Ward 6 and Miner ES: Grassroots Movement for Dual Language (Mandarin) Program

[Anonymous]

I think an Arabic program could be interesting.

Advantages:
Really rare, might attract people from all over the city
Wouldn't be seen as a poor man's Yu Ying, but more likely to be judged on its own merits.
Fantastic for grant writing.
Easier to attract experts for partnerships, given the "only" status
Has an alphabet, so easier to attain literacy without massive amounts of memorization.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maury ES will offer Chinese starting Fall 2015 (continuing and adding to Brent's program it took over). Seriously fabulous idea to focus Miner in that direction, too. The two schools are 4 blocks apart and both feed to Eliot-Hine. Please don't make the homeless population some sort of guide. All schools around here do a fantastic job tending to many homeless children.

As for "immersion", I'm not entirely convinced. Maury started to draw families with a PS3-4 "immersion" Spanish program in about 2008 (it was in its infancy and therefore called "exposure" program). When time came to try to move it to full immersion as kids grew older, as is the case for Tyler, the plug was pulled. For the better I think, because there was no denying it that it divided the community at the school. With a sample of N=2, I would say Maury's experience compared to Tyler's demonstrates this was the right approach. Then again, in both instances, the "immersion" part, temporary or not, was a pivotal contributor to the school's success.

Really? Where did you hear this? Have they made an official announcement?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think an Arabic program could be interesting.

Advantages:
Really rare, might attract people from all over the city
Wouldn't be seen as a poor man's Yu Ying, but more likely to be judged on its own merits.
Fantastic for grant writing.
Easier to attract experts for partnerships, given the "only" status
Has an alphabet, so easier to attain literacy without massive amounts of memorization.

Disadvantages:
Three times as many people in the world speak Mandarin
DCPS has a history of Mandarin programs in several elementary and middle schools (including IB at Deal) that have worked with native speakers
Many languages use characters rather than alphabets, so familiarity with characters could be an equally useful skill
Plenty of experts for partnerships, both diplomatic and business

[Anonymous]

Would you guys stop with the language politics??? Language choice is personal. The reasons for studying a language could be as flaky as "projected economics" or predicting the next "hot" language, or, for pure heritage reasons. I am so sick of the argument of language superiority or inferiority. You do have a choice of monolingualism for your child. If that's your decision then leave the conversation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maury ES will offer Chinese starting Fall 2015 (continuing and adding to Brent's program it took over). Seriously fabulous idea to focus Miner in that direction, too. The two schools are 4 blocks apart and both feed to Eliot-Hine. Please don't make the homeless population some sort of guide. All schools around here do a fantastic job tending to many homeless children.

As for "immersion", I'm not entirely convinced. Maury started to draw families with a PS3-4 "immersion" Spanish program in about 2008 (it was in its infancy and therefore called "exposure" program). When time came to try to move it to full immersion as kids grew older, as is the case for Tyler, the plug was pulled. For the better I think, because there was no denying it that it divided the community at the school. With a sample of N=2, I would say Maury's experience compared to Tyler's demonstrates this was the right approach. Then again, in both instances, the "immersion" part, temporary or not, was a pivotal contributor to the school's success.

Really? Where did you hear this? Have they made an official announcement?

Hear what?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Over 17% of students at Miner are homeless. Providing a curriculum that transfers well to other schools, and can be joined mid-year if necessary, is very important for those students. I cannot think of something much more opposed to that than Mandarin immersion.

However, if the hope is to get a program like Tyler's where there are single and dual-language classrooms in each grade, and the organizers expect all the homeless kids will go in the English-only track, I commend them for their creativity. Some parents will do almost anything--including have their kids learn a language most of them cannot support at home--in order to keep away from poor people.

I love you! This is Tyler- and the push behind dual language options at schools.

[Anonymous]

You guys should read this.

http://miparentscouncil.org/2012/04/09/why-parents-and-schools-choose-mandarin-immersion/

- Yu ying parent

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maury ES will offer Chinese starting Fall 2015 (continuing and adding to Brent's program it took over). Seriously fabulous idea to focus Miner in that direction, too. The two schools are 4 blocks apart and both feed to Eliot-Hine. Please don't make the homeless population some sort of guide. All schools around here do a fantastic job tending to many homeless children.

