Watkins Parents

[Anonymous]

Can someone shed some light on this school. I have read and heard both positive and negative. Now I'm unsure about my DD attending K there in the fall.

[Anonymous]

If you're doing K, that's the Montessori program, right? One teacher is apparently good and one is awful. Some seem to rave about it, though it seems like most of my friends are fed up by 1st or second grade. I don't have firsthand experience with Montessori at Watkins, just regular old first grade, so you can take this with a grain of salt.

Lots of affluent parents try out Watkins for first grade. They have some great teachers on the first grade team, which helps soften the rest of the experience. Does you child respond well to be yelled at? It's a regular feature of classroom management at Watkins and even if your kid isn't subjected directly to the drill sergeant experience, they will get to see and hear it every day. My child found it quite damaging.

Watkins experiences an exodus of students by second and third grade. The number of friends I have who have pulled their child from Watkins to use private, suburban or other DCPS schools are too many to count on my fingers.

It's so sad as there are parents in the Cap Hill neighborhood who desperately want to use the public schools, but Watkins is really dreadful. One of my life's biggest regrets is that I sent my child there for a short period of time.

Until the leadership of the school and the PTA address the non-stop yelling that characterizes "classroom management" at Watkins, it is not an acceptable place for children to attend.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
If you're doing K, that's the Montessori program, right? One teacher is apparently good and one is awful. Some seem to rave about it, though it seems like most of my friends are fed up by 1st or second grade. I don't have firsthand experience with Montessori at Watkins, just regular old first grade, so you can take this with a grain of salt.

Lots of affluent parents try out Watkins for first grade. They have some great teachers on the first grade team, which helps soften the rest of the experience. Does you child respond well to be yelled at? It's a regular feature of classroom management at Watkins and even if your kid isn't subjected directly to the drill sergeant experience, they will get to see and hear it every day. My child found it quite damaging.

Watkins experiences an exodus of students by second and third grade. The number of friends I have who have pulled their child from Watkins to use private, suburban or other DCPS schools are too many to count on my fingers.

It's so sad as there are parents in the Cap Hill neighborhood who desperately want to use the public schools, but Watkins is really dreadful. One of my life's biggest regrets is that I sent my child there for a short period of time.

Until the leadership of the school and the PTA address the non-stop yelling that characterizes "classroom management" at Watkins, it is not an acceptable place for children to attend.

Good luck.

I'm not a Watkins parent, but I do remember being taught in teacher school that it is sometimes necessary to maintain a different communication style with kids from lower socio-economic backgrounds so they'll take you seriously. The tougher tone is not really yelling, but it is a sharper attitude than the one educated families use. That's one of the practical difficulties of setting up a classroom that is supposed to address the needs of both communities.

[Anonymous]

My child is rolling into Watkins from Peabody in the fall for first grade, and yes, I too am concerned. I have slipped in the school a few times in the morning so I blended in with other parents during the drop off time. I was suprised to hear a lot of yelling from the faculty. There was an adminsitartor yelling at children on a microphone in one area, and adults in the hall. I have heard many people rave about the school, but also have heard people say they couldn't wait to get the hell out. I just don't know what to do at this point. My child is fairly easy going and doesn't like a lot of yelling, but I'm not sure how he'll do in environment since there's a big difference from Peabody. Now I understand why another parent went through the ringer with the private school process to get their child out of this situation. I hope all goes well. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[Anonymous]

My children attend a low-income DCPS and there is no yelling. The principal doesn't raise her voice and expects the same from her staff. It is a kind and gentle place and it all starts at the top. As a caring parent, you shouldn't expect your child to settle for any less.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My children attend a low-income DCPS and there is no yelling. The principal doesn't raise her voice and expects the same from her staff. It is a kind and gentle place and it all starts at the top. As a caring parent, you shouldn't expect your child to settle for any less.

I'm the poster who made the education-tone connection. Two comments-- it's not a volume issue, but more of a tone and word choice one. Raising one's voice is actually inviting escalation from students, so it needs to be avoided. If it isn't necessary at your kids' school, great, but I think this communication difference might account for the affluent Watkins parents' perception that faculty at Watkins yell. Also, I think it is always important for parents to remember that they see only bits and pieces of what goes on in school. When I was teaching, I was very surprised by the things vocal parents raved about. To me, a lot of it seemed like wishful thinking.

