Culture and values at FCPS Middle Schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:We aren't Muslim or very socially conservative but DC went through the AAP Program at Rocky Run and that would probably fit the bill. There were a lot of very studious kids whose families did not allow dating and had very high expectations for behavior and academics.

+1 I agree with this and would also add Carson to the list. Basically one of the AAP center schools.

Are you people really this naive?? Seriously? AAP centers are no different than base schools. "AAP" doesn't really mean much, and it certainly doesn't mean "studious and chaste."

+1

Rocky Run and Carson, as well as all the other AAP center schools, are no different than a base school. You people who think they are different seriously have your heads in the sand.

Our oldest went to one of the above mentioned center schools and our youngest two went to the base. The difference was night and day. Not just academics but behavior too.

+1 people who deny this are the ones with their heads in the sand.

I've taught at four FCPS middle schools, two AAP centers and two not centers.

Ranking overall behavior, from disruptive behavior to disrespectful behavior, dangerous behavior to annoying behavior, #1 being the best and #4 being the worst, I'd rank them like this:

#1-- not a center
#2-- center
#3-- not a center
#4-- center

In my experience, the behavior is similar in severity regardless of AAP center status. Based on my experience, the responses that say there is no difference are the accurate ones.

Exactly. It is the height of wishful thinking to insist that center schools have "better behaved" kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We aren't Muslim or very socially conservative but DC went through the AAP Program at Rocky Run and that would probably fit the bill. There were a lot of very studious kids whose families did not allow dating and had very high expectations for behavior and academics.

+1 I agree with this and would also add Carson to the list. Basically one of the AAP center schools.

Are you people really this naive?? Seriously? AAP centers are no different than base schools. "AAP" doesn't really mean much, and it certainly doesn't mean "studious and chaste."

+1

Rocky Run and Carson, as well as all the other AAP center schools, are no different than a base school. You people who think they are different seriously have your heads in the sand.

Our oldest went to one of the above mentioned center schools and our youngest two went to the base. The difference was night and day. Not just academics but behavior too.

+1 people who deny this are the ones with their heads in the sand.

I've taught at four FCPS middle schools, two AAP centers and two not centers.

Ranking overall behavior, from disruptive behavior to disrespectful behavior, dangerous behavior to annoying behavior, #1 being the best and #4 being the worst, I'd rank them like this:

#1-- not a center
#2-- center
#3-- not a center
#4-- center

In my experience, the behavior is similar in severity regardless of AAP center status. Based on my experience, the responses that say there is no difference are the accurate ones.

Exactly. It is the height of wishful thinking to insist that center schools have "better behaved" kids.

Not really. Even one of the counselors said the center school was a bubble.

[Anonymous]

It’s no secret AAP/honors classes tend to have better behaved kids. It’s only natural that a center school will have more of their types running around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hello,

We are looking to relocate to Fairfax County and would like ask about values of student body in middle schools there. We are muslim and socially conservative. That being said, we would like our daughter to attend a middle school where is there is less of boyfriend/girlfriend culture and more focus on academics. We respect everyones culture and choices, but our culture and religion requires that we refrain from sexuality before getting married. That being said, we would like to pick a middle school with less of that going on. We realize that all schools will have that to an extent, but we would like to choose a school with less of that. We also realized that we play important role in teaching our values to her. She is very good at math. Which one of the middle schools is a better fit for us? P.S. If you have different opinions about dating/sexuality before marriage we respect your choices and do no want to debate about that here.

How good? If she is really into math (does it for fun outside of school), Longfellow would be the best choice for the strongest peer group. They have always won the state math competitions every year, for decades. It's not even close, kind of ridiculous actually. They rival high schools on math contest results (outside of TJ).

Longfellow is also diverse and welcoming; they have large groups of immigrants and foreign nationals, a very large LGTBQIA++ cohort, economic diversity / FARMS cohort, etc.

Something tells me the LGBTxyz cohort isn't a selling point for them.

[Anonymous]

My kids went to Franklin middle and did all honors. We are also a conservative family also and have no interest in any sort of dating. We found very good kids at Franklin honors classes and never had any issues with dating or anything of the sort. There is a sizable Muslim population and my kids always had Muslim friends and that was a good thing because none of them are allowed to date either so it was a good fit. If your kids are decently smart then I would suggest the honors classes as the kids are more serious and less interested in dating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We’re conservative and my husband is Muslim. Hopefully your daughter qualifies for AAP classes and makes friends with good kids. I don’t know if any one specific middle school is all that great.

We’re homeschooling our kids up until high school.

