Teachers' favorite neighborhoods?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I assume you can't read DCUM code yet. PP is simply saying they're, despite Shepherd being IB, having good scores, solid teachers, and a great community, Shepherd is still 80% black. Shepherd has scores in the middle 70s despite being 1/3 FARM. I have never once heard anyone describe Shepherd as Lord of The Flies.

Sorry. I have a life.

No, the demographics were much like our old school in another city. And one reason we chose Shepherd. And the school that replaced it for us has even more black kids. If you must know. I'm sure however, thinking it's demographics, or we're racist is a convenient excuse. Academically, Shepherd's fantastic. I loved the teachers. I loved the programs. We had a lot of good moments there. Which is why the rest of it makes me bitter enough to talk about it on an anonymous board some months later.

I did not like the children who made my child's life a living hell. It took me a while to realize that there was a real problem--and that it was an external one. Looking back, I spent too long blaming my child, when I should have been addressing the issue with the cohort. I heard --and still hear--similar reports from other parents still there. There are some kids who are not very nice. And no, they're not the "poor kids from the projects." The poor kids from the projects were all nice to us. Less so, some of the kids from the immediate area.

Your experience may vary, and I hope it does.

Doesn't sound like BS to me. Kids can be unbelievably cruel and that's not endemic for any particular race.

[Anonymous]

I did raise the issue with the school. I regret that it took me as long as it did to do so--but I did. It's true, I am not the kind of parent who'd go to the school board and demand the principal resign over my child's experience... instead I tried to address the issues with the administration, the teachers and the other parents. I thought Ms. Miles and the teachers handled the issue as best they could. But, when the third party refuses to accept any attempt at reconciliation, or blame for their children's behavior.... well, sometimes you have to fold, put your cards down, and walk away.

[Anonymous]

And that is why kids today are NOT resilient...Parents refuse to allow their kids to work out situations. They interfere, complain to the teacher, and ultimately pull their child out of school. Protecting your child is one thing, but trying to solve their problems is problematic. This could have been a teaching moment, PP. Your child could have learned how to tough it out which would boost their self-esteem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And that is why kids today are NOT resilient...Parents refuse to allow their kids to work out situations. They interfere, complain to the teacher, and ultimately pull their child out of school. Protecting your child is one thing, but trying to solve their problems is problematic. This could have been a teaching moment, PP. Your child could have learned how to tough it out which would boost their self-esteem.

Not the PP, but gimme a break. Can you read? She said that she left it to her kid to resolve and then went to the school.

[Anonymous]

And that is why kids today are NOT resilient...Parents refuse to allow their kids to work out situations. They interfere, complain to the teacher, and ultimately pull their child out of school. Protecting your child is one thing, but trying to solve their problems is problematic. This could have been a teaching moment, PP. Your child could have learned how to tough it out which would boost their self-esteem.

And that's why I compared the situation to Lord of the Flies. The teaching and boost to self reliance I expected did not happen. I didn't complain to anyone until freaking April. I feel like an idiot for that now. But I didn't want to cause trouble, I didn't want to rock the boat, and I genuinely thought that all of us were on the same page about wanting all students to succeed and prosper. My child didn't tell me how bad it was, because I was too busy insisting on self reliance, and kids working things out themselves.

Screw self reliance. If the other kid is some kind of budding sociopath, it does not work. We had a recent encounter with the child in question. Again, I thought maybe... they've all grown. Maybe things will be different! No. That child told my child no one wanted them there. My child reacted, predictably, with hysterics. I never said self-regulation was one of their strengths. And so, I'm done.