We are new to Robert Frost Middle School and Not Impressed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I liked was way more impressed with my child’s middle school experience than my child’s high school experience. This was JW/RM.

That's a shocker. Vast majority of parents I spoke to, and including us, preferred RM to JW, which was completely lackluster, especially the academics. Even my kids are happy to be out of JW and now at RM.

RM is a mess. The administration can not answer questions. The classes (besides IB) are not at all challenging. They are literally going through the motions.
The only thing my child likes is open lunch. (Yes they are a good student. No they did not get a C).

I have two kids at RM.

One is a super high achiever, in IB magnet, and doesn't find most of the classes challenging, just a lot of work. But, DC is an outlier.

The other is not in IB but is taking AP classes. Some of the teachers are great; some are just meh.

But, both quite like RM. Yes, they also love the open lunch. Not everyone will love RM, of course, but not everyone loves the W schools, either.

But, as I stated, none of the parents I know preferred JW over RM.

Just because you don’t know anyone who did doesn’t mean no one does.

Please read the bolded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I liked was way more impressed with my child’s middle school experience than my child’s high school experience. This was JW/RM.

That's a shocker. Vast majority of parents I spoke to, and including us, preferred RM to JW, which was completely lackluster, especially the academics. Even my kids are happy to be out of JW and now at RM.

I listened to the JW principal (many years ago) say that MS was about social development more than academics. Agree RM was better.

IMO they are not doing a great job of even the social development given all the mean behavior I hear about at JW. It's not the worst MS in the county, but I don't find JW impressive, at all. I'm not sure what ^^PP found so great about JW. I found the Principal to be checked out tbh. DCs like a few of the teachers, but for the most part, lackluster. It's a huge school, too, probably one of the biggest if not the biggest in the county, and possibly even MD.

We are at a different MS (a non-W and not JW) and I would agree. MS is pretty terrible. Academically terrible and they’re not doing much for social development either. I actually wish they held the kids to higher academic standards just to even keep the kids busier than they are.

Agree, and they certainly don't prepare them for the rigors of HS for those kids who take the AP route.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. I don’t find the work to be very challenging, it’s too crowded, everybody’s in “advanced” classes. We moved here from a much better school system. But sounds lif this is considered great among you folks I guess there’s no point in moving to another cluster.

Would you share where you moved from?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. I don’t find the work to be very challenging, it’s too crowded, everybody’s in “advanced” classes. We moved here from a much better school system. But sounds lif this is considered great among you folks I guess there’s no point in moving to another cluster.

Which school system?

There are lots of better public school systems in this country when compared to MCPS. MCPS is a dysfunctional mess. Some fantastic teachers, but they are struggling to work in a mess of a district. And MS is most definitely the worst.

Blah, blah, blah,..
Which school system?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. I don’t find the work to be very challenging, it’s too crowded, everybody’s in “advanced” classes. We moved here from a much better school system. But sounds lif this is considered great among you folks I guess there’s no point in moving to another cluster.

Would you share where you moved from?

Am guessing it was another state with small localized school systems. Mine in PA was like this. Much preferred to MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. I don’t find the work to be very challenging, it’s too crowded, everybody’s in “advanced” classes. We moved here from a much better school system. But sounds lif this is considered great among you folks I guess there’s no point in moving to another cluster.

Would you share where you moved from?

Am guessing it was another state with small localized school systems. Mine in PA was like this. Much preferred to MCPS.

I moved from a wealthy small district out west. There are pros and cons to smaller districts.

CONS:
The smaller districts don't have the economies of scale to offer lot of different programs like the larger ones do, like MCPS. MCPS with all its faults, offers pretty good programs.

PROS:
The smaller districts can pivot easier and meet the needs of more students; larger ones have a harder time with that. Large achievement and wealth gap in MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. I don’t find the work to be very challenging, it’s too crowded, everybody’s in “advanced” classes. We moved here from a much better school system. But sounds lif this is considered great among you folks I guess there’s no point in moving to another cluster.

Would you share where you moved from?

Am guessing it was another state with small localized school systems. Mine in PA was like this. Much preferred to MCPS.

Likely Massachusetts. OP - thank you for posting. MCPS schools are largely mediocre- and everyone here works for the schools, paid VERY well so they’ve drank the kool-aide. Thanks for speaking up. It was our observation too / coming from DODEA school system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. I don’t find the work to be very challenging, it’s too crowded, everybody’s in “advanced” classes. We moved here from a much better school system. But sounds lif this is considered great among you folks I guess there’s no point in moving to another cluster.

