So, what is wrong with Hardy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reality is, for most IB parents, Hardy is "Hardly" a middle school option.

I am IB for Hardy, and totally agree. Hardy has been going to great lengths at our ES to recruit more IB families, but for those I know who have toured the school (myself included) it just wasn't the place anyone wanted to drop their kid off to be "educated."

Same at our ES. Care to elaborate, PP?

They never do. The vast majority of folks who airdrop in with a blast at Hardy like this one rarely elaborate - perhaps because really what they mean is "I saw this 5 years ago," or "A friend of a friend of a friend of a friend heard it and told me."

Maybe the reason people don't "care to elaborate" is because of hostile Hardy parents like you No matter what I have to say as an IB parent, you are going to accuse me of lying, accuse me of having never set foot in the school, accuse me of hearing the information from "a friend of a friend of a friend," accuse me of bringing up stories from past years etc etc. You yourself come off as incredible aggressive, resentful, and defensive.

I am defensive at this point, yes. But I'm eager to assess the validity and legitimacy of complaints about Hardy. Some are valid and legitimate. But others are not. For example, complaints that date back to the 2010 period, which was four Principals ago, have little legitimacy. Complaints that boil down to "Somebody told me something bad about Hardy" also do not have legitimacy. Complaints that are "I want to Hardy on or about this [recent] date, and saw X, Y, and Z that concern me" may well have legitimacy. "It just wasn't the place anyone wanted to drop their kid off to be 'educated'" means little without some context as to why.

I should also add that I am an IB parent with a former Hardy student who thrived there. So I know a bit about how to assess the validity of the complaints.

If you are a former parent - under which principal or principals? And what exactly is different now?

Two years of Stefanus, one of Pride.

Many, many differences. A Principal that (unlike Pope) is acutely interested in listening to IB parents. New differentiated classes in math and English. A deemphasis on the arts and music program. Lots of new teachers (and many Pope-era teachers gone). The honors program - which was admittedly a bit underwhelming in year one, but has gotten better and better each year.

The thing that is most infuriating about watching all this happen is that 1. Most occurred with the strong support of current Hardy families. 2. Most have been made in an effort to draw in more IB families. 3. The entire time, IB families have been ignoring these changes, asking when Hardy will start to make changes to draw them in, and accusing the current Hardy families of not caring about the school and being anti-change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reality is, for most IB parents, Hardy is "Hardly" a middle school option.

I am IB for Hardy, and totally agree. Hardy has been going to great lengths at our ES to recruit more IB families, but for those I know who have toured the school (myself included) it just wasn't the place anyone wanted to drop their kid off to be "educated."

Same at our ES. Care to elaborate, PP?

They never do. The vast majority of folks who airdrop in with a blast at Hardy like this one rarely elaborate - perhaps because really what they mean is "I saw this 5 years ago," or "A friend of a friend of a friend of a friend heard it and told me."

Maybe the reason people don't "care to elaborate" is because of hostile Hardy parents like you No matter what I have to say as an IB parent, you are going to accuse me of lying, accuse me of having never set foot in the school, accuse me of hearing the information from "a friend of a friend of a friend," accuse me of bringing up stories from past years etc etc. You yourself come off as incredible aggressive, resentful, and defensive.

I am defensive at this point, yes. But I'm eager to assess the validity and legitimacy of complaints about Hardy. Some are valid and legitimate. But others are not. For example, complaints that date back to the 2010 period, which was four Principals ago, have little legitimacy. Complaints that boil down to "Somebody told me something bad about Hardy" also do not have legitimacy. Complaints that are "I want to Hardy on or about this [recent] date, and saw X, Y, and Z that concern me" may well have legitimacy. "It just wasn't the place anyone wanted to drop their kid off to be 'educated'" means little without some context as to why.

I should also add that I am an IB parent with a former Hardy student who thrived there. So I know a bit about how to assess the validity of the complaints.

If you are a former parent - under which principal or principals? And what exactly is different now?

Two years of Stefanus, one of Pride.

Many, many differences. A Principal that (unlike Pope) is acutely interested in listening to IB parents. New differentiated classes in math and English. A deemphasis on the arts and music program. Lots of new teachers (and many Pope-era teachers gone). The honors program - which was admittedly a bit underwhelming in year one, but has gotten better and better each year.

The thing that is most infuriating about watching all this happen is that 1. Most occurred with the strong support of current Hardy families. 2. Most have been made in an effort to draw in more IB families. 3. The entire time, IB families have been ignoring these changes, asking when Hardy will start to make changes to draw them in, and accusing the current Hardy families of not caring about the school and being anti-change.

