Creative Minds Middle School?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP here responding to PP. I do not have a DC at CM, but I'm interested in applying. I think you are a really sad person. How would you know what goes on in a school your child doesn't attend? Why so judgmental? Why are you so interested in a school you seem to despise? There is a thread already about you. You may want to read it...

Not the PP to whom you refer, and you are far off base. There is nothing sad about describing obvious differences in school offerings and quality. By the same token, there is nothing nefarious in drawing obvious conclusions.

If you say that you can afford GDS or WIS or NCS, but you chose CM instead, then you clearly prioritize something more than education. They are not in the same class, at all. To pretend otherwise is willful delusion.

To try to convince others into this delusion, is deliberately deceptive.

Clearly I do. Education for my SES is easily achieved.

Going to school with snobs and racists is not something I want for my child. I'm a product of private school, I know what she will learn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MS is so much harder than people here seem to think. It's why schools with much more than CM fail, and why so many in DC who can go private choose to.

It's a little tired hearing people say "we could afford to go private, but choose not to". Really? You're so wealthy you can spend an extra $25K per ano, and yet you're betting on a completely unproven idea with a very low potential for success ?

Shenanigans.

You must not know much about the CMI community. We could also easily afford to go private but chose CMI because of the amazing education out child is receiving. We are betting on a known administration and community. Sounds like a safe bet to me.

Actually, I do know some CM families, in more than one grade. They are happy enough, but don't pretend it's anything close to a private school.

I never compare it to a private. I said we chose it even though we could afford private.

You realize this is just telling us about your values and it isn't a testament to the quality of CM, right? I have toured Sidwells, GDS, and WIS. The education and attention students receive there is far superior to CM. If you could "easily" afford to go private, what you're basically saying is you care less about your child's education than whatever else you're using the money for (house/cars/vacations/retirement/etc). That's fine, but that's a value statement for you and doesn't really help others evaluate the school.

Far superior to CMI? Based on what metric? In fact, how can you compare privates to publics at all?

We get it, you post on every CMI thread, but you are really growing dull.

Believe it or not, there's more than one person out here who isn't buying what you are trying to sell.

So go to the Big 3. What are you doing on a public school forum anyway if you think public school is so awful?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP here responding to PP. I do not have a DC at CM, but I'm interested in applying. I think you are a really sad person. How would you know what goes on in a school your child doesn't attend? Why so judgmental? Why are you so interested in a school you seem to despise? There is a thread already about you. You may want to read it...

Not the PP to whom you refer, and you are far off base. There is nothing sad about describing obvious differences in school offerings and quality. By the same token, there is nothing nefarious in drawing obvious conclusions.

If you say that you can afford GDS or WIS or NCS, but you chose CM instead, then you clearly prioritize something more than education. They are not in the same class, at all. To pretend otherwise is willful delusion.

To try to convince others into this delusion, is deliberately deceptive.

+1. PP here, this is all I was trying to say. I have a child going into PK next year so I am looking at all options - both private and public. Like everyone else, my family has to weigh the pros and cons of the options given what we know about our child, and also have back-up plans in case we don't get into the school of our choice. I have not posted on any CM thread before but I posted on this one because multiple comments from one or more posters seem to be making the statement that education at CM is better than the big privates. CM seems like it is a good public charter school but it isn't at the $35k/year private level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP here responding to PP. I do not have a DC at CM, but I'm interested in applying. I think you are a really sad person. How would you know what goes on in a school your child doesn't attend? Why so judgmental? Why are you so interested in a school you seem to despise? There is a thread already about you. You may want to read it...

Not the PP to whom you refer, and you are far off base. There is nothing sad about describing obvious differences in school offerings and quality. By the same token, there is nothing nefarious in drawing obvious conclusions.

If you say that you can afford GDS or WIS or NCS, but you chose CM instead, then you clearly prioritize something more than education. They are not in the same class, at all. To pretend otherwise is willful delusion.

