any popular schools that you just aren't interested in?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:PP - why not CM? Is it bc the teachers are young?

Young teachers. But more than that I did not like the head of school's answers to my questions about cultural competency.

This. And I felt like the very young teachers were enthusiastic but felt like the administration was cold and unengaged

The administration seemed surprised and cold when Spanish speaking parents came to the orientation. The parents were left to have their children translate for them. The school was in Columbia Heights so they should have been prepared for interpretation or made other accommodations.

Are you kidding me? Is Columbia Heights a part of the USA? Then I don't understand why the 'spanish speaking parents' should expect any kind of special accomodation. They moved the the US so they need to learn English and, before you accuse me of racism, I am an immigrant but do not expect anyone to speak Russian to me when I go to school orientation meetings.

Totally agree. The bolded is getting real old. Do we want to change the rest of the US into Miami where US citizens are treated like foreigners in their own country because they can't speak Spanish.

Wow! The responses - if from CM folks - is making my point. It is my family's preference that a school I send my child to can treat a diversity of students and parents with respect. I am not telling you what kind of environment you should want for your child.

You are responding to me. I am not a CM parent. Have no interest in the school. My post was about the overall atmosphere that we are getting to a place that if you cannot speak Spanish or accommodate, as you state, Spanish in the USA, something is inherently wrong. Why? If I move to Panama, Costa Rica, Mexico, Honduras, etc I would have to learn the language without accomodations. I don't know if you have lived in Miami, but it is difficult for a non-college educated person to obtain decent employment. In some areas, it is difficult for college edcuated kids to obtain first employment without Spanish language background. Why are they treated like second-class citizens because they cannot speak Spanish? That's what your initial post advocates for a future DC.

It's called the free market. If your client base speaks Spanish, you have to too. You Republicans are fond of the free market, but your platform isn't consistent with it on a lot of issues like immigration and women's reproductive health.

But their "client base" does not speak Spanish. It is a city-wide charter that happens to be in Columbia Heights and will move out of Columbia Heights to Petworth. So all DC residents are their client base. I could see the problem with this if ALL city wide charters had Spanish interpretation, or if you were advocating for translation in Amharic and Spanish and Vietnamese, to name a few of the languages, but this argument is ridiculous. I could see if it were Mundo Verde or DC Bilingual, which does indeed have the Spanish speaking component and actively recruits Spanish-speaking families.

At any rate, if that is what turns you off about CMI, don't apply. To each her own. Every charter is not for every person. The CMI community is welcoming and diverse in every sense of the word.

I am starting to wonder if some of this attitude towards the Head of School is because she is not the typical liberal, white fuzzy do gooder woman the DCUM majority population is used to dealing with.

No, that's not it. Without naming the other 2 charters, (because I wasn't the one to name CM in this thread either), I have been to open houses and school expos and met 2 other popular charter Heads of Schools that were definitely NOT" warm, fuzzy, do gooders" from the ways they presented themselves. Can't comment on whether they were "liberal" or not because a) I didn't ask, b) they didn't identify their political affiliations, and c) I know better than to make assumptions about a Principal's personal political beliefs or agenda based on what they say about their school at an open house. And yet, I was still impressed by them because the atmosphere of the school was welcoming, the Heads of School were able to answer the actual questions asked by their audience, they didn't seem to have an attitude about it (they just weren't warm or fuzzy by a longshot), and what they said made sense.

I was turned off by CM's Head of School because she seemed to have an attitude, she didn't answer 2 curriculum questions directly, and her presentation was not just "not warm and fuzzy" but actually off-putting. But as you've pointed out, I can think what I want, I just don't apply. And that's exactly what happened in this last round of lotteries: we didn't apply. And won't next year when we are looking at PK3 for our youngest to see if we end up at a better school than now.

She seemed to have an attitude?

I can see how an intelligent, good looking woman presenting information based on research would be off putting.

[Anonymous]

For the record, at most CMI events, there have been two Spanish teachers there who are fluent and able to answer questions and assist. I'm thinking the person who mentioned the Spanish is a troll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For the record, at most CMI events, there have been two Spanish teachers there who are fluent and able to answer questions and assist. I'm thinking the person who mentioned the Spanish is a troll.

