Can someone tell me about the Eastern Magnet?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a 6th grader in the Humanities program this year, so my experience is limited to the distance learning situation.

The Eastern magnet is known for a handful of things:

1) Producing excellent writers

2) A tremendous workload (much more homework than the TPMS magnet)

3) A general sink-or-swim environment

4) An integrated approach to English, Literature, Media, and Social Studies.

The DL experience has been a bit whiplash-inducing, with all of the above in mind. It started out with a tremendous workload, high expectations and very little support to kids who were struggling.

Then suddenly in Q2 the workload dropped off precipitously and grading standards evaporated.

Now it is Q3 and grading standards are back, but with the aforementioned smaller workload. The downside is that each assignment is now much more heavily weighted but also more heavily scrutinized, which is sort of a worst case scenario.

Filter that through the fine mesh of parent demands across the county to “extend grace”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Thanks everyone, and particularly this poster. The direct comparison is helpful. I hadn't really realized that the magnet would take up the electives. My kid really isn't humanities oriented. He's a bright kid, and he'll work hard on whatever assigned, but it sounds like time on reading and writing would replace classes he's more interested in like art or computer science or Spanish, and that the increased homework might prevent him from continuing things he does by choice.

People mention diversity as having pros and cons, but I think the communities served by Sligo and Eastern are pretty similar. Have you found that to be true? Transportation is less of an issue for us than it is for more distant families.

This is why we decided not to send DC to Eastern. I think it can be amazing for the right kid, but that doesn’t mean it’s right for every bright kid.

[Anonymous]

So each year, you've got:

1. Magnet English
2. Magnet World Studies (these first two are sometimes treated as a block period for the day, when they have projects that involve elements of both courses)
3. Magnet Media elective
4. Another elective, usually (but not always) the quasi-magnet Literature and Culture in 6th, then a language in 7th and 8th
5. Science (there are "honors" sections, so most magnet kids tend to be grouped together here, too, along with some kids from the rest of the student body, but I can't see that they're particularly advanced in any way. I think they just don't spend as much time on reading the material, maybe?)
6. Math
7. PE/Health .

Media is a core magnet course.

You’re right, sorry if that was misleading. It takes up one of the elective spots in their schedule, but it’s a mandatory magnet class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've had two kids go through both Sligo and Eastern. Eastern is hands down a more rigorous middle school experience, and our child that went to Eastern was definitely very humanities-oriented. I would not recommend Eastern unless your child enjoys writing or is willing to work on writing. There is a LOT of work. As a PP said, the media component is something that you can't really get anywhere else. We were there before the pandemic, so our child went through the full Eastern experience with idrip and the NYC trip, and they loved it.

Math at Eastern was really pretty good and a lot of the humanities magnet kids also took the advanced math levels, some even going to Blair to take Algebra II.

Sligo currently has the AIM (advanced investigations in math) and HIGH (Humanities in Global History(?)) classes, which try to incorporate some of the projects that are in Eastern's magnet program, but it's not the same as being with the Eastern cohort. Our other child did great at Sligo and is now in a HS magnet program. So even if you decide to stay in your home school, you're not necessarily ruining your chances of getting into an application-only program in HS.

Thanks everyone, and particularly this poster. The direct comparison is helpful. I hadn't really realized that the magnet would take up the electives. My kid really isn't humanities oriented. He's a bright kid, and he'll work hard on whatever assigned, but it sounds like time on reading and writing would replace classes he's more interested in like art or computer science or Spanish, and that the increased homework might prevent him from continuing things he does by choice.

People mention diversity as having pros and cons, but I think the communities served by Sligo and Eastern are pretty similar. Have you found that to be true? Transportation is less of an issue for us than it is for more distant families.

Sligo/EMS parent here. In terms of diversity, yes, Sligo and Eastern are pretty similar. The magnet classes don't take up all the electives. You do get one elective. DC took Spanish as their elective in 7th and 8th, and also did after school band, so they still got 2 electives, but it was a longer day 3 days a week. In addition to being humanities oriented, successful kids at Eastern should enjoy working in groups and have a lot of attention to detail. Group work producing movie trailers, films, and documentaries can really wear down introverts or others who don't collaborate well with others. There is a lot of group work, and with it can come the stress of being able to get others to carry their weight, cooperate, compromise, etc. I saw our child really grow in this area, but it was stressful for them.

[Anonymous]

Is band the only after school elective? If so, is there a beginning band? My kid doesn't take a band instrument, but would love an art class or a computer science class.

Also, does the after school band prevent after school sports?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is band the only after school elective? If so, is there a beginning band? My kid doesn't take a band instrument, but would love an art class or a computer science class.

Also, does the after school band prevent after school sports?

Band is the only afterschool elective that counts as a real class. There is also band (beginner and advanced) during the school day, taken as a regular elective, and even beginners have been welcomed in afterschool band, so it's flexible (caveat: there's a new band director this year, so he may run things a bit differently). Afterschool band would prevent afterschool sports, I think, since band is Tuesday-Thursday afternoons. There are other extracurricular clubs/activities that meet after school on those days as well. And plenty of non-band electives that meet during the school day.

[Anonymous]

It can be a really great program for kids who like reading and writing. They also need to me pretty well organized and self directed / dedicated to doing the work. The teachers are good, but expect alot out of their students and hold them to pretty high standards. There is alot of homework. There is also tons of group projects, so they should be able to work in groups well and enjoy doing so. So, if it is a good match, then it is a great program, but the kid really needs to want to do the work.