To try to convince others into this delusion, is deliberately deceptive.

Clearly I do. Education for my SES is easily achieved.

Going to school with snobs and racists is not something I want for my child. I'm a product of private school, I know what she will learn.

So you're a snob and a racist since you were privately educated, and now your child is at CM? Duly noted. I'm glad you're able to bring that perspective to the public charter school environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:we could almost afford private for both kids (with very serious sacrifices) and for one with little sacrifice. But god, I don't want them to be the poor kid in a school. At our private there are kids a little bit richer and kids a lot poorer, and no super rich. I prioritize education and know there is more to education than just academics. If a family member said to me they would pay for private for our kids with no strings attached, right now, I wouldn't accept. I'm not at cmi but a school kinda like it.

sorry that should be at my charter there are kids a little bit richer and kids a lot poorer but no super rich kids

[Anonymous]

Oh come, well-regarded DC area privates offer seriously decent financial aid for very bright and hard-working poor kids. Our cleaning lady sends her daughter to the Potomac School in VA, with almost all expenses paid. Your middle-class kid with college educated parents would hardly be the most deprived child in a school community at a pricey private. Far from it. Just ask my cleaning lady.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP. We are not at CMI but we are at similar charter that focuses on the whole child. We can also afford private (it wouldn't be super easy but we'd manage with limited budget adjustments). We have spoken to many private families and have gone to open houses. Having an AA son and prioritizing certain things like diversity are important to our family. My DS also has certain emotional needs that I think are being met in a great way at his charter. That's not to say that private is out of the picture all together. Just saying, right now, his needs are best met where he is. We have a close friend who has a kid that is "high energy", they have been told by many privates that they may not be a good fit. Not every kid fits into a perfect little bubble and if a family thinks their current school is the best fit for their family, people should not judge them and say that they aren't prioritizing their kids education.

+1. We chose an immersion charter over private schools and glad we did bc it turned out that our child has ASD/ADHD and needs an IEP. We chose the charter for the immersion language but it turned out to be a much better fit than the private school we were considering. Had we chosen the private school, we most likely would have been counseled out.

Reading these posts, it is obvious some parents chose CMI for the services/supports that aren't available at mainstream private schools. CMI has an excellent reputation for inclusion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh come, well-regarded DC area privates offer seriously decent financial aid for very bright and hard-working poor kids. Our cleaning lady sends her daughter to the Potomac School in VA, with almost all expenses paid. Your middle-class kid with college educated parents would hardly be the most deprived child in a school community at a pricey private. Far from it. Just ask my cleaning lady.

[Anonymous]

May I recommend to people reading this thread, come out to the CMI open house on Dec 5th and come meet families. Ask questions in person and see the school for yourself.

Look forward to seeing anyone interested there!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. We are not at CMI but we are at similar charter that focuses on the whole child. We can also afford private (it wouldn't be super easy but we'd manage with limited budget adjustments). We have spoken to many private families and have gone to open houses. Having an AA son and prioritizing certain things like diversity are important to our family. My DS also has certain emotional needs that I think are being met in a great way at his charter. That's not to say that private is out of the picture all together. Just saying, right now, his needs are best met where he is. We have a close friend who has a kid that is "high energy", they have been told by many privates that they may not be a good fit. Not every kid fits into a perfect little bubble and if a family thinks their current school is the best fit for their family, people should not judge them and say that they aren't prioritizing their kids education.

+1. We chose an immersion charter over private schools and glad we did bc it turned out that our child has ASD/ADHD and needs an IEP. We chose the charter for the immersion language but it turned out to be a much better fit than the private school we were considering. Had we chosen the private school, we most likely would have been counseled out.

Reading these posts, it is obvious some parents chose CMI for the services/supports that aren't available at mainstream private schools. CMI has an excellent reputation for inclusion.

Well, that's great. By all means tout the school for its inclusion model. DC as a whole has a terrible reputation for providing special services and supports in education, so if this is something that CM does well then please spread the word. CM deserves to be lauded if it is recruiting and serving students with special needs.

