Anonymous grousing about SWW!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a current senior at Walls and my experience has fallen short of the expectations I had for the school. It is safe to say that the school definitely has Walls and the focus of learning is no longer outside the classroom. I've gone on one field trip in the past school year and it was to the GWU library. When I was a freshmen, each class was supposed to take one field trip. The strength is certainly in the students and not the administration or the teachers. I feel as if I sit through a day of school and do not learn anything. This is not just me being a 2nd semester senior and already in college, I felt like this in the fall and even as a junior as well. A couple of my classes have been engaging but many of my teachers have fallen short. There is also an overwhelming lack of school community and culture due to the administration's focus on complying with DCPS standards instead of building community. This year I think we've had one assembly but no pep rallies or other school wide events. It is also important to note that in my experience the peers at Walls can create a negative and toxic learning environment that is much more competitive than collaborative. Overall, the school has been fine for me but definitely not the perfect facade it puts on.

I was shocked at the poor school spirit and the lack of field trips and international travels.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a current senior at Walls and my experience has fallen short of the expectations I had for the school. It is safe to say that the school definitely has Walls and the focus of learning is no longer outside the classroom. I've gone on one field trip in the past school year and it was to the GWU library. When I was a freshmen, each class was supposed to take one field trip. The strength is certainly in the students and not the administration or the teachers. I feel as if I sit through a day of school and do not learn anything. This is not just me being a 2nd semester senior and already in college, I felt like this in the fall and even as a junior as well. A couple of my classes have been engaging but many of my teachers have fallen short. There is also an overwhelming lack of school community and culture due to the administration's focus on complying with DCPS standards instead of building community. This year I think we've had one assembly but no pep rallies or other school wide events. It is also important to note that in my experience the peers at Walls can create a negative and toxic learning environment that is much more competitive than collaborative. Overall, the school has been fine for me but definitely not the perfect facade it puts on.

I was shocked at the poor school spirit and the lack of field trips and international travels.

Hmm, there's a field trip today for all the seniors. There have been international trips to Peru, Rome, Britain and India in the past two years. I'm not saying the school is perfect by any means but there are some amazing teachers at Walls and my child's experience has overall been quite good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What explains this? Walls is supposed to be the crown jewel of DCPS. Why can’t they get good teachers??

Regarding teachers, and a warning to future parents: Do NOT sign up for AP Spanish. The teacher is horrendous.

Can someone please explain what’s wrong with the AP Spanish teacher?

I am not going to put anything in a public forum. Believe me, he is terrible and you do NOT want to be in his class.

Then how are you helping prospective parents make an informed decision? How bad can it be?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What explains this? Walls is supposed to be the crown jewel of DCPS. Why can’t they get good teachers??

Regarding teachers, and a warning to future parents: Do NOT sign up for AP Spanish. The teacher is horrendous.

Can someone please explain what’s wrong with the AP Spanish teacher?

I am not going to put anything in a public forum. Believe me, he is terrible and you do NOT want to be in his class.

Walls only has 2 Spanish teachers so if your child takes 4 years of Spanish, there’s no way to avoid him. That sucks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What explains this? Walls is supposed to be the crown jewel of DCPS. Why can’t they get good teachers??

Regarding teachers, and a warning to future parents: Do NOT sign up for AP Spanish. The teacher is horrendous.

Can someone please explain what’s wrong with the AP Spanish teacher?

I am not going to put anything in a public forum. Believe me, he is terrible and you do NOT want to be in his class.

Then how are you helping prospective parents make an informed decision? How bad can it be?

PP’s comment is pretty clear and I would say allows you to make an informed decision. Although I don’t know if one teacher is worth no attending a school.

[Anonymous]

MacArthur has the most incredible principal who is recruiting top teacher talent. That will be the best DCPS high school in a matter of a few years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What explains this? Walls is supposed to be the crown jewel of DCPS. Why can’t they get good teachers??

Regarding teachers, and a warning to future parents: Do NOT sign up for AP Spanish. The teacher is horrendous.

Can someone please explain what’s wrong with the AP Spanish teacher?

I am not going to put anything in a public forum. Believe me, he is terrible and you do NOT want to be in his class.

Then how are you helping prospective parents make an informed decision? How bad can it be?

PP’s comment is pretty clear and I would say allows you to make an informed decision. Although I don’t know if one teacher is worth no attending a school.

No, the PP’s comment isn’t clear at all. It’s unclear if this person thinks the Spanish teacher is “terrible” because of: 1. his poor teaching methods, 2. his questionable Spanish fluency, 3. he’s an unfairly hard grader, and/or 4. something else entirely.

The PP’s comment isn’t helpful at all. It raises more questions than it answers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MacArthur has the most incredible principal who is recruiting top teacher talent. That will be the best DCPS high school in a matter of a few years.