This is real progress. It's puzzling that the ringleader of the Pope-era teachers is still there, however.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You simply need to consider how these posts are viewed by current Hardy parents (like me). When you indicate that our children are not fit to attend school with your children or imply that we are bad parents for sending our children to Hardy, or imply that we have no interest in making the school a better school with improved academic offerings, it makes us upset. And if these posts are based on inaccurate information, it makes us more upset. So you shouldn't be offended when we call a lie a lie.

Here's the problem I have: if one person is accusing another of implying something that wasn't actually said, they might just as well be guilty of inferring something that wasn't said. You can't go around calling someone a liar for something they didn't say! Even if you think it's what they really meant!

Except these things are actually being said. Have you read the 100+ page threads on how the only way to make the school acceptable is to reduce the number of OOB kids? Have you read the posts that say the uniforms make Hardy appear to be a ghetto school? Have you read the many, many posts saying that current Hardy parents don't care about improving the school? Those aren't vaguely implied or hinted at - they are all put out there in the open. And they are an insult to the current Hardy parents.

How is the proposal to get rid of the outmoded uniforms "an insult to the current Hardy parents"? Why do the current parents so identify with the uniforms that any different viewpoint is dismissed as an "insult"? It's a puzzlement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lets just move forward with taking over the school, as is already happening with increased IB enrollment in 6th grade this year. Just a few more IBs next year and it's basically done. The OOB/IBs from feeder schools will continue to welcome us, as these kids are already friends and classmates. Any current OOB Hardy parents who are hysterical to the point of embellishing anonymous board posts, at the prospect of "snowflakes" invading their precious vacation home on the west, will simply graduate away.

This is already happening. Hence the hysteria & infinite threads. The ship has sailed people. NEXT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lets just move forward with taking over the school, as is already happening with increased IB enrollment in 6th grade this year. Just a few more IBs next year and it's basically done. The OOB/IBs from feeder schools will continue to welcome us, as these kids are already friends and classmates. Any current OOB Hardy parents who are hysterical to the point of embellishing anonymous board posts, at the prospect of "snowflakes" invading their precious vacation home on the west, will simply graduate away.

This is already happening. Hence the hysteria & infinite threads. The ship has sailed people. NEXT.

We wish you the best of luck. Really.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You simply need to consider how these posts are viewed by current Hardy parents (like me). When you indicate that our children are not fit to attend school with your children or imply that we are bad parents for sending our children to Hardy, or imply that we have no interest in making the school a better school with improved academic offerings, it makes us upset. And if these posts are based on inaccurate information, it makes us more upset. So you shouldn't be offended when we call a lie a lie.

Here's the problem I have: if one person is accusing another of implying something that wasn't actually said, they might just as well be guilty of inferring something that wasn't said. You can't go around calling someone a liar for something they didn't say! Even if you think it's what they really meant!

Except these things are actually being said. Have you read the 100+ page threads on how the only way to make the school acceptable is to reduce the number of OOB kids? Have you read the posts that say the uniforms make Hardy appear to be a ghetto school? Have you read the many, many posts saying that current Hardy parents don't care about improving the school? Those aren't vaguely implied or hinted at - they are all put out there in the open. And they are an insult to the current Hardy parents.

I think that current Hardy parents are okay with some changes so long as those proposing them respect the unique Hardy culture and don't try to change that.

[Anonymous]

What us the "unique hardy culture"?

[Anonymous]

us=is

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You simply need to consider how these posts are viewed by current Hardy parents (like me). When you indicate that our children are not fit to attend school with your children or imply that we are bad parents for sending our children to Hardy, or imply that we have no interest in making the school a better school with improved academic offerings, it makes us upset. And if these posts are based on inaccurate information, it makes us more upset. So you shouldn't be offended when we call a lie a lie.

Here's the problem I have: if one person is accusing another of implying something that wasn't actually said, they might just as well be guilty of inferring something that wasn't said. You can't go around calling someone a liar for something they didn't say! Even if you think it's what they really meant!

Except these things are actually being said. Have you read the 100+ page threads on how the only way to make the school acceptable is to reduce the number of OOB kids? Have you read the posts that say the uniforms make Hardy appear to be a ghetto school? Have you read the many, many posts saying that current Hardy parents don't care about improving the school? Those aren't vaguely implied or hinted at - they are all put out there in the open. And they are an insult to the current Hardy parents.

