Try FCPS AAP center for 2-3 weeks and switch to private?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok OP, your kid wants to do this based on a previous experience at private schools. In that case what you, as the parent/adult need to do is explain that private and public schools are not the same thing. A private school is trying to sell their product to you just as much as you're trying to sell yourself to them. They will cater to your whims because they want your $$$$$. A public school has no product to sell and no choice about accepting you or not.

It is *your job* to explain to an 11 year old why this plan is disrespectful and disruptive for two teachers and two entire classrooms of other students. It is your job to explain that, if this plan was used and your child decided to stay at the public school he would already be setting himself up on the wrong foot due to the disruption it would cause. It would also already be putting him at odds with FCPS's more stringent unexcused absences policy, setting you up for conflict with administration if you plan on any additional days off for any reason other than illness.

As others have suggested, I think you and your child might be happier where you're treated as the entitled customers you wish to be.

I hope you are realizing that there would at least be some information if there were school visits. What private schools and some other (even crowded) public school districts such as New York City are offering as school tours are nonexistent at FCPS, as far as I know. There is an AAP orientation day, and Kindergarten orientation day. Other than that there are no tours for new students joining FCPS.

If you think someone is entitled when asking for opportunity to see the school, then your mentality is a problem. We are not living in communist China. This is FCPS for gods sake. A wealthy public school district. When parents lower their expectations of public schools it is a problem, but it is also a problem when same parents start bashing other parents and accusing them of entitlement when they asked for simple tours.

DP. I agree with you that there are no tours for new students in FCPS. Nor any other public school district in the DMV. Or in the public school districts where I grew up (which are better than here). I hear that New York public schools offer tours to prospective students. That doesn't make them the standard, it seems to make them an outlier.

Public school is public school. It's similar to private school but with with less handholding, for both students and parents. OP can either come to grips with that or stick with private. It's up to her, her level of anxiety and ability to deal with her DC's level of anxiety, and her budget.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok OP, your kid wants to do this based on a previous experience at private schools. In that case what you, as the parent/adult need to do is explain that private and public schools are not the same thing. A private school is trying to sell their product to you just as much as you're trying to sell yourself to them. They will cater to your whims because they want your $$$$$. A public school has no product to sell and no choice about accepting you or not.

It is *your job* to explain to an 11 year old why this plan is disrespectful and disruptive for two teachers and two entire classrooms of other students. It is your job to explain that, if this plan was used and your child decided to stay at the public school he would already be setting himself up on the wrong foot due to the disruption it would cause. It would also already be putting him at odds with FCPS's more stringent unexcused absences policy, setting you up for conflict with administration if you plan on any additional days off for any reason other than illness.

As others have suggested, I think you and your child might be happier where you're treated as the entitled customers you wish to be.

I hope you are realizing that there would at least be some information if there were school visits. What private schools and some other (even crowded) public school districts such as New York City are offering as school tours are nonexistent at FCPS, as far as I know. There is an AAP orientation day, and Kindergarten orientation day. Other than that there are no tours for new students joining FCPS.

If you think someone is entitled when asking for opportunity to see the school, then your mentality is a problem. We are not living in communist China. This is FCPS for gods sake. A wealthy public school district. When parents lower their expectations of public schools it is a problem, but it is also a problem when same parents start bashing other parents and accusing them of entitlement when they asked for simple tours.

DP. I agree with you that there are no tours for new students in FCPS. Nor any other public school district in the DMV. Or in the public school districts where I grew up (which are better than here). I hear that New York public schools offer tours to prospective students. That doesn't make them the standard, it seems to make them an outlier.

Public school is public school. It's similar to private school but with with less handholding, for both students and parents. OP can either come to grips with that or stick with private. It's up to her, her level of anxiety and ability to deal with her DC's level of anxiety, and her budget.

Ok, NYC can be an outlier in what they are providing, but when parents at FCPS ask for school visits is that due to entitlement do you think? And how come other parents are bashing the ones calling them entitled parents. Where is this all coming from. Parents calling each other entitled on this forum is sick.

[Anonymous]

OP - there are also summer enrichment programs in FCPS. Or a camp at your ES or AAP center. Might be a good way to have your child see public school facilities, etc. before school starts. And meet some neighborhood kids who might be attending the same school

https://www.fcps.edu/academics/summer-learning

Also - just wanted to agree with prior posters that AAP, while more academically challenging than gen ed, will not be like most private schools. That can have positives and negatives depending on your child and the school.

[Anonymous]

Maybe things changed after Covid, but my kids' FCPS ES would arrange tours for parents of incoming students. The principal was also willing to meet with the parents and kid. One of my DD's friends was able to tour several schools before deciding on where to rent.

[Anonymous]

I attended public school in Virginia, on the East Coast, and on the West Coast in the 1980-1990 time frame and I cannot remember one tour being given of the school or students shadow days. My child has never had a tour or a Shadow Day at his public school in FCPS. I had no idea that any public school provided tours or shadow days. Teachers and Principals are overwhelmed with the non-teaching related tasks that are dumped on them as it is. Adding in tours and shadow days is just another thing.

If you want to get to know the school, ask your neighbors about the school. Check out the school placcard to find out when concerts and plays and the like are. Attend those to see what they kids are doing. You can even do a quick walk around the school and see what the school looks like and pop your head into the classrooms. Attend a kindergarten round up, those are advertised. If you are looking at a school that is an AAP Center, find out the date of the AAP Open House and attend that.

But enrolling to attend a few weeks of school places an additional burden on an unsuspecting Teacher at a chaotic time of year and is, to be frank, disrespectful of the Teachers time and energy. OPs job as a parent is to explain why starting at a school just to check it out is not proper.