RM IB coordinator is leaving the school

[Anonymous]

I have heard from a reliable source that RM IB coordinator is leaving RM next year. She is apparently very good - however the principal is trying to dismantle the structures she had put in. DC is accepted into RM and Blair. Based on this information DC has decided to go to Blair. Just wanted to let everyone know before they send in decision letter this week.

[Anonymous]

How sad...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have heard from a reliable source that RM IB coordinator is leaving RM next year. She is apparently very good - however the principal is trying to dismantle the structures she had put in. DC is accepted into RM and Blair. Based on this information DC has decided to go to Blair. Just wanted to let everyone know before they send in decision letter this week.

I wouldn't start stirring the pot unless you know the real situation.

- RM Teacher

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have heard from a reliable source that RM IB coordinator is leaving RM next year. She is apparently very good - however the principal is trying to dismantle the structures she had put in. DC is accepted into RM and Blair. Based on this information DC has decided to go to Blair. Just wanted to let everyone know before they send in decision letter this week.

I wouldn't start stirring the pot unless you know the real situation.

- RM Teacher

What's the story from the inside?

[Anonymous]

Hmm..I am not sure what that would do to our decision. We were not too impressed with RM's info nights etc so a change of leadership might make it seem more desirable?

We did notice that the number of RM neighborhood kids entering the program in 11th grade seems to have climbed a lot. Could this be what the issue is? Making it less competitive?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hmm..I am not sure what that would do to our decision. We were not too impressed with RM's info nights etc so a change of leadership might make it seem more desirable?

We did notice that the number of RM neighborhood kids entering the program in 11th grade seems to have climbed a lot. Could this be what the issue is? Making it less competitive?

Information night is not what Jennifer Hoover is - she is extremely supportive of the IB kids. She would get any length to help them. Unfortunately with the exit of the last principal she has lost her support system. I have two kids at RM IB program and one already graduated from it.

Yes, there is a push from the principal to add more local kids to enter the diploma program. He is is not even trained with the IB concept yet and he is trying to change the structure. This is a classic struggle with any magnet school in MCPS - they put a magnet program within a school - create a very rigorous application process and then a new principal comes and tries to question the structure and tinkers it using his/her own philosophy. It is unfair to the kids who go through the screening process, make so many adjustment in other aspects of their life to attend a school far from home and also unfair to the local kids who are not as prepared and join it with false hope.

[Anonymous]

Is it really appropriate to speculate about this person and her career decisions? There could be a very negative impact for her if she is actually not leaving, and the wrong person read this. Unless it's been formally announced, at least to staff who are willing to report, I think it should be off limits for discussion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hmm..I am not sure what that would do to our decision. We were not too impressed with RM's info nights etc so a change of leadership might make it seem more desirable?

We did notice that the number of RM neighborhood kids entering the program in 11th grade seems to have climbed a lot. Could this be what the issue is? Making it less competitive?

Information night is not what Jennifer Hoover is - she is extremely supportive of the IB kids. She would get any length to help them. Unfortunately with the exit of the last principal she has lost her support system. I have two kids at RM IB program and one already graduated from it.

Yes, there is a push from the principal to add more local kids to enter the diploma program. He is is not even trained with the IB concept yet and he is trying to change the structure. This is a classic struggle with any magnet school in MCPS - they put a magnet program within a school - create a very rigorous application process and then a new principal comes and tries to question the structure and tinkers it using his/her own philosophy. It is unfair to the kids who go through the screening process, make so many adjustment in other aspects of their life to attend a school far from home and also unfair to the local kids who are not as prepared and join it with false hope.

Good to know PP. 8th graders and families can only judge on what they see..which is the info nights, the mailings etc but we are still undecided because we are not judging the programs only on the coordinators.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have heard from a reliable source that RM IB coordinator is leaving RM next year. She is apparently very good - however the principal is trying to dismantle the structures she had put in. DC is accepted into RM and Blair. Based on this information DC has decided to go to Blair. Just wanted to let everyone know before they send in decision letter this week.

I wouldn't start stirring the pot unless you know the real situation.

- RM Teacher

RM teacher, why are you on DCUM on a school day? Shouldn't you be teaching, grading or doing lesson plans.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hmm..I am not sure what that would do to our decision. We were not too impressed with RM's info nights etc so a change of leadership might make it seem more desirable?

We did notice that the number of RM neighborhood kids entering the program in 11th grade seems to have climbed a lot. Could this be what the issue is? Making it less competitive?

Information night is not what Jennifer Hoover is - she is extremely supportive of the IB kids. She would get any length to help them. Unfortunately with the exit of the last principal she has lost her support system. I have two kids at RM IB program and one already graduated from it.

Yes, there is a push from the principal to add more local kids to enter the diploma program. He is is not even trained with the IB concept yet and he is trying to change the structure. This is a classic struggle with any magnet school in MCPS - they put a magnet program within a school - create a very rigorous application process and then a new principal comes and tries to question the structure and tinkers it using his/her own philosophy. It is unfair to the kids who go through the screening process, make so many adjustment in other aspects of their life to attend a school far from home and also unfair to the local kids who are not as prepared and join it with false hope.

