Parent Essay critical of DCI

[Anonymous]

Parent of 2 DCI kids has some strong words about DCI
https://thedcline.org/2019/08/22/allyson-finch-wilson-lets-overcome-the-soft-bigotry-of-low-expectations-and-ensure-middle-school-isnt-a-joke/

[Anonymous]

It was eye-opening! Is it because the school is too big?

[Anonymous]

I heard that a big chunk of fifth graders at our our DCI feeder were leaving for other schools, but haven’t confirmed that yet. I have heard mixed things about DCI from some parents.

[Anonymous]

The essay is ridiculous. It seems like she's trying to make herself look good by clucking about the reading lists. I never read ANY of those books. I went to a mediocre college nobody ever heard of and got an associate's degree. I have a job that I'm neither proud nor ashamed of. Today I was reading a Robin Cook book on my lunch hour.

I sit next to someone who went to Cornell, and does the same job I do, and earns the same as I do. She spent her teens miserable, taking anti-anxiety and under tons of pressure. I spent mine happy and pressure-free.

[Anonymous]

No new news. It’s because it’s a school that has to serve all students like any DCPS or charter school in the city. And many are below grade level. Maybe not as much as the other middle schools in the city but still true.

If you don’t have tracking or very small class sizes like the private’s, the higher performing kids will not be fully challenged. Yes, more challenged than if they went to a DCPS middle EOTP but not fully challenged. Parents will have to supplement just like parents at DEAL supplement.

Lastly, kids in the article seem to want to do the bare minimum. Don’t accept it. Supplement and give them more work. Also as a parent in DC you have to be more actively involved in your kids education to monitor, assess, and push. Expecting all that of the teachers is not going to work.

Other option like in the article is go private which some parents do and are willingly and can afford 40k a year. There you will get small class sizes and the teacher knows and can work more with individual students

DCI is not the idea school but for EOTP, it’s the best available for a middle and non test in high school. I promise it’s probably 10 times worst at other DCPS middle and high school. Just do go in with rose color glasses that it’s perfect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No new news. It’s because it’s a school that has to serve all students like any DCPS or charter school in the city. And many are below grade level. Maybe not as much as the other middle schools in the city but still true.

If you don’t have tracking or very small class sizes like the private’s, the higher performing kids will not be fully challenged. Yes, more challenged than if they went to a DCPS middle EOTP but not fully challenged. Parents will have to supplement just like parents at DEAL supplement.

Lastly, kids in the article seem to want to do the bare minimum. Don’t accept it. Supplement and give them more work. Also as a parent in DC you have to be more actively involved in your kids education to monitor, assess, and push. Expecting all that of the teachers is not going to work.

Other option like in the article is go private which some parents do and are willingly and can afford 40k a year. There you will get small class sizes and the teacher knows and can work more with individual students

DCI is not the idea school but for EOTP, it’s the best available for a middle and non test in high school. I promise it’s probably 10 times worst at other DCPS middle and high school. Just do go in with rose color glasses that it’s perfect.

Meant don’t

[Anonymous]

I mostly agree with her, as another AA family (with experience in private and DCPS). Expectations are low across the board and particularly for minority kids, who educators may be more likely to assume don't need as much challenge.

However, I'm sort of surprised that she's surprised about the reading list. Many kids at DCI are behind, as I understand, and the reading list reflects that (of course, this is true for all of DCPS/DCPCS). Why would DCI's summer reading list be comparable to the one at GDS (the private school she mentioned)?

Perhaps they should make it more varied and include more challenging selections like the Tomi Adeyemi book, but I think it makes some sense to aim for the level most appropriate for the majority of kids.

[Anonymous]

Is it me or has the whole dcline site gone down?

[Anonymous]

I’m Asian and the conversation in the article would never happen in my house growing up. I think it might be cultural.

Parents expected that I get straight A’s, ingrained quite frequently. Then it was up to me to meet that expectation. Luckily school was very easy so it wasn’t hard. There would be no question like the article what do you want to read and it’s OK not to read it. I would be expected to read everything, period. If I did not, there were consequences and things were taken away, etc.. Education to my parents was far more important than anything else and they made it known quite frequently. They also did not expect the teacher to motivate me. They expected self motivation and this started at an early age.

This is why Asians do well even if they grew up dirt poor. It all starts at home and high expectations start early. Self motivation is expected. Failure is not an option. Laziness in school is not an option. Education is the top priority and the parents will sacrifice and do whatever it takes for that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m Asian and the conversation in the article would never happen in my house growing up. I think it might be cultural.

