oyster

[Anonymous]

Actually let's not denigate criticism of Oyster and say it's only coming from Rhee bashers. The middle school is problematic. Let's try and fix it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oyster parent here. It's bar-none the best dual language option in the city through 5th grade. 6th thru 8th IS wobbly, and not sure how easily it will be corrected as long as 50-60% of the student body is also in the boundary for Deal. Ever tempting to kids who've got the dual-language thing down, and Oyster-Adams has not been able to match the extracurriculars/organization/enthusiasm of Deal as an MS. So if you're comparing Oyster to somewhere else in low grades, you can count on Oyster. Then devote your volunteer hours to the MS program!

Wow. I can't tell what's more remarkable about this claim: is it the arrogance? or the ignorance?

It seems unlikely you have children in any of the many other dual-language programs. It also seems unlikely you know anything about French Immersion or Spanish Montessori classrooms. It's obvious you know nothing at all about Mandarin. Why are you so insecure, that you're claiming your school to be the best, when there are several other programs succeeding at challenges much greater than Oyster's? Older isn't always better, there's a lot to be said for new and innovative.

[Anonymous]

What's wrong with Oyster is choice. When it was the only immersion game in town ten years ago, people camped out for two weeks to get their children in. Now that there are a dozen immersion programs in the city (traditional DCPS and charters) and some of those with an interesting twist (Mandarin, Montessori, etc.) it's just not as special or unique as it once was. Doesn't mean it isn't still good, or at least better than many, many other schools in D.C.

[Anonymous]

12:18. Ouch! Glad you're not MY mommy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure who the Oyster bashers are-- and why a non-O-A parent who is "serious about immersion" would have a bone to pick with a school with which s/he has no connection. It's a school. Some people love it. Some don't. It works for some kids-- and with immersion, it is a gamble whether it's perfect for your child. In my experience, no one has left my child's class and no one has left amongst my friends in other grades. But some families and kids won't like it and some teachers won't want to teach there. A couple have left, including one I really liked, because they didn't like the new bilingual model that started last year. People coming in to that model from day 1-- like two of my child's teachers-- are fine with it.

The most important things you can do when considering a school are to visit the school and get to know some present/past parents and kids. When you are choosing, it doesn't really matter that Oyster has a couple of hundred people on the waitlist (it still does), nor does it matter that Rhee fired one principal and hired another (she did). It doesn't matter how many people say that it's magical unicorn land or how many shriek that the bloom is off of the rose. What matters is how it's working out for the kids and whether in your estimation it could be a good fit for you.

O-A parent here and ITA with this post. (Also skeptical of "serious immersion" parent questions.) PP is right that Oyster, at elementary level, is no longer the only public game in town. It's also no longer an elementary school. There's no public middle school dual immersion program (yet) to even make an apples-to-apples comparison. Immersion programs are a challenge to evaluate in general. There are no standard definitions (at least in DC) of what constitutes a "bilingual" program. Could be 90% non-English, could be 50%, could be less, could be certain subjects only, etc. You really need to visit each school and decide for yourself which is the right fit. Bear in mind that programs can change as trends in bilingual pedagogy evolve or percent of native-level language speakers in a class or school shifts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:12:18. Ouch! Glad you're not MY mommy.

Why is that, pumpkin? Perhaps because you're an Oyster student and people have started to discover that Oyster is no longer the only language game in town? And now you're disappointed because you expected to be coddled indefinitely. You poor lost soul.

[Anonymous]

15:56 There was something like 250 applicants for the K class. Or more. I know someone who was number 226. So, it's still very much in-demand.

Do other programs have two teachers per classroom? Does Oyster? (It's changed since we left two years ago.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:15:56 There was something like 250 applicants for the K class. Or more. I know someone who was number 226. So, it's still very much in-demand.

Do other programs have two teachers per classroom? Does Oyster? (It's changed since we left two years ago.)

Yu Ying has two teachers per classroom: 2 native English speakers in the English classroom and 2 native Mandarin speakers in the Chinese classroom. There are two classes per grade and students switch from English to Chinese on successive days so the entire day is all in one language. It takes a lot of coordination between English & Chinese teachers to ensure they're covering the same material in the respective classrooms. This is our third year at the school, with a child who is in 1st grade now (Pre-K, K, 1st). I think the teachers and the school do an outstanding job.

[Anonymous]

Strongest Immersion Programs
(1) Oyster - Spanish
(2) Yu Ying - Chinese
(3) Latin - Latin
(4) LAMB

[Anonymous]

Hold on a minute. Latin immersion? Somebody please tell me what immersion means to DCPS if one can be immersed in Latin.

[Anonymous]

Now I see who the sensitive one is..."Pumpkin"...please, you make Yu Ying look bad and I know plenty of great parents there. Get over yourself! Whether it's Spanish or Chinese, immersion in low grades fosters excellent skills for later in life. As for Oyster being "tops", well, it's not been proven wrong yet! Our grads are finding high schools and middle schools creating special curriculum only for these bilingual students. Yu Ying may get there, but thus far it is just too young.

[Anonymous]

There are self-described Latin immersion programs.
I don't think Washington Latin meets the standard.

http://laclassical.wordpress.com/2009/12/09/latin-immersion-programs-at-salvi/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What's wrong with Oyster is choice. When it was the only immersion game in town ten years ago, people camped out for two weeks to get their children in. Now that there are a dozen immersion programs in the city (traditional DCPS and charters) and some of those with an interesting twist (Mandarin, Montessori, etc.) it's just not as special or unique as it once was. Doesn't mean it isn't still good, or at least better than many, many other schools in D.C.

So what's going to fix it? As long as Kaya Henderson is the interim Chancellor, isn't Monica going to remain the Principal? And if that is the case, what is the motivating factor for change? Who or what is going to bring Oyster back into the lead language program? If Oyster is so great, why did Rhee put her daughter elsewhere?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Now I see who the sensitive one is..."Pumpkin"...please, you make Yu Ying look bad and I know plenty of great parents there. Get over yourself! Whether it's Spanish or Chinese, immersion in low grades fosters excellent skills for later in life. As for Oyster being "tops", well, it's not been proven wrong yet! Our grads are finding high schools and middle schools creating special curriculum only for these bilingual students. Yu Ying may get there, but thus far it is just too young.

That makes no sense. If Oyster were a great school, why would students be leaving it for other middle schools? Leaving in such numbers that other middle schools would find a reason to create special curricula* for this exodus/migration of Oyster students? After all, it goes through middle school, right? If it were great, wouldn't the students be staying - as opposed to leaving - in droves?

*(the plural you meant to employ)

[Anonymous]

I know a lot of families who would be happy to have their children attend Oyster. Go ahead and talk about strife and tension, try and lay down the narrative that Oyster is headed south, and Oyster will still be a desirable school to attend and will still have a lengthy waiting list for years to come.