Ward 6 Needs to Boot Joe Weedon

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Disagree all you like. I can afford privates post ES for my two children, but would much rather send them to strong public middle and high schools here in Ward 6 (having gone to public schools myself all the way through). Yes, it's all too easy to be brave when your kids are little and, in all likelihood, you don't really have your head around how weak most DCPS middle and high schools are. I used to teach in DCPS so no rose colored glasses on my part.

No sure what a "gentrified school" means. But it it's one with strong facilities and a good spirit, where my good students are safe, happy, and appropriately challenged in most subjects and can participate in worthwhile extra curriculars, where most of their classmates live in the catchment area, great, bring it on. It doesn't look to me like we have a chance in hell of such a by-right middle or high school materializing locally in under two decades, so I'm planning accordingly to avoid moving. You can do the brave advocating. Good luck.

Where did you grow up?

[Anonymous]

Boston, attended public "exam school" from 7th-12th grades then an Ivy, low-income background. Not remotely impressed with DC public school options after ES, other than perhaps Deal, Walls and BASIS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Disagree all you like. I can afford privates post ES for my two children, but would much rather send them to strong public middle and high schools here in Ward 6 (having gone to public schools myself all the way through). Yes, it's all too easy to be brave when your kids are little and, in all likelihood, you don't really have your head around how weak most DCPS middle and high schools are. I used to teach in DCPS so no rose colored glasses on my part.

No sure what a "gentrified school" means. But it it's one with strong facilities and a good spirit, where my good students are safe, happy, and appropriately challenged in most subjects and can participate in worthwhile extra curriculars, where most of their classmates live in the catchment area, great, bring it on. It doesn't look to me like we have a chance in hell of such a by-right middle or high school materializing locally in under two decades, so I'm planning accordingly to avoid moving. You can do the brave advocating. Good luck.

I don't really care where you go with your kid. My problem is with people who complain and then advance ridiculous and spoiled demands here about how DCPS must serve them. Guess what, that's now how institutions change. It is frustrating because there *is* a way to make a middle school happen but it takes collective action and yes, the ability to care just a bit about others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Disagree all you like. I can afford privates post ES for my two children, but would much rather send them to strong public middle and high schools here in Ward 6 (having gone to public schools myself all the way through). Yes, it's all too easy to be brave when your kids are little and, in all likelihood, you don't really have your head around how weak most DCPS middle and high schools are. I used to teach in DCPS so no rose colored glasses on my part.

No sure what a "gentrified school" means. But it it's one with strong facilities and a good spirit, where my good students are safe, happy, and appropriately challenged in most subjects and can participate in worthwhile extra curriculars, where most of their classmates live in the catchment area, great, bring it on. It doesn't look to me like we have a chance in hell of such a by-right middle or high school materializing locally in under two decades, so I'm planning accordingly to avoid moving. You can do the brave advocating. Good luck.

I don't really care where you go with your kid. My problem is with people who complain and then advance ridiculous and spoiled demands here about how DCPS must serve them. Guess what, that's now how institutions change. It is frustrating because there *is* a way to make a middle school happen but it takes collective action and yes, the ability to care just a bit about others.

You're preachy and judgmental, PP. How long have you been in DCPS? After 5, 6, 7, 8 years, many of us are exhausted. We haven't been complaining and making ridiculous demands. No, we've been working steadily to improve our neighborhood elementary schools for years, mustering all the care for others we could. We don't have it in us to start all over again with MS in a system where school leaders vigorously resist appropriate academic tracking, for political reasons. That's half the reason Hill parents head to charters like BASIS and Latin, along with privates - with their stamina flagging, they crave a turn key program after having played a significant role in building an ES program.

[Anonymous]

It's also only three years--and determined your path through high school. Totally different from elementary

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Disagree all you like. I can afford privates post ES for my two children, but would much rather send them to strong public middle and high schools here in Ward 6 (having gone to public schools myself all the way through). Yes, it's all too easy to be brave when your kids are little and, in all likelihood, you don't really have your head around how weak most DCPS middle and high schools are. I used to teach in DCPS so no rose colored glasses on my part.

No sure what a "gentrified school" means. But it it's one with strong facilities and a good spirit, where my good students are safe, happy, and appropriately challenged in most subjects and can participate in worthwhile extra curriculars, where most of their classmates live in the catchment area, great, bring it on. It doesn't look to me like we have a chance in hell of such a by-right middle or high school materializing locally in under two decades, so I'm planning accordingly to avoid moving. You can do the brave advocating. Good luck.

I don't really care where you go with your kid. My problem is with people who complain and then advance ridiculous and spoiled demands here about how DCPS must serve them. Guess what, that's now how institutions change. It is frustrating because there *is* a way to make a middle school happen but it takes collective action and yes, the ability to care just a bit about others.

