Who said there isn't a North-South divide?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP's above nailed it all right. It is a whole different world in S.A schools.

I challenge any N.A. parent who disagrees to come to a S.A. school and check out the activities and PTA expenses. We are at a title I S.A. school. We have a little money to spend, but not much. And, we spend money on things like coat drives and basics for some of the families. Rather than after school enrichment, kids are taking extra SOL preps. Those who don't need it don't get access to enrichment those days because the school won't do anything unless ALL kids can do it.

Our classrooms are filled with old furniture. Our yard is weeds. All of our equipment in the class is old. We don't do plays or independent projects. Things are really basic here.

What would you like to see happen? Bus some of the poor kids from your neighborhood to schools in the north? Force some of the kids in the north to come south? Move option programs around? Share PTA money? Give an opportunity to transfer your kids to Jamestown?

Serious question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It isn't just instruction, as noted above those kids don't have access to the same PTA and extras that wealthier schools do.

Moreover, even if you look at scores for "white" kids, which is really just a bad proxy for "non-disadvantaged," those scores are generally lower as well. So, it isn't just the English learners who are not achieving equal results.

Seriously? What's the budget of the average Northside elementary school? $100k/year? While they do some nice enrichment activities and maybe partially fund an assistant, it can't make up that much of a difference.

Your comment comes off as coming from the perspective of someone who thinks 100K isn't all that grand and who is at a school with one of those budgets and as having absolutely no experience, familiarity, or understanding of a Title I school experience with PTA resources less than $40K, less than $20K, less than $10K. For starters:

More resources for classrooms - for additional/supplemental materials, classroom libraries, PE equipment, art supplies, etc.
More training for teachers
More, and better quality equipment
more, higher quality, broader variety enrichment opportunities
private music lessons (not a PTA budget - though perhaps it could be for students who can't afford them; but an example of opportunities the families' wealth provides and demonstrative of some of the differences impacting the school)
better quality musical instruments - ones that aren't in constant need of repair and taking away from instruction time, better quality and playability
ability to fill-in where the parents have deemed APS to have fallen short: like purchasing stage lights or $40K for shade covers for playgrounds, smartboards or upgraded smartboards while other schools were still waiting for initial smartboards (in the past)
More resources to pay for low-income students' participation in field trips and enrichment activities and therefore access to those things by more students
Mini-grants for teachers
Funding special academic and/or community service projects and initiatives
All the spillover effects on staff morale, school pride, and overall performance

Perhaps folks from schools with those $100K budgets can offer other things they do with that money - and folks from schools on the other end of the spectrum can indicate how similar it is for their students.

LOL! This is the best. Some Northies really don't understand how good they've got it. It's like mitt Romney making that 100k bet.

[Anonymous]

LOL! This is the best. Some Northies really don't understand how good they've got it. It's like mitt Romney making that 100k bet.

Do you really expect people to take you seriously when you use the word “northies?”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

LOL! This is the best. Some Northies really don't understand how good they've got it. It's like mitt Romney making that 100k bet.

Do you really expect people to take you seriously when you use the word “northies?”

Dp- Get over yourself. Northies, Southies... whatever- it’s still a broken system. The haves are hoarding wealth and opportunity, to the point they can’t even recognize wants from needs, and can’t begin to see less advantaged children as worthy of similar opportunities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

LOL! This is the best. Some Northies really don't understand how good they've got it. It's like mitt Romney making that 100k bet.

Do you really expect people to take you seriously when you use the word “northies?”

It’s also hard to take them seriously when you know they’re people who could afford to buy into better schools further out but would prefer to stay in South Arlington and have everyone else cortort around them to give their children “ideal” educations. The parents in South Arlington who really don’t have better options, with the kids who enter school barely speaking English and parents who can’t engage with the school because they’re working two jobs to afford their “affordable” housing, aren’t coming here to post in perfect English about how their high school might not have a pool. And when they express their views on what they want for their kids, it’s often not the same as what the UMC whites would prefer, so when the latter come on here claiming to advocate for the former, be very skeptical because they’re really just using the former as props for their own ends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

LOL! This is the best. Some Northies really don't understand how good they've got it. It's like mitt Romney making that 100k bet.

