just can't relate to Potomac anymore

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Having been at two other schools with DEI - it's a hard thing to get right.

One school has done a great job and started over a decade ago, going slow, being thoughtful - training for teachers, tweaks in curriculum, broader sets of books in library, speakers, hiring. Not everyone buys in but it is something where much of the progress has been slowly woven into the fabric without taking over. It bugs me that there will always be "those parents" who will always see the hiring of a person of color as a DEI hire, though.

The other (more prominent) school comes up with big initiatives and actions that flame out and disappear. It all feels "for show". That school already had more diversity than the first. I don't know how parents/students feel about DEI at the school or these initiatives.

I feel like the first school has been more genuine and made more progress.

My child’s elementary teacher this year was a new hire who turned out to be abysmal and by far the worst teacher in elementary. It has done real harm to a class full of students including my child. We have no other explanation for this situation besides a DEI hire. True or not, this is the perception.

You think the teacher is bad because she’s black? That’s a racist perception.

Potomac clearly needs more DEI with parents like this.

She was hired in the setting of large DEI initiatives. I have no opinion but the perception is there. She is grossly unqualified but was still hired.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Having been at two other schools with DEI - it's a hard thing to get right.

One school has done a great job and started over a decade ago, going slow, being thoughtful - training for teachers, tweaks in curriculum, broader sets of books in library, speakers, hiring. Not everyone buys in but it is something where much of the progress has been slowly woven into the fabric without taking over. It bugs me that there will always be "those parents" who will always see the hiring of a person of color as a DEI hire, though.

The other (more prominent) school comes up with big initiatives and actions that flame out and disappear. It all feels "for show". That school already had more diversity than the first. I don't know how parents/students feel about DEI at the school or these initiatives.

I feel like the first school has been more genuine and made more progress.

My child’s elementary teacher this year was a new hire who turned out to be abysmal and by far the worst teacher in elementary. It has done real harm to a class full of students including my child. We have no other explanation for this situation besides a DEI hire. True or not, this is the perception.

You think the teacher is bad because she’s black? That’s a racist perception.

Potomac clearly needs more DEI with parents like this.

To clarify why she is bad, she ignores the needs of the students. Doesn’t follow through on tasks she says she will do. The children do not want to go to school in the morning because she is mean towards them. The advanced students are blamed for being a distraction when they have nothing to work on.

The situation is so far outside what normally happens. Being a POC has nothing to do with the specific problems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Having been at two other schools with DEI - it's a hard thing to get right.

One school has done a great job and started over a decade ago, going slow, being thoughtful - training for teachers, tweaks in curriculum, broader sets of books in library, speakers, hiring. Not everyone buys in but it is something where much of the progress has been slowly woven into the fabric without taking over. It bugs me that there will always be "those parents" who will always see the hiring of a person of color as a DEI hire, though.

The other (more prominent) school comes up with big initiatives and actions that flame out and disappear. It all feels "for show". That school already had more diversity than the first. I don't know how parents/students feel about DEI at the school or these initiatives.

I feel like the first school has been more genuine and made more progress.

My child’s elementary teacher this year was a new hire who turned out to be abysmal and by far the worst teacher in elementary. It has done real harm to a class full of students including my child. We have no other explanation for this situation besides a DEI hire. True or not, this is the perception.

You think the teacher is bad because she’s black? That’s a racist perception.

Potomac clearly needs more DEI with parents like this.

Actually the teacher is purple. But she’s still a disaster and needs to go.

Feel better now?

[Anonymous]

The Potomac School is a liberal cesspool that only gets their students into average schools upon "graduation."

[Anonymous]

Some other private schools are like this and kids are leaving for Catholic schools to escape it. DEI was so overdone and has become a punchline. In 5-10 years we'll see that the DEI effort has backfired and you have young adults who feel resentful towards different races. How is there enough DEI content to support 8 employees? How is that sustainable?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Having been at two other schools with DEI - it's a hard thing to get right.

One school has done a great job and started over a decade ago, going slow, being thoughtful - training for teachers, tweaks in curriculum, broader sets of books in library, speakers, hiring. Not everyone buys in but it is something where much of the progress has been slowly woven into the fabric without taking over. It bugs me that there will always be "those parents" who will always see the hiring of a person of color as a DEI hire, though.

The other (more prominent) school comes up with big initiatives and actions that flame out and disappear. It all feels "for show". That school already had more diversity than the first. I don't know how parents/students feel about DEI at the school or these initiatives.

I feel like the first school has been more genuine and made more progress.

My child’s elementary teacher this year was a new hire who turned out to be abysmal and by far the worst teacher in elementary. It has done real harm to a class full of students including my child. We have no other explanation for this situation besides a DEI hire. True or not, this is the perception.

