How to help child succeed at BASIS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No denying that the BASIS building is a misery and the program remains hopelessly cash-strapped. A windowless cafeteria with black walls is a poor substitute indeed for a quiet, pleasant little library or media center staffed by a first-rate professional. If you want teens to zealously plug away on the road to the colleges of their dreams, provide them with minimally acceptable school facilities to do so here in the richest country ever to grace the earth.

The building for my HS alma mater, NYC's Hunter College, is very far from ideal, but it's a veritable palace by comparison. At Hunter, we were taught to challenge, to think for ourselves, to value an assertive student government. BASIS DC students are taught to do as they're told.

+1. Like this lyrical post. A high-powered high school w/out a library or student govt is downright creepy!

BASIS has a student government. It is so weird how people who know nothing about the school obsess over it.

The student government is window dressing, like the parent organization (er, booster club).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No denying that the BASIS building is a misery and the program remains hopelessly cash-strapped. A windowless cafeteria with black walls is a poor substitute indeed for a quiet, pleasant little library or media center staffed by a first-rate professional. If you want teens to zealously plug away on the road to the colleges of their dreams, provide them with minimally acceptable school facilities to do so here in the richest country ever to grace the earth.

The building for my HS alma mater, NYC's Hunter College, is very far from ideal, but it's a veritable palace by comparison. At Hunter, we were taught to challenge, to think for ourselves, to value an assertive student government. BASIS DC students are taught to do as they're told.

+1. Like this lyrical post. A high-powered high school w/out a library or student govt is downright creepy!

BASIS has a student government. It is so weird how people who know nothing about the school obsess over it.

The student government is window dressing, like the parent organization (er, booster club).

You seriously need to get a life and stop blaming others for your mistake. We get it. Basis wasn’t a good fit for your children. It is a shame you couldn’t figure that out before you sent them there. This is fully on you.

[Anonymous]

I can’t help but notice that nearly every popular thread on DCUM - at least right now - somehow is referencing BASIS, either directly or indirectly. Love it or hate it, the interest in the school is fascinating. Parents on here clearly recognize that it uniquely offers academic rigor in a way other schools don’t and most people I talked to when deciding about the school told me if they thought their kid could handle the academics they would choose it. I think many parents currently choosing the school are going in with their eyes wide open and that should count for a lot in terms of success at BASIS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No denying that the BASIS building is a misery and the program remains hopelessly cash-strapped. A windowless cafeteria with black walls is a poor substitute indeed for a quiet, pleasant little library or media center staffed by a first-rate professional. If you want teens to zealously plug away on the road to the colleges of their dreams, provide them with minimally acceptable school facilities to do so here in the richest country ever to grace the earth.

The building for my HS alma mater, NYC's Hunter College, is very far from ideal, but it's a veritable palace by comparison. At Hunter, we were taught to challenge, to think for ourselves, to value an assertive student government. BASIS DC students are taught to do as they're told.

Did you fail to launch after high school or something? I've never come across someone more obsessed with their high school experience.

[Anonymous]

NP. Practically how much time do middle-schoolers spend outside of the BASIS building in a school week?
They have access to great public libraries and the mall and other spaces nearby. Would you say MSers will have some outside time or other-building time most days in an average week, or two days week at minimum?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP. Practically how much time do middle-schoolers spend outside of the BASIS building in a school week?
They have access to great public libraries and the mall and other spaces nearby. Would you say MSers will have some outside time or other-building time most days in an average week, or two days week at minimum?

Every day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can’t help but notice that nearly every popular thread on DCUM - at least right now - somehow is referencing BASIS, either directly or indirectly. Love it or hate it, the interest in the school is fascinating. Parents on here clearly recognize that it uniquely offers academic rigor in a way other schools don’t and most people I talked to when deciding about the school told me if they thought their kid could handle the academics they would choose it. I think many parents currently choosing the school are going in with their eyes wide open and that should count for a lot in terms of success at BASIS.

What's going to count for a lot in terms of success at BASIS in my books is how much admins have mellowed out in the last few years, mainly due to improvements made the best head (hint, the only woman). This is not the brutal, joyless program of 6 or 8 years ago, with 2 or 3 hours of HW a night for 11-12-year-olds. That said, some of the criticism that comes up repeatedly is justified.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP. Practically how much time do middle-schoolers spend outside of the BASIS building in a school week?
They have access to great public libraries and the mall and other spaces nearby. Would you say MSers will have some outside time or other-building time most days in an average week, or two days week at minimum?

