Last night’s open house at ITS

[Anonymous]

Was anybody else who attended less than impressed? I’m wondering, honestly, what makes people love it?

[Anonymous]

It is a reasonably well managed upper income demographic school that is not so in-demand as to be impossible to get into. If you don't want language immersion or Montessori, it's the best option in the area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is a reasonably well managed upper income demographic school that is not so in-demand as to be impossible to get into. If you don't want language immersion or Montessori, it's the best option in the area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Was anybody else who attended less than impressed? I’m wondering, honestly, what makes people love it?

This was my reaction too. The Open House was just not particularly well organized and they gave very little substantive information. I've been more impressed by open houses at comparable Montessori charters and I wonder if that's because they have a "schtick" to present, while ITS doesn't? We're not interested in immersion, but that's a specific schtick too. Like, maybe ITS is just a school that does school pretty well in a pretty traditional school kind of way, but that's hard to get across at an open house? They spent awhile talking about the teacher training program, which seems like a good program from the school and trainee teachers point of view... but it's not particularly attractive to me from the perspective of a parent. (It's not unattractive either, it's just something that is. Why would I pick a school on that basis?)

I also felt like the PK3 teacher who they had available was really dismissive of/didn't totally understand parent questions, whereas the Lee PK3 teacher was really engaging and made an impressive effort to answer even the most annoying of questions. That may be totally unreflective of how they are as teachers, of course... and that's only a 1 for 1 comparison. I was actually more impressed by the upper elementary (3rd and 4th grade) teachers ITS had available upstairs, that just seems so far in the future to me at this point/I have less idea of what I'll be looking for then.

[Anonymous]

I agree. My kids go there and that is why we attend. One thing to note is that is a social activist school. Last week or the week before was BLM week and there were BLM oriented activities during and after the school day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree. My kids go there and that is why we attend. One thing to note is that is a social activist school. Last week or the week before was BLM week and there were BLM oriented activities during and after the school day.

Great, now maybe consider an at-risk preference! Or is that a bridge too far?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Was anybody else who attended less than impressed? I’m wondering, honestly, what makes people love it?

This was my reaction too. The Open House was just not particularly well organized and they gave very little substantive information. I've been more impressed by open houses at comparable Montessori charters and I wonder if that's because they have a "schtick" to present, while ITS doesn't? We're not interested in immersion, but that's a specific schtick too. Like, maybe ITS is just a school that does school pretty well in a pretty traditional school kind of way, but that's hard to get across at an open house? They spent awhile talking about the teacher training program, which seems like a good program from the school and trainee teachers point of view... but it's not particularly attractive to me from the perspective of a parent. (It's not unattractive either, it's just something that is. Why would I pick a school on that basis?)

I also felt like the PK3 teacher who they had available was really dismissive of/didn't totally understand parent questions, whereas the Lee PK3 teacher was really engaging and made an impressive effort to answer even the most annoying of questions. That may be totally unreflective of how they are as teachers, of course... and that's only a 1 for 1 comparison. I was actually more impressed by the upper elementary (3rd and 4th grade) teachers ITS had available upstairs, that just seems so far in the future to me at this point/I have less idea of what I'll be looking for then.

I COMPLETELY DISAGREE with your assessment of ITS Pre-K program. The Pre-K program is why I elected to send my kids there. Our experience with Pre-K has been amazing. We've had both Pre-K teachers and I cannot recommend ITS pre-K program enough. Our eldest is in K and they've adopted a new math curriculum this year. The kids love it and it is very advanced. I think the best thing about ITS is the dedicated teachers. They are far more dedicated than any school I ever went to. I get daily/weekly updates about what is going on in class via email. I doubt other schools can say the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Was anybody else who attended less than impressed? I’m wondering, honestly, what makes people love it?

This was my reaction too. The Open House was just not particularly well organized and they gave very little substantive information. I've been more impressed by open houses at comparable Montessori charters and I wonder if that's because they have a "schtick" to present, while ITS doesn't? We're not interested in immersion, but that's a specific schtick too. Like, maybe ITS is just a school that does school pretty well in a pretty traditional school kind of way, but that's hard to get across at an open house? They spent awhile talking about the teacher training program, which seems like a good program from the school and trainee teachers point of view... but it's not particularly attractive to me from the perspective of a parent. (It's not unattractive either, it's just something that is. Why would I pick a school on that basis?)

I also felt like the PK3 teacher who they had available was really dismissive of/didn't totally understand parent questions, whereas the Lee PK3 teacher was really engaging and made an impressive effort to answer even the most annoying of questions. That may be totally unreflective of how they are as teachers, of course... and that's only a 1 for 1 comparison. I was actually more impressed by the upper elementary (3rd and 4th grade) teachers ITS had available upstairs, that just seems so far in the future to me at this point/I have less idea of what I'll be looking for then.

