WWYD? No Physics teacher until "October" on 4x4 schedule

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The 4X4 schedule is the single reason we are considering not sending our kid to wilson next year. Asinine.

It's why we applied out for this year. I'm a long term (15 year) DCPS parent but I did not want my rising freshman to deal with the 4x4 schedule. A long-term Wilson parent who I really respect warned me about this last year.

I just cannot understand why they want to handicap their students in this way.

Honestly, so much handwringing and bedwetting about the 4 X 4 schedule. It's really not that big a deal.

I have a Wilson senior, and it worked out fine last year, and was not a problem for the APs. First, as one PP has noted, the 4 X 4 schedule is good because it lets the student focus on four classes at a time instead of 8. And it is not that big a problem for the AP's. My kid took two APs for classes that she took in the first half of the year, and nailed them both. Just do some studying and review work at the end of the year to refresh the material. If you learned it the first time through, it is not that hard to just do a bit of prep work to bring it back.

This might work for your kid, but I can tell you that it won't work for mine. She doesn't have a great memory, so a bit of prep work is really having to re learn a whole lot.

What can I tell you? Some education approaches work for some kids, but not others. There are things at Wilson that are not ideal for my kid, but I don't spend my time wetting the bed about it. That's public school for you. My kid will need to learn to navigate a universe that is not perfectly arranged for her, at school, and in life beyond school.

Handicapping kids for standarized testing key for college entrance is about the stupidest choice I can imagine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The 4X4 schedule is the single reason we are considering not sending our kid to wilson next year. Asinine.

It's why we applied out for this year. I'm a long term (15 year) DCPS parent but I did not want my rising freshman to deal with the 4x4 schedule. A long-term Wilson parent who I really respect warned me about this last year.

I just cannot understand why they want to handicap their students in this way.

Honestly, so much handwringing and bedwetting about the 4 X 4 schedule. It's really not that big a deal.

I have a Wilson senior, and it worked out fine last year, and was not a problem for the APs. First, as one PP has noted, the 4 X 4 schedule is good because it lets the student focus on four classes at a time instead of 8. And it is not that big a problem for the AP's. My kid took two APs for classes that she took in the first half of the year, and nailed them both. Just do some studying and review work at the end of the year to refresh the material. If you learned it the first time through, it is not that hard to just do a bit of prep work to bring it back.

I also can see this varying by the subject. Will that work from something like AP physics? I think the teacher who chimed in to say that APs should be on a full year schedule is right -- maybe they can drill down into which classes really need it.

[Anonymous]

Those parents saying their kids nailed the APs with some review in the spring, which APs did you child take? Genuinely curious- I could see for APUSH or AP Lang that that might work. But AP Chem or Calc BC? That would be more difficult.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The 4X4 schedule is the single reason we are considering not sending our kid to wilson next year. Asinine.

It's why we applied out for this year. I'm a long term (15 year) DCPS parent but I did not want my rising freshman to deal with the 4x4 schedule. A long-term Wilson parent who I really respect warned me about this last year.

I just cannot understand why they want to handicap their students in this way.

Honestly, so much handwringing and bedwetting about the 4 X 4 schedule. It's really not that big a deal.

I have a Wilson senior, and it worked out fine last year, and was not a problem for the APs. First, as one PP has noted, the 4 X 4 schedule is good because it lets the student focus on four classes at a time instead of 8. And it is not that big a problem for the AP's. My kid took two APs for classes that she took in the first half of the year, and nailed them both. Just do some studying and review work at the end of the year to refresh the material. If you learned it the first time through, it is not that hard to just do a bit of prep work to bring it back.

We have two Wilson graduates and one now in a different school (had enough of Wilson). It’s curious that every time someone has a legit criticism of Wilson, someone accuses the person of being a bed-wetter/pearl-clutcher/hand-wringer. We get it…you are not any of those sad things, and your children are all problem-solvers/authority-questioners/adversity-overcomers or whatever new form of “gritty” you prefer. Your child aced AP chem even if there were 40 students and the class was held over a one-week period three years ago in a basement with no light. Yay for you. For the rest of us, just because Wilson is the best free option for many doesn’t mean it’s not sorely in need of improvements.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The 4X4 schedule is the single reason we are considering not sending our kid to wilson next year. Asinine.

It's why we applied out for this year. I'm a long term (15 year) DCPS parent but I did not want my rising freshman to deal with the 4x4 schedule. A long-term Wilson parent who I really respect warned me about this last year.

I just cannot understand why they want to handicap their students in this way.

Honestly, so much handwringing and bedwetting about the 4 X 4 schedule. It's really not that big a deal.

I have a Wilson senior, and it worked out fine last year, and was not a problem for the APs. First, as one PP has noted, the 4 X 4 schedule is good because it lets the student focus on four classes at a time instead of 8. And it is not that big a problem for the AP's. My kid took two APs for classes that she took in the first half of the year, and nailed them both. Just do some studying and review work at the end of the year to refresh the material. If you learned it the first time through, it is not that hard to just do a bit of prep work to bring it back.

This might work for your kid, but I can tell you that it won't work for mine. She doesn't have a great memory, so a bit of prep work is really having to re learn a whole lot.

What can I tell you? Some education approaches work for some kids, but not others. There are things at Wilson that are not ideal for my kid, but I don't spend my time wetting the bed about it. That's public school for you. My kid will need to learn to navigate a universe that is not perfectly arranged for her, at school, and in life beyond school.

Handicapping kids for standarized testing key for college entrance is about the stupidest choice I can imagine.

