Charter expo- which schools impressed you (not)?

[Anonymous]

LAMB - very unimpressed, glad to see I wasn't the only one. I think she actually kind of shooed me away as well as she could without explicitly saying it!

Creative Minds were very thorough and it seems that all my questions could be answered. I had no feeling that they might not have their act together in one area or another there - even though they are very new.

Capital City - I want to love them, it goes to 12th grade...can you imagine never having to worry about the lottery again? They warmed up after a few questions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And don't even get me started about why kids should learn to use their hands to create: woodworking, sculpture, sewing, knitting. Pencil,paper and paints will not prepare them for a full life.

Because, like, of course there is NO way to create with pencil, paper, or paints.... Oh, wait...

PP I agree mostly with your point, but beware saying paper, pencil and paints don't prepare a child for a full life. They are some of the best tools around (as well as so many others).

Clearly you feel differently, but I'd be wary of a classroom (including PS-3) with no pencils, paper, or paints used....

[Anonymous]

Yes, my DC will really benefit from learning how to wordwork in ps3 and the knitting will really help in the apprenticeship to the weaver next year.

The job of children is to go to school, not do manual labor. While they enjoy doing these and other creative things, they can be learned/exposed in a non-academic setting.

[Anonymous]

They are only 3 - many of us on here are 30 somethings, and most of us learned to read and write in KG...and we did just fine! Working, productive (dare I say white collar?) members of society. I really think kids need time to play and be kids, that's learning too!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, my DC will really benefit from learning how to wordwork in ps3 and the knitting will really help in the apprenticeship to the weaver next year.

The job of children is to go to school, not do manual labor. While they enjoy doing these and other creative things, they can be learned/exposed in a non-academic setting.

I can see you don't know the research on how the brain works, but whatever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They are only 3 - many of us on here are 30 somethings, and most of us learned to read and write in KG...and we did just fine! Working, productive (dare I say white collar?) members of society. I really think kids need time to play and be kids, that's learning too!

. . . Then don't put them in the free ps3 qnd pk4 programs and then complain that they don't play enough! Keep them at home and let them play! You can't have it both ways.

[Anonymous]

Little kids love dinos and space AND can create imaginative worlds around them.

Anonymous wrote:Look, it is not about what the curriculum includes. It is about what it leaves out in order to push stuff ( dinosaurs, space ) that is not really meaningful or vital to a small child. It is all heady stuff. What about the hearty and handy stuff. What about learning to create imaginative worlds rather than learning about what already exists through books. Written words and printed pictures can be limiting. Why push books and limit creativity so early. They can learn about the facts of dinosaurs and space anytime. But the imagination and creativity can be shut down and hard to get back.

[Anonymous]

^^ again. You are obviously Not an educator. If you ask any seasones, professional, highly educated teacher or administrator they will tell you that a 3,4 or 5 year old child is most appropriately taught in a play based setting, be it at home or in a preschool setting. Doesn't matter if it is free or comes with a hefty tuition. What is BEST for children developmentally is not in dispute. It is public policy and non educators who think they know better who get in the way. Plus a public that demands academic preschools ( out of ignorance ) will get them, best practice or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Little kids love dinos and space AND can create imaginative worlds around them.

Anonymous wrote:Look, it is not about what the curriculum includes. It is about what it leaves out in order to push stuff ( dinosaurs, space ) that is not really meaningful or vital to a small child. It is all heady stuff. What about the hearty and handy stuff. What about learning to create imaginative worlds rather than learning about what already exists through books. Written words and printed pictures can be limiting. Why push books and limit creativity so early. They can learn about the facts of dinosaurs and space anytime. But the imagination and creativity can be shut down and hard to get back.

h

Less likely if they are spending their precious time being sat down to read books about them, and then asked to draw a picture of one and then asked to sort them into categories. Get the difference?

[Anonymous]

Sure, kids need time to play and be kids - but should school be the primary venue for that? When I was growing up, we did all of our playing and being kids after school and over summers and breaks.

[Anonymous]

Appletree was a really great program. Since they decided to market their curriculum the schools have gotten increasingly rigid and the turnover has been high. Some of the best teachers have left.

Appletree got too big too fast.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This was my first expo as a parent. I used to work the DCPS expo when I was in high school.

I was most let down by LAMB. I get all of my "buzz" about the schools from this website, so I was expecting something...more. If I hadn't done my own research, I would've gotten absolutely nothing from the person at the desk. I also got the feeling of "our reputation precedes us."

I thought it was funny when I told the woman from Yu Ying that I'd heard about them on this site. She responded with, "Uh oh. I've seen some of the things they say on there."

Creative Minds impressed me with just how much they were willing to share. I had a chance to talk to someone who may end up being DD's teacher and she walked me through most of the day to day, then she handed me off to someone else who explained the extended day programs.

