Reading Disparities

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. My child is at Murch, so there is something woefully wrong, and nothing has changed in the month + since the initial post.

What grade is your child in at Murch?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are teaching/curriculum disparities within schools as well. Some teachers at workshop schools fully embrace these programs while others resist because it is not the way they have always done things. My advice is to ask about teachers and try to advocate for a teacher placement that fits your child's needs. Some schools are more open to these requests than others.

I'm beginning to worry about this as well. DS is in Kindergarten at a supposed workshop school -they certainly brag about being one!- and what I've seen so far does not match what we expected = no creative writing, worksheets? & not much reading..Not sure how much we should worry as it is only Kindergarten but something doesn't seem right? When we attended open Houses last year we were led to believe every classroom at this school is using the reading workshop and writing workshop..Not sure what to do but might start asking the teacher more questions...Thanks for the good information.

[Anonymous]

Maury and Brent on Cap Hill are workshop schools. Works great for all reading and writing levels.

[Anonymous]

OP, did you get anywhere with the teacher? I'd involve the administration and reading specialist. My kid's teacher seems to differentiate.

[Anonymous]

I'm beginning to worry about this as well. DS is in Kindergarten at a supposed workshop school -they certainly brag about being one!- and what I've seen so far does not match what we expected = no creative writing, worksheets? & not much reading..Not sure how much we should worry as it is only Kindergarten but something doesn't seem right? When we attended open Houses last year we were led to believe every classroom at this school is using the reading workshop and writing workshop..Not sure what to do but might start asking the teacher more questions...Thanks for the good information.

We had the same problem - it was so horrible that our son was starting to hate school and certainly hated reading and writing. I wonder if our children attend the same school? It does sound the same. I will say that once we got to first grade we had an amazing year and now he loves reading and writing and is thriving in second grade. When I think back about that Kindergarten year I wish we had been more active in regards to following up on the workshop model that was promised.

[Anonymous]

OP: My DS has been at Murch and is now in his 6th year = 4th grade. He has dyslexia and there has been differentiated reading groups all along. However, some of the newer teachers may not have had Writer's Workshop training if the DCPS contract has been cancelled. He has had it since K and since he is GT but LD, I can say that Writer's Workshop has been a godsend to him because his language struggles have been ameliorated since he has been taught to write. He is intensively creative and all his teachers have said his best subject is writing even if he can't spell. K Writer's Workshop though was learning the process, finding the small moment and writing a few sentences. Most kids don't have the outstanding reading skills you described. I have always supplemented his school work with "Mommy's Special Homework", especially after the holidays. By then I know his weaknesses and what he needs to master, so we do more.

Murch has a reading specialist. Send books with your child, but talk to the teacher and the reading specialist about your concerns.

I finished the entire SRA reading decks myself (including the HS series by the end of 4th grade. Good teachers let their students just go ahead. In contrast, I failed 4th grade math, but later was one of only 200 people to pass a nation-wide test with 20,000 testers. I taught myself a lot of stuff by reading. Your child will be the same, but K is too soon to expect more. And as much as I liked being a bookworm all my life, I would have liked it better to have played more.

Lost year? Not emotionally and not socially when you are only 5-6 years old. But if you don't think Murch is the place for your child, you should be looking now for a new school for the fall.

Finally, maybe we should be pressuring DCPS to return to WW and RW training. It works, but the teachers need training/refreshers.

[Anonymous]

My child is also in K at Murch OP. Our experience has been very different. I wonder if perhaps your child has the new teacher who probably did not get the workshop training. Did you meet with the reading specialist?

That one class does seem to do more things like worksheets. It seems as though the curriculum and approach should be more uniform, at least within the same school. Have you met with the Vice Principal or Principal?

Murch has so many strengths, and PP is correct that so much of their leaning in K is social. I hope that you are able to resolve this issue to your satisfaction.

[Anonymous]

Oh and one more thing: if you have a Gifted and Talented child, DCPS is not the system for you. There is very little available for a GT child. You are going to have to make a decision: private school now or after 3 or 4th grade or giving up NW DC living and move to the burbs or home schooling.

We have made a choice. We like our city lifestyle and the short commute. So the school isn't perfect, but he has been happy there and learns. Both my husband and I have made outstanding careers for ourselves without getting the "best education". In the end, we have been better served in our lives personally and professionally by being around different people with different backgrounds. Public school offers that setting - even if Murch has become less diverse thanks to the NW DC baby boom. The GT supplement will just have to come from us.

[Anonymous]

20:23 points to an issue at Murch, which is non-uniformity across classes in the same grade. Every student is evaluated on the same learning standards so the same learning standards need to be met by all teachers, but the methods of getting there can vary greatly from class to class. This can be spun as a positive, arguing that different learning styles can be accomodated in this way. It is not always experienced in a positive way though.
Speak up at Murch if you have a problem. They are not pro-active about programs for advanced kids but have responded to persistent parent requests in the recent past like pull-out enrichment groups or going to a higher grade for a subject matter.