Expanded High school electives at TJ

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can someone unpack this objectively? Surprised by the negativity, particularly want to check the following:

1. The new offerings lower academic rigor by replacing TJ-specific courses with APs? --True or false?
2. If so, and if causes grade inflation, would that paradoxically put TJ students on more equal footing with base-school students where GPAs are already inflated? --True or false?
3. The new courses reduce or eliminate interdisciplinary, collaborative teaching at TJ. --True or false?
4. The principal is pursuing an agenda to make TJ less rigorous and more "consistent with" other FCPS schools? --True or false?

Please no bias no spin, if you can.

1. Mostly False. The AP classes are the same as the old classes but may have added a bit here and there to cover the AP curriculum in some cases.
2. True.
3. False. I have no idea what these people are talking about. There are no changes to the curriculum for the freshmen in this update so IBET is still going to be there for the freshmen. The higher course electives are still there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone unpack this objectively? Surprised by the negativity, particularly want to check the following:

1. The new offerings lower academic rigor by replacing TJ-specific courses with APs? --True or false?
2. If so, and if causes grade inflation, would that paradoxically put TJ students on more equal footing with base-school students where GPAs are already inflated? --True or false?
3. The new courses reduce or eliminate interdisciplinary, collaborative teaching at TJ. --True or false?
4. The principal is pursuing an agenda to make TJ less rigorous and more "consistent with" other FCPS schools? --True or false?

Please no bias no spin, if you can.

1. Mostly False. The AP classes are the same as the old classes but may have added a bit here and there to cover the AP curriculum in some cases.
2. True.
3. False. I have no idea what these people are talking about. There are no changes to the curriculum for the freshmen in this update so IBET is still going to be there for the freshmen. The higher course electives are still there.

4. False. Less rigor? No. I think you could make an argument that he is trying to slap the AP label on as many currently existing TJ honors classes as he can but the additional label is not increasing or decreasing the rigor to a meterial extent. Most students see this as a boon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ohhhh Japanese is back. Awesome! That could be good for my kid if they are accepted this year.

I really like that this new Principal is doing things to make TJ academically excellent rather than engaging in social engineering.

By making TJ like any other high school?

+1
I like the guy (and I liked Dr B too) but this is my sr TJ kid's complaint. They've been stripping out some of the things that makes it different.

Like what?

The entire culture at TJ has become very negative and toxic and this all a result of Mukai's lack of leadership. He doesn't respect his teachers and has shut them out and even the division leaders out of actual collaboration. Instead of coming in and getting to know the staff and the students first, he has dictated everything without any clear vision or justification. He flip-flops constantly to the point that teachers cannot trust anything he says and he bullies any teachers who question anything he says or does.

I’ve heard this as well.

This is weird considering he had such a good reputation at West Springfield High School. Howdid he go from being well regarded by his teachers at WSHS to a bully? Is it possible you are full of shit?
And he has had much more productive conversations and zoom meetings than Bonitatibus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone unpack this objectively? Surprised by the negativity, particularly want to check the following:

1. The new offerings lower academic rigor by replacing TJ-specific courses with APs? --True or false?
2. If so, and if causes grade inflation, would that paradoxically put TJ students on more equal footing with base-school students where GPAs are already inflated? --True or false?
3. The new courses reduce or eliminate interdisciplinary, collaborative teaching at TJ. --True or false?
4. The principal is pursuing an agenda to make TJ less rigorous and more "consistent with" other FCPS schools? --True or false?

Please no bias no spin, if you can.

1. This probably varies, but as someone who has taught several different AP courses, the college board curriculum is very watered-down. AP does not necessarily mean more rigor.
2. Maybe true on paper, but this also means that TJ students cannot distinguish themselves as much as non-TJ students.
3. True. This has already happened, especially in Humanities. It would not surprise me at all if IBET eventually goes away.
4. Mukai doesn't care about rigor either way. He is simply a numbers person and just wants to boost AP numbers as much as possible.

Do you have specific examples?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone unpack this objectively? Surprised by the negativity, particularly want to check the following:

1. The new offerings lower academic rigor by replacing TJ-specific courses with APs? --True or false?
2. If so, and if causes grade inflation, would that paradoxically put TJ students on more equal footing with base-school students where GPAs are already inflated? --True or false?
3. The new courses reduce or eliminate interdisciplinary, collaborative teaching at TJ. --True or false?
4. The principal is pursuing an agenda to make TJ less rigorous and more "consistent with" other FCPS schools? --True or false?

Please no bias no spin, if you can.

3. False. I have no idea what these people are talking about. There are no changes to the curriculum for the freshmen in this update so IBET is still going to be there for the freshmen. The higher course electives are still there.