Teacher training is the school's niche. Its raison d'etre. ITS - Inspired TEACHING School; it was founded by the Center for Inspired Teaching, etc.

Perhaps they need to be more explicit as to how that commitment to excellence in teacher benefits the students, but I think it is certainly implied.

[Anonymous]

From a parent perspective, the teacher training program is amazing. There are two teachers in nearly every classroom - in most cases, that includes an experienced master teacher and a learning resident teacher - and it's so valuable for kids to have both and to be able to see their teachers learn from each other and complement each other and work as a team. (PK3 and PK4 have a paraprofessional in each classroom in addition to the two teacher.)

I think the teaching and commitment to teacher excellence is what sets ITS apart - as a prospective parent, it wasn't something that was so much on my radar. But as someone who's been at the school for a number of years, it is the thing that I most value.

(And YES, an at-risk preference would be great and if that becomes an option in the lottery, I hope the school opts in.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree. My kids go there and that is why we attend. One thing to note is that is a social activist school. Last week or the week before was BLM week and there were BLM oriented activities during and after the school day.

Great, now maybe consider an at-risk preference! Or is that a bridge too far?

Look, it's a perfectly fine school. Parents should note that it has a social activism bent. I was surprised about the BLM events using public tax dollars. I suppose it's not against the law, but who knows. Personally, I care more that my kids are getting a good basic education (reading, writing , math, etc.) than the social activist aspects of what they get at ITS. My kids are really to young to appreciate the meaning behind any of it. Last night my 3-year old announced at dinner in response to my eldest daughter saying pink was her favorite color that "Black is beautiful." When I asked her what she meant she said the color black is beautiful, (i.e. clearly she meant the color and not the race). It does puzzle me why ITS spends time giving these messages to 3 year-old that cannot appreciate the meaning behind it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Was anybody else who attended less than impressed? I’m wondering, honestly, what makes people love it?

This was my reaction too. The Open House was just not particularly well organized and they gave very little substantive information. I've been more impressed by open houses at comparable Montessori charters and I wonder if that's because they have a "schtick" to present, while ITS doesn't? We're not interested in immersion, but that's a specific schtick too. Like, maybe ITS is just a school that does school pretty well in a pretty traditional school kind of way, but that's hard to get across at an open house? They spent awhile talking about the teacher training program, which seems like a good program from the school and trainee teachers point of view... but it's not particularly attractive to me from the perspective of a parent. (It's not unattractive either, it's just something that is. Why would I pick a school on that basis?)

I also felt like the PK3 teacher who they had available was really dismissive of/didn't totally understand parent questions, whereas the Lee PK3 teacher was really engaging and made an impressive effort to answer even the most annoying of questions. That may be totally unreflective of how they are as teachers, of course... and that's only a 1 for 1 comparison. I was actually more impressed by the upper elementary (3rd and 4th grade) teachers ITS had available upstairs, that just seems so far in the future to me at this point/I have less idea of what I'll be looking for then.

I COMPLETELY DISAGREE with your assessment of ITS Pre-K program. The Pre-K program is why I elected to send my kids there. Our experience with Pre-K has been amazing. We've had both Pre-K teachers and I cannot recommend ITS pre-K program enough. Our eldest is in K and they've adopted a new math curriculum this year. The kids love it and it is very advanced. I think the best thing about ITS is the dedicated teachers. They are far more dedicated than any school I ever went to. I get daily/weekly updates about what is going on in class via email. I doubt other schools can say the same.

Sorry, I was 100% not assessing ITS to be a bad PK3. I know lots of people who love it there. I was just unimpressed with the Open House and was trying to figure out why. I was unimpressed with the one PK3 teacher who was answering questions, but again I noted that I wasn't unimpressed in her teaching ability (which I didn't see) and that her ability to field parent questions may or may not have any relationship to that ability.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Was anybody else who attended less than impressed? I’m wondering, honestly, what makes people love it?

This was my reaction too. The Open House was just not particularly well organized and they gave very little substantive information. I've been more impressed by open houses at comparable Montessori charters and I wonder if that's because they have a "schtick" to present, while ITS doesn't? We're not interested in immersion, but that's a specific schtick too. Like, maybe ITS is just a school that does school pretty well in a pretty traditional school kind of way, but that's hard to get across at an open house? They spent awhile talking about the teacher training program, which seems like a good program from the school and trainee teachers point of view... but it's not particularly attractive to me from the perspective of a parent. (It's not unattractive either, it's just something that is. Why would I pick a school on that basis?)

