Can someone tell me about the Eastern Magnet?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So...the building is that bad, huh? This might actually be a factor for my child, who will otherwise go to TPMS (non magnet).

Yes - the building is in pretty bad shape. They are in line for eventually renovations, but it keeps getting pushed off. I think the bathrooms were updated this summer though.

[Anonymous]

I hear the kids come out of the program as excellent writers with great critical thinking skills that set them up for magnet programs at the high school level and beyond. How accurate is that portrayal?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son is currently in 6th grade at Eastern. It's been terrible. I'd think twice if the kids aren't all back in the fall and there's still an online component. Poor leadership and little communication. My son is also no snowflake and I could share the exact same stories as above of all the stress and disconnection the school's lack of care has caused. I do agree there are some awesome teachers who understand what the kids are going through and connect with them. If only they were running things.

Is your son in the magnet program there?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son is currently in 6th grade at Eastern. It's been terrible. I'd think twice if the kids aren't all back in the fall and there's still an online component. Poor leadership and little communication. My son is also no snowflake and I could share the exact same stories as above of all the stress and disconnection the school's lack of care has caused. I do agree there are some awesome teachers who understand what the kids are going through and connect with them. If only they were running things.

Is your son in the magnet program there?

Yes, I’m referring to the humanities program. That’s why I said think twice.

[Anonymous]

You should search other threads as there has been a fair amount of information about the positive parts of Eastern and aspects of failures in DL.

As the parent of an 8th grader, there is truth in all the perspectives.

There are some condescending parents in this year's 6th class who have said negative things about other students not being as smart as their perfect child. They don't realize that this year's grading and work is more about organization than thinking skills. If you have a parent at home who has time to help you can do well. That does not mean the kids who don't are dumb.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hear the kids come out of the program as excellent writers with great critical thinking skills that set them up for magnet programs at the high school level and beyond. How accurate is that portrayal?

No guarantee for high school. My child excelled at Eastern, had the high test scores etc and still did not get a high school spot. That said, writing/thinking/reading skills were well developed at Eastern and now child is well prepared for high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You should search other threads as there has been a fair amount of information about the positive parts of Eastern and aspects of failures in DL.

As the parent of an 8th grader, there is truth in all the perspectives.

There are some condescending parents in this year's 6th class who have said negative things about other students not being as smart as their perfect child. They don't realize that this year's grading and work is more about organization than thinking skills. If you have a parent at home who has time to help you can do well. That does not mean the kids who don't are dumb.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hear the kids come out of the program as excellent writers with great critical thinking skills that set them up for magnet programs at the high school level and beyond. How accurate is that portrayal?

No guarantee for high school. My child excelled at Eastern, had the high test scores etc and still did not get a high school spot. That said, writing/thinking/reading skills were well developed at Eastern and now child is well prepared for high school.

That's accurate - if they get into a magnet program they will have a running start on those who did not attend Eastern. The research paper and the C-span competition are excellent tools for learning critical thinking and writing.

[Anonymous]

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hear the kids come out of the program as excellent writers with great critical thinking skills that set them up for magnet programs at the high school level and beyond. How accurate is that portrayal?

Come out of the program excellent writers? Yes! Getting into various HS things? It varies.

[Anonymous]

Excellent writers? Yes, there might be some. But all?

Magnet program is not a magic potion. If your child is a strong writer they will thrive no matter where.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Excellent writers? Yes, there might be some. But all?

Magnet program is not a magic potion. If your child is a strong writer they will thrive no matter where.

I am not sure of any 5th or 6th grader that could be considered a "strong writer" without instruction. No one is saying, however, that a magnet is the only way to become a strong writer. Eastern does an amazing job, however, of teaching (more than any other public MS that I've seen) 11 and 12 year olds how to organize their thoughts, pick a topic of interest to them, research the topic, and cogently discuss the topic through researching and writing a 10-page research paper in 7th grade. They research the topic in an undergraduate research library, learn how to outline a paper, learn how to back up arguments with meaningful primary and secondary sources, and learn how to cite those sources accurately according to MLA. The way that the program scaffolds this process is priceless - I truly wish I had learned how to do this before I got to college. It is challenging, and it can be stressful, but the teachers coach them through it and help them with time management and the step-by-step process of research/write/rewrite/proof/finalize. This is not creative writing (although there are lots of creative aspects to Eastern, the research paper is full-on academic research). The kids in the magnet program are generally thoughtful, wonderful kids that also are normal everyday middle schoolers with the attendant drama. The kids go on to magnet programs, neighborhood schools, private - just like kids in other MSs, and they thrive (or not). Eastern (or TPMS or Prep or any other school) is not a panacea or sure-fire recipe for success, but it does have a program that is simply not offered in other schools, and if its a program that your child would like (thoughtful discussion, challenging material, etc), then go for it! They won't be sorry (although December of 7th grade they will be stressed - by the end of 7th grade they have an feeling of accomplishment that is hard to get anywhere else.). Also, the NY trip to film and create a documentary while visiting various museums, restaurants, and Broadway is also an amazing experience (when if comes back online).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Excellent writers? Yes, there might be some. But all?