No one said IBET is going away, but Mukai has already decreased the interdisciplinary options in 10th through 12th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ohhhh Japanese is back. Awesome! That could be good for my kid if they are accepted this year.

I really like that this new Principal is doing things to make TJ academically excellent rather than engaging in social engineering.

By making TJ like any other high school?

+1
I like the guy (and I liked Dr B too) but this is my sr TJ kid's complaint. They've been stripping out some of the things that makes it different.

Like what?

The entire culture at TJ has become very negative and toxic and this all a result of Mukai's lack of leadership. He doesn't respect his teachers and has shut them out and even the division leaders out of actual collaboration. Instead of coming in and getting to know the staff and the students first, he has dictated everything without any clear vision or justification. He flip-flops constantly to the point that teachers cannot trust anything he says and he bullies any teachers who question anything he says or does.

All I have heard is that the culture at TJ has been negative and toxic in the 8 years I have been on this board. It doesn’t seem to matter who the Principal is or what they are doing, it is bad.

As someone with direct experience for several years, the culture has taken a nosedive since Mukai took over. He is not a leader. That would require actually being present and caring about his staff and students.

He's removed almost all channels for students and faculty to have meaningful dialogue about what happens at the school. Say what you will about Dr. B, and Dr. Glazer before her, but they allowed the SGA to have a voice, they had lunch time meetings with kids and town halls and were generally transparent and open to feedback. Mukai discontinued those meetings. The only kids' names he knows are the ones who win big stuff. So if he doesn't know the kids, how is he to make decisions about curriculum that is actually in their best interest? Zero pulse on the community, it's kind of gross actually.

Yes! All of this is true. Mukai avoids interacting with staff and students as much as possible. His excuse is that he is always pulled to Gatehouse or he blames the Collective Bargaining Agreement for his limited availability, which is absolute BS. He came into TJ saying that his door is always open and he is open to staff sharing different ideas and perspectives when the actual experience has been the complete opposite. He runs the school like a dictator. When staff try to share how overworked and overstressed they are this year, he just brushes off their concerns and says maybe they should teach somewhere else, instead of working to identify the root of the problems.

Gee, he had such a good reputation among teachers at WSHS where he was principal before this.
I wonder what happened?
Oh yeah, you're lying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone unpack this objectively? Surprised by the negativity, particularly want to check the following:

1. The new offerings lower academic rigor by replacing TJ-specific courses with APs? --True or false?
2. If so, and if causes grade inflation, would that paradoxically put TJ students on more equal footing with base-school students where GPAs are already inflated? --True or false?
3. The new courses reduce or eliminate interdisciplinary, collaborative teaching at TJ. --True or false?
4. The principal is pursuing an agenda to make TJ less rigorous and more "consistent with" other FCPS schools? --True or false?

Please no bias no spin, if you can.

1. This probably varies, but as someone who has taught several different AP courses, the college board curriculum is very watered-down. AP does not necessarily mean more rigor.
2. Maybe true on paper, but this also means that TJ students cannot distinguish themselves as much as non-TJ students.
3. True. This has already happened, especially in Humanities. It would not surprise me at all if IBET eventually goes away.
4. Mukai doesn't care about rigor either way. He is simply a numbers person and just wants to boost AP numbers as much as possible.

Do you have specific examples?

He forced in AP Seminar, is getting rid of Global Studies next year, and by moving AP Lang to 11th grade, this eliminates the English 11 Honors and APUSH teaming. HUM 1, HUM 2, and Global Studies had been benchmarks of the Humanities division for many years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ohhhh Japanese is back. Awesome! That could be good for my kid if they are accepted this year.

I really like that this new Principal is doing things to make TJ academically excellent rather than engaging in social engineering.

By making TJ like any other high school?

+1
I like the guy (and I liked Dr B too) but this is my sr TJ kid's complaint. They've been stripping out some of the things that makes it different.

Like what?

The entire culture at TJ has become very negative and toxic and this all a result of Mukai's lack of leadership. He doesn't respect his teachers and has shut them out and even the division leaders out of actual collaboration. Instead of coming in and getting to know the staff and the students first, he has dictated everything without any clear vision or justification. He flip-flops constantly to the point that teachers cannot trust anything he says and he bullies any teachers who question anything he says or does.

All I have heard is that the culture at TJ has been negative and toxic in the 8 years I have been on this board. It doesn’t seem to matter who the Principal is or what they are doing, it is bad.

As someone with direct experience for several years, the culture has taken a nosedive since Mukai took over. He is not a leader. That would require actually being present and caring about his staff and students.

