Anyone ever give up LAMB for Inspired Teaching?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child is at a traditional Montessori.

Some of the things they do at LAMB that are not strictly Montessori include things like not having a "controlled environment" for the kids. When I visited we saw a lot of work on the walls, for example (which Montessori claims is distracting). Also, parents are welcomed into the classroom (in pure Montessori it's the children's space and opportunities for parents to be part of the classroom are very minimal to non-existant). They also appear to do some work together as the entire classroom, rather than individual. And they use technology in the classroom which is not an accepted Montessori practice.

To be honest, in those areas I like the flexibility that LAMB has, rather than the rigidity of a traditional Montessori.

However, overall I wasn't impressed with our visit. The open house was chaotic and not very welcoming. The commute would also be tough for us. We didn't even apply for PK4.

Thank you for this post...useful and detailed

[Anonymous]

We chose ITS over LAMB for PS3. I would have never thought that I'd give up Spanish or a high school track, but I just didn't feel the same energy or excitement at LAMB as I did when I visited ITS.

I was also worried about attrition in the upper grades at lamb. While people are committed to the school, DC is by nature a transient community and the upper grades are so small.

Hopefully, it will be a good decision in the long run.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We chose ITS over LAMB for PS3. I would have never thought that I'd give up Spanish or a high school track, but I just didn't feel the same energy or excitement at LAMB as I did when I visited ITS.

I was also worried about attrition in the upper grades at lamb. While people are committed to the school, DC is by nature a transient community and the upper grades are so small.

Hopefully, it will be a good decision in the long run.

This attrition is not happening nearly as much anymore, now that there is the track to DCI. Previously kids had to leave for 5th grade to get in to some middle school, but now that DCI is an option (not all are taking it, but are sticking through 5th grade regardless), there is less pressure to find a different school for 5th grade. LAMB had to eliminate a primary classroom because it didn't have room for all of the elementary kids who are sticking around. the lower elementary (1st - 3rd grades) is large and vibrant and it is really energizing to watch this cohort learn together. the elementary population will just keep growing. Now we just need to get our Walter Reed building in hand!

I have friends who left ITS for a DCI feeder school (not LAMB), but they miss ITS greatly because of the energy and excitement you describe. Seems like a great school!

[Anonymous]

We gave up a spot at lamb a few years ago for ITS. Spanish and Montessori are nice but we liked the overall focus on good teaching at ITS. Less gimmicky. More focused. Also realized language immersion wasn't a priority for our family.

[Anonymous]

Being sincere, not snarky- what's the point of inspired teaching?
At the Inspired Teaching Demonstration Public Charter School, a professional learning community of master teachers and teacher residents ensures that a diverse group of students achieve their potential as accomplished learners, thoughtful citizens, and imaginative and inquisitive problem solvers through a demanding, inquiry-based curriculum. The standards-based curriculum and student goals are centered? on the 4 I’s: Intellect, Inquiry, Imagination, and Integrity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We gave up a spot at lamb a few years ago for ITS. Spanish and Montessori are nice but we liked the overall focus on good teaching at ITS. Less gimmicky. More focused. Also realized language immersion wasn't a priority for our family.

I feel the opposite we felt like Inspired wasn't that inspiring and lacked a real focus and was "gimmicky". Glad we went with LAMB when we had the chance at least we know what the curriculum is based on. When I aske what circulum Inspured used they gave me the 4I's and could elaborate much from that.

[Anonymous]

That was my impression as well. I don't understand what the buzz is all about, but glad others are happy!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LAMB is neither AMI nor AMS certified, and has no plans to be. In fact, some of the parents and admin I encountered have no idea what the difference is between the two and seemed confused when I asked quest .about this. They use the term "Montessori" but loosely apply the principles. If you are not a Montessori purist, this may not matter to you. I visited LAMB and am not at all impressed. IMO, if I am going Montessori, I would go all the way where there is evidence that the curriculum is great and works--see Lee & Shining Stars (despite their drama) for ex.

LAMB parent here. LAMB is about as Montessori as a public charter can be. Once you're in you'll be put in the loop with how difficult the DC bureaucracy makes it for schools to function in accordance with their mission statement. It's false that charters are left to their own devices. There's lots of interfering oversight to "keep it accountable", which is a lot of hullaballoo. When the DC government decided to was time to start testing pre-Kers with standardized test, which is totally inappropriate according to every childhood ed. worth a damn, LAMB tried to fight it. It's anti-child and certainly anti-Montessori. In fact, the children had to be taught how to fill in bubble Scantrons because they'd never seen that before (a non-starter in Montessori). Alas, LAMB was forced to take away from precious education time and focus on this DC requirement. Nonetheless, they still manage to do a fantastic job. Their instructors go to Montessori training in Latin America during summer and they try to make improvements wherever they can (and the conundrum of DC politics will let them). Maybe it's Montessori-lite, but I'll take it. I'd pay $20G on average if it were private. Funny how "Montessori purist" can try to discredit a free bilingual program serving arguably the most diverse pop. in DC- racially and socio-economically. Shameful, really. Or maybe just ignorant. At any rate, it's Tier 1, bilingual, and so much more.