I am the person who mentioned it. I am just reporting what I observed at the open house presentation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But their "client base" does not speak Spanish. It is a city-wide charter that happens to be in Columbia Heights and will move out of Columbia Heights to Petworth. So all DC residents are their client base. I could see the problem with this if ALL city wide charters had Spanish interpretation, or if you were advocating for translation in Amharic and Spanish and Vietnamese, to name a few of the languages, but this argument is ridiculous. I could see if it were Mundo Verde or DC Bilingual, which does indeed have the Spanish speaking component and actively recruits Spanish-speaking families.

At any rate, if that is what turns you off about CMI, don't apply. To each her own. Every charter is not for every person. The CMI community is welcoming and diverse in every sense of the word.

I am starting to wonder if some of this attitude towards the Head of School is because she is not the typical liberal, white fuzzy do gooder woman the DCUM majority population is used to dealing with.

No, that's not it. Without naming the other 2 charters, (because I wasn't the one to name CM in this thread either), I have been to open houses and school expos and met 2 other popular charter Heads of Schools that were definitely NOT" warm, fuzzy, do gooders" from the ways they presented themselves. Can't comment on whether they were "liberal" or not because a) I didn't ask, b) they didn't identify their political affiliations, and c) I know better than to make assumptions about a Principal's personal political beliefs or agenda based on what they say about their school at an open house. And yet, I was still impressed by them because the atmosphere of the school was welcoming, the Heads of School were able to answer the actual questions asked by their audience, they didn't seem to have an attitude about it (they just weren't warm or fuzzy by a longshot), and what they said made sense.

I was turned off by CM's Head of School because she seemed to have an attitude, she didn't answer 2 curriculum questions directly, and her presentation was not just "not warm and fuzzy" but actually off-putting. But as you've pointed out, I can think what I want, I just don't apply. And that's exactly what happened in this last round of lotteries: we didn't apply. And won't next year when we are looking at PK3 for our youngest to see if we end up at a better school than now.

She seemed to have an attitude?

I can see how an intelligent, good looking woman presenting information based on research would be off putting.

NP Wow, Creative Minds parents come across as really... "committed" is a nice way of putting it. And committed is a good thing. Except when it verges on being totally resistent to anything that isn't glowing.

[Anonymous]

Has CM changed their webpage to feature anyone who would have failed the paper bag test back in the day?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But their "client base" does not speak Spanish. It is a city-wide charter that happens to be in Columbia Heights and will move out of Columbia Heights to Petworth. So all DC residents are their client base. I could see the problem with this if ALL city wide charters had Spanish interpretation, or if you were advocating for translation in Amharic and Spanish and Vietnamese, to name a few of the languages, but this argument is ridiculous. I could see if it were Mundo Verde or DC Bilingual, which does indeed have the Spanish speaking component and actively recruits Spanish-speaking families.

At any rate, if that is what turns you off about CMI, don't apply. To each her own. Every charter is not for every person. The CMI community is welcoming and diverse in every sense of the word.

I am starting to wonder if some of this attitude towards the Head of School is because she is not the typical liberal, white fuzzy do gooder woman the DCUM majority population is used to dealing with.

No, that's not it. Without naming the other 2 charters, (because I wasn't the one to name CM in this thread either), I have been to open houses and school expos and met 2 other popular charter Heads of Schools that were definitely NOT" warm, fuzzy, do gooders" from the ways they presented themselves. Can't comment on whether they were "liberal" or not because a) I didn't ask, b) they didn't identify their political affiliations, and c) I know better than to make assumptions about a Principal's personal political beliefs or agenda based on what they say about their school at an open house. And yet, I was still impressed by them because the atmosphere of the school was welcoming, the Heads of School were able to answer the actual questions asked by their audience, they didn't seem to have an attitude about it (they just weren't warm or fuzzy by a longshot), and what they said made sense.

I was turned off by CM's Head of School because she seemed to have an attitude, she didn't answer 2 curriculum questions directly, and her presentation was not just "not warm and fuzzy" but actually off-putting. But as you've pointed out, I can think what I want, I just don't apply. And that's exactly what happened in this last round of lotteries: we didn't apply. And won't next year when we are looking at PK3 for our youngest to see if we end up at a better school than now.

She seemed to have an attitude?

I can see how an intelligent, good looking woman presenting information based on research would be off putting.

NP Wow, Creative Minds parents come across as really... "committed" is a nice way of putting it. And committed is a good thing. Except when it verges on being totally resistent to anything that isn't glowing.

You realize that this is insulting a real person right?