I also felt like the PK3 teacher who they had available was really dismissive of/didn't totally understand parent questions, whereas the Lee PK3 teacher was really engaging and made an impressive effort to answer even the most annoying of questions. That may be totally unreflective of how they are as teachers, of course... and that's only a 1 for 1 comparison. I was actually more impressed by the upper elementary (3rd and 4th grade) teachers ITS had available upstairs, that just seems so far in the future to me at this point/I have less idea of what I'll be looking for then.

Teacher training is the school's niche. Its raison d'etre. ITS - Inspired TEACHING School; it was founded by the Center for Inspired Teaching, etc.

Perhaps they need to be more explicit as to how that commitment to excellence in teacher benefits the students, but I think it is certainly implied.

Yeah, they didn't actually explain why it benefited kids at all. They answered one question re: whether the cycling of trainee teachers was a negative for the school adequately, but didn't in any way stress the positives. So maybe they do have a schtick and they just didn't explain it well enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From a parent perspective, the teacher training program is amazing. There are two teachers in nearly every classroom - in most cases, that includes an experienced master teacher and a learning resident teacher - and it's so valuable for kids to have both and to be able to see their teachers learn from each other and complement each other and work as a team. (PK3 and PK4 have a paraprofessional in each classroom in addition to the two teacher.)

I think the teaching and commitment to teacher excellence is what sets ITS apart - as a prospective parent, it wasn't something that was so much on my radar. But as someone who's been at the school for a number of years, it is the thing that I most value.

(And YES, an at-risk preference would be great and if that becomes an option in the lottery, I hope the school opts in.)

Thanks, this is helpful. But don't all PK3/4s have at least 2 teachers? Is a teacher trainee better in practice than a teaching assistant?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From a parent perspective, the teacher training program is amazing. There are two teachers in nearly every classroom - in most cases, that includes an experienced master teacher and a learning resident teacher - and it's so valuable for kids to have both and to be able to see their teachers learn from each other and complement each other and work as a team. (PK3 and PK4 have a paraprofessional in each classroom in addition to the two teacher.)

I think the teaching and commitment to teacher excellence is what sets ITS apart - as a prospective parent, it wasn't something that was so much on my radar. But as someone who's been at the school for a number of years, it is the thing that I most value.

(And YES, an at-risk preference would be great and if that becomes an option in the lottery, I hope the school opts in.)

Thanks, this is helpful. But don't all PK3/4s have at least 2 teachers? Is a teacher trainee better in practice than a teaching assistant?

It depends on the school (especially comparing charters to charters). But a teaching assistant doesn't typically have an education degree, and may never intend to get one. A teaching in training will have more credentials.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Was anybody else who attended less than impressed? I’m wondering, honestly, what makes people love it?

This was my reaction too. The Open House was just not particularly well organized and they gave very little substantive information. I've been more impressed by open houses at comparable Montessori charters and I wonder if that's because they have a "schtick" to present, while ITS doesn't? We're not interested in immersion, but that's a specific schtick too. Like, maybe ITS is just a school that does school pretty well in a pretty traditional school kind of way, but that's hard to get across at an open house? They spent awhile talking about the teacher training program, which seems like a good program from the school and trainee teachers point of view... but it's not particularly attractive to me from the perspective of a parent. (It's not unattractive either, it's just something that is. Why would I pick a school on that basis?)

I also felt like the PK3 teacher who they had available was really dismissive of/didn't totally understand parent questions, whereas the Lee PK3 teacher was really engaging and made an impressive effort to answer even the most annoying of questions. That may be totally unreflective of how they are as teachers, of course... and that's only a 1 for 1 comparison. I was actually more impressed by the upper elementary (3rd and 4th grade) teachers ITS had available upstairs, that just seems so far in the future to me at this point/I have less idea of what I'll be looking for then.

I COMPLETELY DISAGREE with your assessment of ITS Pre-K program. The Pre-K program is why I elected to send my kids there. Our experience with Pre-K has been amazing. We've had both Pre-K teachers and I cannot recommend ITS pre-K program enough. Our eldest is in K and they've adopted a new math curriculum this year. The kids love it and it is very advanced. I think the best thing about ITS is the dedicated teachers. They are far more dedicated than any school I ever went to. I get daily/weekly updates about what is going on in class via email. I doubt other schools can say the same.

Sorry, I was 100% not assessing ITS to be a bad PK3. I know lots of people who love it there. I was just unimpressed with the Open House and was trying to figure out why. I was unimpressed with the one PK3 teacher who was answering questions, but again I noted that I wasn't unimpressed in her teaching ability (which I didn't see) and that her ability to field parent questions may or may not have any relationship to that ability.

Open Houses are pretty unimpressive in general. Or, sometimes, they are so impressive and it makes a bad school look good. All I am saying is, take it with a grain of salt. Some people present well, some schools care more about the OH. Many schools which are already super popular probably do not spend their limited resources of time and energy making great open houses. That might be a shame, but it kinda make sense too.