No. It's not about the principal's philosophy. It's about the philosophy of International Baccalaureate. Have you ever read IB's mission statement? If not, I'd suggest you look into it:

http://www.ibo.org/about-the-ib/mission/

The purpose of IB is not to exclude students from the program based on a test they take or on essays they (or their parents or tutors) write; the purpose is to "help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect." Is it a rigorous program? Yes. Are the expectations high? Yes. However, it is not - or should not be - about forcing kids to do 4-5 hours of homework a night and sending them into panic attacks when they get a B instead an A. And it's certainly not about promoting a culture that feels like an elite, private school within a public school which, unfortunately, magnets tend to do. This is why the IB Diploma Programme is offered to ALL students for whom RM is their home school. And this is why RM has a Middle Years Programme for ALL ninth and tenth grade students. This is why referring to students who are in the magnet as "the IB kids" is just wrong, because ALL students in 9th and 10th grade are IB students.

So if you want to talk about what is "unfair" then you need to reexamine what this program is really about.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for posting, OP!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hmm..I am not sure what that would do to our decision. We were not too impressed with RM's info nights etc so a change of leadership might make it seem more desirable?

We did notice that the number of RM neighborhood kids entering the program in 11th grade seems to have climbed a lot. Could this be what the issue is? Making it less competitive?

Information night is not what Jennifer Hoover is - she is extremely supportive of the IB kids. She would get any length to help them. Unfortunately with the exit of the last principal she has lost her support system. I have two kids at RM IB program and one already graduated from it.

Yes, there is a push from the principal to add more local kids to enter the diploma program. He is is not even trained with the IB concept yet and he is trying to change the structure. This is a classic struggle with any magnet school in MCPS - they put a magnet program within a school - create a very rigorous application process and then a new principal comes and tries to question the structure and tinkers it using his/her own philosophy. It is unfair to the kids who go through the screening process, make so many adjustment in other aspects of their life to attend a school far from home and also unfair to the local kids who are not as prepared and join it with false hope.

No. It's not about the principal's philosophy. It's about the philosophy of International Baccalaureate. Have you ever read IB's mission statement? If not, I'd suggest you look into it:

http://www.ibo.org/about-the-ib/mission/

The purpose of IB is not to exclude students from the program based on a test they take or on essays they (or their parents or tutors) write; the purpose is to "help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect." Is it a rigorous program? Yes. Are the expectations high? Yes. However, it is not - or should not be - about forcing kids to do 4-5 hours of homework a night and sending them into panic attacks when they get a B instead an A. And it's certainly not about promoting a culture that feels like an elite, private school within a public school which, unfortunately, magnets tend to do. This is why the IB Diploma Programme is offered to ALL students for whom RM is their home school. And this is why RM has a Middle Years Programme for ALL ninth and tenth grade students. This is why referring to students who are in the magnet as "the IB kids" is just wrong, because ALL students in 9th and 10th grade are IB students.

So if you want to talk about what is "unfair" then you need to reexamine what this program is really about.

Ugh... What?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hmm..I am not sure what that would do to our decision. We were not too impressed with RM's info nights etc so a change of leadership might make it seem more desirable?

We did notice that the number of RM neighborhood kids entering the program in 11th grade seems to have climbed a lot. Could this be what the issue is? Making it less competitive?

Information night is not what Jennifer Hoover is - she is extremely supportive of the IB kids. She would get any length to help them. Unfortunately with the exit of the last principal she has lost her support system. I have two kids at RM IB program and one already graduated from it.

Yes, there is a push from the principal to add more local kids to enter the diploma program. He is is not even trained with the IB concept yet and he is trying to change the structure. This is a classic struggle with any magnet school in MCPS - they put a magnet program within a school - create a very rigorous application process and then a new principal comes and tries to question the structure and tinkers it using his/her own philosophy. It is unfair to the kids who go through the screening process, make so many adjustment in other aspects of their life to attend a school far from home and also unfair to the local kids who are not as prepared and join it with false hope.

No. It's not about the principal's philosophy. It's about the philosophy of International Baccalaureate. Have you ever read IB's mission statement? If not, I'd suggest you look into it:

http://www.ibo.org/about-the-ib/mission/

The purpose of IB is not to exclude students from the program based on a test they take or on essays they (or their parents or tutors) write; the purpose is to "help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect." Is it a rigorous program? Yes. Are the expectations high? Yes. However, it is not - or should not be - about forcing kids to do 4-5 hours of homework a night and sending them into panic attacks when they get a B instead an A. And it's certainly not about promoting a culture that feels like an elite, private school within a public school which, unfortunately, magnets tend to do. This is why the IB Diploma Programme is offered to ALL students for whom RM is their home school. And this is why RM has a Middle Years Programme for ALL ninth and tenth grade students. This is why referring to students who are in the magnet as "the IB kids" is just wrong, because ALL students in 9th and 10th grade are IB students.

So if you want to talk about what is "unfair" then you need to reexamine what this program is really about.

4-5 hours of homework a night - that is crazy. that does not seem possible- some nights perhaps but that can't be the average homework load every night.

[Anonymous]

I have a neighborhood RM kid and a Magnet RM kid. My non-magnet kid had no interest in applying either for 9th grade or for 11th grade. However, when he got the info about joining IB in 11th grade, we were told that neighborhood kids who join in grade 11 graduate at the same rate as the kids who start in 9th even though no one is arguing they took the same level of class in 9th ad 10th. Of course the number of kids entering at 1th grade was lower in earlier years.

[Anonymous]

it's been pretty well known within the ib program/students that the current principal is not a big supporter. i recall my dd telling me that the new guy "hates" the program. it's an excellent program with excellent teachers. it's too bad.