Parents expected that I get straight A’s, ingrained quite frequently. Then it was up to me to meet that expectation. Luckily school was very easy so it wasn’t hard. There would be no question like the article what do you want to read and it’s OK not to read it. I would be expected to read everything, period. If I did not, there were consequences and things were taken away, etc.. Education to my parents was far more important than anything else and they made it known quite frequently. They also did not expect the teacher to motivate me. They expected self motivation and this started at an early age.

This is why Asians do well even if they grew up dirt poor. It all starts at home and high expectations start early. Self motivation is expected. Failure is not an option. Laziness in school is not an option. Education is the top priority and the parents will sacrifice and do whatever it takes for that.

I really admire this attitude and the way Asians stress education and being self-motivated. I’m curious, what would happen if you didn’t get straight A’s, or complete the summer reading, or self-motivate?

[Anonymous]

I had the same question about the reading list. My rising 6th grader asked why DCI was listing a book for summer reading that she had read at her charter elementary in 4th grade. We can't afford private and she didn't get in anywhere else so I guess we will have to supplement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m Asian and the conversation in the article would never happen in my house growing up. I think it might be cultural.

Parents expected that I get straight A’s, ingrained quite frequently. Then it was up to me to meet that expectation. Luckily school was very easy so it wasn’t hard. There would be no question like the article what do you want to read and it’s OK not to read it. I would be expected to read everything, period. If I did not, there were consequences and things were taken away, etc.. Education to my parents was far more important than anything else and they made it known quite frequently. They also did not expect the teacher to motivate me. They expected self motivation and this started at an early age.

This is why Asians do well even if they grew up dirt poor. It all starts at home and high expectations start early. Self motivation is expected. Failure is not an option. Laziness in school is not an option. Education is the top priority and the parents will sacrifice and do whatever it takes for that.

I really admire this attitude and the way Asians stress education and being self-motivated. I’m curious, what would happen if you didn’t get straight A’s, or complete the summer reading, or self-motivate?

This is not all Asians. There are many low-performing Asian subgroups with problems like violence, gangs, etc. My family is from an Asian group that is not always high-performing--family members have gotten in trouble with the law, had kids out of wedlock, etc. Just need to correct the model minority stereotype when I see it, since even positive stereotypes can have negative effects--okay, carry on.

[Anonymous]

The summer reading books she mentioned are at a third grade reading level. That’s insane for middle school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m Asian and the conversation in the article would never happen in my house growing up. I think it might be cultural.

Parents expected that I get straight A’s, ingrained quite frequently. Then it was up to me to meet that expectation. Luckily school was very easy so it wasn’t hard. There would be no question like the article what do you want to read and it’s OK not to read it. I would be expected to read everything, period. If I did not, there were consequences and things were taken away, etc.. Education to my parents was far more important than anything else and they made it known quite frequently. They also did not expect the teacher to motivate me. They expected self motivation and this started at an early age.

This is why Asians do well even if they grew up dirt poor. It all starts at home and high expectations start early. Self motivation is expected. Failure is not an option. Laziness in school is not an option. Education is the top priority and the parents will sacrifice and do whatever it takes for that.

I really admire this attitude and the way Asians stress education and being self-motivated. I’m curious, what would happen if you didn’t get straight A’s, or complete the summer reading, or self-motivate?

Work at a Spa or Nail Salon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No new news. It’s because it’s a school that has to serve all students like any DCPS or charter school in the city. And many are below grade level. Maybe not as much as the other middle schools in the city but still true.

If you don’t have tracking or very small class sizes like the private’s, the higher performing kids will not be fully challenged. Yes, more challenged than if they went to a DCPS middle EOTP but not fully challenged. Parents will have to supplement just like parents at DEAL supplement.

Lastly, kids in the article seem to want to do the bare minimum. Don’t accept it. Supplement and give them more work. Also as a parent in DC you have to be more actively involved in your kids education to monitor, assess, and push. Expecting all that of the teachers is not going to work.

Other option like in the article is go private which some parents do and are willingly and can afford 40k a year. There you will get small class sizes and the teacher knows and can work more with individual students

DCI is not the idea school but for EOTP, it’s the best available for a middle and non test in high school. I promise it’s probably 10 times worst at other DCPS middle and high school. Just do go in with rose color glasses that it’s perfect.

Meant don’t

Your assessment that DC parents have to be pushing their kids because the schools won't, pretty much sums up why we are moving to the suburbs. Our kids haven't started school yet, but at least there are accelerated programs if my kids are ready for them.