I have a problem with a school calling itself something it isnt. That is what is shameful and it does a disservice to Montessori. Clearly you, like a lot of LAMB parents are ignorant regarding the Montessori method, thereby proving my point. Both Lee and Shining Stars and to some extent CHML have done better than LAMB at Montessori. LAMB just needs to change its name and say it is Montessori inspired.

And Montessori pure doesn't mean there is no flexibility for children that learn differently or don't develop quickly in certain areas like reading, by the way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you get into both, you should have the opportunity to tour/observe the schools before you have to make a decision. Both are great options. For me, the choice would come down to how important these 3 things are for you: language immersion, Montessori, commute. I think visiting would help you make up your mind.

+1000. To me, commute and language immersion are the most important factors. If your commute is better at IT and you aren't committed to immersion, and specifically to supplementing/supporting Spanish outside of school (which is hard if you don't speak the language), my opinion is that IT is a better choice. Having done both Montessori and immersion programs between my two kids, I think your commitment to the language is more important than how you feel about Montessori. The Montessori piece would be a very small piece of my decision making, because it's going to impact you far less than the immersion or commute will, on a day to day basis (unless your child is just a really bad fit for Montessori, I suppose).

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Inspired Teaching is amazing. The focus is on the whole child, teaching them with a focus on the 4 I's- Intellect, Inquiry, Imagination, and Integrity- the kids, community and teachers learn about critical thinking skills, teamwork, empathy and all of the soft skills that make the hard skills easy.

Really happy with the building blocks and the foundation of the teachers that we've experienced there- a wealth of knowledge and expertise, surrounded by a community of fellow learners.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No I would not turn down lamb for a tier 2 school.

So you base your school decisions on test scores alone?

No I just didn't feel the need to finish. I wouldnt turn down LAMB for a tier 2, untested school, without DCI feeder, whose only philosophy can be boiled down to 4 bullet points, and that doesn't have a language immersion.

BUT- I totally get it you don't want to put in the legwork to teach your kid spanish, especially if you dont have the background to make it happen. So if you're on the fence, turn down LAMB so someone who is dying to go can attend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LAMB is neither AMI nor AMS certified, and has no plans to be. In fact, some of the parents and admin I encountered have no idea what the difference is between the two and seemed confused when I asked quest .about this. They use the term "Montessori" but loosely apply the principles. If you are not a Montessori purist, this may not matter to you. I visited LAMB and am not at all impressed. IMO, if I am going Montessori, I would go all the way where there is evidence that the curriculum is great and works--see Lee & Shining Stars (despite their drama) for ex.

LAMB parent here. LAMB is about as Montessori as a public charter can be. Once you're in you'll be put in the loop with how difficult the DC bureaucracy makes it for schools to function in accordance with their mission statement. It's false that charters are left to their own devices. There's lots of interfering oversight to "keep it accountable", which is a lot of hullaballoo. When the DC government decided to was time to start testing pre-Kers with standardized test, which is totally inappropriate according to every childhood ed. worth a damn, LAMB tried to fight it. It's anti-child and certainly anti-Montessori. In fact, the children had to be taught how to fill in bubble Scantrons because they'd never seen that before (a non-starter in Montessori). Alas, LAMB was forced to take away from precious education time and focus on this DC requirement. Nonetheless, they still manage to do a fantastic job. Their instructors go to Montessori training in Latin America during summer and they try to make improvements wherever they can (and the conundrum of DC politics will let them). Maybe it's Montessori-lite, but I'll take it. I'd pay $20G on average if it were private. Funny how "Montessori purist" can try to discredit a free bilingual program serving arguably the most diverse pop. in DC- racially and socio-economically. Shameful, really. Or maybe just ignorant. At any rate, it's Tier 1, bilingual, and so much more.

I have a problem with a school calling itself something it isnt. That is what is shameful and it does a disservice to Montessori. Clearly you, like a lot of LAMB parents are ignorant regarding the Montessori method, thereby proving my point. Both Lee and Shining Stars and to some extent CHML have done better than LAMB at Montessori. LAMB just needs to change its name and say it is Montessori inspired.

And Montessori pure doesn't mean there is no flexibility for children that learn differently or don't develop quickly in certain areas like reading, by the way.

What is shameful is that PP makes these incorrect claims on every post. LAMB regularly receives Montessori interns from AMS centers in Maryland and Monterrey, Mexico who receive their Montessori certificates THROUGH interning and working at LAMB under LAMB admin and master teachers. If LAMB is not a real Montessori, why is AMS - who does supervisory visits to the school - allowing teacher to earn certification by working at LAMB? LAMB has a strong and good relationship with the Montessori advocacy groups and has not been shunned by the Montessori community. It has refused to pay the thousands of dollars to receive "accreditation" from AMI and AMS, however these continued public attacks on its reputation may force them to make the choice to seek AMS membership. Would that make you happy, PP, or would you rather LAMB spend your tax dollars in the classroom?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LAMB is neither AMI nor AMS certified, and has no plans to be. In fact, some of the parents and admin I encountered have no idea what the difference is between the two and seemed confused when I asked quest .about this. They use the term "Montessori" but loosely apply the principles. If you are not a Montessori purist, this may not matter to you. I visited LAMB and am not at all impressed. IMO, if I am going Montessori, I would go all the way where there is evidence that the curriculum is great and works--see Lee & Shining Stars (despite their drama) for ex.