As for "immersion", I'm not entirely convinced. Maury started to draw families with a PS3-4 "immersion" Spanish program in about 2008 (it was in its infancy and therefore called "exposure" program). When time came to try to move it to full immersion as kids grew older, as is the case for Tyler, the plug was pulled. For the better I think, because there was no denying it that it divided the community at the school. With a sample of N=2, I would say Maury's experience compared to Tyler's demonstrates this was the right approach. Then again, in both instances, the "immersion" part, temporary or not, was a pivotal contributor to the school's success.

Really? Where did you hear this? Have they made an official announcement?

Hear what?

Mandarin at Maury ES? This fall?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Over 17% of students at Miner are homeless. Providing a curriculum that transfers well to other schools, and can be joined mid-year if necessary, is very important for those students. I cannot think of something much more opposed to that than Mandarin immersion.

However, if the hope is to get a program like Tyler's where there are single and dual-language classrooms in each grade, and the organizers expect all the homeless kids will go in the English-only track, I commend them for their creativity. Some parents will do almost anything--including have their kids learn a language most of them cannot support at home--in order to keep away from poor people.

I love you! This is Tyler- and the push behind dual language options at schools.

Yes. God forbid we do something to attract middle or upper class people to their neighborhood school. The horror.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Over 17% of students at Miner are homeless. Providing a curriculum that transfers well to other schools, and can be joined mid-year if necessary, is very important for those students. I cannot think of something much more opposed to that than Mandarin immersion.

However, if the hope is to get a program like Tyler's where there are single and dual-language classrooms in each grade, and the organizers expect all the homeless kids will go in the English-only track, I commend them for their creativity. Some parents will do almost anything--including have their kids learn a language most of them cannot support at home--in order to keep away from poor people.

I love you! This is Tyler- and the push behind dual language options at schools.

Yes. God forbid we do something to attract middle or upper class people to their neighborhood school. The horror.

In the school but away from the poors. You want the segregation. The current curriculum at Miner and teachers aren't bad actually. What you don't want is to be with the very at risk kids, I get it. But the mandarin idea at Miner just sounds like a way to keep your snowflakes in bubble wrap. The links the PP provided support immersion but not true integration of dual-language programs. I love how PS3 and younger parents have it all figured out. Really, go check out Tyler in the upper grades. Not your utopia by any stretch. The entire idea is daft.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Over 17% of students at Miner are homeless. Providing a curriculum that transfers well to other schools, and can be joined mid-year if necessary, is very important for those students. I cannot think of something much more opposed to that than Mandarin immersion.

However, if the hope is to get a program like Tyler's where there are single and dual-language classrooms in each grade, and the organizers expect all the homeless kids will go in the English-only track, I commend them for their creativity. Some parents will do almost anything--including have their kids learn a language most of them cannot support at home--in order to keep away from poor people.

I love you! This is Tyler- and the push behind dual language options at schools.

Yes. God forbid we do something to attract middle or upper class people to their neighborhood school. The horror.

In the school but away from the poors. You want the segregation. The current curriculum at Miner and teachers aren't bad actually. What you don't want is to be with the very at risk kids, I get it. But the mandarin idea at Miner just sounds like a way to keep your snowflakes in bubble wrap. The links the PP provided support immersion but not true integration of dual-language programs. I love how PS3 and younger parents have it all figured out. Really, go check out Tyler in the upper grades. Not your utopia by any stretch. The entire idea is daft.

Again, it should be a goal of DCPS and the school for IB families to attend their neighborhood school. I love how any time someone suggests something that would do that (be it a gifted program or a language immersion program), people scream "racist!" It is so ridiculous and short sighted.

[Anonymous]

Why do you think white families matter to
DCPS? They get the same per pupil funding- whether you are black/poor or rich/white.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Over 17% of students at Miner are homeless. Providing a curriculum that transfers well to other schools, and can be joined mid-year if necessary, is very important for those students. I cannot think of something much more opposed to that than Mandarin immersion.

However, if the hope is to get a program like Tyler's where there are single and dual-language classrooms in each grade, and the organizers expect all the homeless kids will go in the English-only track, I commend them for their creativity. Some parents will do almost anything--including have their kids learn a language most of them cannot support at home--in order to keep away from poor people.

I love you! This is Tyler- and the push behind dual language options at schools.

Yes. God forbid we do something to attract middle or upper class people to their neighborhood school. The horror.

