Who is considering turning down a middle school magnet spot?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our son was accepted to both programs. I'm somewhat intrigued by the Takoma Park program, while my DH is very strongly anti-magnet. Our home MS is Pyle, which we liked for our older two, but that was many years ago. The bus trip seems like it would be incredibly annoying.

Does anyone have any recent experience choosing Takoma Park over Pyle? I'd love to hear your impressions if so.

Why is your husband anti magnet?

He graduated from Whitman in the late 80s, and thought that there was zero difference in ability and outcomes between the kids picked for the gifted/magnet programs and those who stayed at Pyle and Whitman. He also thought that a lot of the magnet kids were annoying. He thinks there is no reason for anyone who can send their kid to Whitman or one of the other wealthy MoCo schools to get any extra help given that between the high level of offerings at the home schools and mostly wealthy, committed parents, all these kids already have everything they need to do well in life.

I don't really disagree with him, and we didn't see too much of a difference between the magnet kids and the studious kids at Whitman when our much older kids went through HS. But I've always felt guilty that we haven't done anything special to support our youngest, besides nagging him to read. He's intensely curious about a lot of things, and loves science in particular. I worry we should be giving him more opportunities or academic support, but neither of us is math or science oriented at all.

This is a funny post to me because I graduated from a W HS in the late 80s, and had no clue there were even any gifted/magnet programs. Maybe because I wasn't going to qualify anyway...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you mean kids get bullied or beat up, or what’s happening at Eastern?

The lunch room is a shit show. My child has not experienced bullies but definitely steers clear of certain groups of people. For example she says she approached a lunch table and was told to “get the F—-away”. I’m sure it happens at all middle schools, but IMO it’s worse at Eastern than our home middle school (my older kids have gone to home middle school).
Her PE/health class is almost entirely ESOL so they can’t even seem to communicate to play games in PE.
The facilities are beyond depressing.
Think of all the reasons you don’t want to buy a home zoned to a low income school and that’s what Eastern is. Kids who don’t have parental supervision as much as they should, lots of absences, middle schoolers having sex, bad language (again true at all middle schools but rougher here). It’s a very strange system to mix these two very different groups of kids, then label them magnet and comprehensive. Of course there is a divide.

My kid is at a non-W Middle School, and there are definitely issues, but Eastern is quite different, IMO. We had a relative at Eastern MS and it's a lot to ask for an 11 year old to deal with the racial issues that arise when you stick some magnet kids in a school such as Eastern.

Our nonW lunch room is also crazy, but not at the level that we have heard about Eastern.

I know this year, some 6th grade magnet parents approached admin about the situation, but there has not been much improvement. Definitely talk to some current students and parents and go visit for yourself. Agree that you should check out the lunch room.

DP. Can random parents 'check out the lunch room' by just walking in at a random school day?
Honest question, at our current ES you have to be buzzed in and then sign up after showing an ID.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you mean kids get bullied or beat up, or what’s happening at Eastern?

The lunch room is a shit show. My child has not experienced bullies but definitely steers clear of certain groups of people. For example she says she approached a lunch table and was told to “get the F—-away”. I’m sure it happens at all middle schools, but IMO it’s worse at Eastern than our home middle school (my older kids have gone to home middle school).
Her PE/health class is almost entirely ESOL so they can’t even seem to communicate to play games in PE.
The facilities are beyond depressing.
Think of all the reasons you don’t want to buy a home zoned to a low income school and that’s what Eastern is. Kids who don’t have parental supervision as much as they should, lots of absences, middle schoolers having sex, bad language (again true at all middle schools but rougher here). It’s a very strange system to mix these two very different groups of kids, then label them magnet and comprehensive. Of course there is a divide.

My kid is at a non-W Middle School, and there are definitely issues, but Eastern is quite different, IMO. We had a relative at Eastern MS and it's a lot to ask for an 11 year old to deal with the racial issues that arise when you stick some magnet kids in a school such as Eastern.

Our nonW lunch room is also crazy, but not at the level that we have heard about Eastern.

I know this year, some 6th grade magnet parents approached admin about the situation, but there has not been much improvement. Definitely talk to some current students and parents and go visit for yourself. Agree that you should check out the lunch room.

DP. Can random parents 'check out the lunch room' by just walking in at a random school day?
Honest question, at our current ES you have to be buzzed in and then sign up after showing an ID.

This is supposed to be the protocol at all schools now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you mean kids get bullied or beat up, or what’s happening at Eastern?

The lunch room is a shit show. My child has not experienced bullies but definitely steers clear of certain groups of people. For example she says she approached a lunch table and was told to “get the F—-away”. I’m sure it happens at all middle schools, but IMO it’s worse at Eastern than our home middle school (my older kids have gone to home middle school).
Her PE/health class is almost entirely ESOL so they can’t even seem to communicate to play games in PE.
The facilities are beyond depressing.
Think of all the reasons you don’t want to buy a home zoned to a low income school and that’s what Eastern is. Kids who don’t have parental supervision as much as they should, lots of absences, middle schoolers having sex, bad language (again true at all middle schools but rougher here). It’s a very strange system to mix these two very different groups of kids, then label them magnet and comprehensive. Of course there is a divide.

My kid is at a non-W Middle School, and there are definitely issues, but Eastern is quite different, IMO. We had a relative at Eastern MS and it's a lot to ask for an 11 year old to deal with the racial issues that arise when you stick some magnet kids in a school such as Eastern.

Our nonW lunch room is also crazy, but not at the level that we have heard about Eastern.

I know this year, some 6th grade magnet parents approached admin about the situation, but there has not been much improvement. Definitely talk to some current students and parents and go visit for yourself. Agree that you should check out the lunch room.