+1 yes, this is key.

Best advice academically as well.

[Anonymous]

AAP/Honors creat their own bubbles because of the kids who end up in those classes. You are more likely to find kids whose parents are invested in school and making sure that their kids are doing what they should be doing at school. That does not mean that there are not kids who have behavior issues. It does not mean that you are not going to have kids dating and the like.

If you are comfortable that you have raised your child with your values, then they should be fine attending public school. If you are worried that peer pressure and exposure to other values and lifestyles are going to change your child or shift them from accepting your values then choose a different school for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:AAP/Honors creat their own bubbles because of the kids who end up in those classes. You are more likely to find kids whose parents are invested in school and making sure that their kids are doing what they should be doing at school. That does not mean that there are not kids who have behavior issues. It does not mean that you are not going to have kids dating and the like.

If you are comfortable that you have raised your child with your values, then they should be fine attending public school. If you are worried that peer pressure and exposure to other values and lifestyles are going to change your child or shift them from accepting your values then choose a different school for them.

Agreed

[Anonymous]

At a place like Cooper Middle, where there's plenty of cash floating around, the Snapchat drama hits a whole different level. This just makes all the usual social media headaches—like oversharing or cyberbullying—way more intense.

And then there's the whole keeping-up-with-the-Joneses game. At a wealthy school, the pressure's on to show off the coolest vacay, the latest designer gear, or some swanky party. It turns Snapchat into this high-stakes showcase, cranking up the FOMO and making kids feel like they've gotta one-up each other just to fit in. So yeah, at a place like Cooper, the Snapchat scene can get pretty wild, with all that extra pressure and the means to actually live up to it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Private religious school for sure. All our friends who care about these same things (Catholics) have chosen private school for this reason. You have to surround your kid with likeminded kids and you’re not going to get that in FCPS.

As someone who attended Catholic school my whole life, this cracks me up. Like sorry-Catholic kids are having sex as well. OP-it’s not about the school in FCPS, it’s about the peer group within the school. Pretty much every FCPS school has a group of kids focused on academics. But if you want socially conservative (i.e., anti pre-marital sex, anti LBGTQA) then maybe private is best.

Hold the bus! Since when did not wanting your MIDDLE SCHOOLER to have to deal with very real emotional and physical consequences of sex become "socially conservative." Sheesh! And, please do not conflate anti-premarital sex to anti-LGBTQA! As a parent of a gay teen, this kind of pseudo, fake liberality really galls me. We want a world that is kind to ALL!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s no secret AAP/honors classes tend to have better behaved kids. It’s only natural that a center school will have more of their types running around.

Come visit our center school. The AAP classes are full of whiny, loud kids who think they can get away with anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At a place like Cooper Middle, where there's plenty of cash floating around, the Snapchat drama hits a whole different level. This just makes all the usual social media headaches—like oversharing or cyberbullying—way more intense.

And then there's the whole keeping-up-with-the-Joneses game. At a wealthy school, the pressure's on to show off the coolest vacay, the latest designer gear, or some swanky party. It turns Snapchat into this high-stakes showcase, cranking up the FOMO and making kids feel like they've gotta one-up each other just to fit in. So yeah, at a place like Cooper, the Snapchat scene can get pretty wild, with all that extra pressure and the means to actually live up to it.

Well, this was imaginative fiction - bravo? I have two kids currently at Cooper and it's clear you have zero.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Catholic school.

Wrong! One of my kids went to a well known Catholic high school. Drugs were more rampant than FCPS. One of their classmates got pregnant right out of HS. My other kids are now at an FCPS HS and I don’t observe the same problem. But then again, it mostly comes down to influence by choice of friends rather than school.

[Anonymous]

How about not letting your middle schooler use Snapchat or social media, no matter what school they go to?? And putting parental protections on their phone so you know who they're texting and what sites they're visiting? Parenting needs to be pretty active in middle school...the school itself has far less impact than what you allow, model, and talk about at home. [I almost didn't post because it's so obvious, but went for it!]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How about not letting your middle schooler use Snapchat or social media, no matter what school they go to?? And putting parental protections on their phone so you know who they're texting and what sites they're visiting? Parenting needs to be pretty active in middle school...the school itself has far less impact than what you allow, model, and talk about at home. [I almost didn't post because it's so obvious, but went for it!]

+1 Kids at my DS/DD middle school are doubtless into status, etc. but my own kids are happy with their friends and social circle of "unpopular" (?!) kids. They have phones but no social media, time limits and we know their friends and activities. Big FCPS middle school but small family and friends group. It's okay!