How is the proposal to get rid of the outmoded uniforms "an insult to the current Hardy parents"? Why do the current parents so identify with the uniforms that any different viewpoint is dismissed as an "insult"? It's a puzzlement.

It's not offensive to want to get rid of the uniforms. What's offensive is when people say they want to get rid of the uniforms because they make Hardy look like a ghetto school. Can you not understand how we find that insulting? What you are saying is that our kids look like ghetto kids. That's not meant as a compliment. Then it is doubly insulting when current Hardy parents explain to you that we like the uniforms for legitimate, substantive reasons (they improve the academic environment!) - and people then reply and accuse us of saying that we therefore have no interest in improving the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You simply need to consider how these posts are viewed by current Hardy parents (like me). When you indicate that our children are not fit to attend school with your children or imply that we are bad parents for sending our children to Hardy, or imply that we have no interest in making the school a better school with improved academic offerings, it makes us upset. And if these posts are based on inaccurate information, it makes us more upset. So you shouldn't be offended when we call a lie a lie.

Here's the problem I have: if one person is accusing another of implying something that wasn't actually said, they might just as well be guilty of inferring something that wasn't said. You can't go around calling someone a liar for something they didn't say! Even if you think it's what they really meant!

Except these things are actually being said. Have you read the 100+ page threads on how the only way to make the school acceptable is to reduce the number of OOB kids? Have you read the posts that say the uniforms make Hardy appear to be a ghetto school? Have you read the many, many posts saying that current Hardy parents don't care about improving the school? Those aren't vaguely implied or hinted at - they are all put out there in the open. And they are an insult to the current Hardy parents.

I think that current Hardy parents are okay with some changes so long as those proposing them respect the unique Hardy culture and don't try to change that.

Hardy parents are OK with changes that improve the school and improve academic performance. Period. We don't sit around discussing the culture. Please stop with this ridiculous trope.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reality is, for most IB parents, Hardy is "Hardly" a middle school option.

I am IB for Hardy, and totally agree. Hardy has been going to great lengths at our ES to recruit more IB families, but for those I know who have toured the school (myself included) it just wasn't the place anyone wanted to drop their kid off to be "educated."

Same at our ES. Care to elaborate, PP?

They never do. The vast majority of folks who airdrop in with a blast at Hardy like this one rarely elaborate - perhaps because really what they mean is "I saw this 5 years ago," or "A friend of a friend of a friend of a friend heard it and told me."

Maybe the reason people don't "care to elaborate" is because of hostile Hardy parents like you No matter what I have to say as an IB parent, you are going to accuse me of lying, accuse me of having never set foot in the school, accuse me of hearing the information from "a friend of a friend of a friend," accuse me of bringing up stories from past years etc etc. You yourself come off as incredible aggressive, resentful, and defensive.

I am defensive at this point, yes. But I'm eager to assess the validity and legitimacy of complaints about Hardy. Some are valid and legitimate. But others are not. For example, complaints that date back to the 2010 period, which was four Principals ago, have little legitimacy. Complaints that boil down to "Somebody told me something bad about Hardy" also do not have legitimacy. Complaints that are "I want to Hardy on or about this [recent] date, and saw X, Y, and Z that concern me" may well have legitimacy. "It just wasn't the place anyone wanted to drop their kid off to be 'educated'" means little without some context as to why.

I should also add that I am an IB parent with a former Hardy student who thrived there. So I know a bit about how to assess the validity of the complaints.

If you are a former parent - under which principal or principals? And what exactly is different now?

Two years of Stefanus, one of Pride.

Many, many differences. A Principal that (unlike Pope) is acutely interested in listening to IB parents. New differentiated classes in math and English. A deemphasis on the arts and music program. Lots of new teachers (and many Pope-era teachers gone). The honors program - which was admittedly a bit underwhelming in year one, but has gotten better and better each year.

The thing that is most infuriating about watching all this happen is that 1. Most occurred with the strong support of current Hardy families. 2. Most have been made in an effort to draw in more IB families. 3. The entire time, IB families have been ignoring these changes, asking when Hardy will start to make changes to draw them in, and accusing the current Hardy families of not caring about the school and being anti-change.

This is real progress. It's puzzling that the ringleader of the Pope-era teachers is still there, however.

It ought not to puzzle you. She's there because she is a very good teacher who is focused on teaching all her kids today. The argument that she is somehow a bad teacher because she thought getting rid of Pope was a mistake is utterly false. Why is this so hard for you to understand?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reality is, for most IB parents, Hardy is "Hardly" a middle school option.