He's removed almost all channels for students and faculty to have meaningful dialogue about what happens at the school. Say what you will about Dr. B, and Dr. Glazer before her, but they allowed the SGA to have a voice, they had lunch time meetings with kids and town halls and were generally transparent and open to feedback. Mukai discontinued those meetings. The only kids' names he knows are the ones who win big stuff. So if he doesn't know the kids, how is he to make decisions about curriculum that is actually in their best interest? Zero pulse on the community, it's kind of gross actually.

Yes! All of this is true. Mukai avoids interacting with staff and students as much as possible. His excuse is that he is always pulled to Gatehouse or he blames the Collective Bargaining Agreement for his limited availability, which is absolute BS. He came into TJ saying that his door is always open and he is open to staff sharing different ideas and perspectives when the actual experience has been the complete opposite. He runs the school like a dictator. When staff try to share how overworked and overstressed they are this year, he just brushes off their concerns and says maybe they should teach somewhere else, instead of working to identify the root of the problems.

Gee, he had such a good reputation among teachers at WSHS where he was principal before this.
I wonder what happened?
Oh yeah, you're lying.

TJ staff had also heard good things about him from WSHS and now they are wondering maybe they were just happy to see him leave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ohhhh Japanese is back. Awesome! That could be good for my kid if they are accepted this year.

I really like that this new Principal is doing things to make TJ academically excellent rather than engaging in social engineering.

By making TJ like any other high school?

+1
I like the guy (and I liked Dr B too) but this is my sr TJ kid's complaint. They've been stripping out some of the things that makes it different.

Like what?

The entire culture at TJ has become very negative and toxic and this all a result of Mukai's lack of leadership. He doesn't respect his teachers and has shut them out and even the division leaders out of actual collaboration. Instead of coming in and getting to know the staff and the students first, he has dictated everything without any clear vision or justification. He flip-flops constantly to the point that teachers cannot trust anything he says and he bullies any teachers who question anything he says or does.

All I have heard is that the culture at TJ has been negative and toxic in the 8 years I have been on this board. It doesn’t seem to matter who the Principal is or what they are doing, it is bad.

As someone with direct experience for several years, the culture has taken a nosedive since Mukai took over. He is not a leader. That would require actually being present and caring about his staff and students.

He's removed almost all channels for students and faculty to have meaningful dialogue about what happens at the school. Say what you will about Dr. B, and Dr. Glazer before her, but they allowed the SGA to have a voice, they had lunch time meetings with kids and town halls and were generally transparent and open to feedback. Mukai discontinued those meetings. The only kids' names he knows are the ones who win big stuff. So if he doesn't know the kids, how is he to make decisions about curriculum that is actually in their best interest? Zero pulse on the community, it's kind of gross actually.

Yes! All of this is true. Mukai avoids interacting with staff and students as much as possible. His excuse is that he is always pulled to Gatehouse or he blames the Collective Bargaining Agreement for his limited availability, which is absolute BS. He came into TJ saying that his door is always open and he is open to staff sharing different ideas and perspectives when the actual experience has been the complete opposite. He runs the school like a dictator. When staff try to share how overworked and overstressed they are this year, he just brushes off their concerns and says maybe they should teach somewhere else, instead of working to identify the root of the problems.

Gee, he had such a good reputation among teachers at WSHS where he was principal before this.
I wonder what happened?
Oh yeah, you're lying.

Or maybe Mukai can release the results of the end of year staff survey from last year and the feedback from the entire staff can speak for itself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ohhhh Japanese is back. Awesome! That could be good for my kid if they are accepted this year.

I really like that this new Principal is doing things to make TJ academically excellent rather than engaging in social engineering.

By making TJ like any other high school?

+1
I like the guy (and I liked Dr B too) but this is my sr TJ kid's complaint. They've been stripping out some of the things that makes it different.

Like what?

The entire culture at TJ has become very negative and toxic and this all a result of Mukai's lack of leadership. He doesn't respect his teachers and has shut them out and even the division leaders out of actual collaboration. Instead of coming in and getting to know the staff and the students first, he has dictated everything without any clear vision or justification. He flip-flops constantly to the point that teachers cannot trust anything he says and he bullies any teachers who question anything he says or does.

Any specific examples?
Because Mukai has held more useful parent zoom calls in the first year than Bonitatibus did her entire tenure.
He seems significantly more engaged with the parents. I can't comment on his dynamic with the teachers but I have heard good things from the teachers at his old high school. Why would his management style have changed so drastically for the worse?