DP. Can random parents 'check out the lunch room' by just walking in at a random school day?
Honest question, at our current ES you have to be buzzed in and then sign up after showing an ID.

This is supposed to be the protocol at all schools now.

So how do I "check out the lunch room" if my kid isn't enrolled at the school yet?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our son was accepted to both programs. I'm somewhat intrigued by the Takoma Park program, while my DH is very strongly anti-magnet. Our home MS is Pyle, which we liked for our older two, but that was many years ago. The bus trip seems like it would be incredibly annoying.

Does anyone have any recent experience choosing Takoma Park over Pyle? I'd love to hear your impressions if so.

Why is your husband anti magnet?

He graduated from Whitman in the late 80s, and thought that there was zero difference in ability and outcomes between the kids picked for the gifted/magnet programs and those who stayed at Pyle and Whitman. He also thought that a lot of the magnet kids were annoying. He thinks there is no reason for anyone who can send their kid to Whitman or one of the other wealthy MoCo schools to get any extra help given that between the high level of offerings at the home schools and mostly wealthy, committed parents, all these kids already have everything they need to do well in life.

I don't really disagree with him, and we didn't see too much of a difference between the magnet kids and the studious kids at Whitman when our much older kids went through HS. But I've always felt guilty that we haven't done anything special to support our youngest, besides nagging him to read. He's intensely curious about a lot of things, and loves science in particular. I worry we should be giving him more opportunities or academic support, but neither of us is math or science oriented at all.

Interesting. If one of those was our home middle school I might feel similarly. That said your husbands experience is decades out of date - probably worth you both checking it out.

[Anonymous]

Tpms magnet means social pressure for Blair down the road. Just say'n.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our son was accepted to both programs. I'm somewhat intrigued by the Takoma Park program, while my DH is very strongly anti-magnet. Our home MS is Pyle, which we liked for our older two, but that was many years ago. The bus trip seems like it would be incredibly annoying.

Does anyone have any recent experience choosing Takoma Park over Pyle? I'd love to hear your impressions if so.

Why is your husband anti magnet?

He graduated from Whitman in the late 80s, and thought that there was zero difference in ability and outcomes between the kids picked for the gifted/magnet programs and those who stayed at Pyle and Whitman. He also thought that a lot of the magnet kids were annoying. He thinks there is no reason for anyone who can send their kid to Whitman or one of the other wealthy MoCo schools to get any extra help given that between the high level of offerings at the home schools and mostly wealthy, committed parents, all these kids already have everything they need to do well in life.

I don't really disagree with him, and we didn't see too much of a difference between the magnet kids and the studious kids at Whitman when our much older kids went through HS. But I've always felt guilty that we haven't done anything special to support our youngest, besides nagging him to read. He's intensely curious about a lot of things, and loves science in particular. I worry we should be giving him more opportunities or academic support, but neither of us is math or science oriented at all.

Interesting. If one of those was our home middle school I might feel similarly. That said your husbands experience is decades out of date - probably worth you both checking it out.

He is very prone to make decisions based on instincts he had 30+ years ago, as I found when our older two were going through the college process. There's no chance he'd be willing to attend an open house, but I hope he'll at least not kick up a fuss about our son attending with me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tpms magnet means social pressure for Blair down the road. Just say'n.

And your point is?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you mean kids get bullied or beat up, or what’s happening at Eastern?

Our DC likes Eastern overall, and really likes the Magnet. He says the lunch room is loud, and the kids in his PE/health class mess around a ton. But, he doesn't notice much difference in his science and math classes (non-magnet) in terms of mis-behaving. No bullying or beating up to be reported.

I teach at Eastern. There aren’t fights or attacks between the magnet and comprehensive students. Last year, there were two fights between magnet students.

[Anonymous]

If you go to TP or Eastern magnet’s, that also opens doors in terms of applying to DCC-only application programs for high school, like the Wheaton biomed and engineering magnets and Blair CAP. These aren’t open to non DCC students unless they went to TP or Eastern magnets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you go to TP or Eastern magnet’s, that also opens doors in terms of applying to DCC-only application programs for high school, like the Wheaton biomed and engineering magnets and Blair CAP. These aren’t open to non DCC students unless they went to TP or Eastern magnets.

Interesting. I didn't know that, thanks! I thought everyone is eligible for any high-school magnet of their choice, provided they can get in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you go to TP or Eastern magnet’s, that also opens doors in terms of applying to DCC-only application programs for high school, like the Wheaton biomed and engineering magnets and Blair CAP. These aren’t open to non DCC students unless they went to TP or Eastern magnets.

Interesting. I didn't know that, thanks! I thought everyone is eligible for any high-school magnet of their choice, provided they can get in.

Only three HS application programs are available countywide. Just the Global Ecology House (at Poolesville), Visual Art Center (at Einstein), and the IB Diploma Program (at RM). The rest are limited to a specific region or consortium:

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/specialprograms/high/

[Anonymous]

They have revised the HS app program so no more advantage coming from a middle magnet now...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you mean kids get bullied or beat up, or what’s happening at Eastern?

Our DC likes Eastern overall, and really likes the Magnet. He says the lunch room is loud, and the kids in his PE/health class mess around a ton. But, he doesn't notice much difference in his science and math classes (non-magnet) in terms of mis-behaving. No bullying or beating up to be reported.

I teach at Eastern. There aren’t fights or attacks between the magnet and comprehensive students. Last year, there were two fights between magnet students.

How many fights between the local kids. You are saying the rougher local kids don’t have an opportunity to bully the magnet students ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you go to TP or Eastern magnet’s, that also opens doors in terms of applying to DCC-only application programs for high school, like the Wheaton biomed and engineering magnets and Blair CAP. These aren’t open to non DCC students unless they went to TP or Eastern magnets.

Where can we find more information? Can kids take the Blair bus