School Without Walls High School- Pros and Cons and Social Atmosphere?

[Anonymous]

PP here. We don't have first-hand experience at Wilson but we hear second-hand from both parents and DC that, at least freshman and possibly sophomore year, the work load is very light and the academic rigor not there. We've also heard from parents whose DC went to Wilson that some of her classmates really struggled when they got to college. In contract, the academic rigor at SWW seems high. We just wish the teachers were consistently stronger. It seems that Trogisch values loyalty and obedience more than talent. It's telling that he can't hang onto assistant principles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Current SWW parent here. The teacher quality is VERY uneven -- much more so than the highly-regarded DCPS middle school we came from. Expect 2-4 lousy teachers per year, depending on your luck. The freshmen teachers are particularly weak. By lousy, I mean things like not giving a student a single grade for any test, project, or assignment over the entire course of a quarter. That particular teacher had done that for years, and was apparently untouchable because of his connections to Central. A math teacher refused to answer questions in class and bullied students. Another teacher played obvious favorites. Things have gotten better, but ask around and go in with your eyes open. We had not heard about any of this from current parents before we started.

That said, there are some good-to-great teachers also, and the students are lovely. But be prepared to supplement with tutoring to compensate for lackluster classroom performance.

2-4 lousy teachers per year is quite a lot. I never had more than one lousy teacher in multiple years of high school.

I don't mean this snarkily but are you new to DCPS? There is a pattern of very uneven secondary teaching at even the best DCPS schools.

Walls has problems but it's the best option unless you go private or move to the burbs. Does anyone have suggestions for making it better?

Curious why you think that. DD took the test and will interview, but likely would turn down walls in favor of Wilson for sports, social and academic reasons. The people we know with kids at Wilson are really happy, and I honestly can't see any reason at all to suggest she go to Walls --- especially given what I've seen of the principal and what I've heard about the teaching.

I amend my remark to exclude the part of DC served by Wilson so this doesn't turn into a Walls vs. Wilson thread.

Why do you think Walls is best for your kid?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP here. We don't have first-hand experience at Wilson but we hear second-hand from both parents and DC that, at least freshman and possibly sophomore year, the work load is very light and the academic rigor not there. We've also heard from parents whose DC went to Wilson that some of her classmates really struggled when they got to college. In contract, the academic rigor at SWW seems high. We just wish the teachers were consistently stronger. It seems that Trogisch values loyalty and obedience more than talent. It's telling that he can't hang onto assistant principles.

In four years at Walls, my child had three really bad teachers. One is a tenured department head - I think it would be difficult to get rid of that teacher but probably not impossible (but it is DC, so who really knows).

[Anonymous]

Curious why you think that. DD took the test and will interview, but likely would turn down walls in favor of Wilson for sports, social and academic reasons. The people we know with kids at Wilson are really happy, and I honestly can't see any reason at all to suggest she go to Walls --- especially given what I've seen of the principal and what I've heard about the teaching.

Why do you think Walls is best for your kid?


If you feel this way, why did your child apply? Sounds like you are set for Wilson, which a fine choice.

[Anonymous]

I have had kids at both schools and there are pros and cons for both. Uneven teaching, however, exists at both. If you have a motivated kid that really enjoys learning and is invested in their education they will likely do well anywhere. That said, my walls kid really loved the challenging engaged in environment at Walls. My Wilson student had no interest in academics and did not want to work as hard, and is doing fine at Wilson. I will say the math department at Wilson, with the exception of a couple of teachers, is HORRIBLE! While there are some weaknesses at Walls as well, we never had the experience with an unwillingness to help students. For the record, we also never had that experience at Wilson. The language department at Walls, especially Spanish is weak, but we have been happy with the language instruction at Wilson.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Curious why you think that. DD took the test and will interview, but likely would turn down walls in favor of Wilson for sports, social and academic reasons. The people we know with kids at Wilson are really happy, and I honestly can't see any reason at all to suggest she go to Walls --- especially given what I've seen of the principal and what I've heard about the teaching.

Why do you think Walls is best for your kid?


If you feel this way, why did your child apply? Sounds like you are set for Wilson, which a fine choice.


- To keep options open.

- Because she's a middle schooler and her friends were applying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have had kids at both schools and there are pros and cons for both. Uneven teaching, however, exists at both. If you have a motivated kid that really enjoys learning and is invested in their education they will likely do well anywhere. That said, my walls kid really loved the challenging engaged in environment at Walls. My Wilson student had no interest in academics and did not want to work as hard, and is doing fine at Wilson. I will say the math department at Wilson, with the exception of a couple of teachers, is HORRIBLE! While there are some weaknesses at Walls as well, we never had the experience with an unwillingness to help students. For the record, we also never had that experience at Wilson. The language department at Walls, especially Spanish is weak, but we have been happy with the language instruction at Wilson.

Thanks for your post. Sucks to hear that about the math department.

[Anonymous]

Just bumping up this thread for people looking to compare Wilson and Walls.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP here. We don't have first-hand experience at Wilson but we hear second-hand from both parents and DC that, at least freshman and possibly sophomore year, the work load is very light and the academic rigor not there. We've also heard from parents whose DC went to Wilson that some of her classmates really struggled when they got to college. In contract, the academic rigor at SWW seems high. We just wish the teachers were consistently stronger. It seems that Trogisch values loyalty and obedience more than talent. It's telling that he can't hang onto assistant principles.

Go away TROLL. There are more than 500 students in each grade level able to choose classes classes ranging from easy to very demanding.