Leaving DC Schools

[Anonymous]

So everyone I speak to with kids in high performing DCPS elementary schools are unhappy with many aspects of DCPS. There is no hidden gems. I would move and not look back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Inside of DC's classroom is great, the teachers are highly trained, innovative and committed professionals. However, the school administration and 1/2 of the families are a mess. No clear direction for the school, denial about dysfunctional processes, and too many parents satisfied with the status quo. I guess I drank the Kool-Aid but after 3 years I do not see any hope of improvement on the horizon.

So it's about you and your needs.

In her defense, yes it is about her needs not being met. We can sit around a wait for the other half to clean up their lives. Especially because we have no way to help nor is our help wanted. So yes, move on OP where your needs are met.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So everyone I speak to with kids in high performing DCPS elementary schools are unhappy with many aspects of DCPS. There is no hidden gems. I would move and not look back.

Didn't speak to me. Can't find anything wrong in our high performing DCPS, but then again, I'm not as involved as I should be in day to day operation.
I have an average kid who loves school and does well. We are not moving out because of DCPS, we are moving out because we can't afford to live in DC. DH works in Fairfax and I can work anywhere. We have stayed here for the school, but with 2 kids now, we are running our of space.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Inside of DC's classroom is great, the teachers are highly trained, innovative and committed professionals. However, the school administration and 1/2 of the families are a mess. No clear direction for the school, denial about dysfunctional processes, and too many parents satisfied with the status quo. I guess I drank the Kool-Aid but after 3 years I do not see any hope of improvement on the horizon.

So it's about you and your needs.

In her defense, yes it is about her needs not being met. We can sit around a wait for the other half to clean up their lives. Especially because we have no way to help nor is our help wanted. So yes, move on OP where your needs are met.

Second this. Obviously it is about her and her needs, and you're a complete fool if you don't inherently get that. It's what makes her a better parent than the disasters whom are half the children her DC shares a school with.

[Anonymous]

Name the school so people can speak intelligently and or learn from your experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So everyone I speak to with kids in high performing DCPS elementary schools are unhappy with many aspects of DCPS. There is no hidden gems. I would move and not look back.

Didn't speak to me. Can't find anything wrong in our high performing DCPS, but then again, I'm not as involved as I should be in day to day operation.
I have an average kid who loves school and does well. We are not moving out because of DCPS, we are moving out because we can't afford to live in DC. DH works in Fairfax and I can work anywhere. We have stayed here for the school, but with 2 kids now, we are running our of space.

There is plenty of cheap housing in DC. Just the crime levels are not avceptable given your lack of ties to the city. Right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So everyone I speak to with kids in high performing DCPS elementary schools are unhappy with many aspects of DCPS. There is no hidden gems. I would move and not look back.

Didn't speak to me. Can't find anything wrong in our high performing DCPS, but then again, I'm not as involved as I should be in day to day operation.
I have an average kid who loves school and does well. We are not moving out because of DCPS, we are moving out because we can't afford to live in DC. DH works in Fairfax and I can work anywhere. We have stayed here for the school, but with 2 kids now, we are running our of space.

There is plenty of cheap housing in DC. Just the crime levels are not avceptable given your lack of ties to the city. Right?

Sounds like a good reason to any thinking person: more space for less money, shorter commute, these are ingredients to quality-of-life happiness.

[Anonymous]

NP -- I'm guessing CMI by the increase in violence/bullying since class size was increased with fewer and newer teaches. Serious drop downhill in all classes but the very white preschools. Admin is trying to take control in most serious issues but my child's class (1st grade) with less problems (and more experienced teachers) take a backseat while upper grades are the focus. Bummed out at change in school in past three years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Inside of DC's classroom is great, the teachers are highly trained, innovative and committed professionals. However, the school administration and 1/2 of the families are a mess. No clear direction for the school, denial about dysfunctional processes, and too many parents satisfied with the status quo. I guess I drank the Kool-Aid but after 3 years I do not see any hope of improvement on the horizon.

If inside my child's classroom is great, the teachers are super, and the child is happy and learning, then I personally wouldn't mind as much about administrative challenges - or would be motivated to get involved and figure out how to work with them. But my own priority is feeling like my kid is having a good experience. Of course, I don't know what kind of dysfunction you mean and how it might impact your kid down the line.