[Anonymous]

As a current montessori parent, I can say that the primary classrooms are generally very good. However, I have mainly heard negative things about the elementary classrooms, one in particular. Further, parents that are dissatisfied seem not to voice their concerns to the administration for fear of being tarred and feathered by the other parents that have "drank the kool-aid". I have heard parents complain and even characterize this one classroom as "chaotic" and a "zoo". Rather than take on this teacher and the administration, many families just leave or hire tutors to teach their children what they aren't learning in the classroom.

[Anonymous]

The tone, the word choice AND the volume are all inappropriate at Watkins. Yes, the Cluster School party line goes something like this:

Because the children are African-American, it is necessary to treat them harshly and that white parents don't like it. It's a "cultural thing."

I disagree strongly and offer up the anecdotal evidence that at our DCPS, which is poorer and less white than Watkins, the adults don't speak harshly to the children.

[Anonymous]

Maybe this is stating the obvious, but the dissatisfaction you are hearing/feeling is the reason that a bunch of Capitol Hill parents started Two Rivers charter.

[Anonymous]

My question is why, 4 years after 2 Rivers was started, is the Cluster School still so bad? Peabody is a nice little program and you might get away with first grade, but after that, it's time to move.

Cluster School parents, why are you so scared to speak up? What are you afraid of?

[Anonymous]

What makes Watkins such a terrible school, I've only heard good things about the school, Yea it may need a face lift on the outside but if the majority of the students are comeing from Peabody and thatys suppose to be great why so many problems at watkins. Then the question must be ask how does these problem dissaper when the kids go to Stuart - Hobson for middle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The tone, the word choice AND the volume are all inappropriate at Watkins. Yes, the Cluster School party line goes something like this:

Because the children are African-American, it is necessary to treat them harshly and that white parents don't like it. It's a "cultural thing."

I disagree strongly and offer up the anecdotal evidence that at our DCPS, which is poorer and less white than Watkins, the adults don't speak harshly to the children.

I agree. Talk about the "soft bigotry..." One of my DC attends one of the early education charter pre-schools which is definitely poorer and less white than Watkins. There are very high conduct expectations and no yelling, nor harsh words nor treatment. The faculty is very diverse and one of the AA teachers in my DC's class is arguably the most gentle and soft-spoken woman I've ever met. This "tough love" defense rings very false.

[Anonymous]

I have a child at Watkins and I think that the learning standards are fairly high at the school. I felt that, at least through third grade, that what my son learned was comparable to his friends in private and charter schools. I also liked that Watkins had a lot to offer in terms of movement between classes, specials, etc. My child likes a lot of structure and has never complained about teachers yelling. Watkins has a lot of fabulous teachers, as well as some bad ones. Like with every school, there will be some who thrive in a big school envirnonment and some who don't.

What my child has complained about is the facility (broken drinking fountains, bathrooms without soap, which were pre-Rhee issues), and too many substitutes.

In addition, I haven't liked the lack of foreign language taught in the classroom, and that they cut their Accerated Classroom Environment (ACE) program. I also think that there is too much emphasis on the DCCAS.

I would say that if you are concerned about the school, make an appoinment and go into the classrooms to observe how the teachers teach. Then make a decision as to whether it is the right place for your child.

[Anonymous]

Saw this in another DCUM thread:

In the DC schools forum there is a thread up with complaints about Watkins (in the Capitol Hill cluster). Watkins is 21% low income, 4% special ed and 1% ELL. Yet it generates a LOT of complaints. OTOH, E.L. Haynes (a DC charter school, a good example of a Benetton school) is 61% low income, 11% special ed and 20% ELL. Yet it generates RAVE reviews - everybody universally loves it. And to top it off, it's outscoring Watkins in achievement testing too! Haynes is only in its 5th year of operation, yet the performance scores are 67% and 60% respectively. Watkins is at a miserable 56% and 7%.

[Anonymous]

I have no affiliation with Watkins, but I think it should be noted that the test scores quoted by the PP are wrong. Watkins are 56% in Math and 62% in Reading. I think the 7% that was thrown out there refers to the % of Black/Non Hispanics, who scored BB in reading.