Principal McCray posts again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The schools with the best teachers are the schools with the best principals. Good principals know how to pick the excellent and energetic teachers, and then manage a positive workplace where the teachers can do a good job with support and with minimal drama.

I think this is the thing - and it ties with the other thread expressing concern about the leadership of the Walls principal. My kid is having a good peer experience at Walls and is bummed that classes are mostly lackluster and teaching is really uneven (in terms of curriculum/content, feedback provided to students, and expertise of teacher). Kid was hoping for a super-charged academic experience with highly engaged/motivated peers, and that's not the day to day experience in the classroom. I'm hopeful to read PP's post about strong math instruction - maybe that will be in my kid's future!

One thing that's surprised me (though probably it shouldn't) is that the Walls admin team seems to be expending a lot more energy on supporting kids who are struggling than on providing enrichment/opportunity for those who aren't.

That's depressing. Kids with high academic potential go through years of classes focused on students behind grade level, and then make into one of the few selective high schools, only to have the focus still on tstruggling students.

Maybe they should try to solve why the selective admissions process is letting through kids not prepared to thrive? Or maybe the kids that are not prepared for an accelerated experience should be allowed to return to their neighborhood high school?

“Return to their neighborhood high school”!! = This is an example of classism, individualism, privilege, lack of the spirit of building and supporting a community, and entitlement!

Why are only struggling students "entitled" to be the priority? Why can't advanced students get the support that serves them just once, just for high school?

Advanced kids at Walls already have accelerated math, access to GW, and a high-scoring peer group. And the college results suggest that these resources are serving them well. What else exactly do you think they need?

You know the struggling kids at Walls have access to those same resources, right? And yet they get extra attention from admin, as is true from pre-k on. When does anyone pay attention to whether high-performing kids are actually challenged, whether they are participating in contests and programs to maximize their achievement, whether their social-emotional health is good? It only happens at a handful of schools and otherwise it depends on the parents.

A lot of bright kids go all the way through DCPS without getting any individual attention from anyone ever. This is especially true for smart but not tippy-top kids.

That's why even city officials send their kids to private schools. Too bad we can't all afford it.

High school aged kids should really know how to advocate for themselves. My kid frequently went to teachers during office hours — for help but also for enrichment (book recommendations from his English teacher, art resources from art teacher, etc.).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The schools with the best teachers are the schools with the best principals. Good principals know how to pick the excellent and energetic teachers, and then manage a positive workplace where the teachers can do a good job with support and with minimal drama.

I think this is the thing - and it ties with the other thread expressing concern about the leadership of the Walls principal. My kid is having a good peer experience at Walls and is bummed that classes are mostly lackluster and teaching is really uneven (in terms of curriculum/content, feedback provided to students, and expertise of teacher). Kid was hoping for a super-charged academic experience with highly engaged/motivated peers, and that's not the day to day experience in the classroom. I'm hopeful to read PP's post about strong math instruction - maybe that will be in my kid's future!

One thing that's surprised me (though probably it shouldn't) is that the Walls admin team seems to be expending a lot more energy on supporting kids who are struggling than on providing enrichment/opportunity for those who aren't.

That's depressing. Kids with high academic potential go through years of classes focused on students behind grade level, and then make into one of the few selective high schools, only to have the focus still on tstruggling students.

Maybe they should try to solve why the selective admissions process is letting through kids not prepared to thrive? Or maybe the kids that are not prepared for an accelerated experience should be allowed to return to their neighborhood high school?

“Return to their neighborhood high school”!! = This is an example of classism, individualism, privilege, lack of the spirit of building and supporting a community, and entitlement!

Why are only struggling students "entitled" to be the priority? Why can't advanced students get the support that serves them just once, just for high school?

Advanced kids at Walls already have accelerated math, access to GW, and a high-scoring peer group. And the college results suggest that these resources are serving them well. What else exactly do you think they need?

You know the struggling kids at Walls have access to those same resources, right? And yet they get extra attention from admin, as is true from pre-k on. When does anyone pay attention to whether high-performing kids are actually challenged, whether they are participating in contests and programs to maximize their achievement, whether their social-emotional health is good? It only happens at a handful of schools and otherwise it depends on the parents.

A lot of bright kids go all the way through DCPS without getting any individual attention from anyone ever. This is especially true for smart but not tippy-top kids.

That's why even city officials send their kids to private schools. Too bad we can't all afford it.

High school aged kids should really know how to advocate for themselves. My kid frequently went to teachers during office hours — for help but also for enrichment (book recommendations from his English teacher, art resources from art teacher, etc.).

So they did get individual attention.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What explains this? Walls is supposed to be the crown jewel of DCPS. Why can’t they get good teachers??