Ditto for Inspired Teaching. I was impressed with their parent turnout. It really showed that they're passionate about that place. They went on and on about it, but it didn't seem like a plea for enrollment.

Meridian seemed most prepared in the marketing dept. They were handing out folders, handbags, water bottles and the woman I spoke with rattled off facts and statistics like she was studying for a test. I was impressed with the presentation.

I started looking at some "safety schools" that won't be named because that would be wrong, but I was a little discouraged by what I saw. Some of them seemed like they just sent a few people out with a science project board and a candy dish. They weren't really prepared to answer many questions. A few asked me to wait until someone else showed up later.

All in all, I enjoyed it. I got in at the open and was out by 1:00. Some of them really have given my DCPS choices a run for their money.

First year Meridian parent here. You probably met the principal, Dr. Robinette Breedlove. She is fabulous, and she and her administrative team are dedicated to continuous, steady and meaningful improvement for the whole school. We are in PS3 and have been so pleased with our experience and our child's lead teacher. I will fully admit to being skeptical in the beginning - the school was not our first choice. However, our child is learning new academic and social skills every day. The beginning of the year is mostly geared toward social learning and the academic concepts increase as the year goes by, with an emphasis on the building blocks for reading and number skills. The early childhood grades seem to the be the most diverse and I think the school will continue to diversify and draw from nearby residents in U Street, Logan, Shaw and Petworth. The new facility is wonderful. I have been pleased with the parental involvement, too - on a recent field trip I attended there were parents from a variety of ethnicities and socioeconomic classes who attended - and everyone was very friendly. If you value the basic building blocks of education, a strong social curriculum and diversity, you should strongly consider the school as an option. If you want a tour you can call and they are very accomodating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Why does LAMB even bother showing up? There are no places there! No wonder they have an attitude!

The woman was so rude to my friend. Ugh.

What was the person's name or role? I couldn't make it, but have questions about Montessori and how it's done at the school. I plan to call the school, but wouldn't want to run into the same person who was at expo.

in my experience dealing w LAMB, I would go to the open house and ask the question. They are very short with the general population calling. I would guess that b/c so few applicants will actually get in. They (like many of the in demand charters) do not have the resources to answer all the random questions 1 on 1 and this is one reason why they have the open houses.

LAMB's open house is a zoo. You're packed in with 1500 other parents (okay, an exaggeration but it feels like it), sort of rushed through and barely get to ask any questions. They have a handful of slots each year and they get over 500 applications. You chances of getting in are slim to none. My advice? Don't waste your time on the open house. Go ahead and apply, and then if you manage to win the lottery you can go for a visit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:I wasn't really considering Apple Tree until I went to the Expo. I spoke with the principals from two campuses and they both spent a lot of time explaining their program and they seemed really great.

Did they tell you where they are moving to?

It's the SW campus that is moving, right? We're not interested in that one so I didn't ask.

Are you interested in Lincoln Park? That's where our daughter is and we are extremely happy with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:I wasn't really considering Apple Tree until I went to the Expo. I spoke with the principals from two campuses and they both spent a lot of time explaining their program and they seemed really great.

I highly recommend you go for a tour. And talk to current parents. And read recent threads on DCUM on AppleTree. They offer a great program - for a child who thrives in extreme structure. Your 3YO needs to nap a little bit longer than the designated window - not happening.

I agree about the structure, but my child was able to nap 30 mins more on many occasions (the teacher told me and I dropped by a few times). I think the program is great if you want a traditional program that emphasizes literacy and math. My child needed a more play-based program so we switched for preK. Although, to be fair, my child learned a lot that year and just had trouble behaving until we switched to a play-based program.

Your child had trouble "behaving" likely because a 3yo program that emphasizes literacy and math is developmentally inappropriate.

It's developmentally appropriate for my three year old. As far as I can tell there is a lot of play and yet after only a few months my very young three year old is already writing and reading simple words. He's also learned a ton on other topics from family, DC, culture and how to "calm his body down" and behave in the classroom. Plus he adores his teachers.

Same here. Learning and play are not and should not be mutually exclusive. My child has an "alpha friend" of the week in his curriculum, they learn a corresponding song about it, sing many other songs that explore concepts like rhyming, alliteration, time, numbers, etc, engage in imaginative play, play developmentally appropriate computer learning games during library time, and attend music and art classes. All he does is play - he doesn't even know he's learning. And I am glad that my child is being taught social concepts like how to follow rules, wait his turn to talk, appropriate table manners, impulse control, etc etc. If your concept of "academic preschool" is that they sit in desks and are drilled on flashcards all day, then I would suggest that you have very little knowledge of what goes on inside an actual academic preschool.