No good teachers at BASIS High school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Those who think that kind of "hard work" is what gets you ahead in life, don't be fooled. In meaningful college and job applications, it's many a times the "what makes someone special" that gets attention and merit. Sure there are test scores to account for but that's only half the story. Working on homework until midnight on a regular basis is not making anyone's child special. What can make a child "special" is things like holding youth leadership positions, writing a book, organizing a campaign or food drive, going abroad for a year, making it through the ranks in a youth orchestra, dealing with adversity, putting together and executing a business plan etc.

Yeah sure, and if this is your philosophy on education, then don't send your kids to a charter school started with the express purpose of demanding a lot of kids, putting them multiple years above grade level, teaching calculus as early as 8th grade, and reading Beowulf in 5th grade. Sending your kids to a school that is set up for acceleration above everything else and then complaining about how there is too much homework seems kind of strange to me. Some kids will be up to the challenge of an intense pace, and even up for staying up until midnight every night in middle school. Most won't. This is why schools like BASIS are not for everyone.

Nonsense. Parents who send their children to the most exclusive private schools in the DC area, as well as test-in magnets such as TJ are also unhappy about the amount of homework their children are getting.

See this thread in the private school forum, for example:

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/331923.page

It doesn't mean the OP's child doesn't belong at the school or that OP made the wrong choice. There is plenty of evidence to suggest that this generation of students really is receiving too much homework. The comments from the Professor with the Ivy undergrad and PhD were enlightening, as was the Atlantic article referenced in the first post.

[Anonymous]

I saw the thread on the private schools about homework in elite private schools and magnets, and I guess we will have to agree to disagree. The pool of students going into American colleges and universities is much larger now than it was whenever the ivy league educated professor went to school. Simply put, there are more students going to college, and more international students. Places like Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and even places a tier or so down, liberal arts colleges like Amherst, Oberlin, Wesleyan, etc. are at no shortage of students who can hack the pressure of being in a pressure cooker. In fact, when I went to high school, a little later than most of the folks on this board, basically the people who went to Harvard or Yale either were exceptionally smart, so what took one person 5 hours to do only took them 3, or they worked their ass off much to sacrifice of other areas in their lives or both. There truly are exceptional people in this world who can handle someplace that expects 16 year olds to spend 5 hours a night on homework on top of extracurriculars, just as there is a small minority of the population that does not need eight hours of sleep to function properly. Harvard accepts 5% of its applicants these days.

I fail to see how someone could take multiple AP classes and not spend at least 3 hours a night on homework. How in the world are you going to write papers, read books, do problem sets for math/science, practice grammar and vocabulary, etc. without re-enforcement outside the classroom. It would be virtually impossible to get a 5 on the AP exam. BASIS is a school where kids are supposed to take basically all APs. One of the tracks for their "capstone" science classes senior year is organic chemistry. I have taught organic chemistry at the college level. To understand it, it requires practice--more practice than is required in the classroom, probably about an hour a night of review/practice. Multiply classes of that difficulty by five, and you get five hours of homework.

If your kid can't hack a pressure cooker or it is the wrong environment for them, there are alternatives. Don't take AP classes, or only take a few AP classes. Don't choose to go to BASIS, Sidwell, TJ, NCS/STA, etc. But with that comes the chance that they won't go to as competitive of a college. Since there are literally thousands of four year institutions in this country, there should be something for everyone. A lot of second third and fourth tier colleges offer a great education for someone who thrives in a lower stress environment. And as the population of students attending college has increased, the quality of schools that may have seemed iffy 20 years ago have a much higher caliber of student.

[Anonymous]

"I was speaking about "the tendency of some", i.e., Boosters, not the owners. As for the owners, it seems to me that BASIS markets itself to kids and parents who are prepared to work really really hard in a variety of academic classes, with a focus on accelerated math, largely in preparation for a lot of AP tests. I agree it is good at providing this service, although personally don't think it is a good educational model - obviously not for the students who get overwhelmed by the demands and drop out, but also I suspect for many that stay (some perhaps forced by parents) and get burnt out intellectually and/or emotionally and/or don't develop a well-rounded skill set / resume for college. I still give props to BASIS for selling a particular vision of education that give parents & students a real choice, vs. one-size-fits-all. But with school choice comes the need for truth-in-advertising and frank discussion about the pros & cons of different options."

