What’s going on at DCI?

[Anonymous]

Ummmm........................You are a really full of yourself high SES parent.

[Anonymous]

I don't get this comment. Sounds like somebody needs a reality check and it's not the high SES parent in question.

[Anonymous]

This thread has gotten unnecessarily ugly

[Anonymous]

I visited the school last night. One area of concern for me was signs on walls of some language classrooms were in English and other language. My kid is coming from a feeder where they are required to speak in target language and translation isn't done during language learning.

Can any DCI parents speak to this? Are students only speaking target language while in those non-English classes?

[Anonymous]

From what I've observed as a parent who speaks one target language fluently and another decently, depends on the language. Overall, the kids on the Spanish-speaking track speak enough of the target language to use it to communicate most of the time in non-English classes. They're coming out of feeders that offer what's close to dual immersion, with admins who are native speakers, in a country where Spanish is commonly spoken.

Not true for most of the French and Chinese students. Few can express complex thoughts in the target language, no matter how they years they spent at Stokes or YY. They can understand, and read, much better than they can speak. They generally revert to English when they aren't required to speak the target language by a teacher. You hear this in small group work in class, when a teacher is off working with a different group.

[Anonymous]

well, for english speakers, spanish is obviously easier to learn to speak than french or chinese. also many f not most of the DCI students on the spanish track have parents who speak it or at least studied it at somep oint.

[Anonymous]

Just seeing this thread...my child would have been a part of the first 6th grade class at DCI and I chose private instead. Being a school administrator, I knew how difficult it would be to get a school off the ground, especially when you are adding a grade every year and you have children coming from all over the city with varying experiences, preparation, and expectations. I am still thrilled with my child's private school, even though I did learn that although my child had been in Spanish immersion since he was 4, that his Spanish grammar and writing was garbage. In terms of private you may be surprised that many schools offer financial assistance, which you don't pay back, based upon need and that goes for solidly middle class families too.

[Anonymous]

Though you unlikely to answer this and I think I understand why, I’ll ask anyway: which Spanish immersion school did your child attend PreK-5?

Also, there are not enough private school seats for all the kids at DCI, regardless of FA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Though you unlikely to answer this and I think I understand why, I’ll ask anyway: which Spanish immersion school did your child attend PreK-5?

Also, there are not enough private school seats for all the kids at DCI, regardless of FA.

Has mv been around long enough for a pk4er to be in 6th. If not stokes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Though you unlikely to answer this and I think I understand why, I’ll ask anyway: which Spanish immersion school did your child attend PreK-5?

Also, there are not enough private school seats for all the kids at DCI, regardless of FA.

Has mv been around long enough for a pk4er to be in 6th . If not stokes.

If you read her post, her kid would have been in the first 6th grade class. So not MV and probably not DCB. So LAMB or Stokes. But doesn't really matter as that child would be in 9th now.

[Anonymous]

Good point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just seeing this thread...my child would have been a part of the first 6th grade class at DCI and I chose private instead. Being a school administrator, I knew how difficult it would be to get a school off the ground, especially when you are adding a grade every year and you have children coming from all over the city with varying experiences, preparation, and expectations. I am still thrilled with my child's private school, even though I did learn that although my child had been in Spanish immersion since he was 4, that his Spanish grammar and writing was garbage. In terms of private you may be surprised that many schools offer financial assistance, which you don't pay back, based upon need and that goes for solidly middle class families too.

I'm not surprised to hear this, PP. From where I sit, too many DCI feeder and DCI parents have their head in the sand about issues with immersion instruction. They tell you you're hyper critical and belong in a tony private when you point out obvious problems.

We're looking at privates for middle school ourselves.

[Anonymous]

If you stick with DCI and supplement a good deal with tutors, academic summer programs, on-line academic programs etc., you can manage for MSl. Supplementing works better for those way up in NE (short commutes to Walter Reed) that for those further south. I's a long shlep for the Cap Hill crew.

It's the weak looking DCI HS program I'm concerned about.

[Anonymous]

Maybe my head is in the sand but we are loving it at DCI. Second year there with a 7th grader from Spanish language feeder. Our DC is challenged and interested, making friends, likes school for the most part. DC is a high achiever, rule follower type. Advanced academically (math and English), we are happy with how things are going. A few hiccups with what seem to be mediocre teachers, or ones who struggle to connect. Anyway, we aren’t supplementing, aren’t playing lottery for other options. Even if Language immersion isn’t top notch, it is better than no immersion, and it is important to maintain the learning in the second language. We also do not have the resources to even consider private, so folks that have that option, I can understand looking into it. But we feel good about it, it is absolutely a good choice to have!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe my head is in the sand but we are loving it at DCI. Second year there with a 7th grader from Spanish language feeder. Our DC is challenged and interested, making friends, likes school for the most part. DC is a high achiever, rule follower type. Advanced academically (math and English), we are happy with how things are going. A few hiccups with what seem to be mediocre teachers, or ones who struggle to connect. Anyway, we aren’t supplementing, aren’t playing lottery for other options. Even if Language immersion isn’t top notch, it is better than no immersion, and it is important to maintain the learning in the second language. We also do not have the resources to even consider private, so folks that have that option, I can understand looking into it. But we feel good about it, it is absolutely a good choice to have!

You are far more sanguine than me.

Mediocre teachers + significant teacher turnover ???