Regarding teachers, and a warning to future parents: Do NOT sign up for AP Spanish. The teacher is horrendous.

Can someone please explain what’s wrong with the AP Spanish teacher?

I am not going to put anything in a public forum. Believe me, he is terrible and you do NOT want to be in his class.

Then how are you helping prospective parents make an informed decision? How bad can it be?

PP’s comment is pretty clear and I would say allows you to make an informed decision. Although I don’t know if one teacher is worth no attending a school.

No, the PP’s comment isn’t clear at all. It’s unclear if this person thinks the Spanish teacher is “terrible” because of: 1. his poor teaching methods, 2. his questionable Spanish fluency, 3. he’s an unfairly hard grader, and/or 4. something else entirely.

The PP’s comment isn’t helpful at all. It raises more questions than it answers.

Sorry it wasn't helpful but you have been warned. Just know that if you choose Walls, you can't expect a lot in terms of their language offering. I hope that's enough for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What explains this? Walls is supposed to be the crown jewel of DCPS. Why can’t they get good teachers??

Regarding teachers, and a warning to future parents: Do NOT sign up for AP Spanish. The teacher is horrendous.

Can someone please explain what’s wrong with the AP Spanish teacher?

I am not going to put anything in a public forum. Believe me, he is terrible and you do NOT want to be in his class.

Then how are you helping prospective parents make an informed decision? How bad can it be?

PP’s comment is pretty clear and I would say allows you to make an informed decision. Although I don’t know if one teacher is worth no attending a school.

No, the PP’s comment isn’t clear at all. It’s unclear if this person thinks the Spanish teacher is “terrible” because of: 1. his poor teaching methods, 2. his questionable Spanish fluency, 3. he’s an unfairly hard grader, and/or 4. something else entirely.

The PP’s comment isn’t helpful at all. It raises more questions than it answers.

Sorry it wasn't helpful but you have been warned. Just know that if you choose Walls, you can't expect a lot in terms of their language offering. I hope that's enough for you.

Trolling teachers on an anonymous forum is not classy. Students will experience a mixed bag of teachers and it's a valuable lesson to figure out the positives in the learning experience. It's usually the "unfair" grading that stokes such a response.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The schools with the best teachers are the schools with the best principals. Good principals know how to pick the excellent and energetic teachers, and then manage a positive workplace where the teachers can do a good job with support and with minimal drama.

I think this is the thing - and it ties with the other thread expressing concern about the leadership of the Walls principal. My kid is having a good peer experience at Walls and is bummed that classes are mostly lackluster and teaching is really uneven (in terms of curriculum/content, feedback provided to students, and expertise of teacher). Kid was hoping for a super-charged academic experience with highly engaged/motivated peers, and that's not the day to day experience in the classroom. I'm hopeful to read PP's post about strong math instruction - maybe that will be in my kid's future!

One thing that's surprised me (though probably it shouldn't) is that the Walls admin team seems to be expending a lot more energy on supporting kids who are struggling than on providing enrichment/opportunity for those who aren't.

That's depressing. Kids with high academic potential go through years of classes focused on students behind grade level, and then make into one of the few selective high schools, only to have the focus still on tstruggling students.

Maybe they should try to solve why the selective admissions process is letting through kids not prepared to thrive? Or maybe the kids that are not prepared for an accelerated experience should be allowed to return to their neighborhood high school?

“Return to their neighborhood high school”!! = This is an example of classism, individualism, privilege, lack of the spirit of building and supporting a community, and entitlement!

Why are only struggling students "entitled" to be the priority? Why can't advanced students get the support that serves them just once, just for high school?

Advanced kids at Walls already have accelerated math, access to GW, and a high-scoring peer group. And the college results suggest that these resources are serving them well. What else exactly do you think they need?

You know the struggling kids at Walls have access to those same resources, right? And yet they get extra attention from admin, as is true from pre-k on. When does anyone pay attention to whether high-performing kids are actually challenged, whether they are participating in contests and programs to maximize their achievement, whether their social-emotional health is good? It only happens at a handful of schools and otherwise it depends on the parents.

A lot of bright kids go all the way through DCPS without getting any individual attention from anyone ever. This is especially true for smart but not tippy-top kids.

That's why even city officials send their kids to private schools. Too bad we can't all afford it.

High school aged kids should really know how to advocate for themselves. My kid frequently went to teachers during office hours — for help but also for enrichment (book recommendations from his English teacher, art resources from art teacher, etc.).

Walls stresses that students should advocate for themselves, and most Walls kids do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The schools with the best teachers are the schools with the best principals. Good principals know how to pick the excellent and energetic teachers, and then manage a positive workplace where the teachers can do a good job with support and with minimal drama.