Most of the Boosters (I can say all because I haven't read everything) aren't promoting the school a silver bullet either. Why don't you personally think that it a good educational model for the type of bright student that would fall into the cracks otherwise?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I saw the thread on the private schools about homework in elite private schools and magnets, and I guess we will have to agree to disagree. The pool of students going into American colleges and universities is much larger now than it was whenever the ivy league educated professor went to school. Simply put, there are more students going to college, and more international students. Places like Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and even places a tier or so down, liberal arts colleges like Amherst, Oberlin, Wesleyan, etc. are at no shortage of students who can hack the pressure of being in a pressure cooker. In fact, when I went to high school, a little later than most of the folks on this board, basically the people who went to Harvard or Yale either were exceptionally smart, so what took one person 5 hours to do only took them 3, or they worked their ass off much to sacrifice of other areas in their lives or both. There truly are exceptional people in this world who can handle someplace that expects 16 year olds to spend 5 hours a night on homework on top of extracurriculars, just as there is a small minority of the population that does not need eight hours of sleep to function properly. Harvard accepts 5% of its applicants these days.

I fail to see how someone could take multiple AP classes and not spend at least 3 hours a night on homework. How in the world are you going to write papers, read books, do problem sets for math/science, practice grammar and vocabulary, etc. without re-enforcement outside the classroom. It would be virtually impossible to get a 5 on the AP exam. BASIS is a school where kids are supposed to take basically all APs. One of the tracks for their "capstone" science classes senior year is organic chemistry. I have taught organic chemistry at the college level. To understand it, it requires practice--more practice than is required in the classroom, probably about an hour a night of review/practice. Multiply classes of that difficulty by five, and you get five hours of homework.

If your kid can't hack a pressure cooker or it is the wrong environment for them, there are alternatives. Don't take AP classes, or only take a few AP classes. Don't choose to go to BASIS, Sidwell, TJ, NCS/STA, etc. But with that comes the chance that they won't go to as competitive of a college. Since there are literally thousands of four year institutions in this country, there should be something for everyone. A lot of second third and fourth tier colleges offer a great education for someone who thrives in a lower stress environment. And as the population of students attending college has increased, the quality of schools that may have seemed iffy 20 years ago have a much higher caliber of student.

Exactly, people have a choice. It takes more than just smarts, mental toughness, ability to handle stress, etc. count equally if not more. If you don't want 5 hrs of homework a night in high school don't send your kid to a college prep school where that level of work is expected.

[Anonymous]

I wonder what most basis parents are like in person. I find all the mental toughness talk off putting. I was kind of a workaholic in college. It was not because I'm mentally tough; I just loved what I was studying. That is what I would like for my children too.

[Anonymous]

I was kind of a workaholic in college. It was not because I'm mentally tough; I just loved what I was studying.

I was the same way, but even as someone who loves to learn, there's a point when if you are working too much, it starts to break you. There are some kids who just can't handle being on all the time, even when they love what they are doing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder what most basis parents are like in person. I find all the mental toughness talk off putting. I was kind of a workaholic in college. It was not because I'm mentally tough; I just loved what I was studying. That is what I would like for my children too.

College prep at 9th grade does not mean college work.
It's one thing to get exposed and learning a subject, it's another thing having to decipher everything to figure out what's going on.
I showed my BASIS 9th grader's AP government work to a UMD professor and to a neighbor who is a Harvard Law and London school of economics grad, currently pursuing his PHD.
The former said he would probably give the same content but in a much simplified format.
The UMD professor simply said this kind of teaching would not accessible for most 1st year undergrads, let alone 13-14 year olds.
For those of us who were in high school before the internet era, it was not common for a teacher to say, here's the work, go to the library, research and study on your own.
Now many teachers just pass out the work, tell the students to go online and find the answers.
If you agree that this is good teaching, then I have nothing else to say.

[Anonymous]

College prep at 9th grade does not mean college work.
It's one thing to get exposed and learning a subject, it's another thing having to decipher everything to figure out what's going on.
I showed my BASIS 9th grader's AP government work to a UMD professor and to a neighbor who is a Harvard Law and London school of economics grad, currently pursuing his PHD.
The former said he would probably give the same content but in a much simplified format.
The UMD professor simply said this kind of teaching would not accessible for most 1st year undergrads, let alone 13-14 year olds.
For those of us who were in high school before the internet era, it was not common for a teacher to say, here's the work, go to the library, research and study on your own.
Now many teachers just pass out the work, tell the students to go online and find the answers.
If you agree that this is good teaching, then I have nothing else to say.

