Latin v. BASIS

[Anonymous]

Did any of you read the article on Basis today in the Current?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Basis will offer a dual track foreign language program for native and bilingual speakers in addition to their regular foreign language program.
For what language(s)?

I think they mean parallel language classes, not a dual immersion track for bilinguals. More Deal MS than Oyster-Adams?

Dual Track Foreign Languages: One for native/bilingual speakers in grammar, writing, and literature, and one for those who are new to the language.

[Anonymous]

No, of course not. That's why the school may not be full. No sports. Sounds depressing.

Anonymous wrote:on Basis -- I looked at the curriculum and it sort of frightened me. The lowest math track is algebra 1 in 7th. The lowest math track is AP calculus in 11th grade. 9th grade for an accelerated track. Is this acceleration really necessary for regular kids? Yes for the math prodigy or a really aggressive math/science kid, but for your average well-rounded student who might like to try his/her hand at art, a sport after school, church/synagogue activities?

My kid is at private school this year for middle and already doing 60-90 minutes minimum of homework after a full day of 7 or so classes. She's exhausted. And her program at this private school has algebra as an option for 7th grade but is not seen as mandatory for every 7th grader. Some 7th graders just aren't ready for it yet. She probably isn't.

Is everyone who is entering the BASIS lottery really the parent of the type of kid who will groove on such acceleration in every subject? just wondering. I know such kids exist, a friend of mine has one. But all the rest of the kids I know aren't, including mine. Do you think your child will like this school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Basis will offer a dual track foreign language program for native and bilingual speakers in addition to their regular foreign language program.
For what language(s)?

I think they mean parallel language classes, not a dual immersion track for bilinguals. More Deal MS than Oyster-Adams?

Dual Track Foreign Languages: One for native/bilingual speakers in grammar, writing, and literature, and one for those who are new to the language.

What languages will they be (realistically) offering this fall? Not long term. First year. TIA

[Anonymous]

related, how good is the language instruction at Latin? I read the French and Chinese teacher bios on line and they both sounded like American educated non native speakers, which struck me as odd. In this city, one shoudl be able to find a qualified native speaker, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That's why the school may not be full. No sports. Sounds depressing.

I disagree. My child currently participates in speed skating, hockey and baseball (neighborhood & possibly traveling), after enrolling in Basis, these sports will continue. At Basis, sports participation may be mostly intramural - cross country/soccer on the Mall after school. Still, my child will be equally plugged into sports attending Basis compared to before Basis. Plus we utilize DC Youth Orchestra which will be unimpinged by Basis. I can make sports etc. work after school and on weekends, we're good like that. I just need Basis to get the academics done from 9 to 5 for 180 days a year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's why the school may not be full. No sports. Sounds depressing.

I disagree. My child currently participates in speed skating, hockey and baseball (neighborhood & possibly traveling), after enrolling in Basis, these sports will continue. At Basis, sports participation may be mostly intramural - cross country/soccer on the Mall after school. Still, my child will be equally plugged into sports attending Basis compared to before Basis. Plus we utilize DC Youth Orchestra which will be unimpinged by Basis. I can make sports etc. work after school and on weekends, we're good like that. I just need Basis to get the academics done from 9 to 5 for 180 days a year.

I agree, PP. BASIS is known for its rigorous academic program, not its sports program. I arrange extracurricular activities in the evening and on weekends: choir, scouting, hiking, baseball. We also participate in extracurricular programs at school: math club and chess club. I'd rather have my child focus exclusively on academics during the seven hours of the BASIS school day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:related, how good is the language instruction at Latin? I read the French and Chinese teacher bios on line and they both sounded like American educated non native speakers, which struck me as odd. In this city, one shoudl be able to find a qualified native speaker, right?

No idea about your actual question because we're in the application process, but just had to chime in because the worst teacher our oldest DC ever had was a native speaking foreign language teacher, and the best one (at the same school, interestingly) was a fluent American. Native speaking doesn't necessarily mean best at teaching.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:related, how good is the language instruction at Latin? I read the French and Chinese teacher bios on line and they both sounded like American educated non native speakers, which struck me as odd. In this city, one shoudl be able to find a qualified native speaker, right?

My college professor for German in a pretty great college was native English speaker, had spent extensive time in country and had advanced Degrees in both the language and second language pedagogy. Our Childs current language instructor at Latin upper school has a similar background ( but seems a lot more fun than my college German teacher!) A plus is teacher gets the challenges of learning the language and of gaining some context if you have not had the benefit of traveling to a Chinese speaking country. Teacher shares from personal travels, has set up pen pals ( who my kid noticed write in better English than kid does(!)- letters are half Chinese half English) and other cool activities in addition to language instruction. My point is that excellent teachers come in many stripes and I would not base it on just one set of criteria.

[Anonymous]

Pp w the child in a lot of curriculars, don't you worry about the homework burden? Your child will surely have hours of homework after the full school day at Basis. How will you keep doing actIvities during the week?

[Anonymous]

And the commute time. Personally, I enjoy the extreme boosterism from the Cap Hill parents who were shilling "Jefferson Academy" last year. This is endlessly entertaining.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pp w the child in a lot of curriculars, don't you worry about the homework burden? Your child will surely have hours of homework after the full school day at Basis. How will you keep doing actIvities during the week?

The grading at BASIS looks to be based mostly on in-class quizzes and exams and on class participation. Homework appears not to be used as an assessment tool to the degree it is at other schools. It is also not used as an extension of classroom time. I suspect that my DC would have less homework than now if we switch to BASIS.

[Anonymous]

"I disagree. My child currently participates in speed skating, hockey and baseball (neighborhood & possibly traveling), after enrolling in Basis, these sports will continue. At Basis, sports participation may be mostly intramural - cross country/soccer on the Mall after school. Still, my child will be equally plugged into sports attending Basis compared to before Basis."


Ouchie! When can they just chill out??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"I disagree. My child currently participates in speed skating, hockey and baseball (neighborhood & possibly traveling), after enrolling in Basis, these sports will continue. At Basis, sports participation may be mostly intramural - cross country/soccer on the Mall after school. Still, my child will be equally plugged into sports attending Basis compared to before Basis."


Ouchie! When can they just chill out??

When they retire!

[Anonymous]

Seriously, the amount of work it will take for kids to pass, say AP calculus in 11th grade, will pretty much preclude outside activities. If the day is 9-5 and you add in commut time (say 40 minutes each way) then the child arrives home around 5;30 or 6. Add dinner and now how many hours of homework? Because there has to be homework to move kids along in such an accelerated manner.

I read the article in Current. It's not that the kids will be studying Shakespeare over Jane Eyre or whatever that will ensure homework. I think the curriculum will be great, very interesting for kids. Middle schoolers crave content and will enjoy such a rich curriculum. But if the child has to read 30 pages of Hamlet, do an algebra 2 problem set, answer questions about economics, write an essay, etc. Some kids are efficient and can run through homework quickly. But other kids labor on and on. My middle schooler does.

So with that type of workload, how would any after school activities fit into the schedule? I'm really asking -- we are struggling with this issue already, much less with a BASIS type of work load.