S. Arlington and Mean Kindergarteners

[Anonymous]

Volunteer in the classroom for a day to see what's really going on.

[Anonymous]

I think it's called class warfare if you prefer middle/upper income people to poor people. Not racism. Is there another name for this?

[Anonymous]

I live in Fairlington and have many neighbors who send their kids to Claremont. i haven't heard anything like this before.

[Anonymous]

My child goes to Claremont kindergarten. She's very happy and always talking about her new friends in the evening. I haven't heard a peep about anything like this and I'd suggest talking to the teacher, especially given how dramatic this story is.

[Anonymous]

Mean girls and boys go to school everywhere, NOT just S. Arlington. Sometimes it can be the mix of a particular class. I would definitely address it with the teacher as soon as possible. Really sorry you're going through this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Volunteer in the classroom for a day to see what's really going on.

This is a really good idea, although the dynamics might change somewhat if the kids know whose mom you are. Don't you wish you could be a fly on the wall?

[Anonymous]

My twin kindergartners are at a very high SES school, and there are some really rough kids. One of my sons can be rough, and I can think of several kids who are much rougher. I could totally see a kid getting shaken up and upset. And I feel like the supervision is very good at recess and lunch - the before school time in the playground could use more/better supervision. I think most of the kids will grow out of it, but there is one in my sons' class that I think may need to be at a special school.

[Anonymous]

Claremont parent here - we had a similar issue with our son in K last year (being pushed, shoved, pinched by one child repeatedly). Teacher was aware of what was going on, but the most effective method was the one that PP at 7:40 AM recommends - empower your child to stand up to the other child in an appropriate manner. The child who was acting this way toward our son had challenges beyond this interaction (he was in the principal's office quite often). And for what it is worth, both children involved here are Caucasian.

[Anonymous]

Arlington schools has very strict no bullying rules, so please talk to the teacher to express your concerns, and if you don't get satisfaction, you need to go up to the principle. I am sure that it is an adjustment to Kindergarten for many kids, but no one should be allowed to hurt your kid in school.

Unfortunately, in my experience, the school will not do much if your kid is verbally abused/teased. So, you do need to use the right code words for action - e.g., safety, physical injury, etc., and not merely that other kids are picking on your kid.

[Anonymous]

OP here, thanks to the several post-ers who posted sane and sympathetic comments, particularly the two Claremont parents who took the time to share their experiences!

Conferences are next week so I will definitely take my "incident list" and ask the teachers what they think might be going on. I do not want them to think I'm blaming them or expect them to do something different than they already are---as I stated, they have been responsive when my daughter tells them what happened, they were responsive when I emailed them about an issue with one particular child, and my daughter has repeatedly stated this is not limited to her classmates. Because we aren't talking about one bully, I'm at a loss when my impression is that the issue is pervasive. That's why I didn't look at it as something that could be solved by switching her to a different classroom, but rather asked whether I should be looking more closely at one of the other schools that are options around here. The fact that other parents are telling me this is not their normal experience at Claremont, much less at other schools, makes me wonder what's going on. My kid is no wallflower; she stands up for herself, and I'm not talking about teasing or verbal issues or poorly contextualized stories, and we didn't have issues last year in a classroom that included children ages 3-6 so I don't think it's just this stage of social development. Is it possible that she's too nice and the other kids are trying to bring her down a peg knowing she won't hit them back because she fears getting in trouble more than they do?

I also appreciate the suggestion to volunteer in the classroom. I have repeatedly told them I'm available to do so but I haven't gotten the feeling they want me around. Maybe I need to phrase it as a classroom observation instead.

Thanks for the perspective everyone!

[Anonymous]

Umm maybe these kids have only had 20 days of school so far in their lives, while yours has been in schools for what two years?

[Anonymous]

Best wishes, OP. Claremont really is a great place - this is our fourth year there and we are quite happy. I hope you're able to work with the teachers (and others if need be) to address the issues your child is experiencing. No child should have to tolerate that type of behavior. It may also be worth reaching out to the counselor as well. I found her very helpful in resolving the issue with my son last year.

[Anonymous]

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OP - Simple answer to "for some reason." The county is split East to West for Key and Claremont. You are zoned for Claremont. I for Key.



Then why is Barrett in the Key cluster but not Oakridge, much of which is further east than Barrett?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
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OP - Simple answer to "for some reason." The county is split East to West for Key and Claremont. You are zoned for Claremont. I for Key.



Then why is Barrett in the Key cluster but not Oakridge, much of which is further east than Barrett?

there's a boundary. just look it up.

[Anonymous]

Duh there's a boundary, my point is that it's not an east/west split. If you live south of Rt 50, you are very unlikely to be sending your child to Key.