You're preachy and judgmental, PP. How long have you been in DCPS? After 5, 6, 7, 8 years, many of us are exhausted. We haven't been complaining and making ridiculous demands. No, we've been working steadily to improve our neighborhood elementary schools for years, mustering all the care for others we could. We don't have it in us to start all over again with MS in a system where school leaders vigorously resist appropriate academic tracking, for political reasons. That's half the reason Hill parents head to charters like BASIS and Latin, along with privates - with their stamina flagging, they crave a turn key program after having played a significant role in building an ES program.

You're not listening. I don't blame you for wanting a "turn key" program. I blame the people posting here who think they should magically get a "turn key" Ward 6 MS just because they are rich.

[Anonymous]

Ward 6 parent for 14 years here. I actually don't think parents complain and advocate enough. And yes, I think Ward 6 students deserve "turn-key" middle school like every child in the city does.

[Anonymous]

If we were rich, we would live near and use the privates in upper NW. Just because we are white and educated does not mean we are rich.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ward 6 parent for 14 years here. I actually don't think parents complain and advocate enough. And yes, I think Ward 6 students deserve "turn-key" middle school like every child in the city does.

Exactly. We should have a great middle school just like every child in the city should have a great middle school. But apparently because we are "rich" (wtf?!?) we don't deserve one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ward 6 parent for 14 years here. I actually don't think parents complain and advocate enough. And yes, I think Ward 6 students deserve "turn-key" middle school like every child in the city does.

Exactly. We should have a great middle school just like every child in the city should have a great middle school. But apparently because we are "rich" (wtf?!?) we don't deserve one.

The point is you all are no more deprived than anyone else outside of the Deal, and maybe Hardy feeder patterns. Ward 1, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 should have good schools too. At least you all have a gcoupke good elementary schools. The rest of us don't even have that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ward 6 parent for 14 years here. I actually don't think parents complain and advocate enough. And yes, I think Ward 6 students deserve "turn-key" middle school like every child in the city does.

Exactly. We should have a great middle school just like every child in the city should have a great middle school. But apparently because we are "rich" (wtf?!?) we don't deserve one.

ok, you go with your deliberate obtuseness. that's really going to help solve the problem.

[Anonymous]

Look here folks - the people that stifle progress in education. You can tell from the quotes, "you should be happy" or "at least you have . . . " that these people think we should all just accept the current status quo - or better yet be happy with it. And they also assume that the only people fighting to improve education are rich and white.

So glad the mayor appointed Mr. Wilson to lead the school system - he is a terrific education leader and will get DCPS to the next level.

DC is a world class city and should have (and it will) a world class public education system.

[Anonymous]

^^^ If you're correct, then Mr. Wilson will be a boom to this city
But I cannot hold my breath that long and for sooo long there have been empty promises with zero results or more likely just answers like go screw yourself. What does it take to get tangible advancements, or do we need to just keep moving away?

[Anonymous]

The fact that one of the first things Mr. Wilson did is make sure (via the school budgets) every middle school offered Algebra is really, really significant.

If you feel like your child is not being challenged at school go directly to the teacher and then principal. Talk to the LSAT and the instructional sup. Visit schools that you think do challenge the kids and then demand the same.

I am sure the teacher evaluation program Impact has some flaws but what it did do is significantly raise the median quality of teachers if you will. DCPS is keeping and attracting excellent teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Disagree all you like. I can afford privates post ES for my two children, but would much rather send them to strong public middle and high schools here in Ward 6 (having gone to public schools myself all the way through). Yes, it's all too easy to be brave when your kids are little and, in all likelihood, you don't really have your head around how weak most DCPS middle and high schools are. I used to teach in DCPS so no rose colored glasses on my part.

No sure what a "gentrified school" means. But it it's one with strong facilities and a good spirit, where my good students are safe, happy, and appropriately challenged in most subjects and can participate in worthwhile extra curriculars, where most of their classmates live in the catchment area, great, bring it on. It doesn't look to me like we have a chance in hell of such a by-right middle or high school materializing locally in under two decades, so I'm planning accordingly to avoid moving. You can do the brave advocating. Good luck.

I don't really care where you go with your kid. My problem is with people who complain and then advance ridiculous and spoiled demands here about how DCPS must serve them. Guess what, that's now how institutions change. It is frustrating because there *is* a way to make a middle school happen but it takes collective action and yes, the ability to care just a bit about others.

Really? Cause I've just been sitting on my hands for the last decade. Maybe it's some else's turn to work nights and weekends fixing a school. I have had it.