I am IB for Hardy, and totally agree. Hardy has been going to great lengths at our ES to recruit more IB families, but for those I know who have toured the school (myself included) it just wasn't the place anyone wanted to drop their kid off to be "educated."

Same at our ES. Care to elaborate, PP?

They never do. The vast majority of folks who airdrop in with a blast at Hardy like this one rarely elaborate - perhaps because really what they mean is "I saw this 5 years ago," or "A friend of a friend of a friend of a friend heard it and told me."

Maybe the reason people don't "care to elaborate" is because of hostile Hardy parents like you No matter what I have to say as an IB parent, you are going to accuse me of lying, accuse me of having never set foot in the school, accuse me of hearing the information from "a friend of a friend of a friend," accuse me of bringing up stories from past years etc etc. You yourself come off as incredible aggressive, resentful, and defensive.

I am defensive at this point, yes. But I'm eager to assess the validity and legitimacy of complaints about Hardy. Some are valid and legitimate. But others are not. For example, complaints that date back to the 2010 period, which was four Principals ago, have little legitimacy. Complaints that boil down to "Somebody told me something bad about Hardy" also do not have legitimacy. Complaints that are "I want to Hardy on or about this [recent] date, and saw X, Y, and Z that concern me" may well have legitimacy. "It just wasn't the place anyone wanted to drop their kid off to be 'educated'" means little without some context as to why.

I should also add that I am an IB parent with a former Hardy student who thrived there. So I know a bit about how to assess the validity of the complaints.

If you are a former parent - under which principal or principals? And what exactly is different now?

Two years of Stefanus, one of Pride.

Many, many differences. A Principal that (unlike Pope) is acutely interested in listening to IB parents. New differentiated classes in math and English. A deemphasis on the arts and music program. Lots of new teachers (and many Pope-era teachers gone). The honors program - which was admittedly a bit underwhelming in year one, but has gotten better and better each year.

The thing that is most infuriating about watching all this happen is that 1. Most occurred with the strong support of current Hardy families. 2. Most have been made in an effort to draw in more IB families. 3. The entire time, IB families have been ignoring these changes, asking when Hardy will start to make changes to draw them in, and accusing the current Hardy families of not caring about the school and being anti-change.

This is real progress. It's puzzling that the ringleader of the Pope-era teachers is still there, however.

It ought not to puzzle you. She's there because she is a very good teacher who is focused on teaching all her kids today. The argument that she is somehow a bad teacher because she thought getting rid of Pope was a mistake is utterly false. Why is this so hard for you to understand?

It's not that she was just resistant to replacing Pope. She was vocally resistant to the changes that Rhee wanted to make at the school, including making Hardy more attractive to in-boundaries families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reality is, for most IB parents, Hardy is "Hardly" a middle school option.

I am IB for Hardy, and totally agree. Hardy has been going to great lengths at our ES to recruit more IB families, but for those I know who have toured the school (myself included) it just wasn't the place anyone wanted to drop their kid off to be "educated."

Same at our ES. Care to elaborate, PP?

They never do. The vast majority of folks who airdrop in with a blast at Hardy like this one rarely elaborate - perhaps because really what they mean is "I saw this 5 years ago," or "A friend of a friend of a friend of a friend heard it and told me."

Maybe the reason people don't "care to elaborate" is because of hostile Hardy parents like you No matter what I have to say as an IB parent, you are going to accuse me of lying, accuse me of having never set foot in the school, accuse me of hearing the information from "a friend of a friend of a friend," accuse me of bringing up stories from past years etc etc. You yourself come off as incredible aggressive, resentful, and defensive.

I am defensive at this point, yes. But I'm eager to assess the validity and legitimacy of complaints about Hardy. Some are valid and legitimate. But others are not. For example, complaints that date back to the 2010 period, which was four Principals ago, have little legitimacy. Complaints that boil down to "Somebody told me something bad about Hardy" also do not have legitimacy. Complaints that are "I want to Hardy on or about this [recent] date, and saw X, Y, and Z that concern me" may well have legitimacy. "It just wasn't the place anyone wanted to drop their kid off to be 'educated'" means little without some context as to why.

I should also add that I am an IB parent with a former Hardy student who thrived there. So I know a bit about how to assess the validity of the complaints.

If you are a former parent - under which principal or principals? And what exactly is different now?

Two years of Stefanus, one of Pride.

Many, many differences. A Principal that (unlike Pope) is acutely interested in listening to IB parents. New differentiated classes in math and English. A deemphasis on the arts and music program. Lots of new teachers (and many Pope-era teachers gone). The honors program - which was admittedly a bit underwhelming in year one, but has gotten better and better each year.

