For those who might be considering one of the top schools in the District (Lowell)

[Anonymous]

It's bashing because it is your opinion, not fact.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's bashing because it is your opinion, not fact.

Why do you say that? I gave hard numbers and spoke about personal experiences I had as an employee there. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it's not a fact. I'm not saying the school is all bad... but there are legitimate questions to be asked about how things are being run and about the quality of the education being offered.

[Anonymous]

Sorry to see that the disgruntled fired employee is back. The education my kids have gotten at Lowell has been stellar both academically and socially. My oldest is at NCS after her Lowell education prepared her to move on. The new "bashing" issue about kids that act up in class is simply not consistent with my experience. There are kids who are the ones who act up in every environment (see the other thread complaining about kids who act up at Beauvoir!). In my experience the teachers are fully equipped to deal with that and do so. The teachers are mostly very experienced and have tons of classroom management experience to draw from. During the many years I have been a parent there I have seen a few kids who were having more significant trouble and if it was not resolved, the school dealt with it by counseling the parents/student out or in one case even removing the child from the classroom midyear. So it is simply not true that kids that are truly disruptive are not dealt with.

To PP with the 1st grader, I would hope that you have addressed your concerns with Debbie, Elizabeth and your teachers to find out what their perceptions of the situation are. I hope you wait and see what your experience is before making a decision to change. But, if the school is not working for your child of course that is up to you.

All the stuff about enrollment is overblown. The decrease in enrollment was primarily among 3 year olds, a group that most other schools don't have (and where people are more $$ sensitive and have lots of alternatives). The school is in the process of expanding and will break ground on a middle school building in the next couple of years. Lowell is not a school for every family, I agree with that. But it is a very good school and provides a great progressive education.

[Anonymous]

PP-how do you know that the employee was fired? He/or she does not sound disgruntled. I think that employees can over a perspective about what is really going on inside of a school. I think their view is just as valid.

[Anonymous]

... or they have an axe to grind.

[Anonymous]

I also think that former's emplyee comments are valid. Why not accept differentopinions?
I visited Lowell a year ago as aprofessional and I was really impressed with what I observed. Now, it can be said that things can't come to the surface in only one morning but I assesed the details such as class/teacher interaction, how did students responded to teachers, how did teachers talk to stuvdents. Overall, i left with a positive impression

[Anonymous]

Agree its fine to accept other prople's opinions. YMMV though.

[Anonymous]

No axe to grind. Not fired. Lowell is not all bad. There are still many strong teachers there who are dedicated to educating children. I just don't think that they are positioned to be as successful as I would hope for. Support services is understaffed/overworked. Teacher turnover is high. And there are ethical issues with how the administration has handled certain matters. You can certainly be there and have a great experience. Every school has the potential to offer a great experience. But I think there are some serious, long term questions the school needs to address.

[Anonymous]

PP, why don;t you just move on? You left the school because you have some concerns. But airing your grievances on an anonymous forum is not fair and impartial. In the end your experiences are just that-- YOUR experiences.

[Anonymous]

Isn't the whole point of these boards to share experiences? Who are you to decide which experiences are valid and which are not? People are free to make what they will of what they learn here. But I saw what I knew to be misleading and inaccurate information being put forth and I felt compelled to share a different perspective on the matter. You are free to disregard me if you like. But you do not get to decide for everyone else.

[Anonymous]

No one is trying to decide for anyone else, PP.

[Anonymous]

PP seemed to be implying that I shouldn't be sharing my opinions with others, thereby deciding on behalf of them what information to take into account when making a decision. If I mistook her for that, I apologize. However, it does get tired to hear that people who offer less-than-glowing takes on schools are simply bashing and therefore should be excluded from the conversation.

[Anonymous]

I think you've made your point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a current employee at Lowell I find our assessment strategies to be working! Not 5 years ago but currently! Former employee you are way behind the times. We teachers at Lowell are working hard and playing hard too! There is a camaraderie at Lowell that makes me smile, something that we had lost for awhile but is back! The administration is organized, compassionate and is as focused on the children as it is on the teachers.

I hope you aren't teaching punctuation!