But this sort of thing happens with white teachers too....why blame it on their skin color. Why can't it just be a bad hire? Why do you need to equate it to DEI. We have had two horrible teachers for my kids (over many years) and one was a person of color and the other wasn't. I don't blame the POC bad teacher on DEI - she was just a really bad fit. And to be honest, the parents that complained and made it about race did nobody any favors - because the school (and me too) had to discount those opinions immediately. It's the tangible defaults/misteps that matter - so blaming things on DEI and not focusing on what criteria are used to evaluate a good hire or to evaluate current teachers helps nobody. Same with leadership positions. Of the few that fell short (not horrible but not inspiring) some were POC and others weren't. they all left the same way....with a note saying they chose to transition to something else.

This is why DEI is bad for everyone, even those it purports to help. With DEI, a bad hire who is a POC will automatically be considered a DEI hire. Any POC hired will have the label of being a DEI hire, whether that person was hired based on merit or skin color. Without DEI and no racial preference being given, a bad hire will just be a bad hire regardless of color. The time for DEI is over, it's divisive and unfair.

Soooo go back to hiring white people only?

Businesses want to hire the best people without having to fulfill arbitrary DEI quotas.

And yet others want to point to any diversity hire as stepping away from a policy where the best person gets hired....it has always been a lose lose situation for the reputation for people of color. There has to be an excuse for why they were hired created in others' minds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Having been at two other schools with DEI - it's a hard thing to get right.

One school has done a great job and started over a decade ago, going slow, being thoughtful - training for teachers, tweaks in curriculum, broader sets of books in library, speakers, hiring. Not everyone buys in but it is something where much of the progress has been slowly woven into the fabric without taking over. It bugs me that there will always be "those parents" who will always see the hiring of a person of color as a DEI hire, though.

The other (more prominent) school comes up with big initiatives and actions that flame out and disappear. It all feels "for show". That school already had more diversity than the first. I don't know how parents/students feel about DEI at the school or these initiatives.

I feel like the first school has been more genuine and made more progress.

My child’s elementary teacher this year was a new hire who turned out to be abysmal and by far the worst teacher in elementary. It has done real harm to a class full of students including my child. We have no other explanation for this situation besides a DEI hire. True or not, this is the perception.

You think the teacher is bad because she’s black? That’s a racist perception.

Potomac clearly needs more DEI with parents like this.

To clarify why she is bad, she ignores the needs of the students. Doesn’t follow through on tasks she says she will do. The children do not want to go to school in the morning because she is mean towards them. The advanced students are blamed for being a distraction when they have nothing to work on.

The situation is so far outside what normally happens. Being a POC has nothing to do with the specific problems.

Sometimes people slip through - mistakes are made - things happen. We've had this happen with a white teacher. I suggest you remove skin color from your list of potential explanations. I don't know why you'd even go looking for an explanation - just move forward by comunincating with the school regarding concerns in a useful manner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Having been at two other schools with DEI - it's a hard thing to get right.

One school has done a great job and started over a decade ago, going slow, being thoughtful - training for teachers, tweaks in curriculum, broader sets of books in library, speakers, hiring. Not everyone buys in but it is something where much of the progress has been slowly woven into the fabric without taking over. It bugs me that there will always be "those parents" who will always see the hiring of a person of color as a DEI hire, though.

The other (more prominent) school comes up with big initiatives and actions that flame out and disappear. It all feels "for show". That school already had more diversity than the first. I don't know how parents/students feel about DEI at the school or these initiatives.

I feel like the first school has been more genuine and made more progress.

My child’s elementary teacher this year was a new hire who turned out to be abysmal and by far the worst teacher in elementary. It has done real harm to a class full of students including my child. We have no other explanation for this situation besides a DEI hire. True or not, this is the perception.

You think the teacher is bad because she’s black? That’s a racist perception.

Potomac clearly needs more DEI with parents like this.

To clarify why she is bad, she ignores the needs of the students. Doesn’t follow through on tasks she says she will do. The children do not want to go to school in the morning because she is mean towards them. The advanced students are blamed for being a distraction when they have nothing to work on.

The situation is so far outside what normally happens. Being a POC has nothing to do with the specific problems.

Sometimes people slip through - mistakes are made - things happen. We've had this happen with a white teacher. I suggest you remove skin color from your list of potential explanations. I don't know why you'd even go looking for an explanation - just move forward by comunincating with the school regarding concerns in a useful manner.

Get rid of DEI and skin color preferences, then this would be a valid reason that sometimes mistakes happen with a bad hire.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Having been at two other schools with DEI - it's a hard thing to get right.

One school has done a great job and started over a decade ago, going slow, being thoughtful - training for teachers, tweaks in curriculum, broader sets of books in library, speakers, hiring. Not everyone buys in but it is something where much of the progress has been slowly woven into the fabric without taking over. It bugs me that there will always be "those parents" who will always see the hiring of a person of color as a DEI hire, though.