Do you really expect people to take you seriously when you use the word “northies?”

Dp- Get over yourself. Northies, Southies... whatever- it’s still a broken system. The haves are hoarding wealth and opportunity, to the point they can’t even recognize wants from needs, and can’t begin to see less advantaged children as worthy of similar opportunities.

So how do we share opportunities without creating serious issues for families? The county is small, but that doesn't change the fact that it is congested and can easily take 20-30 minutes one way to get from, say, Randolph to Discovery. That's an hour round trip for aftercare pickup, who has that kind of time?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

LOL! This is the best. Some Northies really don't understand how good they've got it. It's like mitt Romney making that 100k bet.

Do you really expect people to take you seriously when you use the word “northies?”

It’s also hard to take them seriously when you know they’re people who could afford to buy into better schools further out but would prefer to stay in South Arlington and have everyone else cortort around them to give their children “ideal” educations. The parents in South Arlington who really don’t have better options, with the kids who enter school barely speaking English and parents who can’t engage with the school because they’re working two jobs to afford their “affordable” housing, aren’t coming here to post in perfect English about how their high school might not have a pool. And when they express their views on what they want for their kids, it’s often not the same as what the UMC whites would prefer, so when the latter come on here claiming to advocate for the former, be very skeptical because they’re really just using the former as props for their own ends.

Of course if they all did that the schools in Arlington would be even more segregated, and the neighborhoods too. Plenty of reason to think that is not a great thing. I mean unless you have house further out you are trying to sell, I guess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

LOL! This is the best. Some Northies really don't understand how good they've got it. It's like mitt Romney making that 100k bet.

Do you really expect people to take you seriously when you use the word “northies?”

Do you, when you post anonymously? I am fine showing a little bile when someone literally says $100k isn't much money and shows how out of touch they are up there in their little bubble.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

LOL! This is the best. Some Northies really don't understand how good they've got it. It's like mitt Romney making that 100k bet.

Do you really expect people to take you seriously when you use the word “northies?”

It’s also hard to take them seriously when you know they’re people who could afford to buy into better schools further out but would prefer to stay in South Arlington and have everyone else cortort around them to give their children “ideal” educations. The parents in South Arlington who really don’t have better options, with the kids who enter school barely speaking English and parents who can’t engage with the school because they’re working two jobs to afford their “affordable” housing, aren’t coming here to post in perfect English about how their high school might not have a pool. And when they express their views on what they want for their kids, it’s often not the same as what the UMC whites would prefer, so when the latter come on here claiming to advocate for the former, be very skeptical because they’re really just using the former as props for their own ends.

Of course if they all did that the schools in Arlington would be even more segregated, and the neighborhoods too. Plenty of reason to think that is not a great thing. I mean unless you have house further out you are trying to sell, I guess.

Totally, f those people for wanting the same thing as north Arlington people but not being so rich or having such wealthy parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

LOL! This is the best. Some Northies really don't understand how good they've got it. It's like mitt Romney making that 100k bet.

Do you really expect people to take you seriously when you use the word “northies?”

It’s also hard to take them seriously when you know they’re people who could afford to buy into better schools further out but would prefer to stay in South Arlington and have everyone else cortort around them to give their children “ideal” educations. The parents in South Arlington who really don’t have better options, with the kids who enter school barely speaking English and parents who can’t engage with the school because they’re working two jobs to afford their “affordable” housing, aren’t coming here to post in perfect English about how their high school might not have a pool. And when they express their views on what they want for their kids, it’s often not the same as what the UMC whites would prefer, so when the latter come on here claiming to advocate for the former, be very skeptical because they’re really just using the former as props for their own ends.