I think this is the thing - and it ties with the other thread expressing concern about the leadership of the Walls principal. My kid is having a good peer experience at Walls and is bummed that classes are mostly lackluster and teaching is really uneven (in terms of curriculum/content, feedback provided to students, and expertise of teacher). Kid was hoping for a super-charged academic experience with highly engaged/motivated peers, and that's not the day to day experience in the classroom. I'm hopeful to read PP's post about strong math instruction - maybe that will be in my kid's future!

One thing that's surprised me (though probably it shouldn't) is that the Walls admin team seems to be expending a lot more energy on supporting kids who are struggling than on providing enrichment/opportunity for those who aren't.

That's depressing. Kids with high academic potential go through years of classes focused on students behind grade level, and then make into one of the few selective high schools, only to have the focus still on tstruggling students.

Maybe they should try to solve why the selective admissions process is letting through kids not prepared to thrive? Or maybe the kids that are not prepared for an accelerated experience should be allowed to return to their neighborhood high school?

“Return to their neighborhood high school”!! = This is an example of classism, individualism, privilege, lack of the spirit of building and supporting a community, and entitlement!

Why are only struggling students "entitled" to be the priority? Why can't advanced students get the support that serves them just once, just for high school?

Advanced kids at Walls already have accelerated math, access to GW, and a high-scoring peer group. And the college results suggest that these resources are serving them well. What else exactly do you think they need?

You know the struggling kids at Walls have access to those same resources, right? And yet they get extra attention from admin, as is true from pre-k on. When does anyone pay attention to whether high-performing kids are actually challenged, whether they are participating in contests and programs to maximize their achievement, whether their social-emotional health is good? It only happens at a handful of schools and otherwise it depends on the parents.

A lot of bright kids go all the way through DCPS without getting any individual attention from anyone ever. This is especially true for smart but not tippy-top kids.

That's why even city officials send their kids to private schools. Too bad we can't all afford it.

High school aged kids should really know how to advocate for themselves. My kid frequently went to teachers during office hours — for help but also for enrichment (book recommendations from his English teacher, art resources from art teacher, etc.).

Walls stresses that students should advocate for themselves, and most Walls kids do.

There's students advocating for themselves, and then there's educators off-loading responsibility. Not the same things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The schools with the best teachers are the schools with the best principals. Good principals know how to pick the excellent and energetic teachers, and then manage a positive workplace where the teachers can do a good job with support and with minimal drama.

I think this is the thing - and it ties with the other thread expressing concern about the leadership of the Walls principal. My kid is having a good peer experience at Walls and is bummed that classes are mostly lackluster and teaching is really uneven (in terms of curriculum/content, feedback provided to students, and expertise of teacher). Kid was hoping for a super-charged academic experience with highly engaged/motivated peers, and that's not the day to day experience in the classroom. I'm hopeful to read PP's post about strong math instruction - maybe that will be in my kid's future!

One thing that's surprised me (though probably it shouldn't) is that the Walls admin team seems to be expending a lot more energy on supporting kids who are struggling than on providing enrichment/opportunity for those who aren't.

That's depressing. Kids with high academic potential go through years of classes focused on students behind grade level, and then make into one of the few selective high schools, only to have the focus still on tstruggling students.

Maybe they should try to solve why the selective admissions process is letting through kids not prepared to thrive? Or maybe the kids that are not prepared for an accelerated experience should be allowed to return to their neighborhood high school?

“Return to their neighborhood high school”!! = This is an example of classism, individualism, privilege, lack of the spirit of building and supporting a community, and entitlement!

Why are only struggling students "entitled" to be the priority? Why can't advanced students get the support that serves them just once, just for high school?

Advanced kids at Walls already have accelerated math, access to GW, and a high-scoring peer group. And the college results suggest that these resources are serving them well. What else exactly do you think they need?

You know the struggling kids at Walls have access to those same resources, right? And yet they get extra attention from admin, as is true from pre-k on. When does anyone pay attention to whether high-performing kids are actually challenged, whether they are participating in contests and programs to maximize their achievement, whether their social-emotional health is good? It only happens at a handful of schools and otherwise it depends on the parents.

A lot of bright kids go all the way through DCPS without getting any individual attention from anyone ever. This is especially true for smart but not tippy-top kids.

That's why even city officials send their kids to private schools. Too bad we can't all afford it.

High school aged kids should really know how to advocate for themselves. My kid frequently went to teachers during office hours — for help but also for enrichment (book recommendations from his English teacher, art resources from art teacher, etc.).

Walls stresses that students should advocate for themselves, and most Walls kids do.

There's students advocating for themselves, and then there's educators off-loading responsibility. Not the same things.

When teachers off-load responsibility, students must advocate for themselves.

-The Walls Motto