The Sojourner Truth School - possible new public middle and high school option

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you cannot be even borderline respectful and polite, I don’t see why anyone should answer your questions, particularly since you likely won’t go to a planning meeting and be snippy and self-righteous in person.

This board, I tell you.

His idea to come here, and even if some PPs are rude, the questions are legit.

[Anonymous]

Really poor form to post in here and not return to address questions. That’s a net negative for this effort

[Anonymous]

A professional person posted at 8:30 last night and hasn’t been back to answer questions before 7:00 this morning, and DCUM is having a fit!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you cannot be even borderline respectful and polite, I don’t see why anyone should answer your questions, particularly since you likely won’t go to a planning meeting and be snippy and self-righteous in person.

This board, I tell you.

Exactly. This isn’t “asking hard questions” this is just disresepctful trolling as per usual on this board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A professional person posted at 8:30 last night and hasn’t been back to answer questions before 7:00 this morning, and DCUM is having a fit!

I know right! The self righteous outrage is ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

I think this sounds like a set up to fail. Unless you give preference to Montessori feeders. Otherwise you may be getting a lot kids who are two or three grades behind by the time they start middle school and will need extensive support from teachers and that’s not what they will get from Montessori at that level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the proposal needs to slow down until all feeders are more diverse — racially and economically.

Enough of these middle class havens. If Montessori is all that, or truly needed in this landscape, parents of all descriptions would be flocking to it. They don’t.

And I think it should speed up because I don’t carry a chip on my shoulder about middle and upper class kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think this sounds like a set up to fail. Unless you give preference to Montessori feeders. Otherwise you may be getting a lot kids who are two or three grades behind by the time they start middle school and will need extensive support from teachers and that’s not what they will get from Montessori at that level.

That's what it takes to have a truly diverse and equitable middle school on DC. Why do you think people don't want to go to the existing middle schools? It is the same exact reason!

[Anonymous]

I wish all the people proposing new charters - that aren’t serving a diverse population now - would publicly go to the Council and beg for an at-risk preference and commit to using it and not opening until they get it.

They have leverage. The city wants more “quality seats.” Let the schools walk the talk they include in their charters about wanting to serve all.

Personally I’d make at-risk the first preference for 5th through 12th, given that drop off and pickups isn’t an issue for older kids who can and do commute via public transit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think this sounds like a set up to fail. Unless you give preference to Montessori feeders. Otherwise you may be getting a lot kids who are two or three grades behind by the time they start middle school and will need extensive support from teachers and that’s not what they will get from Montessori at that level.

Montessori done right is personalized learning that gives each kid what he or she needs. Children poorly served by a one size fits all approach can do great things in an individualized program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think this sounds like a set up to fail. Unless you give preference to Montessori feeders. Otherwise you may be getting a lot kids who are two or three grades behind by the time they start middle school and will need extensive support from teachers and that’s not what they will get from Montessori at that level.

That's what it takes to have a truly diverse and equitable middle school on DC. Why do you think people don't want to go to the existing middle schools? It is the same exact reason!

so why does OP seem so naive. Her focus is "changing the world" when she needs to get real that accepting all kids means kids who are reading on a 3rd grade level and montessori is not the right fit for those kids. So then the UMC families will bail when they see the test scores etc...and boom you have Brookland middle 2.0

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think this sounds like a set up to fail. Unless you give preference to Montessori feeders. Otherwise you may be getting a lot kids who are two or three grades behind by the time they start middle school and will need extensive support from teachers and that’s not what they will get from Montessori at that level.

That's what it takes to have a truly diverse and equitable middle school on DC. Why do you think people don't want to go to the existing middle schools? It is the same exact reason!

so why does OP seem so naive. Her focus is "changing the world" when she needs to get real that accepting all kids means kids who are reading on a 3rd grade level and montessori is not the right fit for those kids. So then the UMC families will bail when they see the test scores etc...and boom you have Brookland middle 2.0

Unclear why you assume Montessori isn't the right fit for those kids. I might argue it's exactly what those kids need.

I think the school will, however, try for a preference for Montessori feeders since they are trying to solve the problem that those kids have no good pathway to continue their preferred type of education. Probably like DCI with guaranteed seats for the rest of the city as well. Will be interesting if they also can include at-risk preference.

Montessori schools were originally developed to teach the "unteachable" - those with retardation, very poor, etc, who were deemed society's throwaway children by meeting them where they are and developing their curiosity. It can definitely educate anyone if done well, though I don't know how many high schools have attempted this in the US.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think this sounds like a set up to fail. Unless you give preference to Montessori feeders. Otherwise you may be getting a lot kids who are two or three grades behind by the time they start middle school and will need extensive support from teachers and that’s not what they will get from Montessori at that level.

That's what it takes to have a truly diverse and equitable middle school on DC. Why do you think people don't want to go to the existing middle schools? It is the same exact reason!

so why does OP seem so naive. Her focus is "changing the world" when she needs to get real that accepting all kids means kids who are reading on a 3rd grade level and montessori is not the right fit for those kids. So then the UMC families will bail when they see the test scores etc...and boom you have Brookland middle 2.0

Unclear why you assume Montessori isn't the right fit for those kids. I might argue it's exactly what those kids need.

I think the school will, however, try for a preference for Montessori feeders since they are trying to solve the problem that those kids have no good pathway to continue their preferred type of education. Probably like DCI with guaranteed seats for the rest of the city as well. Will be interesting if they also can include at-risk preference.

Montessori schools were originally developed to teach the "unteachable" - those with retardation, very poor, etc, who were deemed society's throwaway children by meeting them where they are and developing their curiosity. It can definitely educate anyone if done well, though I don't know how many high schools have attempted this in the US.

There are only ~20 public Montessori high schools in the entire US, and none in a city with as diverse and high needs student population as DC with open enrollment.

At the primary and elementary level, at least in an AMI school, other instructors (music, special educators, OTs, etc) are not supposed to enter the environment to provide instruction or assist special needs students. This flies in the face of the LRE requirements of IDEA. Both Lee and SSMA initially ran afoul of the PCBS in this regard and in the latter case lost several due process cases.

There are corollary concerns in a middle school. Not all students can manage self-directed and independent learning due to their disabilities. SJ cannot screen out these students, so how will they adjust their model to serve them? You cannot say 'well they shouldn't apply' in DC>

[Anonymous]

https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/46166/where-are-all-the-public-montessori-high-schools

Pros and cons and challenges of Montessori secondary education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think this sounds like a set up to fail. Unless you give preference to Montessori feeders. Otherwise you may be getting a lot kids who are two or three grades behind by the time they start middle school and will need extensive support from teachers and that’s not what they will get from Montessori at that level.

Montessori done right is personalized learning that gives each kid what he or she needs. Children poorly served by a one size fits all approach can do great things in an individualized program.

Absolutely agree! People who are totally ignorant about Montessori support, I guess, traditional educational approaches that have been failing kids for decades. SMH.