Of course if they all did that the schools in Arlington would be even more segregated, and the neighborhoods too. Plenty of reason to think that is not a great thing. I mean unless you have house further out you are trying to sell, I guess.

Totally, f those people for wanting the same thing as north Arlington people but not being so rich or having such wealthy parents.

The sense of entitlement is pretty breathtaking. The NA atttitide is "we got ours", immigrants are great, the rest of you, gtfo and move to Springfield, short commutes are for us and the cleaning lady. It's a wonder they vote for democrats. I don't envy their cognitive dissonance on that, there a little tea part in each one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

LOL! This is the best. Some Northies really don't understand how good they've got it. It's like mitt Romney making that 100k bet.

Do you really expect people to take you seriously when you use the word “northies?”

It’s also hard to take them seriously when you know they’re people who could afford to buy into better schools further out but would prefer to stay in South Arlington and have everyone else cortort around them to give their children “ideal” educations. The parents in South Arlington who really don’t have better options, with the kids who enter school barely speaking English and parents who can’t engage with the school because they’re working two jobs to afford their “affordable” housing, aren’t coming here to post in perfect English about how their high school might not have a pool. And when they express their views on what they want for their kids, it’s often not the same as what the UMC whites would prefer, so when the latter come on here claiming to advocate for the former, be very skeptical because they’re really just using the former as props for their own ends.

Of course if they all did that the schools in Arlington would be even more segregated, and the neighborhoods too. Plenty of reason to think that is not a great thing. I mean unless you have house further out you are trying to sell, I guess.

Totally, f those people for wanting the same thing as north Arlington people but not being so rich or having such wealthy parents.

The sense of entitlement is pretty breathtaking. The NA atttitide is "we got ours", immigrants are great, the rest of you, gtfo and move to Springfield, short commutes are for us and the cleaning lady. It's a wonder they vote for democrats. I don't envy their cognitive dissonance on that, there a little tea part in each one.

Nice deflection. No one said you had to move, it's just gross when UMC white people in South Arlington use their poor brown neighbors as props to advocate for what they want, calling racist anyone who disagrees with them because "Oh, the poor brown children," conveniently ignoring the fact that, when actually asked instead of presuming, those parents don't want the things the UMC white families are asking for in their name.

[Anonymous]

If nothing else, let's look at the discussions earlier about how S.A. schools spend all kinds of extra time prepping for SOLs that the N.A. schools don't. People here are complaining about being "stuck" (which you're not) in S.A. schools where their kids have to sit through all of this unnecessary-for-them prep that the "other" kids need to pass. That's happening because those kids, for whatever reason, really need that extra time working on the fundamentals in order to grasp them. You can try to dismiss it as "SOL prep," but really it's extra time spent on helping those kids learn the skills they need to master in order to succeed. You don't want your kid to be burdened with it, so you want everyone to be bused around to create schools that do well enough on the SOLs without all of that prep. Nevermind the harm that would cause to the kids who do need it, because all that matters is your kid.

It's really rich to hear you all trashing N.A. parents as only caring about their own kids when you're no different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP's above nailed it all right. It is a whole different world in S.A schools.

I challenge any N.A. parent who disagrees to come to a S.A. school and check out the activities and PTA expenses. We are at a title I S.A. school. We have a little money to spend, but not much. And, we spend money on things like coat drives and basics for some of the families. Rather than after school enrichment, kids are taking extra SOL preps. Those who don't need it don't get access to enrichment those days because the school won't do anything unless ALL kids can do it.

Our classrooms are filled with old furniture. Our yard is weeds. All of our equipment in the class is old. We don't do plays or independent projects. Things are really basic here.

What would you like to see happen? Bus some of the poor kids from your neighborhood to schools in the north? Force some of the kids in the north to come south? Move option programs around? Share PTA money? Give an opportunity to transfer your kids to Jamestown?

Serious question.

