Your experience with a 40% FARMS rate Middle School

[Anonymous]

Howard county is currently being redistricted and the latest proposal moves 200 kids from one of the best middle schools( the one we will go in a few years) to the one with the highest FARM rate. The present FARM rate of this school is 52% and the target after redistricting will probably be 40%. The PAARC scores for this school hover in the 20 and 30 percents.

Now the usual cries of not wanting our kids to go t those schools, crime, home values are doing the rounds and I'm not claiming to be above those. But in all honesty, I didn't go to school here and I'm trying to understand what our experience there might be like. We are currently in a < 5% FARMS rate elementary. middle and high school pyramid. I feel some of the hesitancy, including my own, might be people not really knowing what the new school is like.

I am truly trying to have an open mind and trying to understand what my kids would lose by going here. I don't believe 3 years of middle school make or break your life. Does this truly give my otherwise v protected kids a window into the world that's out there or is peer pressure and the price of poor choices too high in middle school. If your kids attended such a middle school coming from an elementary school like described, what was your experience and the pros and cons of this.

[Anonymous]

My kids went to a high FARMS % school in Montgomery County and there were a ton of benefits, like smaller class sizes and additional resources, as a result. I also appreciated the diversity of the community and the different ways in which families chose to support the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Howard county is currently being redistricted and the latest proposal moves 200 kids from one of the best middle schools( the one we will go in a few years) to the one with the highest FARM rate. The present FARM rate of this school is 52% and the target after redistricting will probably be 40%. The PAARC scores for this school hover in the 20 and 30 percents.

Now the usual cries of not wanting our kids to go t those schools, crime, home values are doing the rounds and I'm not claiming to be above those. But in all honesty, I didn't go to school here and I'm trying to understand what our experience there might be like. We are currently in a < 5% FARMS rate elementary. middle and high school pyramid. I feel some of the hesitancy, including my own, might be people not really knowing what the new school is like.

I am truly trying to have an open mind and trying to understand what my kids would lose by going here. I don't believe 3 years of middle school make or break your life. Does this truly give my otherwise v protected kids a window into the world that's out there or is peer pressure and the price of poor choices too high in middle school. If your kids attended such a middle school coming from an elementary school like described, what was your experience and the pros and cons of this.

Ask for a tour and get a feel for the place. Attend a pta meeting and chat with the parents.

[Anonymous]

I did and it was an abject disaster. Had to go private in 7th. Dont let your guilt destroy your kids’ education. There’s a reason why parents dont want to send their kids to school with the poors: bc they have “poor” habits which your kid will either pick up or will interfere with ur kid’s learning. 6th was a complete loss for my kid, would have been better off staying at home watchimg tv.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I did and it was an abject disaster. Had to go private in 7th. Dont let your guilt destroy your kids’ education. There’s a reason why parents dont want to send their kids to school with the poors: bc they have “poor” habits which your kid will either pick up or will interfere with ur kid’s learning. 6th was a complete loss for my kid, would have been better off staying at home watchimg tv.

PBS, of course.

[Anonymous]

Pro: I know a lot of kids who have gone to >40% FARM schools and they were absolutely fine.

Class sizes smaller
More resources
More money from the school system

Con: Greater chance to get caught up with the 'wrong kids'

Kids with bigger needs can interfere with the learning of other kids

[Anonymous]

In HoCo, if your kids are in a full GT curriculum, only your home value is at stake. Education should be fine. My oldest attended a 6/10 HoCo elementary with a decent FARMS percentage. We moved to MoCo, and she is a very strong student in middle school.

Now, if your kids are in the regular curricilum, I would fight, fight, fight, and if your school lost rent out my house out and move to a better school dustrict. Middle school is not the time to seek out social justice.

[Anonymous]

I can say this only on an anonymous forum. If you can do anything to not be in this situation - move, go to private school - then do so.

[Anonymous]

They kids were so hungry they ate off my kids plate!! Seriously, though, WTF is wrong with you people?

[Anonymous]

Would you rather work for a company that has 5% or 40% people who are not contributing?
They may not be on your department but....

[Anonymous]

*in your department

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can say this only on an anonymous forum. If you can do anything to not be in this situation - move, go to private school - then do so.

Op here,. That is why I chose to ask this in an anonymous forum as opposed to Facebook - so that I can get an honest opinion. Can you elaborate on why you feel this way?

[Anonymous]

Ok. Here goes. We need to more information. What are the demographics? In my opinion, ESOL kids are generally very hard working, nice kids. If kids come here from overseas they generally have good manners as long as they are coming with stable families. If the majority of the struggling students are AA, we might be looking at a situation of many students being in single parent, generational poverty. This tends to have worse affects on learning, and create major issues with student behavior due to anger issues. Obviously, I am stereotyping everything here. But we need more specific information.

Personally, I think it is a disservice to send a kid to a less than 5% FARMS rate school as well. They should have transported students from the High farms school to the low farms school instead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would you rather work for a company that has 5% or 40% people who are not contributing?
They may not be on your department but....

Ew.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can say this only on an anonymous forum. If you can do anything to not be in this situation - move, go to private school - then do so.

Op here,. That is why I chose to ask this in an anonymous forum as opposed to Facebook - so that I can get an honest opinion. Can you elaborate on why you feel this way?

OP, "honest opinions" are not necessarily a good thing. Especially when they're anonymous "honest opinions".