LAMB parent here. LAMB is about as Montessori as a public charter can be. Once you're in you'll be put in the loop with how difficult the DC bureaucracy makes it for schools to function in accordance with their mission statement. It's false that charters are left to their own devices. There's lots of interfering oversight to "keep it accountable", which is a lot of hullaballoo. When the DC government decided to was time to start testing pre-Kers with standardized test, which is totally inappropriate according to every childhood ed. worth a damn, LAMB tried to fight it. It's anti-child and certainly anti-Montessori. In fact, the children had to be taught how to fill in bubble Scantrons because they'd never seen that before (a non-starter in Montessori). Alas, LAMB was forced to take away from precious education time and focus on this DC requirement. Nonetheless, they still manage to do a fantastic job. Their instructors go to Montessori training in Latin America during summer and they try to make improvements wherever they can (and the conundrum of DC politics will let them). Maybe it's Montessori-lite, but I'll take it. I'd pay $20G on average if it were private. Funny how "Montessori purist" can try to discredit a free bilingual program serving arguably the most diverse pop. in DC- racially and socio-economically. Shameful, really. Or maybe just ignorant. At any rate, it's Tier 1, bilingual, and so much more.

I have a problem with a school calling itself something it isnt. That is what is shameful and it does a disservice to Montessori. Clearly you, like a lot of LAMB parents are ignorant regarding the Montessori method, thereby proving my point. Both Lee and Shining Stars and to some extent CHML have done better than LAMB at Montessori. LAMB just needs to change its name and say it is Montessori inspired.

And Montessori pure doesn't mean there is no flexibility for children that learn differently or don't develop quickly in certain areas like reading, by the way.

Talk shit all you want. Your kid still ain't gettin' in. This is really what this is about. You're mad as hell. Good thing you don't matter. LAMB wouldn't even blink at you, which is how insignificant of a troll you are. Keep spittin', but it's on yourself!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LAMB is neither AMI nor AMS certified, and has no plans to be. In fact, some of the parents and admin I encountered have no idea what the difference is between the two and seemed confused when I asked quest .about this. They use the term "Montessori" but loosely apply the principles. If you are not a Montessori purist, this may not matter to you. I visited LAMB and am not at all impressed. IMO, if I am going Montessori, I would go all the way where there is evidence that the curriculum is great and works--see Lee & Shining Stars (despite their drama) for ex.

LAMB parent here. LAMB is about as Montessori as a public charter can be. Once you're in you'll be put in the loop with how difficult the DC bureaucracy makes it for schools to function in accordance with their mission statement. It's false that charters are left to their own devices. There's lots of interfering oversight to "keep it accountable", which is a lot of hullaballoo. When the DC government decided to was time to start testing pre-Kers with standardized test, which is totally inappropriate according to every childhood ed. worth a damn, LAMB tried to fight it. It's anti-child and certainly anti-Montessori. In fact, the children had to be taught how to fill in bubble Scantrons because they'd never seen that before (a non-starter in Montessori). Alas, LAMB was forced to take away from precious education time and focus on this DC requirement. Nonetheless, they still manage to do a fantastic job. Their instructors go to Montessori training in Latin America during summer and they try to make improvements wherever they can (and the conundrum of DC politics will let them). Maybe it's Montessori-lite, but I'll take it. I'd pay $20G on average if it were private. Funny how "Montessori purist" can try to discredit a free bilingual program serving arguably the most diverse pop. in DC- racially and socio-economically. Shameful, really. Or maybe just ignorant. At any rate, it's Tier 1, bilingual, and so much more.

I have a problem with a school calling itself something it isnt. That is what is shameful and it does a disservice to Montessori. Clearly you, like a lot of LAMB parents are ignorant regarding the Montessori method, thereby proving my point. Both Lee and Shining Stars and to some extent CHML have done better than LAMB at Montessori. LAMB just needs to change its name and say it is Montessori inspired.

And Montessori pure doesn't mean there is no flexibility for children that learn differently or don't develop quickly in certain areas like reading, by the way.

Talk shit all you want. Your kid still ain't gettin' in. This is really what this is about. You're mad as hell. Good thing you don't matter. LAMB wouldn't even blink at you, which is how insignificant of a troll you are. Keep spittin', but it's on yourself!

Yikes.

We got into LAMB and turned it down.

[Anonymous]

Here is what I don't understanding - especially for posters like 11:09, why can't you be happy for kids who attend the charter school (or any public program) they want.

My friend's child goes to LAMB and that is great fit for her child. My child goes to another HRCS and that is great fit for my child. Another friend has child in our IB school - and that works for them.

Imagine a city where we have school choice and no one is a bitch about it? It's ok 11:09 to love your school and NOT hate someone else's.