A few things to say: I think the model for BASIS is really not meant for the "average" kid, whereas your UMD professor friend is teaching the "average first year undergrad". If a large number of schools accept APs as college credit, then it should be college level. I just don't see the point in pushing 8th graders and freshman into AP government (which are designed for juniors and seniors), but that is the model for BASIS, so take it or leave it. AP is not supposed to be "college prep" it was designed to be "college level," although introducing it to freshman and sophomores appears to have watered down people's expectations of what it is for. Perhaps it is overwhelmingly challenging and taught at too high of a level, but it still seems like that's what you signed up for.

I went to high school and college in the internet era. There is certainly bad teaching that happens, but I fail to see how going online and finding information or reading an ebook is significantly different from using the library, other than it is more convenient and can be done from home. One movement in education right now is to make it more exploratory, and learning how to learn is something that many people are deficient in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder what most basis parents are like in person. I find all the mental toughness talk off putting. I was kind of a workaholic in college. It was not because I'm mentally tough; I just loved what I was studying. That is what I would like for my children too.

I'm not a BASIS parent but took AP English, calc, American history, bio, chem, physics, French in high school and so did all of my friends. Went to an all girls private school not in DC and that was the norm to get into an Ivy or similar college from my high school and this was in the 80ties. My brothers and cousins went to similar private or public magnets.

I don't think the amount of hw at BASIS is all that unusual for the type of school it is.

[Anonymous]

Am I the only one who suspects that OP is a troll? Here's a few suggestions: review all the syllabi you were supposed to read and sign; make appointments for parents hours and show up; attend Back to School night; meet with Steve -- if you don't know who he is, then you're really out of touch; attend Boosters meetings and events -- by my count there have been three already; talk with the directors and deans -- you know who they are, right?; chat up other parents in your student's element and at pickup -- you'll recognize us because we're all the same faces ... and that's just what I can think up spontaneously...

In other words, go to the source ... the Basis community itself.

Just sayin'

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Another friend said he will probably get 3 hours of sleep only as he is getting ready for tomorrow's government test.
Is this the new norm for 9th grade?

Well isn't this a school that prides itself on extreme acceleration, high expectations, and getting people to be at least 3 years ahead in math? You can't want "challenge" and then complain about the massive amounts of work that go with it.

Sorry, no, that sounds to me more like teachers not doing their jobs (or a an aloof administration breathing down their necks), and leaving it to kids to learn on their own or parents to teach them after school.

Those who think that kind of "hard work" is what gets you ahead in life, don't be fooled. In meaningful college and job applications, it's many a times the "what makes someone special" that gets attention and merit. Sure there are test scores to account for but that's only half the story. Working on homework until midnight on a regular basis is not making anyone's child special. What can make a child "special" is things like holding youth leadership positions, writing a book, organizing a campaign or food drive, going abroad for a year, making it through the ranks in a youth orchestra, dealing with adversity, putting together and executing a business plan etc.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"BASIS boasts about hiring and retaining excellent teachers.
From what I am hearing and seeing, this is not the case. "

Total bull sh-t

I am definitely hearing lots of complaints about teachers in the middle school who can't keep the class under control. Reports sound close to chaos.

[Anonymous]

There is chaos in classrooms at every MS and HS DCPS and DCPCS-nature of the beast, I am afraid. Sometimes it is too much for the best of teachers to handle, but that does not mean they are not good teachers. DC goes to Basis, and while I do not love everything about it, the teachers are great as a whole.

[Anonymous]

+1: Remember, some of these "chaotic" kids came from DCPS schools where chaos and disruption rule the day.

It's not BASIS that's creating the chaos, nor a function of the teachers not managing it (there is plenty of disciplining going on), it's a function of incoming kids.

From what I can tell, the kids now in their second year at BASIS are more with the program and culture, and behavior becomes less of an issue.

[Anonymous]

No. I hear complaints about teachers ability to control the as room from 6th and 7th grade parents who have been there a few years. And no, chaos in the classroom is NOT acceptable and yes, it can and should be controllable by the teacher and the administration. Both by making the content interesting and accessible for the students and by a good, consistent system for dealing with problems. There is a problem with the teacher if there is so much talking and nonsense in the classroom that they can't get the lesson done. Kids are the same everywhere. I won't accept these excuses of pp's and you shouldn't either. You are being taken for a ride if you do.