Moving option schools around is the most realistic option, and the best, IMHO. It's non-coercive. The idea is to create integrated, desirable schools as an alternative to the segregated schools ... besides the value of the particular instructional model (immersion, montessori, expeditionary learning, etc.) it would give NA kids exposure to the increasingly diverse future they will have to navigate as adults; and it would give SA student a view of what high performing schools and peers are actually like, not to mention the immense resource that is a critical mass of engaged parents. The key is to make it more attractive than a neighborhood school for a range of families.

I think APS wanted to do that, to the extent that was politically possible. Unfortunately, it seems like NA parents put the kibosh on that, at least for the time being. For whatever self-interested reason, moving around option schools was squashed a month ago. SA doesn't have that kind of mojo so it's no point denying it was a north Arlington thing. Will be interesting to see if it reemerges in a year or two or if it's just dead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

LOL! This is the best. Some Northies really don't understand how good they've got it. It's like mitt Romney making that 100k bet.

Do you really expect people to take you seriously when you use the word “northies?”

It’s also hard to take them seriously when you know they’re people who could afford to buy into better schools further out but would prefer to stay in South Arlington and have everyone else cortort around them to give their children “ideal” educations. The parents in South Arlington who really don’t have better options, with the kids who enter school barely speaking English and parents who can’t engage with the school because they’re working two jobs to afford their “affordable” housing, aren’t coming here to post in perfect English about how their high school might not have a pool. And when they express their views on what they want for their kids, it’s often not the same as what the UMC whites would prefer, so when the latter come on here claiming to advocate for the former, be very skeptical because they’re really just using the former as props for their own ends.

Of course if they all did that the schools in Arlington would be even more segregated, and the neighborhoods too. Plenty of reason to think that is not a great thing. I mean unless you have house further out you are trying to sell, I guess.

Totally, f those people for wanting the same thing as north Arlington people but not being so rich or having such wealthy parents.

The sense of entitlement is pretty breathtaking. The NA atttitide is "we got ours", immigrants are great, the rest of you, gtfo and move to Springfield, short commutes are for us and the cleaning lady. It's a wonder they vote for democrats. I don't envy their cognitive dissonance on that, there a little tea part in each one.

Nice deflection. No one said you had to move, it's just gross when UMC white people in South Arlington use their poor brown neighbors as props to advocate for what they want, calling racist anyone who disagrees with them because "Oh, the poor brown children," conveniently ignoring the fact that, when actually asked instead of presuming, those parents don't want the things the UMC white families are asking for in their name.

Ya know... I would have agreed with that... until
I went online and actually looked at Discovery elementary school.
Oh my! I promise you. If you took your cleaning lady on a tour of Discovery elementary school and asked her if she could have the choice between Discovery and Randolph, I promise you, she would love love love to have the opportunity to send her children there. Of course thats not what they are asked. North Arlington liberals like to ask the good familes of Barcroft Apartments questions like this:
Are you happy with your school?
Do you want to be ripped away from your community?
Do you want to be a minority in a school full of people who aren’t like you?
Are you scared that you might be deported if you leave your enclave?
Are you concerned wealthy students will treat your kids poorly?

Yeah. They aren’t putting up much of a fuss. They are APS’ favorite demographic. They don’t know what they don’t know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If nothing else, let's look at the discussions earlier about how S.A. schools spend all kinds of extra time prepping for SOLs that the N.A. schools don't. People here are complaining about being "stuck" (which you're not) in S.A. schools where their kids have to sit through all of this unnecessary-for-them prep that the "other" kids need to pass. That's happening because those kids, for whatever reason, really need that extra time working on the fundamentals in order to grasp them. You can try to dismiss it as "SOL prep," but really it's extra time spent on helping those kids learn the skills they need to master in order to succeed. You don't want your kid to be burdened with it, so you want everyone to be bused around to create schools that do well enough on the SOLs without all of that prep. Nevermind the harm that would cause to the kids who do need it, because all that matters is your kid.

It's really rich to hear you all trashing N.A. parents as only caring about their own kids when you're no different.

No. That’s a bunch of crap. Those kids would benefit from a deeper and more enriching learning environment.