Magnet program is not a magic potion. If your child is a strong writer they will thrive no matter where.

I am not sure of any 5th or 6th grader that could be considered a "strong writer" without instruction. No one is saying, however, that a magnet is the only way to become a strong writer. Eastern does an amazing job, however, of teaching (more than any other public MS that I've seen) 11 and 12 year olds how to organize their thoughts, pick a topic of interest to them, research the topic, and cogently discuss the topic through researching and writing a 10-page research paper in 7th grade. They research the topic in an undergraduate research library, learn how to outline a paper, learn how to back up arguments with meaningful primary and secondary sources, and learn how to cite those sources accurately according to MLA. The way that the program scaffolds this process is priceless - I truly wish I had learned how to do this before I got to college. It is challenging, and it can be stressful, but the teachers coach them through it and help them with time management and the step-by-step process of research/write/rewrite/proof/finalize. This is not creative writing (although there are lots of creative aspects to Eastern, the research paper is full-on academic research). The kids in the magnet program are generally thoughtful, wonderful kids that also are normal everyday middle schoolers with the attendant drama. The kids go on to magnet programs, neighborhood schools, private - just like kids in other MSs, and they thrive (or not). Eastern (or TPMS or Prep or any other school) is not a panacea or sure-fire recipe for success, but it does have a program that is simply not offered in other schools, and if its a program that your child would like (thoughtful discussion, challenging material, etc), then go for it! They won't be sorry (although December of 7th grade they will be stressed - by the end of 7th grade they have an feeling of accomplishment that is hard to get anywhere else.). Also, the NY trip to film and create a documentary while visiting various museums, restaurants, and Broadway is also an amazing experience (when if comes back online).

+1. My current 7th grader is so proud of the 2500-word research paper she produced in the fall, and also of the 10-minute documentary she and two classmates made based on one of these research papers. The process was stressful but well developed, and I imagine it would have been even better in a non-pandemic year where they could actually visit the UMD library and have more in-class time to work. I'm doubtful she'll get the NYC trip in the fall, which is disappointing, but it's still been a really good program for my kid and she's glad she's at Eastern.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You should search other threads as there has been a fair amount of information about the positive parts of Eastern and aspects of failures in DL.

As the parent of an 8th grader, there is truth in all the perspectives.

There are some condescending parents in this year's 6th class who have said negative things about other students not being as smart as their perfect child. They don't realize that this year's grading and work is more about organization than thinking skills. If you have a parent at home who has time to help you can do well. That does not mean the kids who don't are dumb.

As a parent of an Eastern kid now in HS, I am sad to hear that the DL is causing this strife. Hopefully, when DL is a thing of the past, the parental "involvement" will fade, and the teachers can get back to doing what they do best. There are going to be kids who excel and kids who lag in every class (yes, even in a magnet), and 6th graders come in with various levels of organizational skills and attention levels which can affect their performance at the outset. Further, some kids come from the HGC where they have already been provided these tools, and some don't, so the teachers adjust and teach every child. In prior years, I found the teachers to be skilled at bringing everyone up to speed, and then in 7th grade, the training wheels come off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You should search other threads as there has been a fair amount of information about the positive parts of Eastern and aspects of failures in DL.

As the parent of an 8th grader, there is truth in all the perspectives.

There are some condescending parents in this year's 6th class who have said negative things about other students not being as smart as their perfect child. They don't realize that this year's grading and work is more about organization than thinking skills. If you have a parent at home who has time to help you can do well. That does not mean the kids who don't are dumb.

Where are you hearing these comments? My daughter is in 6th grade and I don’t know any other parents, but I certainly hope they’re not gossiping about the kids.