Basis DC

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you want advice from a parent who stayed through high school for one kid, while a second kid left for Walls, OP, think in terms of taking BASIS year by year.

Historically, most heads only last a year or two. Don't plan on this one staying. Don't plan on your kid thriving or liking it. Don't plan on joining a friendly and welcoming community. Don't plan on taking advantage of strong enrichment or ECs.

If it all works out, great. These threads aren't exhausting but BASIS can be.

The school is 12 years old…

Yeah…lots of ignorant comments.

The last HOS was there for 4 years—1/3 of the existence of the school—and had worked there the previous 7 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you want advice from a parent who stayed through high school for one kid, while a second kid left for Walls, OP, think in terms of taking BASIS year by year.

Historically, most heads only last a year or two. Don't plan on this one staying. Don't plan on your kid thriving or liking it. Don't plan on joining a friendly and welcoming community. Don't plan on taking advantage of strong enrichment or ECs.

If it all works out, great. These threads aren't exhausting but BASIS can be.

The school is 12 years old…

Yes, and it went through half a dozen heads in the first eight years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you want advice from a parent who stayed through high school for one kid, while a second kid left for Walls, OP, think in terms of taking BASIS year by year.

Historically, most heads only last a year or two. Don't plan on this one staying. Don't plan on your kid thriving or liking it. Don't plan on joining a friendly and welcoming community. Don't plan on taking advantage of strong enrichment or ECs.

If it all works out, great. These threads aren't exhausting but BASIS can be.

The school is 12 years old…

Yeah…lots of ignorant comments.

The last HOS was there for 4 years—1/3 of the existence of the school—and had worked there the previous 7 years.

No, lots of embarrassingly insightful comments. The last HOS was a strange guy, an insecure jerk. Kids and parents didn't respect him. He stayed 4 years too long. None of his successors lasted more than 2 years. Good leadership just hasn't been BASIS' strong suit but at least the new head seems like a step up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you want advice from a parent who stayed through high school for one kid, while a second kid left for Walls, OP, think in terms of taking BASIS year by year.

Historically, most heads only last a year or two. Don't plan on this one staying. Don't plan on your kid thriving or liking it. Don't plan on joining a friendly and welcoming community. Don't plan on taking advantage of strong enrichment or ECs.

If it all works out, great. These threads aren't exhausting but BASIS can be.

The school is 12 years old…

Yeah…lots of ignorant comments.

The last HOS was there for 4 years—1/3 of the existence of the school—and had worked there the previous 7 years.

No, lots of embarrassingly insightful comments. The last HOS was a strange guy, an insecure jerk. Kids and parents didn't respect him. He stayed 4 years too long. None of his successors lasted more than 2 years. Good leadership just hasn't been BASIS' strong suit but at least the new head seems like a step up.

I think you mean predecessors but yes. The current head (former director of student affairs) is warmer and more responsive (for example, last year she took over to onboard the new families... When matched families asked for more information and visits, she decided to create 6 shadow day opportunities for matched kids. I know the former HOS did not do that the previous year.)

And, the new director fo student affairs (former 5th grade dean) is a truly wonderful person. I barely think about the HOS and assume she is doing other things, but the student affairs director is interacting with families constantly and I (and my kid) really like her. She's very caring and competent.

[Anonymous]

This is good news.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is good news.

Yes. I got a super weird feeling from the old Head... He would constantly spout off about the Krebs cycle or something (trying to prove his intelligence?), and really dismiss the human needs of the kids (like warmth and free time). I didn't like him at all. The new leadership feels a lot more human. They are still limited by the horrible building, but my kid is happy, and the teachers seem happier. I also sense a lot of mutual respect amongst the whole leadership team now. BASIS has plenty of flaws, but on leadership, Definitely a change for the better.

[Anonymous]

Yes whyyyyy always the Krebs cycle. It was bizarre.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes whyyyyy always the Krebs cycle. It was bizarre.

Sounds like it was an autistic fixation and perhaps he wasn't cut out for a public facing role.

[Anonymous]

He obviously wasn't, yet Arizona kept him in place for more than twice as long as any other BASIS DC head. Maybe Arizona isn't cut out for a public facing role either. I often wondered about franchise leaders. It's a no-brainer that the building and the whole set up isn't nearly as healthy for the kids as it could be, however academically inclined they might be. I say this as somebody who came up through warm and fuzzy NYC public school GT programs from the early elementary grades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you want advice from a parent who stayed through high school for one kid, while a second kid left for Walls, OP, think in terms of taking BASIS year by year.

Historically, most heads only last a year or two. Don't plan on this one staying. Don't plan on your kid thriving or liking it. Don't plan on joining a friendly and welcoming community. Don't plan on taking advantage of strong enrichment or ECs.

If it all works out, great. These threads aren't exhausting but BASIS can be.

The school is 12 years old…

Yeah…lots of ignorant comments.

The last HOS was there for 4 years—1/3 of the existence of the school—and had worked there the previous 7 years.

No, lots of embarrassingly insightful comments. The last HOS was a strange guy, an insecure jerk. Kids and parents didn't respect him. He stayed 4 years too long. None of his successors lasted more than 2 years. Good leadership just hasn't been BASIS' strong suit but at least the new head seems like a step up.

More unintelligible gibberish. The only thing embarrassing is your endless sock puppetry.

The former HOS just left at the end of the last school year. So, his only successor just started.

The former HOS is now HOS at a new BASIS school, so apparently the network doesn't agree with your views.

Just curious: when did he fire you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you want advice from a parent who stayed through high school for one kid, while a second kid left for Walls, OP, think in terms of taking BASIS year by year.

Historically, most heads only last a year or two. Don't plan on this one staying. Don't plan on your kid thriving or liking it. Don't plan on joining a friendly and welcoming community. Don't plan on taking advantage of strong enrichment or ECs.

If it all works out, great. These threads aren't exhausting but BASIS can be.

The school is 12 years old…

Yeah…lots of ignorant comments.

The last HOS was there for 4 years—1/3 of the existence of the school—and had worked there the previous 7 years.

No, lots of embarrassingly insightful comments. The last HOS was a strange guy, an insecure jerk. Kids and parents didn't respect him. He stayed 4 years too long. None of his successors lasted more than 2 years. Good leadership just hasn't been BASIS' strong suit but at least the new head seems like a step up.

What? He left this year. The current HOS is in year 1. She's the first successor.

DCUM: BASIS can't keep a HOS for very long.
Also DCUM: The HOS that was there for 1/3 of the time the school has existed stayed too long and should have left!

Never change, DCUM. Never change.

[Anonymous]

You change then. Post something constructive.

The head was strange and isn’t missed by any of the parents I talk to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You change then. Post something constructive.

The head was strange and isn’t missed by any of the parents I talk to.

“All the people I read on Facebook say that Biden was abducted by aliens. I don’t care what you think. You change.”

[Anonymous]

Its very well known that the prior Head of School was widely disliked. I'm sure not universally, but most were not sad to see him go. No idea why one person is being extremely overly defensive about him here. I can't speak much to the new Head of School yet but for my kid and my own experience, the tenor of the school environment definitely seems lighter and more colloquial this year - hoping that trend continues.

[Anonymous]

Yes, exactly. Super defensive poster sounds like they never dealt with the prior HoS.