If the info shared here is to be believed:

1. He is courting the parents, but ignoring the students and faculty. A good leader collects input from ALL stakeholders.
2. He's withholding climate survey data, which I think is meant to be public, so that seems problematic without knowing the reason for this.
3. He's making curricular changes that are more in line with a base school than a unique, magnet school. I can see how WSHS folks might've been pleased with this kind of decision-making, but attending TJ is a choice. Families select it because they like the vision or the class choices or whatever reason. If the classes now offered at TJ are essentially the same on paper as my kid's base school, and they can take those courses without a longer day and terrible commute, PLUS possibly get better college outcomes, why the heck would they choose TJ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ohhhh Japanese is back. Awesome! That could be good for my kid if they are accepted this year.

I really like that this new Principal is doing things to make TJ academically excellent rather than engaging in social engineering.

By making TJ like any other high school?

+1
I like the guy (and I liked Dr B too) but this is my sr TJ kid's complaint. They've been stripping out some of the things that makes it different.

Like what?

The entire culture at TJ has become very negative and toxic and this all a result of Mukai's lack of leadership. He doesn't respect his teachers and has shut them out and even the division leaders out of actual collaboration. Instead of coming in and getting to know the staff and the students first, he has dictated everything without any clear vision or justification. He flip-flops constantly to the point that teachers cannot trust anything he says and he bullies any teachers who question anything he says or does.

I’ve heard this as well.

Are you current parents or teachers? Where did you hear all this?

Current parent who has heard comments from my kid, their friends, and 2 teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ohhhh Japanese is back. Awesome! That could be good for my kid if they are accepted this year.

I really like that this new Principal is doing things to make TJ academically excellent rather than engaging in social engineering.

Mr. Mukai is a rock star !

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ohhhh Japanese is back. Awesome! That could be good for my kid if they are accepted this year.

I really like that this new Principal is doing things to make TJ academically excellent rather than engaging in social engineering.

By making TJ like any other high school?

+1
I like the guy (and I liked Dr B too) but this is my sr TJ kid's complaint. They've been stripping out some of the things that makes it different.

Like what?

The entire culture at TJ has become very negative and toxic and this all a result of Mukai's lack of leadership. He doesn't respect his teachers and has shut them out and even the division leaders out of actual collaboration. Instead of coming in and getting to know the staff and the students first, he has dictated everything without any clear vision or justification. He flip-flops constantly to the point that teachers cannot trust anything he says and he bullies any teachers who question anything he says or does.

Any specific examples?
Because Mukai has held more useful parent zoom calls in the first year than Bonitatibus did her entire tenure.
He seems significantly more engaged with the parents. I can't comment on his dynamic with the teachers but I have heard good things from the teachers at his old high school. Why would his management style have changed so drastically for the worse?

+1
He has seemed very parent accessible and I had heard good things about him from WS people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://tjhsst.fcps.edu/sites/default/files/media/inline-files/Course%20Selection%20Sheet%20V.12.15.25.pdf

A lot of new language options and new english options and more.

Losing a solid, team-taught humanities (history/English) program in grades 10 and 11—replaced by a much easier AP Sem class that I am told does not cover world literature or novels. So when, exactly, would students read challenging novels? Only 9th and AP Lit as seniors. (Watch those SAT reading scores drop, though that’s the least of the problem.)
The foreign language options have always existed on paper, with not enough enrollment by course to actually happen in practice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone unpack this objectively? Surprised by the negativity, particularly want to check the following:

1. The new offerings lower academic rigor by replacing TJ-specific courses with APs? --True or false?
2. If so, and if causes grade inflation, would that paradoxically put TJ students on more equal footing with base-school students where GPAs are already inflated? --True or false?
3. The new courses reduce or eliminate interdisciplinary, collaborative teaching at TJ. --True or false?
4. The principal is pursuing an agenda to make TJ less rigorous and more "consistent with" other FCPS schools? --True or false?

Please no bias no spin, if you can.

1. This probably varies, but as someone who has taught several different AP courses, the college board curriculum is very watered-down. AP does not necessarily mean more rigor.
2. Maybe true on paper, but this also means that TJ students cannot distinguish themselves as much as non-TJ students.
3. True. This has already happened, especially in Humanities. It would not surprise me at all if IBET eventually goes away.
4. Mukai doesn't care about rigor either way. He is simply a numbers person and just wants to boost AP numbers as much as possible.

Do you have specific examples?

He forced in AP Seminar, is getting rid of Global Studies next year, and by moving AP Lang to 11th grade, this eliminates the English 11 Honors and APUSH teaming. HUM 1, HUM 2, and Global Studies had been benchmarks of the Humanities division for many years.

That’s too bad. I thought that humanities combo approach was a really good thing.