In the school but away from the poors. You want the segregation. The current curriculum at Miner and teachers aren't bad actually. What you don't want is to be with the very at risk kids, I get it. But the mandarin idea at Miner just sounds like a way to keep your snowflakes in bubble wrap. The links the PP provided support immersion but not true integration of dual-language programs. I love how PS3 and younger parents have it all figured out. Really, go check out Tyler in the upper grades. Not your utopia by any stretch. The entire idea is daft.

Again, it should be a goal of DCPS and the school for IB families to attend their neighborhood school. I love how any time someone suggests something that would do that (be it a gifted program or a language immersion program), people scream "racist!" It is so ridiculous and short sighted.

No, you're racist and elitist. Yes, white IB kids should go to Miner. They should NOT GET a "separate school" within the damn school! They're not better than the other children!!!

[warrenox]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Over 17% of students at Miner are homeless. Providing a curriculum that transfers well to other schools, and can be joined mid-year if necessary, is very important for those students. I cannot think of something much more opposed to that than Mandarin immersion.

However, if the hope is to get a program like Tyler's where there are single and dual-language classrooms in each grade, and the organizers expect all the homeless kids will go in the English-only track, I commend them for their creativity. Some parents will do almost anything--including have their kids learn a language most of them cannot support at home--in order to keep away from poor people.

I love you! This is Tyler- and the push behind dual language options at schools.

Yes. God forbid we do something to attract middle or upper class people to their neighborhood school. The horror.

In the school but away from the poors. You want the segregation. The current curriculum at Miner and teachers aren't bad actually. What you don't want is to be with the very at risk kids, I get it. But the mandarin idea at Miner just sounds like a way to keep your snowflakes in bubble wrap. The links the PP provided support immersion but not true integration of dual-language programs. I love how PS3 and younger parents have it all figured out. Really, go check out Tyler in the upper grades. Not your utopia by any stretch. The entire idea is daft.

Again, it should be a goal of DCPS and the school for IB families to attend their neighborhood school. I love how any time someone suggests something that would do that (be it a gifted program or a language immersion program), people scream "racist!" It is so ridiculous and short sighted.

No, you're racist and elitist. Yes, white IB kids should go to Miner. They should NOT GET a "separate school" within the damn school! They're not better than the other children!!!

http://www.greatschools.org/washington-dc/washington/4-Miner-Elementary-School/

Please tell me how the curriculum at Miner is succeeding again... What's your solution to increase the student population and keep the school from actually closing for lack of enrollment?

People who have a way to give their kids a better start, be they white, black, asian, hispanic, or purple, will take that option. You owe that to your kids.

Why go to the assumption that parent's don't want their child around at-risk kids? Why not make the logical leap that parents want a quality education for their child?

And guess what? Parent's of PK3 aren't stupid and naive as you suppose above. I could throw that assumption back at you and say that parents of older children don't have anything figured out because their kid is in a failing school.

I'll not accuse you of being daft or racist, or an elitist as you have done to others, but I would suggest you look in the mirror and ask yourself if assuming others have nefarious plans is helping you achieve your goals and if that's the attitude you would want to pass on to your children.

Throwing accusations around and screaming racism isn't helping anyone's cause, including your own. Rationally having a discussion and even providing examples of your own experience without demonizing anyone so as to further the discussion would help all of us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maury ES will offer Chinese starting Fall 2015 (continuing and adding to Brent's program it took over). Seriously fabulous idea to focus Miner in that direction, too. The two schools are 4 blocks apart and both feed to Eliot-Hine. Please don't make the homeless population some sort of guide. All schools around here do a fantastic job tending to many homeless children.

As for "immersion", I'm not entirely convinced. Maury started to draw families with a PS3-4 "immersion" Spanish program in about 2008 (it was in its infancy and therefore called "exposure" program). When time came to try to move it to full immersion as kids grew older, as is the case for Tyler, the plug was pulled. For the better I think, because there was no denying it that it divided the community at the school. With a sample of N=2, I would say Maury's experience compared to Tyler's demonstrates this was the right approach. Then again, in both instances, the "immersion" part, temporary or not, was a pivotal contributor to the school's success.

Really? Where did you hear this? Have they made an official announcement?

Hear what?

I was told Maury is offering "Chinese" in the fall at a new parent orientation. I'm actually disappointed - I would have preferred Spanish because that's far more likely to be useful in DC, and many kids already know some from nannies & daycare. It's also much more feasible to pick up some genuinely useful Spanish in a few hours a week, vs what they will actually learn of "Chinese" in a few hours a week. But whatever, no biggie for me personally.