There are a bunch of after school clubs. Many of the magnet kids do band or drama club.

The best part of the program for our kid has been the peer cohort. They have made some great friends and connections. Of course, it is complicated because many of them live 45 minutes away, but still they met people who they felt were on the same wavelength as them. That part has been amazing. The amount of work has been overwhelming at times, and often questionable if it is really needed, but it does make them incredible writers, or completely burned out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter will be finishing there this year. The program hasn't impressed me, however, we did half of her time in virtual learning and she missed the big trip. We also have probably the longest bus ride. The long day just wasn't worth it. Also, Eastern is a very different population than our hoe middle school. For example, she learned a lot of new words in the lunch room (yes, I realize all middle schoolers swear. the lunch room is particularly out of control at Eastern). It's just a very odd dynamics of the magnet kids vs. the comprehensive kids. The science classes would have been better at our home school.

+1
Most teachers are pretty good but one in quite nasty.

[Anonymous]

OP here,

What happens if a kid starts and then pulls out. This really doesn't seem like my kid, but I am tempted to let him make the final choice. However, I worry that he'll want to try and see.

If we pull out now, do they go to a wait list, so some other kid would get a shot that they wouldn't get if he tries and pulls out later?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here,

What happens if a kid starts and then pulls out. This really doesn't seem like my kid, but I am tempted to let him make the final choice. However, I worry that he'll want to try and see.

If we pull out now, do they go to a wait list, so some other kid would get a shot that they wouldn't get if he tries and pulls out later?

They’ll fill all the slots, so someone else will get the slot. In previous years, when kids left after the first semester, they’ve pulled from qualified kids in the general Eastern population. Not sure if they do the same after the first year, but I think they do. The program doesn’t build on previous content, you just need to have the skills, and the 6th grade teachers would know who could handle it.

So there’s no harm in letting him try if he wants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here,

What happens if a kid starts and then pulls out. This really doesn't seem like my kid, but I am tempted to let him make the final choice. However, I worry that he'll want to try and see.

If we pull out now, do they go to a wait list, so some other kid would get a shot that they wouldn't get if he tries and pulls out later?

Students can’t really join the MS magnets midstream. If your child declines, or accepts and then changes his mind before school starts in the fall, his spot will go to someone else in the pool. If he attends Eastern, he can change his mind at any time, but no one else will be invited to fill that spot. I don’t know where the exact cutoff is - like, would they invite someone from the pool if he left after the first week? But if he gives it an honest effort and it’s not for him, no, they wouldn’t invite another student to join in 7th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a 6th grader in the Humanities program this year, so my experience is limited to the distance learning situation.

The Eastern magnet is known for a handful of things:

1) Producing excellent writers

2) A tremendous workload (much more homework than the TPMS magnet)

3) A general sink-or-swim environment

4) An integrated approach to English, Literature, Media, and Social Studies.

The DL experience has been a bit whiplash-inducing, with all of the above in mind. It started out with a tremendous workload, high expectations and very little support to kids who were struggling.

Then suddenly in Q2 the workload dropped off precipitously and grading standards evaporated.

Now it is Q3 and grading standards are back, but with the aforementioned smaller workload. The downside is that each assignment is now much more heavily weighted but also more heavily scrutinized, which is sort of a worst case scenario.

PP, I have a kid in 6th grade..and it is the worst case scenario!!! DC was crying the other night over a grade in class that used to have a bazillion assignments in the fall and now is down to 3 for the current quarter so losing a bunch of points on just one assignment really screws their grade up. And my kid isn't a snowflake, she's used to rolling with the punches but come on, MCPS, why is it so hard to be consistent even in a magnet??

Ugh
We can't wait for life to be back to normal.

[Anonymous]

Don't let that dissuade you OP. The other teachers are very good in all grades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here,

What happens if a kid starts and then pulls out. This really doesn't seem like my kid, but I am tempted to let him make the final choice. However, I worry that he'll want to try and see.

If we pull out now, do they go to a wait list, so some other kid would get a shot that they wouldn't get if he tries and pulls out later?

They’ll fill all the slots, so someone else will get the slot. In previous years, when kids left after the first semester, they’ve pulled from qualified kids in the general Eastern population. Not sure if they do the same after the first year, but I think they do. The program doesn’t build on previous content, you just need to have the skills, and the 6th grade teachers would know who could handle it.

So there’s no harm in letting him try if he wants.

It didn’t happen this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here,

What happens if a kid starts and then pulls out. This really doesn't seem like my kid, but I am tempted to let him make the final choice. However, I worry that he'll want to try and see.

If we pull out now, do they go to a wait list, so some other kid would get a shot that they wouldn't get if he tries and pulls out later?

Students can’t really join the MS magnets midstream. If your child declines, or accepts and then changes his mind before school starts in the fall, his spot will go to someone else in the pool. If he attends Eastern, he can change his mind at any time, but no one else will be invited to fill that spot. I don’t know where the exact cutoff is - like, would they invite someone from the pool if he left after the first week? But if he gives it an honest effort and it’s not for him, no, they wouldn’t invite another student to join in 7th grade.

They’ve definitely invited a very small group of Eastern kids to join after the first semester of 6th grade. I don’t know if it happens every year, but my kid knew a couple of Eastern kids they’d gone to ES with who joined the magnet mid-year, after a few kids moved or went back to their home school.