Deal vs. Hardy

[Anonymous]

Thank you for the link.

Based on this document, IB is not a curriculum. For 6th grade Humanities at Deal, it's the DC Social Studies Standards, (the whole world in 10 months) within an overlay of vague "areas of interaction" such as "Human Ingenuity" and "Environments".

I would have to agree with you. This does not seem to enhance the curriculum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does either Deal or Hardy offer Latin?

Deal does not offer Latin. The choices this year are French, Spanish and Chinese.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does either Deal or Hardy offer Latin?

Deal does not offer Latin. The choices this year are French, Spanish and Chinese.

That's unfortunate. I wonder whether any of the DCPS middle schools offer Latin. Seems like a no-brainer, especially if DCPS wants to compete with private and charter schools. Look at the popularity of Washington Latin.

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure why it's a "no-brainer". Private schools that offer Latin generally say it's the least selected language. Speaking a modern language, especially Spanish or Chinese can give kids a real leg up.

The families I know who attend Latin tend to like it despite, not because of the language.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does either Deal or Hardy offer Latin?

Deal does not offer Latin. The choices this year are French, Spanish and Chinese.

That's unfortunate. I wonder whether any of the DCPS middle schools offer Latin. Seems like a no-brainer, especially if DCPS wants to compete with private and charter schools. Look at the popularity of Washington Latin.

I spoke with a friend of mine who spent 5 yrs learning latin at a jesuit high school
He told me he felt it was useful, but not as useful as a modern language would have been...
I think Washington Latin is popular, as a smaller school, with an intense curriculum, NOT because of the Latin...

[Anonymous]

I studied Chinese for years at an international school. It did not give me a leg-up. Most of the employers I thought would be interested in my Chinese told me that they could recruit Chinese native speakers whose English was better than my Chinese would ever be.

I wish I had studied Latin, not for its practical utility, but because it provides insights into English, literature, and history.

[Anonymous]

Please tell me about the "intense curriculum" at Washington Latin. This might be a good model for DCPS.

[Anonymous]

I have a child at Deal and have friends with children at Washington Latin. We are all very happy with our choices and appreciate the different strengths of each school.
Deal is a large public middle school. For some, this is exactly what they are looking for. Deal has done a lot to scale down the size , like teaming, and it works. The kids, however, still know that they are in a big school and they develop a sense of pride in being able to navigate it and in being able to advocate for themselves. These are skills that will serve them well later in life. My child's teachers are all excellent and dc is learning. I would definitely describe the curriculum as "intense". In terms of IB, I think it enhances all that is done at Deal. However, I am not worried about dc not continuing at an IB high school.
Washington Latin is a smaller school that offers a classical education. In some ways it simulates a private school but still maintains an inclusive philosophy more similar to a public school. My friends children love learning Latin and our friends are very happy with the academics. The advantages of learning Latin are listed by PPs above.
Deal is exactly what we were looking for for our dc but may not be for all. I took Latin all through high school and loved it, but the fact that Deal does not offer it did not keep us from choosing Deal. I do not think Deal/DCPS needs to look at WL as a model because it is like looking at apples and oranges. Isn't it great that there are so many public choices?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I studied Chinese for years at an international school. It did not give me a leg-up. Most of the employers I thought would be interested in my Chinese told me that they could recruit Chinese native speakers whose English was better than my Chinese would ever be.

I wish I had studied Latin, not for its practical utility, but because it provides insights into English, literature, and history.

yep, this is an issue, unless you learn the language for personal use, traveling, etc...or are self-employed and communicating in that language for business purposes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I studied Chinese for years at an international school. It did not give me a leg-up. Most of the employers I thought would be interested in my Chinese told me that they could recruit Chinese native speakers whose English was better than my Chinese would ever be.

I wish I had studied Latin, not for its practical utility, but because it provides insights into English, literature, and history.

yep, this is an issue, unless you learn the language for personal use, traveling, etc...or are self-employed and communicating in that language for business purposes

That may be true with Chinese, or in your field. I don't know. I do know that I often give preference to Spanish speakers, whether or not they are native speakers, when hiring at work.

[Anonymous]

At the private school I attended all middle schoolers had to take a short period of both Latin and a modern language. The Latin could be dropped at the high school level as the foreign language curriculum became more difficult. I have to say, those few years of latin REALLY helped me on my SATs. I would love to find a similar situation for my kids at middle school.

[Anonymous]

At St. Anselm's, Latin is very big, even in the Middle School. Latin Club is one of the most popular clubs at school. And those boys do very well academically.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a child at Deal and have friends with children at Washington Latin. We are all very happy with our choices and appreciate the different strengths of each school.
Deal is a large public middle school. For some, this is exactly what they are looking for. Deal has done a lot to scale down the size , like teaming, and it works. The kids, however, still know that they are in a big school and they develop a sense of pride in being able to navigate it and in being able to advocate for themselves. These are skills that will serve them well later in life. My child's teachers are all excellent and dc is learning. I would definitely describe the curriculum as "intense". In terms of IB, I think it enhances all that is done at Deal. However, I am not worried about dc not continuing at an IB high school.
Washington Latin is a smaller school that offers a classical education. In some ways it simulates a private school but still maintains an inclusive philosophy more similar to a public school. My friends children love learning Latin and our friends are very happy with the academics. The advantages of learning Latin are listed by PPs above.
Deal is exactly what we were looking for for our dc but may not be for all. I took Latin all through high school and loved it, but the fact that Deal does not offer it did not keep us from choosing Deal. I do not think Deal/DCPS needs to look at WL as a model because it is like looking at apples and oranges. Isn't it great that there are so many public choices?

Although Deal may not want to offer Latin, why wouldn't it be an excellent opportunity to offer to children of parents who are looking for reasons to send their children to DCPS? I see no reason why public schools could not or should not offer the opportunity of a classical education. Let's not be selfish with knowledge. There's enough to go around to everyone.

[Anonymous]

PP here. I have no idea why Deal does not offer Latin. I think it would be great if they did, I would encourage my child to take it. I just meant that WL does not need to be used as a model for Deal/DCPS. WL is more than just a school that offers Latin, it is a classical education. This is different than what is offered at Deal/DCPS and that is okay. I think it is unrealistic to think that every child or family would want or benefit from a classical education. I hope you visit Deal. They have some open houses coming up (Nov. 17, first one). It is important to see what they are working towards before assuming that another goal or model should be used. For parents who are looking for reasons to send their children to DCPS, the open houses at Deal should be very compelling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure why it's a "no-brainer". Private schools that offer Latin generally say it's the least selected language. Speaking a modern language, especially Spanish or Chinese can give kids a real leg up.

The families I know who attend Latin tend to like it despite, not because of the language.

A real leg up. Depends how you define that.

Not true of this WL family. The Latin was the dealbreaker. Latin is a great vocab builder (Understanding English for starters...half of all words, comparing grammatical structures, interwoven Western Civ...) and in 8th the children choose between Mandarin or French in addition. Imagine how wonderful to study an abstract language and then a living one in parallel. This family loves that WL offers Latin. BTW, I studied it in HS myself. Though I am not longer working through direct translations, I never forget those word roots, decoding strategies and the feeling of accessing something past and precious and foundational. Reading sayings on buildings and symbols, putting Pliny in context; Ovid; the great orators...Cicero. Cincinnatus... O tempora O mores. Alea iacta est.... The vocabulary of a HS senior today--for better or worse, we could argue all day--is statistically half that of one in the 1950's. We are facing a paucity of the ability to express, well, expressively. In this WL house, we love Latin! Plus it makes the wonderful Asterix and Obelix comics that much more accessible.