Eastern middle school

[Anonymous]

Last year there was an issue with some really rigid rules put in place at Eastern Middle School for morning before school (sitting in hallways on the floor, no library usage, no talking to teachers in the morning without an appointment) and cafeteria (mandatory seating assignments). The students protested. Did this get resolved? Is that the general feeling in this school--a very strict setting? It sounded kind of oppressive when I read about it.

Also, what is Eastern like for the kids who do not attend the magnet. I understand the magnet is well-liked but I want to know about the rest of the school. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

bump

[Anonymous]

Also interested in thoughts on Eastern.

[Anonymous]

This isn't the case anymore.

[Anonymous]

Yes, it is still the case. Kids are required to go to a certain hallway and sit on the floor until the bell rings for the first "passing period" before 1st period. Kids are still not allowed to just show up to teacher's classes or the Media Center without prior appointment/pass in the AM.

Also, "late lockouts" for lunch happen periodically. From time to time throughout the year the principal and magnet coordinator decide that they are tired of kids arriving late to lunch, so they just lock the lunch doors when the bell rings and don't permit kids to come in unless they go back and get a pass from a teacher. Of course, many times it is a cranky teacher who kept the kids late to begin with so, kids don't want to go back and get the pass. Even if they do, more than half of lunch period is over. For kids who don't buy lunch, they just find some sympathetic teacher's room to eat in or go to some unnoticed corner of school. For me this typifies the arbitrary, aggressive and demeaning way the school is run. No one inquires as to why the kids are late or thinks that maybe 3 minutes late to lunch isn't a disaster. No one fixes the real problem -- which stems from teachers not letting kids out on time.

Other problems I hear repetitively from DC -- teachers who are very demeaning. Just the other day one student asked when an assignment was due because kids in a similar class in another period had a different idea of the assignment details and due date. The teacher's response to the child, "you have a tendency to remember every stupid thing that passes through your head." Of course, a student wouldn't need to ask a question about an assignment if the teachers posted assignment details to Edline, which almost none do.

School teachers and administration focus on nit-picky unimportant details and miss the truly important stuff. For example, last year during Slap Ass week, the principal's main response was to send an email which asked parents to tell their kids that some kids don't think it's funny. The principal essentially treated pervasive acts of sexual harrassment as a 'joke'.

This is not even to mention the academic environment, which is also terrible. The school has failed to make AYP in a number of categories for a number of years.

Please look at the many other threads on Eastern on DCUM for a more comprehensive set of

[Anonymous]

Slap ass week??

[Anonymous]

Yes, happened twice last year -- once in the fall, once in the spring. Students (mostly boys) decided that there was one week when they were going to slap asses of other students (mostly girls). Mostly sixth graders, but also kids in upper grades. Kids inside and outside of the magnet program were targets, of course, pretty girls being the biggest targets. DC reported most girls walked the hallways with binders over their bottoms to avoid getting slapped.

Only one or two teachers "saw" and responded to problem. As DC described it, most teachers "pretended" not to see.

Principal's response was to make several announcements over PA that this should stop. Principal also sent home email advising parents to share with their kids that "Also remind them that what they may find funny or just a joke may not be funny to the other person."

At a public PTA meeting (attended by less than a dozen parents), the Principal and magnet coordinator tried to minimize the number of incidents and shift the blame to the emotionally disturbed program. But, it became clear in the course of discussion that the incidents numbered upwards of 20-30, involved some "groping" of breasts as well as slapping bottoms. Also at this meeting, a woman from MCPS's "Department of Community and Family Partnerships" stood up and explained how some girls actually "want" this kind of attention, implying that parents were just blind to the level of consensual sexual activity their own kids were engaging in.

The school never publicized how kids could and should report these incidents confidentially, never followed through with any training of students or teachers on sexual harassment and how to prevent at school, etc. Subsequent checks of the "School Safety and Security at a Glance" reveals that none of these incidents were publicly reported or resulted in any kind of serious discipline.

Slap Ass week has not been repeated this year, thankfully. But, it left an impression (negative) on DC and me, about the school.

Other threads speak to this.

[Anonymous]

Just for another opinion -- the teachers in the magnet are tough and strict and they don't give a lot of leeway around deadlines. It's part of the program and I don't think it's a problem -- these kids are signing up for a very demanding program.

I completely disagree about PP's interpretation about "slap ass week." Her email didn't treat it as a joke -- it said it wouldn't be tolerated.

If you send your kids to the magnet, you need to be aware: the vast majority of Eastern's non-magnet kids are from a very specific demographic. There are many kids from very poor families, non-English speakers, etc. DS knows several kids at school who hve familiy members who are in jail, are drug dealers, etc. There is also a classroom of kids who've come from other schools beccause of disciplinary issues. This is a tough environment. Some of these kids behave in ways that I find very shocking.

The school administration takes a lot of steps to maintain order and discipline; they also care a LOT about kids and are constantly trying to make sure that this is an equitable environment where all kids can learn. The principal tries to keep a goo-humored but serious approach and I don't envy her having to walk that line, address all the major social issues that occur at the school, and deal with magnet parents (not the easiest bunch in some ways!) all at the same time.

Personally, I think DS has gotten an amazing amount from the magnet program and I don't regret sending him there for a minute. I feel that he is safe at school. He has also made friends from many walks of life and can transition easily from group to group.

This type of school environment is not for everyone. But please remember that this is not Tilden or some other place -- it requires a different approach.

[Anonymous]

A harsh disciplinarian approach is not always the best way to get there.

[Anonymous]

PP here. I don't think she is a harsh disciplinarian. But she has to put clear limits and rules in place. I hardly think rules that don't allow middle schoolers to wander around the school unsupervised is "harsh discipline."

[Anonymous]

My nephew attends Eastern - he was not admitted to the magnet program, but he is a self-professed geek and son of two PhDs. He says that all his friends are in the magnet program and he's working hard to gain admittance to the high school magnet program. The non-AYP schools give a lot of extra attention to all kids, including those who are not from the challenged families.