You can say negative things about the school, there ARE negative things about the school, there are negative things about all schools. When you talk about people at the school, anonymously, I feel the need to defend them. I find it odd that you don't see the problem with that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But their "client base" does not speak Spanish. It is a city-wide charter that happens to be in Columbia Heights and will move out of Columbia Heights to Petworth. So all DC residents are their client base. I could see the problem with this if ALL city wide charters had Spanish interpretation, or if you were advocating for translation in Amharic and Spanish and Vietnamese, to name a few of the languages, but this argument is ridiculous. I could see if it were Mundo Verde or DC Bilingual, which does indeed have the Spanish speaking component and actively recruits Spanish-speaking families.

At any rate, if that is what turns you off about CMI, don't apply. To each her own. Every charter is not for every person. The CMI community is welcoming and diverse in every sense of the word.

I am starting to wonder if some of this attitude towards the Head of School is because she is not the typical liberal, white fuzzy do gooder woman the DCUM majority population is used to dealing with.

No, that's not it. Without naming the other 2 charters, (because I wasn't the one to name CM in this thread either), I have been to open houses and school expos and met 2 other popular charter Heads of Schools that were definitely NOT" warm, fuzzy, do gooders" from the ways they presented themselves. Can't comment on whether they were "liberal" or not because a) I didn't ask, b) they didn't identify their political affiliations, and c) I know better than to make assumptions about a Principal's personal political beliefs or agenda based on what they say about their school at an open house. And yet, I was still impressed by them because the atmosphere of the school was welcoming, the Heads of School were able to answer the actual questions asked by their audience, they didn't seem to have an attitude about it (they just weren't warm or fuzzy by a longshot), and what they said made sense.

I was turned off by CM's Head of School because she seemed to have an attitude, she didn't answer 2 curriculum questions directly, and her presentation was not just "not warm and fuzzy" but actually off-putting. But as you've pointed out, I can think what I want, I just don't apply. And that's exactly what happened in this last round of lotteries: we didn't apply. And won't next year when we are looking at PK3 for our youngest to see if we end up at a better school than now.

She seemed to have an attitude?

I can see how an intelligent, good looking woman presenting information based on research would be off putting.

NP Wow, Creative Minds parents come across as really... "committed" is a nice way of putting it. And committed is a good thing. Except when it verges on being totally resistent to anything that isn't glowing.

You realize that this is insulting a real person right?

You can say negative things about the school, there ARE negative things about the school, there are negative things about all schools. When you talk about people at the school, anonymously, I feel the need to defend them. I find it odd that you don't see the problem with that.

You must be new to DCUM, welcome! So this conversation started as "Any popular schools you just are not interested in?" and someone (or a couple someones) said Creative Minds. Someone asked why they're not interested, and people started answering. The Principal of every school is yes, a real person. And this is the DC Public and Charter School forum, where people will talk about schools, what they love, what they don't like, and often the leadership or style or persona of the Principal is a factor or is discussed. You are free to feel the need to defend a Principal, but it's really unclear why you think Principals are somehow above or immune from discussion of their presentation or perceptions about it. It matters tremendously, especially in an open house setting, and people are simply reporting their impressions. Why do you see such a problem with that when it's entirely relevant to this discussion and on this forum?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know everyone loves Yu Ying, but we're just not excited about immersion in a language that we as parents cannot assist with at all. We're also not excited about the possibility that if DS does become fluent, he may want to move to China when he grows up! So we're not going to spend one of our limited lottery picks on what appears to be a great school, even though I feel sort of sheepish about it.

This is exactly why we didn't apply although we had friends transfer there and the school is fairly convenient for us location wise. So after all this work in Chinese you're moving to Beijing little sweetie? Ulp!

[Anonymous]

Prob would have done Lamb if we got in but was secretly turned off by waitlist entitlement attitude of admin, poor English skills of Spanish teachers (hello, we still need to communicate with parents) and loosey goosey Montessori atmosphere with kids flopping all over the place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm intimated by JKLM schools because though we are a hard working, professional family, our income and lifestyle doesn't really jive with the families at these mostly high SES in-bounds schools. I find it nervewracking and unsettling. Also I've become accustomed to the incredibly diverse environment of our current school. For example, we played several sports teams from a few JKLM's and 90% of the kids were white. While that's not their fault, it doesn't represent my reality and I consciously reject it. Granted this is a team and not the school itself, but it's different than my current school's teams.

