire from FCPS at some point very soon regardless.

There are no "forced retirements" in FCPS.

[Anonymous]

heard that some other LMS teachers are also going to BASIS. it is bad for LMS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:heard that some other LMS teachers are also going to BASIS. it is bad for LMS.

PP, which teachers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow. I'm impressed he's still there. He was my 7th grade math teacher back in the 80s.

That's what I was going to say! He was my 7th grade math teacher '87-88.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree that the loss of the Cooper students will have a huge impact on the school. Combine it with the departure of Mr. Williams and it really will change the quality of the AAP program -- instruction and peer group -- at Longfellow.

You sell the school and it's remaining teachers short. It will survive and be better than you seem to think. The program is still a robust program with the students that will remain and one teacher just does not make a program. My two children had fabulous teachers in Algebra Honors and Geometry Honors atLongfellow and they were not Mr. Williams.

+1 Lots of good teachers at LMS. Except some English teacher like Ms. Maldonado who never give lectures, just stack and stack of work sheets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a huge loss for Longfellow. I wish he would stay.

As for being an "old guy", he doesn't teach like a tired teacher. The kids love him and, as a response to an irrelevant comment, he doesn't look anywhere close to his age.

It will be a loss, but not a huge loss, there are many excellent math teachers at Longfellow. For the AAP crowd, the biggest impact will be the halving of the AAP program when the Cooper zoned students go to Cooper.

Hurray! It's about time some AAP kids go to Cooper. LMS is so over crowded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a huge loss for Longfellow. I wish he would stay.

As for being an "old guy", he doesn't teach like a tired teacher. The kids love him and, as a response to an irrelevant comment, he doesn't look anywhere close to his age.

It will be a loss, but not a huge loss, there are many excellent math teachers at Longfellow. For the AAP crowd, the biggest impact will be the halving of the AAP program when the Cooper zoned students go to Cooper.

Hurray! It's about time some AAP kids go to Cooper. LMS is so over crowded.

Actually, LMS is roughly at capacity. When Longfellow was renovated a few years ago, its capacity was expanded. It's Kilmer MS that is already seriously overcrowded, and the possibility that it could get worse at KMS is what drove the decision to move the Langley AAP kids back to Cooper. LMS might have gotten overcrowded in a few years, but KMS is there already.