Which school system?

There are lots of better public school systems in this country when compared to MCPS. MCPS is a dysfunctional mess. Some fantastic teachers, but they are struggling to work in a mess of a district. And MS is most definitely the worst.

Blah, blah, blah,..
Which school system?

I’m not the OP, but I have family in other states. My niece in AZ attends an amazing public charter school that has provided her with a phenomenal education (especially in Math). Way better than what MCPS has provided.

I also have a nephew in a NJ public school system (town-based, which I think is so much better) who has had things like a foreign language since ES.

MCPS caters to the lowest-achieving students and by doing so, it has brought the entire school system down. I had kids who went for a CES to a home MS and it was pretty depressing and boring. The kids are capable of more, and the low expectations lead to even lower performance.

[Anonymous]

*from a CES.

I’ll also add that the HS Magnets in MCPS are great, but spots are limited, unfortunately. And logistics can be challenging for some families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. I don’t find the work to be very challenging, it’s too crowded, everybody’s in “advanced” classes. We moved here from a much better school system. But sounds lif this is considered great among you folks I guess there’s no point in moving to another cluster.

I can’t speak to Frost as my kids went to Pyle. But I agree MCPS middle school is lacking in academic rigor and are too large. From our experience, the high schools are far better with more variety of classes and more opportunity for rigor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. I don’t find the work to be very challenging, it’s too crowded, everybody’s in “advanced” classes. We moved here from a much better school system. But sounds lif this is considered great among you folks I guess there’s no point in moving to another cluster.

Would you share where you moved from?

Am guessing it was another state with small localized school systems. Mine in PA was like this. Much preferred to MCPS.

Likely Massachusetts. OP - thank you for posting. MCPS schools are largely mediocre- and everyone here works for the schools, paid VERY well so they’ve drank the kool-aide. Thanks for speaking up. It was our observation too / coming from DODEA school system.

I know very very very few people who work for MCPS. It can't be *everyone* since OP doesn't work for MCPS, and neither do I. Do you? If you do, why do you work for MCPS if it sucks? Just for the money? You must be part of the problem with MCPS. Too many people working for MCPS just for the money and not to educate kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. I don’t find the work to be very challenging, it’s too crowded, everybody’s in “advanced” classes. We moved here from a much better school system. But sounds lif this is considered great among you folks I guess there’s no point in moving to another cluster.

Would you share where you moved from?

Am guessing it was another state with small localized school systems. Mine in PA was like this. Much preferred to MCPS.

Likely Massachusetts. OP - thank you for posting. MCPS schools are largely mediocre- and everyone here works for the schools, paid VERY well so they’ve drank the kool-aide. Thanks for speaking up. It was our observation too / coming from DODEA school system.

I know very very very few people who work for MCPS. It can't be *everyone* since OP doesn't work for MCPS, and neither do I. Do you? If you do, why do you work for MCPS if it sucks? Just for the money? You must be part of the problem with MCPS. Too many people working for MCPS just for the money and not to educate kids.

This has got to be the same poster who claims on every other thread that "everyone" either works for MCPS or "has an in-law who's a bus driver" for MCPS. It seems to reflect a very specific grievance for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Longfellow and Cooper are better

LOL not even close

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is this the best there is as far as middle school goes?

You might try signing up for hard classes and putting in the work. It's like they say garbage in garbage out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. I don’t find the work to be very challenging, it’s too crowded, everybody’s in “advanced” classes. We moved here from a much better school system. But sounds lif this is considered great among you folks I guess there’s no point in moving to another cluster.

Would you share where you moved from?

Am guessing it was another state with small localized school systems. Mine in PA was like this. Much preferred to MCPS.

Likely Massachusetts. OP - thank you for posting. MCPS schools are largely mediocre- and everyone here works for the schools, paid VERY well so they’ve drank the kool-aide. Thanks for speaking up. It was our observation too / coming from DODEA school system.

I know very very very few people who work for MCPS. It can't be *everyone* since OP doesn't work for MCPS, and neither do I. Do you? If you do, why do you work for MCPS if it sucks? Just for the money? You must be part of the problem with MCPS. Too many people working for MCPS just for the money and not to educate kids.

This has got to be the same poster who claims on every other thread that "everyone" either works for MCPS or "has an in-law who's a bus driver" for MCPS. It seems to reflect a very specific grievance for them.

No gripes. Actually left the state. You clearly are all living the high life in Bethesda. All of the families in my old hood had a school employee in the family (granted most for awesome health insurance, which apparently had gone down under McKnight). Just giving my take.