The other (more prominent) school comes up with big initiatives and actions that flame out and disappear. It all feels "for show". That school already had more diversity than the first. I don't know how parents/students feel about DEI at the school or these initiatives.

I feel like the first school has been more genuine and made more progress.

My child’s elementary teacher this year was a new hire who turned out to be abysmal and by far the worst teacher in elementary. It has done real harm to a class full of students including my child. We have no other explanation for this situation besides a DEI hire. True or not, this is the perception.

But this sort of thing happens with white teachers too....why blame it on their skin color. Why can't it just be a bad hire? Why do you need to equate it to DEI. We have had two horrible teachers for my kids (over many years) and one was a person of color and the other wasn't. I don't blame the POC bad teacher on DEI - she was just a really bad fit. And to be honest, the parents that complained and made it about race did nobody any favors - because the school (and me too) had to discount those opinions immediately. It's the tangible defaults/misteps that matter - so blaming things on DEI and not focusing on what criteria are used to evaluate a good hire or to evaluate current teachers helps nobody. Same with leadership positions. Of the few that fell short (not horrible but not inspiring) some were POC and others weren't. they all left the same way....with a note saying they chose to transition to something else.

This is why DEI is bad for everyone, even those it purports to help. With DEI, a bad hire who is a POC will automatically be considered a DEI hire. Any POC hired will have the label of being a DEI hire, whether that person was hired based on merit or skin color. Without DEI and no racial preference being given, a bad hire will just be a bad hire regardless of color. The time for DEI is over, it's divisive and unfair.

Because no one has ever attributed any success by a black person to a racial preference prior to DEI becoming a thing

All the more reason to get rid of affirmative action and any remnants of special treatment for POC

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some other private schools are like this and kids are leaving for Catholic schools to escape it. DEI was so overdone and has become a punchline. In 5-10 years we'll see that the DEI effort has backfired and you have young adults who feel resentful towards different races. How is there enough DEI content to support 8 employees? How is that sustainable?

This is exactly what we did. Left a too-woke K-12 after 8th for Catholic high school. The white guilt was too much, there's no reason DS needs to be shamed for his identity. Catholic schools do diversity right - everyone belongs, no set-asides, no skin-color affinity groups.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some other private schools are like this and kids are leaving for Catholic schools to escape it. DEI was so overdone and has become a punchline. In 5-10 years we'll see that the DEI effort has backfired and you have young adults who feel resentful towards different races. How is there enough DEI content to support 8 employees? How is that sustainable?

This is exactly what we did. Left a too-woke K-12 after 8th for Catholic high school. The white guilt was too much, there's no reason DS needs to be shamed for his identity. Catholic schools do diversity right - everyone belongs, no set-asides, no skin-color affinity groups.

Yet all those horrible woke DEI schools had far more applicants than places yet again, and parents will line up to write them $50K checks.

That whole supply and demand curve isn't exactly bending your way because of DEI, LOL. I know, I know, you can predict that it will all implode down the line.

Rah rah rah. This thread is a hoot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some other private schools are like this and kids are leaving for Catholic schools to escape it. DEI was so overdone and has become a punchline. In 5-10 years we'll see that the DEI effort has backfired and you have young adults who feel resentful towards different races. How is there enough DEI content to support 8 employees? How is that sustainable?

This is exactly what we did. Left a too-woke K-12 after 8th for Catholic high school. The white guilt was too much, there's no reason DS needs to be shamed for his identity. Catholic schools do diversity right - everyone belongs, no set-asides, no skin-color affinity groups.

Yet all those horrible woke DEI schools had far more applicants than places yet again, and parents will line up to write them $50K checks.

That whole supply and demand curve isn't exactly bending your way because of DEI, LOL. I know, I know, you can predict that it will all implode down the line.

Rah rah rah. This thread is a hoot.

The good news is, there is a school for everyone. Just choose the best option for your child (and family) and be happy.

[Anonymous]

That whole supply and demand curve isn't exactly bending your way because of DEI, LOL. I know, I know, you can predict that it will all implode down the line.

These schools will do fine b/c people equate $50,000 schools with status. That will not change. They will also continue to do well as families who can afford to leave public schools continue to supply ALL private schools.

If the choice is DEI or safe use of a functional bathroom during school hours, that is an easy choice for many.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Potomac School is a liberal cesspool that only gets their students into average schools upon "graduation."

You can tell it's close to admission day when all the trolls come out. For anyone seriously interested, check the early decision page. Potomac doing as well as GDS and Sidwell in terms of students going to T25....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Potomac School is a liberal cesspool that only gets their students into average schools upon "graduation."

You can tell it's close to admission day when all the trolls come out. For anyone seriously interested, check the early decision page. Potomac doing as well as GDS and Sidwell in terms of students going to T25....

Those schools, like Potomac School, suck too. Just less suck.