The thing that is most infuriating about watching all this happen is that 1. Most occurred with the strong support of current Hardy families. 2. Most have been made in an effort to draw in more IB families. 3. The entire time, IB families have been ignoring these changes, asking when Hardy will start to make changes to draw them in, and accusing the current Hardy families of not caring about the school and being anti-change.

This is real progress. It's puzzling that the ringleader of the Pope-era teachers is still there, however.

It ought not to puzzle you. She's there because she is a very good teacher who is focused on teaching all her kids today. The argument that she is somehow a bad teacher because she thought getting rid of Pope was a mistake is utterly false. Why is this so hard for you to understand?

It's not that she was just resistant to replacing Pope. She was vocally resistant to the changes that Rhee wanted to make at the school, including making Hardy more attractive to in-boundaries families.

Maybe she was right. Because Rhee made all those changes - and IB families still hate Hardy.

Regardless of what her views were, she was and is an excellent teacher, who was tough, fair, and kind towards our IB student.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reality is, for most IB parents, Hardy is "Hardly" a middle school option.

I am IB for Hardy, and totally agree. Hardy has been going to great lengths at our ES to recruit more IB families, but for those I know who have toured the school (myself included) it just wasn't the place anyone wanted to drop their kid off to be "educated."

Same at our ES. Care to elaborate, PP?

They never do. The vast majority of folks who airdrop in with a blast at Hardy like this one rarely elaborate - perhaps because really what they mean is "I saw this 5 years ago," or "A friend of a friend of a friend of a friend heard it and told me."

Maybe the reason people don't "care to elaborate" is because of hostile Hardy parents like you No matter what I have to say as an IB parent, you are going to accuse me of lying, accuse me of having never set foot in the school, accuse me of hearing the information from "a friend of a friend of a friend," accuse me of bringing up stories from past years etc etc. You yourself come off as incredible aggressive, resentful, and defensive.

I am defensive at this point, yes. But I'm eager to assess the validity and legitimacy of complaints about Hardy. Some are valid and legitimate. But others are not. For example, complaints that date back to the 2010 period, which was four Principals ago, have little legitimacy. Complaints that boil down to "Somebody told me something bad about Hardy" also do not have legitimacy. Complaints that are "I want to Hardy on or about this [recent] date, and saw X, Y, and Z that concern me" may well have legitimacy. "It just wasn't the place anyone wanted to drop their kid off to be 'educated'" means little without some context as to why.

I should also add that I am an IB parent with a former Hardy student who thrived there. So I know a bit about how to assess the validity of the complaints.

If you are a former parent - under which principal or principals? And what exactly is different now?

Two years of Stefanus, one of Pride.

Many, many differences. A Principal that (unlike Pope) is acutely interested in listening to IB parents. New differentiated classes in math and English. A deemphasis on the arts and music program. Lots of new teachers (and many Pope-era teachers gone). The honors program - which was admittedly a bit underwhelming in year one, but has gotten better and better each year.

The thing that is most infuriating about watching all this happen is that 1. Most occurred with the strong support of current Hardy families. 2. Most have been made in an effort to draw in more IB families. 3. The entire time, IB families have been ignoring these changes, asking when Hardy will start to make changes to draw them in, and accusing the current Hardy families of not caring about the school and being anti-change.

This is real progress. It's puzzling that the ringleader of the Pope-era teachers is still there, however.

It ought not to puzzle you. She's there because she is a very good teacher who is focused on teaching all her kids today. The argument that she is somehow a bad teacher because she thought getting rid of Pope was a mistake is utterly false. Why is this so hard for you to understand?

It's not that she was just resistant to replacing Pope. She was vocally resistant to the changes that Rhee wanted to make at the school, including making Hardy more attractive to in-boundaries families.

So people can't dare to disagree? Voicing an opinion respectfully is admirable, especially when it can have repercussions (and even thought you care to take the risk) And then, that's democracy, you loose, or the option you were supporting looses, and you continue give the best of yourself for that school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
It's not that she was just resistant to replacing Pope. She was vocally resistant to the changes that Rhee wanted to make at the school, including making Hardy more attractive to in-boundaries families.

So people can't dare to disagree? Voicing an opinion respectfully is admirable, especially when it can have repercussions (and even thought you care to take the risk) And then, that's democracy, you loose, or the option you were supporting looses, and you continue give the best of yourself for that school.

The workplace is not the place for voicing your opinions. I was around during those days and I remember thinking that this has to be one of the few jobs in America where you can publicly castigate your employer and keep your job.