As someone dealing with something similar, you may have missed the "1/2 of the families are a mess" line. It may sound terrible to outsiders, but when you have to deal with it in person it is a challenge. It means that you cannot have an effective PTA to support the school. It means that half the kids are unprepared every day, which means that the quality of instruction your DC receives suffers as a result. It increases the daily struggle significantly and it means a lot more than people recognize. And when that is the situation you are faced with, the only outcome you can control is to leave. We are going to do it too.

1/2 of the families are a mess can mean:
Your child will be exposed to an increase in aggressive behavior (seen siblings beat the crap out of each other while the mom sat there and said nothing) or K student being sucker punched by a peer
daily fights - this is happening at a Tier 1 charter MS as the "Scholars" are figuring out the new social order

If you have a child who can tune it out - great. But why - if given the option would you put your child in the environment daily?

It depends how bad it is and how the administration is working to fix it.

We had some negative behavior (class disruption, pushing, hitting) in our elementary school last year. The principal was on it and made some pretty notable staffing changes. A couple of teachers are gone and there's now a new dean of students who works both directly with the students and with teachers on classroom management. So far this year it's been much better.

Why would I do that? My kids will learn to be resilient and not give up / run at the first sign of trouble. And I have no idea what kind of problems are beneath the surface at whatever new school I could choose and I don't know if the principal and teachers will be as open to working on the issues.

This all sounds great when you say it; your kids will learn to be resilient .... But if I put myself in the shoes of your kid - being punched in the face perhaps, in K... And pushed and hit, and see other kids pushed and hit, and this is only elementary...
I mean, if you send someone to a juvenile detention center, that will make them resilient, or travel with your kids through war torn countries, or...
What doesn't brake you, makes you stronger? Just saying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
This all sounds great when you say it; your kids will learn to be resilient .... But if I put myself in the shoes of your kid - being punched in the face perhaps, in K... And pushed and hit, and see other kids pushed and hit, and this is only elementary...
I mean, if you send someone to a juvenile detention center, that will make them resilient, or travel with your kids through war torn countries, or...
What doesn't brake you, makes you stronger? Just saying.

Good stress vs. bad stress. Are they learning from it? Or is it a repeated problem that the teachers / principals aren't solving? There was some minor "violence", but we're talking about kids, not "super-predators". And this year it has gotten much better with some changes the principal made. I'm sure there will be more tough points, and we'll always evaluate what's best for our child. Just not going to snowplow every obstacle out of their way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So everyone I speak to with kids in high performing DCPS elementary schools are unhappy with many aspects of DCPS. There is no hidden gems. I would move and not look back.

Didn't speak to me. Can't find anything wrong in our high performing DCPS, but then again, I'm not as involved as I should be in day to day operation.
I have an average kid who loves school and does well. We are not moving out because of DCPS, we are moving out because we can't afford to live in DC. DH works in Fairfax and I can work anywhere. We have stayed here for the school, but with 2 kids now, we are running our of space.

There is plenty of cheap housing in DC. Just the crime levels are not avceptable given your lack of ties to the city. Right?

There was plenty of cheap housing in 2005 and 2009 but not so much now. People have driven DC prices up because of proximity to work, good value, charter schools and overall improving schools.

[Anonymous]

Inept administration, misguided PTO, physically harmful actions by young children, need I say more? These are not "regular" concerns that we should accept as par for the course in urban school systems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:bye felicia

How do I report this user? It's so aggressive -- pretending to know people on DCUM and bullying them and they are NEVER right. I've see this a lot lately. And at least within my HRCS, I think I know the nasty person who does it.

This is my new favorite post. I am still laughing!

I'm bumping this because I am still laughing. Plus we need a distraction today.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP -- I'm guessing CMI by the increase in violence/bullying since class size was increased with fewer and newer teaches. Serious drop downhill in all classes but the very white preschools. Admin is trying to take control in most serious issues but my child's class (1st grade) with less problems (and more experienced teachers) take a backseat while upper grades are the focus. Bummed out at change in school in past three years.

Drama much?

This is what happens when a bunch of rich white parents have nothing more to do in the middle of the day then attend meetings. Try getting a job CM mommies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:bye felicia

How do I report this user? It's so aggressive -- pretending to know people on DCUM and bullying them and they are NEVER right. I've see this a lot lately. And at least within my HRCS, I think I know the nasty person who does it.

Hahahahahaha!!!!

CLUELESS HAHAHAHAHAHAHHA wow this made my day LMAO