DC Hebrew approved!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have no connection to China, we speak French at home and my daughter goes to Yu Ying. Why?? Because my local public school (Spanish immersion) stinks and I figured that an exposure to another language (a third for her) would be good. Even if I have no knowledge of the language. About 45% of the kids at YY are African-American. Why?? Because their local public school stinks and their parents are tired of having to face low expectations...
So I fail to see why people are so upset about yet another alternative. Are you gripping because you think jews will go there? Are you afraid that they'll be closed for the JEwish New year? OK and so what? Yu ying closes and celebrate Chinese New Year (with Dragon dances and all-- very nice -- A lot of Asian kids also go to YY and no one is saying they should not. A lot of hispanic kids go to Bancroft (immersion spanish) and no one say they should not. If the kids have some cultural link to the school, the better they will relate to the school. The school is secular. Exposure to another language is always a good thing. Unless of course, it's Hebrew it seems )

+1. Well said. If my kids weren't already in a charter school that we love, I'd be open to Washington Hebrew...and I'm AA (not to be confused with Ethopian blacks apparently ). Then again, I grew up in New York. I'm used to having all Jewish holidays off .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm curious why everyone assumes this will be a quality school, anyway?

Because it's Jewish.

1) But it isn't; 2) Jewish schools are good? I didn't know that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hebrew was considered much more of a classical language at the time, before it was reclaimed as a spoken language by actual living Jews, who have always inspired less affection than "Hebrews".

Nice.

And I don't live in DC, so I don't have a dog in this hunt, but most Israelis (the "actual living Jews" who speak Hebrew, along with Israeli Arabs, who also speak Hebrew) are not particularly religious, so you need not worry about the religion being a big part of the school. And it's been my experience that people who speak Hebrew have a much easier time learning a sister language -- Arabic. They're very similar.

[Anonymous]

If only we could produce a few decent athletes we would have (what would come to be known as) the trifecta!

Sandy Koufax

Mark Spitz!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have no connection to China, we speak French at home and my daughter goes to Yu Ying. Why?? Because my local public school (Spanish immersion) stinks and I figured that an exposure to another language (a third for her) would be good. Even if I have no knowledge of the language. About 45% of the kids at YY are African-American. Why?? Because their local public school stinks and their parents are tired of having to face low expectations...
So I fail to see why people are so upset about yet another alternative. Are you gripping because you think jews will go there? Are you afraid that they'll be closed for the JEwish New year? OK and so what? Yu ying closes and celebrate Chinese New Year (with Dragon dances and all-- very nice -- A lot of Asian kids also go to YY and no one is saying they should not. A lot of hispanic kids go to Bancroft (immersion spanish) and no one say they should not. If the kids have some cultural link to the school, the better they will relate to the school. The school is secular. Exposure to another language is always a good thing. Unless of course, it's Hebrew it seems )

+1. Well said. If my kids weren't already in a charter school that we love, I'd be open to Washington Hebrew...and I'm AA (not to be confused with Ethopian blacks apparently ). Then again, I grew up in New York. I'm used to having all Jewish holidays off .

Maybe you both could go to a charter school which teaches how to lay off the fucking smiley faces.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have no connection to China, we speak French at home and my daughter goes to Yu Ying. Why?? Because my local public school (Spanish immersion) stinks and I figured that an exposure to another language (a third for her) would be good. Even if I have no knowledge of the language. About 45% of the kids at YY are African-American. Why?? Because their local public school stinks and their parents are tired of having to face low expectations...
So I fail to see why people are so upset about yet another alternative. Are you gripping because you think jews will go there? Are you afraid that they'll be closed for the JEwish New year? OK and so what? Yu ying closes and celebrate Chinese New Year (with Dragon dances and all-- very nice -- A lot of Asian kids also go to YY and no one is saying they should not. A lot of hispanic kids go to Bancroft (immersion spanish) and no one say they should not. If the kids have some cultural link to the school, the better they will relate to the school. The school is secular. Exposure to another language is always a good thing. Unless of course, it's Hebrew it seems )

+1. Well said. If my kids weren't already in a charter school that we love, I'd be open to Washington Hebrew...and I'm AA (not to be confused with Ethopian blacks apparently ). Then again, I grew up in New York. I'm used to having all Jewish holidays off .

Maybe you both could go to a charter school which teaches how to lay off the fucking smiley faces.

It's good for the heart!

