Ludlow Taylor - Choose It over Watkins for 1st Grade ?????
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Anonymous
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I just visited all floors of LT, guided by the Dean, Mr. Thomas. Every kid was well-behaved and all was in good order, even with some subs there instead of teachers today. The place is newly renovated. Mr. Thomas strikes me as a good, compassionate person who also maintains good discipline; if I were a kid there I would obey without question and it seems like that's exactly what happens ..... The number of students per class is in the high teens to low twenties. They have dance classes and a dance room. French is taught. Supposedly there's a high rate of teacher retention, unlike Watkins.
The school is Title 1, and heavily OOB. These give me some pause; more IB would be a lot better. Beginning with first grade, there's only the one teacher in the class - no aides. The playground needs help, and I hear it's slated for renovation too. The neighborhood apparently hasn't embraced the school. Why? The school is half the size of Watkins. It's embraceable. I'm in the Peabody boundary, and I can easily walk to this school. Am I missing something? Overall, I think I like it, and it seems a lot better than Watkins in terms of student body and discipline. PS - I'm aware of the unrelated Morris Place shooting a few weeks ago. I assume that the city has taken steps to ensure that doesn't happen again. Please let me know if I'm wrong. |
Anonymous
| Search the forum. |
Anonymous
| There is a recent post on MOTH from a really cool mom who has a kid in 1st next year (and another in PK3) -- I would reach out to her for more info. I would absolutely choose LT over Watkins. This year's K class has a much lower OOB population, and that is definitely the trend going forward. We are a very tight-knit community and the teachers really couldn't be better. Signed, happy parent of a PK4-er |
Anonymous
have the people on this forum ever been inside LT? doubtful. meant to add -- yes, teacher retention rate very high. |
Anonymous
| We live on the Hill. My kid is in 4th grade at another Hill school. I know many families who tried Watkins, and most of them stayed through 4th and even onto 5th. Many of them are happy and tell me their kids have had excellent teachers. I feel like Watkins is more of a known entity through the upper grades. |
Anonymous
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Our daughter will be in 1st grade at LT next year. We are really happy with the school -- the teachers are just fantastic.
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Anonymous
I'd go to LT. If you don't like it, Watkins is your IB school and you can change for 2nd grade (or sooner). Either way, your DC ends up at SH. Many parents on the Hill would like to have your problems  .
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Anonymous
I hear a lot of teachers at Watkins are leaving, up to a third this year alone; we'll see the end numbers later. My spouse tells me Watkins is a non-starter because there are a lot of behavioral problems. We have neighbors who are moving to MoCo and pulling their rising 3rd grader out of there because at least some of the classes aren't challenging; they're taking their rising first-grader with them so no more play dates for us. I'm not aware of really any meaningful percentage of IBs who stay past second grade at Watkins. My street is becoming very silent from the lack of youngsters. |
Anonymous
| LT has a brighter future in the short-term and long-term. It is a normally structured school compatible with its catchment area. The staff is strong and the neighborhood is jumping in with both feet this year. |
Anonymous
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Go for it! It's a safe bet and, the school being so close, you'll be able to keep a close eye on it, literally.
I just wanted to add on the "discipline" piece. I have a child in upper elementary and one in middle school (elsewhere) and that "discipline" thing is really something of a conundrum. You'll find schools that have it "under control". It's lockstep, no touching walls, probably a few Xs marking spots where line leaders are to stand and stop, eyes in front, quiet at all times. That sure will impress visitors and many kids actually do very well with that. There is a huge downside though, namely that those kids just totally lose it if something is going just a little differently, say a substitute teacher is there, a field day, a celebration, or even just the moment that school let's out. It's like you're taking them off a leash and they run amok. Some also argue that it stifles executive function development. By contrast, you'll find schools that seem louder and more rambunctious because kids are given more room to collaborate in groups, jostle, and make decisions for themselves. It's like you're looking at different parenting cultures. Now, of course, what you want to know and make sure in this latter scenario is that what you're looking at is indeed a more free-spirited environment and not an out-of-control-and-anything-goes environment. Just as with parenting, those are two very different things! |
Anonymous
So I was told when I bought my home in NE seven years ago. I know half a dozen families of PreK and K kids who have found alternatives for the fall just on my block. Maybe another neighborhood is jumpng in with both feet this year? The early childhood staff is strong, that I'll give you. If your kid is white and upper middle-income and you aren't super liberal, good luck. |
Anonymous
WTF? If neighborhood people are giving it a chance sticking past ECE that is a good thing. |
Anonymous
| I am actually hoping I will be able to get a spot at LT despite possibly moving into the Watkins IB zone...if the comparison is LT v Watkins, it seems to me one is on the way up and one on the way down, although they might be about equal now. |
Anonymous
Yea, but going in with rose colored classes isn't. |
Anonymous
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What matters to me is a positive, safe learning environment that has discipline and academic rigor. Are any of these issues at LT?
Diversity is good, and hopefully LT will continue to become more and more diverse. Neighborhood buy-in could help that. |