Eastern MS for non-magnet girls

[Anonymous]

Does anyone with a DD who attended Eastern MS and was not in the magnet program have thoughts on what the school is like for these girls? What is the social environment like? How about the classroom environments?

[Anonymous]

Bumping... 90 views and no comments? Anyone?

[Anonymous]

Well ... DC goes to the Eastern magnet so I didn't want to comment directly, but I think the fact that you aren't getting any responses shows you that there aren't a lot of nonmagnet parents reading this board.

However, I can give you some info. I work in a volunteer capacity that allows me to interact with a lot of nonmagnet kids and I have met soem very sweet, enthusiastic girls that I liked very much.

DC also has nonmagnet classes (although sometimes they are mostly magnet kids due to schedulign issues). It's kind of a different vibe -- not as academic, more talking, more typical middle school disruptions -- but we've been impressed with those teachers as well.

Overall we really like Eastern, particularly the very dedicated staff. I am frequently blown away by how dedicated they are to these kids. But do keep in mind, among the nonmagnet kids there are lots of at-risk kids due to various factors like income status, English ability, family situations ...

DC is a boy so our experience has been a bit different. I will say that I don't think I would have sent my DD there to the regular program -- I would worry that it wouldn't be rigorous enough.

[Anonymous]

This is OP. Thanks so much for your reply, 7:30.

[Anonymous]

7:30. Thanks for your comments. We are unsure as to what to expect from the school as a whole as we apply to the magnet program. Your comments about the teachers is much appreciated.

[Anonymous]

7:30 here. I would have no qualms about teachers at all -- the magnet teachers are great and the non-magnet teachers are too, in general.

Lots of people worry before hand about the non-magnet aspect of things but it works out well; I wouldn't hesitate for a second to send a child to the magnet. It is an amazing program -- when I look at what my eighth grader is doing in school, I am blown away.

The thing about the nonmagnet classes is this. They are the standard MCPS middle school classes that you get anywhere around the county. The level of rigor, the material -- all the same. The teachers are super-dedicated. But it is true that there may be a wider range of ability levels than in some other county schools, and that can sometimes be an issue. You might have more kids who are disruptive -- in the sense that they might talk more or good off or be less academically inclined. But even so, we're still talking only a few kids.

But one thing I want to say is that the non-magnet kids aren't scary, or bad influences, etc. etc. There's a lot of misinformation on these boards so I don't want to contribute to that.

[Anonymous]

^^ goof off

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:7:30. Thanks for your comments. We are unsure as to what to expect from the school as a whole as we apply to the magnet program. Your comments about the teachers is much appreciated.

I had a lot of the same concerns before dd went and we are now so, so happy she is there. I agree with the pp about the talent and dedication of the teaching staff. They really seem to care about all the kids and that makes a difference. There is a lot of bad language and we've had many conversations about this with dd. No middle school is perfect and you should go in with your eyes open but I also get the impression that the school admin. would be responsive if you had a problem.

[Anonymous]

We have had a very different, VERY mixed experience with teachers both in and out of the magnet program. Some teachers are very good and very caring. Others are terrible teachers and/or quite abusive. This is true whether they teach for the magnet program or the whole school. One of the most abusive teachers was a magnet teacher, about whom many parents and students have complained, but nothing is ever done. One of the best teachers was a home school math teacher.

Speaking of eyes wide open, I would also really keep an eye on the sexual harassment situation, particularly for girls, but also for any non-traditional gender role child. Lots of abusive/non-inclusive language and hands-on harassment. See other threads.

[Anonymous]

PP from 7:30 here.

I would not want to disagree with the post above because everyone's experience is different, but DC is now an eight grader and has had all the magnet teachers, and I'm quite surprised to hear there's an abusive teacher that parents and students have complained about, because I've never heard even a hint of that. I have to admit I'm curious as to who it could be, and am running through all the teachers and can't think of who it is.

As for the sexual harrassment issue -- as I said before I have a boy so I'm not sure about the situation for girls. I will say that my son has at least four friends (three boys, one girl) who have come out as gay during their time at Eastern. In fact, I was asking him about this last night. He said that kids were overall very supportive of their gay peers and that he'd heard a few negative remarks but that other kids quickly step all over that and stand up for the gay students. So I'm very sorry to hear that this hasn't been every child's experience.