I don't disagree with you, but several parents have chimed in with first-hand experience on this thread indicating that the 4X4 schedule does not present such a handicap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Those parents saying their kids nailed the APs with some review in the spring, which APs did you child take? Genuinely curious- I could see for APUSH or AP Lang that that might work. But AP Chem or Calc BC? That would be more difficult.

APush and AP Chem...so, one from column A and one from column B, and fine outcomes on both.

If there is any statistical evidence that the 4X4 schedule presents a problem for AP's, I'd like to see it. But the histrionics appear to be based on the fact that it is different, not any evidence that it is bad. So I think everyone should calm down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those parents saying their kids nailed the APs with some review in the spring, which APs did you child take? Genuinely curious- I could see for APUSH or AP Lang that that might work. But AP Chem or Calc BC? That would be more difficult.

APush and AP Chem...so, one from column A and one from column B, and fine outcomes on both.

If there is any statistical evidence that the 4X4 schedule presents a problem for AP's, I'd like to see it. But the histrionics appear to be based on the fact that it is different, not any evidence that it is bad. So I think everyone should calm down.

I mean, the title of this thread and the original problem suggests one significant problem with 4x4.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those parents saying their kids nailed the APs with some review in the spring, which APs did you child take? Genuinely curious- I could see for APUSH or AP Lang that that might work. But AP Chem or Calc BC? That would be more difficult.

APush and AP Chem...so, one from column A and one from column B, and fine outcomes on both.

If there is any statistical evidence that the 4X4 schedule presents a problem for AP's, I'd like to see it. But the histrionics appear to be based on the fact that it is different, not any evidence that it is bad. So I think everyone should calm down.

I mean, the title of this thread and the original problem suggests one significant problem with 4x4.

That’s a teacher problem, not a schedule problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those parents saying their kids nailed the APs with some review in the spring, which APs did you child take? Genuinely curious- I could see for APUSH or AP Lang that that might work. But AP Chem or Calc BC? That would be more difficult.

APush and AP Chem...so, one from column A and one from column B, and fine outcomes on both.

If there is any statistical evidence that the 4X4 schedule presents a problem for AP's, I'd like to see it. But the histrionics appear to be based on the fact that it is different, not any evidence that it is bad. So I think everyone should calm down.

Most teachers I have spoken to (about 3 or 4) told me they dislike the new schedule especially for AP classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those parents saying their kids nailed the APs with some review in the spring, which APs did you child take? Genuinely curious- I could see for APUSH or AP Lang that that might work. But AP Chem or Calc BC? That would be more difficult.

APush and AP Chem...so, one from column A and one from column B, and fine outcomes on both.

If there is any statistical evidence that the 4X4 schedule presents a problem for AP's, I'd like to see it. But the histrionics appear to be based on the fact that it is different, not any evidence that it is bad. So I think everyone should calm down.

I mean, the title of this thread and the original problem suggests one significant problem with 4x4.

That’s a teacher problem, not a schedule problem.

Teachers are out for weeks sometimes. It just happens. And it is much more of a problem with a 4x4 schedule.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those parents saying their kids nailed the APs with some review in the spring, which APs did you child take? Genuinely curious- I could see for APUSH or AP Lang that that might work. But AP Chem or Calc BC? That would be more difficult.

APush and AP Chem...so, one from column A and one from column B, and fine outcomes on both.

If there is any statistical evidence that the 4X4 schedule presents a problem for AP's, I'd like to see it. But the histrionics appear to be based on the fact that it is different, not any evidence that it is bad. So I think everyone should calm down.

I mean, the title of this thread and the original problem suggests one significant problem with 4x4.

That’s a teacher problem, not a schedule problem.

Teachers are out for weeks sometimes. It just happens. And it is much more of a problem with a 4x4 schedule.

+1

Here is a problem- a teacher has to be out for two weeks for whatever reason. That’s like a month’s worth of instruction on the 4x4 as compared to a full year course.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those parents saying their kids nailed the APs with some review in the spring, which APs did you child take? Genuinely curious- I could see for APUSH or AP Lang that that might work. But AP Chem or Calc BC? That would be more difficult.

APush and AP Chem...so, one from column A and one from column B, and fine outcomes on both.

If there is any statistical evidence that the 4X4 schedule presents a problem for AP's, I'd like to see it. But the histrionics appear to be based on the fact that it is different, not any evidence that it is bad. So I think everyone should calm down.

Most teachers I have spoken to (about 3 or 4) told me they dislike the new schedule especially for AP classes.

I am a HS AP teacher and really dislike the 4x4. My courses cover a lot of content and I find the kids have no time to absorb the content or get extra help before we’ve moved on to more content. And it’s a very cumulative course so if they don’t understand what we did Monday they are lost in class Tuesday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The 4X4 schedule is the single reason we are considering not sending our kid to wilson next year. Asinine.

+1 that and the idiotic attempt to "AP for all" in the spring (and the canceling of AP World history for sophomore last year to combact racism). we happily sent our junion to Wilson and deeply regret it. she is one of the kids now without the physics teacher. third week and all she has is an article on Canvas about electromagnetism. i wrote to the school protesting and asking when the teacher was supposed to be back and got a "we apologize for the problem, we will send an email around today or tomorrow" and then no email was ever sent. my 7th grader at Deal will go to Wilson over my dead body.

[Anonymous]

Please don’t email the department chair or a reporter or anyone else “demanding” this position be filled. I am a department chair with a teacher currently on leave and trust me, there is nothing I would like more than a teacher in front of students so that I am not managing another teacher’s load in addition to my own.

[Anonymous]

It does not sound like anyone is covering the class. That should be unacceptable for college level courses taught at a public high school.

Why shouldn’t Perry Stein research the questions raised by the 4x4 schedule?