[Anonymous]

I agree. The smiley posters made good points, but enough with the faces, already!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have no connection to China, we speak French at home and my daughter goes to Yu Ying. Why?? Because my local public school (Spanish immersion) stinks and I figured that an exposure to another language (a third for her) would be good. Even if I have no knowledge of the language. About 45% of the kids at YY are African-American. Why?? Because their local public school stinks and their parents are tired of having to face low expectations...
So I fail to see why people are so upset about yet another alternative. Are you gripping because you think jews will go there? Are you afraid that they'll be closed for the JEwish New year? OK and so what? Yu ying closes and celebrate Chinese New Year (with Dragon dances and all-- very nice -- A lot of Asian kids also go to YY and no one is saying they should not. A lot of hispanic kids go to Bancroft (immersion spanish) and no one say they should not. If the kids have some cultural link to the school, the better they will relate to the school. The school is secular. Exposure to another language is always a good thing. Unless of course, it's Hebrew it seems )

I am not upset at the new options, just wondering if it is a good option since it is funded by DC taxpayer. you cite YY, but I guess you can appreciate the difference between learning a language spoken by 1.5 billion people in a country emerging as one of the future worldwide economic powers, and Hebrew. I would say the same think if the school was a full immersion Norwegian and Norwey, like Israel, is a lovely country, just with a small population (I have especially fond memories of a few very handsome guys from there). Some people say better a very good school with full immersion Hebrew for poor children than their local crappy DCPS. this is also probably true, but still. anyway, we will see how it works out

[Anonymous]

Well I sure do hope all the complainers about Hebrew having few speakers start pushing their Hindi-Urdu charter school. Until then I can only assume you will sit back, complain and do nothing.

[Anonymous]

Barack Obama learned Indonesian and Malay as a child. He rarely used it after early childhood. And yet, he has spoken often about his exposure to Indonesian culture and the language had a powerful impact on his life. Who is to say that one of the students at the Hebrew Charter won't grow up to work at the UN or build bridges as a "community organizer." The Charter School Board has done its job, thinks this school has potential, good management, and vision. We ought not to judge who decides to send their kids to this school or the "utility" of the language. If they can fill the seats, more power to them. I suspect we will all be surprised by the number of parents fighting for chairs in a school providing free before and after care and a safe campus.

[Anonymous]

What about textbooks? Expensive!

Don't like it, don't apply: It's more complicated than that. My tax dollars are paying for it.

This school is going to be a lightning rod, let me tell you. It's going to be perceived as elitist, it's going to have a narrower appeal. AA students learning Chinese, Spanish, the classics at Washington Latin, that makes sense. Hebrew?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

If only we could produce a few decent athletes we would have (what would come to be known as) the trifecta!

Sandy Koufax

Mark Spitz!

Hank Greenberg - that might be it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about textbooks? Expensive!

Don't like it, don't apply: It's more complicated than that. My tax dollars are paying for it.

This school is going to be a lightning rod, let me tell you. It's going to be perceived as elitist, it's going to have a narrower appeal. AA students learning Chinese, Spanish, the classics at Washington Latin, that makes sense. Hebrew?

Textbooks are the school's problem. They'll get the same per pupil allotment as any other charter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Barack Obama learned Indonesian and Malay as a child. He rarely used it after early childhood. And yet, he has spoken often about his exposure to Indonesian culture and the language had a powerful impact on his life. Who is to say that one of the students at the Hebrew Charter won't grow up to work at the UN or build bridges as a "community organizer." The Charter School Board has done its job, thinks this school has potential, good management, and vision. We ought not to judge who decides to send their kids to this school or the "utility" of the language. If they can fill the seats, more power to them. I suspect we will all be surprised by the number of parents fighting for chairs in a school providing free before and after care and a safe campus.

Obama's mom did not send him to a full immersion Indonesian public charter school in Hawai. He went to Indonesia and lived there for years. He got exposure to teh language and culture by living there for years, in the 60's and early 70's. Leaving the US and living in a foreing country with a very different culture, I think this is what made a powerful impact. nobody judges who sends the kids to this school, but we can at least discuss of the utility of the program and language, since it is paid by us.

[Anonymous]

Folks complaining about the utility of a Hebrew language charter seem not to understand DC charter law. It's a free market free-for-all--if you have a theme you'd like to focus on, and have a plan to help kids from all quadrants succeed on the CAS, you can get a charter approved. You're not competing with anyone else for charter approval. The competition is for students, and comes once the school is established.

If those of us saying that DC parents are desperate enough to send their kids to this school are right, it will succeed. If it can't attract more than a narrow slice of students, it will wind up with a very small allotment from the city.

The entity that looks at city-wide educational needs is DCPS, which has no current role in charters.