Complete lack of diversity (racial and socioeconomic) at our JKLM is my biggest problem and it's an unfixable problem short of citywide lottery.

We moved from EOTP to a WOTP school and are finding the parents are committed to their kids' success and there's a great PTA but the avalanche of emails! OMG
Also DH is finding the moms at pickup can be cliquey and rude. I mean, won't say hi back to you, turn their head and ignore you rude. Also the aftercare was staffed by the teachers who know the kids from class, not hired professionals. I think its an improvement but its def. different from the warm, we're all in this together feeling we had at the old school.

[Anonymous]

^^which school PP? do you think the parents were just in a rush?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Prob would have done Lamb if we got in but was secretly turned off by waitlist entitlement attitude of admin, poor English skills of Spanish teachers (hello, we still need to communicate with parents) and loosey goosey Montessori atmosphere with kids flopping all over the place.

Please note that LAMB isn't real Montessori.

[Anonymous]

Totally turned off by BASIS and KIPP. Also, YuYing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But their "client base" does not speak Spanish. It is a city-wide charter that happens to be in Columbia Heights and will move out of Columbia Heights to Petworth. So all DC residents are their client base. I could see the problem with this if ALL city wide charters had Spanish interpretation, or if you were advocating for translation in Amharic and Spanish and Vietnamese, to name a few of the languages, but this argument is ridiculous. I could see if it were Mundo Verde or DC Bilingual, which does indeed have the Spanish speaking component and actively recruits Spanish-speaking families.

At any rate, if that is what turns you off about CMI, don't apply. To each her own. Every charter is not for every person. The CMI community is welcoming and diverse in every sense of the word.

I am starting to wonder if some of this attitude towards the Head of School is because she is not the typical liberal, white fuzzy do gooder woman the DCUM majority population is used to dealing with.

No, that's not it. Without naming the other 2 charters, (because I wasn't the one to name CM in this thread either), I have been to open houses and school expos and met 2 other popular charter Heads of Schools that were definitely NOT" warm, fuzzy, do gooders" from the ways they presented themselves. Can't comment on whether they were "liberal" or not because a) I didn't ask, b) they didn't identify their political affiliations, and c) I know better than to make assumptions about a Principal's personal political beliefs or agenda based on what they say about their school at an open house. And yet, I was still impressed by them because the atmosphere of the school was welcoming, the Heads of School were able to answer the actual questions asked by their audience, they didn't seem to have an attitude about it (they just weren't warm or fuzzy by a longshot), and what they said made sense.

I was turned off by CM's Head of School because she seemed to have an attitude, she didn't answer 2 curriculum questions directly, and her presentation was not just "not warm and fuzzy" but actually off-putting. But as you've pointed out, I can think what I want, I just don't apply. And that's exactly what happened in this last round of lotteries: we didn't apply. And won't next year when we are looking at PK3 for our youngest to see if we end up at a better school than now.

She seemed to have an attitude?

I can see how an intelligent, good looking woman presenting information based on research would be off putting.

NP Wow, Creative Minds parents come across as really... "committed" is a nice way of putting it. And committed is a good thing. Except when it verges on being totally resistent to anything that isn't glowing.

You realize that this is insulting a real person right?

You can say negative things about the school, there ARE negative things about the school, there are negative things about all schools. When you talk about people at the school, anonymously, I feel the need to defend them. I find it odd that you don't see the problem with that.

You must be new to DCUM, welcome! So this conversation started as "Any popular schools you just are not interested in?" and someone (or a couple someones) said Creative Minds. Someone asked why they're not interested, and people started answering. The Principal of every school is yes, a real person. And this is the DC Public and Charter School forum, where people will talk about schools, what they love, what they don't like, and often the leadership or style or persona of the Principal is a factor or is discussed. You are free to feel the need to defend a Principal, but it's really unclear why you think Principals are somehow above or immune from discussion of their presentation or perceptions about it. It matters tremendously, especially in an open house setting, and people are simply reporting their impressions. Why do you see such a problem with that when it's entirely relevant to this discussion and on this forum?

I never understand why people use the "you must be new to DCUM" when something is questioned. After 6 years, it's getting really old.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any immersion program where the principal and other top administrators don't speak the language and the school doesn't know how to handle bilingual children (so there are only a handful). Not sheepish about it. Everybody doesn't love YY, OP.

And heritage mom is back!