Unfortunately the tenor of this thread is how "like a private" CM is, due its "self-selecting" families, and how that leads to a somehow exclusive education. This is not the role of a public school. It's also unworkable in the jump from ES to MS, if that is the goal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. We are not at CMI but we are at similar charter that focuses on the whole child. We can also afford private (it wouldn't be super easy but we'd manage with limited budget adjustments). We have spoken to many private families and have gone to open houses. Having an AA son and prioritizing certain things like diversity are important to our family. My DS also has certain emotional needs that I think are being met in a great way at his charter. That's not to say that private is out of the picture all together. Just saying, right now, his needs are best met where he is. We have a close friend who has a kid that is "high energy", they have been told by many privates that they may not be a good fit. Not every kid fits into a perfect little bubble and if a family thinks their current school is the best fit for their family, people should not judge them and say that they aren't prioritizing their kids education.

+1. We chose an immersion charter over private schools and glad we did bc it turned out that our child has ASD/ADHD and needs an IEP. We chose the charter for the immersion language but it turned out to be a much better fit than the private school we were considering. Had we chosen the private school, we most likely would have been counseled out.

Reading these posts, it is obvious some parents chose CMI for the services/supports that aren't available at mainstream private schools. CMI has an excellent reputation for inclusion.

Well, that's great. By all means tout the school for its inclusion model. DC as a whole has a terrible reputation for providing special services and supports in education, so if this is something that CM does well then please spread the word. CM deserves to be lauded if it is recruiting and serving students with special needs.

Unfortunately the tenor of this thread is how "like a private" CM is, due its "self-selecting" families, and how that leads to a somehow exclusive education. This is not the role of a public school. It's also unworkable in the jump from ES to MS, if that is the goal.

you are the only poster saying that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:May I recommend to people reading this thread, come out to the CMI open house on Dec 5th and come meet families. Ask questions in person and see the school for yourself.

Look forward to seeing anyone interested there!

CMI parent here...attending the first open house (12/5) 9:30am-1:30pm is a great way to actually meet other CMI families. Bring your kids and stay for crafts, caroling, and food during our Winterfest. It will be a great way to experience the community first hand and allow you to formulate your own opinion of the school.

[Anonymous]

Nonsense.

CM boosters have been pretty clear about how "self-selective" the families are. How there are and will be no low-performers or behavior problems. That this (imaginarily) should translate to a charter version of a private school.

What has not been explained is how to address the various needs across the spectrum, other than "differentiation". It's not a magic word, it's a well planned system. How exactly will CM incorporate a high level curriculum, special services for special needs students, remedial education for the new students, and still be a school that parents who can afford a real private might actually consider (much less want)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh come, well-regarded DC area privates offer seriously decent financial aid for very bright and hard-working poor kids. Our cleaning lady sends her daughter to the Potomac School in VA, with almost all expenses paid. Your middle-class kid with college educated parents would hardly be the most deprived child in a school community at a pricey private. Far from it. Just ask my cleaning lady.

I wouldn't want to be that kid at Potomac any more than I'd want to be my kid - the kid whose family can't afford a cleaning lady.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nonsense.

CM boosters have been pretty clear about how "self-selective" the families are. How there are and will be no low-performers or behavior problems. That this (imaginarily) should translate to a charter version of a private school.

What has not been explained is how to address the various needs across the spectrum, other than "differentiation". It's not a magic word, it's a well planned system. How exactly will CM incorporate a high level curriculum, special services for special needs students, remedial education for the new students, and still be a school that parents who can afford a real private might actually consider (much less want)?

If you are so interested, come see for yourself at our open house. CMI serves one of highest number of special needs students of charter schools in DC and has been routinely held up as a model by DCPCSB. Instead of getting your information from random, anonymous posters here - come see for yourself.

I'm sure the school your child attends is lucky to have someone who is so invested in education!