In good weather, they go to the Mall almost everyday. In colder weather, not so often. These past few years were weird because of Covid and all the unknowns, plus all the staff/kid absences because of quarantines— that made it harder to organize outside events. I’d see how things are next year.

As for library time— IME, they aren’t regularly going to the MLK library during the school day. Their schedules are pretty tight, and they are busy at school all day. That being said, there’s nothing stopping them from going to the library after school/extra-curriculars. Thinking back to my own public middle school experience, I don’t remember visiting the school library during the day unless a class was scheduled in there, which was very rare.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t help but notice that nearly every popular thread on DCUM - at least right now - somehow is referencing BASIS, either directly or indirectly. Love it or hate it, the interest in the school is fascinating. Parents on here clearly recognize that it uniquely offers academic rigor in a way other schools don’t and most people I talked to when deciding about the school told me if they thought their kid could handle the academics they would choose it. I think many parents currently choosing the school are going in with their eyes wide open and that should count for a lot in terms of success at BASIS.

What's going to count for a lot in terms of success at BASIS in my books is how much admins have mellowed out in the last few years, mainly due to improvements made the best head (hint, the only woman). This is not the brutal, joyless program of 6 or 8 years ago, with 2 or 3 hours of HW a night for 11-12-year-olds. That said, some of the criticism that comes up repeatedly is justified.

My 11 year old just finished 5th grade, and brought home work only 2 times the entire year. They’ve definitely changed the program to reduce the amount of homework.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. Practically how much time do middle-schoolers spend outside of the BASIS building in a school week?
They have access to great public libraries and the mall and other spaces nearby. Would you say MSers will have some outside time or other-building time most days in an average week, or two days week at minimum?

In good weather, they go to the Mall almost everyday. In colder weather, not so often. These past few years were weird because of Covid and all the unknowns, plus all the staff/kid absences because of quarantines— that made it harder to organize outside events. I’d see how things are next year.

As for library time— IME, they aren’t regularly going to the MLK library during the school day. Their schedules are pretty tight, and they are busy at school all day. That being said, there’s nothing stopping them from going to the library after school/extra-curriculars. Thinking back to my own public middle school experience, I don’t remember visiting the school library during the day unless a class was scheduled in there, which was very rare.

The most trying aspect of the BASIS building is that there isn't a quiet, light filled space for kids to read, study and work within the building. A full fledged library doesn't seem necessary, but a book filled room with at least a PT librarian would count for a lot. We do want better facilities and will go private for high school if we can swing it financially.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. Practically how much time do middle-schoolers spend outside of the BASIS building in a school week?
They have access to great public libraries and the mall and other spaces nearby. Would you say MSers will have some outside time or other-building time most days in an average week, or two days week at minimum?

In good weather, they go to the Mall almost everyday. In colder weather, not so often. These past few years were weird because of Covid and all the unknowns, plus all the staff/kid absences because of quarantines— that made it harder to organize outside events. I’d see how things are next year.

As for library time— IME, they aren’t regularly going to the MLK library during the school day. Their schedules are pretty tight, and they are busy at school all day. That being said, there’s nothing stopping them from going to the library after school/extra-curriculars. Thinking back to my own public middle school experience, I don’t remember visiting the school library during the day unless a class was scheduled in there, which was very rare.

The most trying aspect of the BASIS building is that there isn't a quiet, light filled space for kids to read, study and work within the building. A full fledged library doesn't seem necessary, but a book filled room with at least a PT librarian would count for a lot. We do want better facilities and will go private for high school if we can swing it financially.

Who are these kids who are stealing away mid-day to read in libraries? When did children's reliance on librarians become so pronounced?

[Anonymous]

My kid says she misses her helpful elementary school librarian. The librarian used to help her do research for projects, and would steer her to series of books she might enjoy reading.

- Signed former Congressional Research Service Librarian

[Anonymous]

Does BASIS have a book club? Such a club would encourage students to check out the MLK library together for meetings. Would be nice if the school had a library for purposes like that or for studying/getting homework done in the school building, but I can’t recall going to the library in middle school the way I did in my elementary school for a designated library period. Also, so many charter elementary schools also lack a designated library space so this is something many families are used to, for better or worse.

[Anonymous]

Worse, much worse. Why not go without soccer coaches and dentists while the kids are at it?

[Anonymous]

fascinating is a strong word. but its about the only school where i periodically meet neighborhood families who seemingly love it in about equal numbers with families who tried it for fifth grade and hated it.