New W-L Principal

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there's a lot of rumor and conjecture around the new principal. ACHS is a HARD school to manage. Putting 4,500 teenagers into two campuses isn't going to be an easy task. There's also so much income disparity there that isn't as present at W-L.

I know lots of parents and staff are disappointed that Wilmore wasn't chosen but now that a decision has been made, you gotta give the new guy a chance. Teachers walking away because of it at this point IMO is premature.

It’s way better to leave now than be tied to a recommendation from a principal that is adversarial to you.

OMG. Stoking the flames, are we? He hasn't even started yet and there's already an adversarial relationship? People get new bosses everyday without zero input.

It’s different in teaching where the principal has outsize influence on your next job, and hiring only happens over the summer. If you try it out, you could have a terrible year and be trapped

You are still making this HUGE assumption that he's evil and out to get everybody below him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent of W-L kids, the academic rigor is great, and the kids in those classes are doing fine and college placement is impressive. I hope that isn't changed. I do think there is a group of kids at the school not getting educated very well, not attending class, threatening teachers, and the school needs to find a better solution to deal with them.

My problem is that I have a kid in the middle of the pack - not an academic superstar who is going to be IB or even shoot for UVA. I worry already about him getting lost in the crowd because he’s not advanced enough to take 17 APs or whatever; but not behind enough to get “equity” resources. He would benefit from a school where the baseline is really high so thay even where he is (“normal” classes) the expectations are appropriate.

I have one kid that fits that description at W-L. He took a couple AP classes, a coupme IB classes and some GenEd. The teachers in the advanced classes went out of their way to bring him along. I have been so impressed. The GenEd teachers were always in touch and helpful too. I understand your concerns but they didn’t play out with my student.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there's a lot of rumor and conjecture around the new principal. ACHS is a HARD school to manage. Putting 4,500 teenagers into two campuses isn't going to be an easy task. There's also so much income disparity there that isn't as present at W-L.

I know lots of parents and staff are disappointed that Wilmore wasn't chosen but now that a decision has been made, you gotta give the new guy a chance. Teachers walking away because of it at this point IMO is premature.

It’s way better to leave now than be tied to a recommendation from a principal that is adversarial to you.

OMG. Stoking the flames, are we? He hasn't even started yet and there's already an adversarial relationship? People get new bosses everyday without zero input.

It’s different in teaching where the principal has outsize influence on your next job, and hiring only happens over the summer. If you try it out, you could have a terrible year and be trapped

You are still making this HUGE assumption that he's evil and out to get everybody below him.

His last job he cleaned house first thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there's a lot of rumor and conjecture around the new principal. ACHS is a HARD school to manage. Putting 4,500 teenagers into two campuses isn't going to be an easy task. There's also so much income disparity there that isn't as present at W-L.

I know lots of parents and staff are disappointed that Wilmore wasn't chosen but now that a decision has been made, you gotta give the new guy a chance. Teachers walking away because of it at this point IMO is premature.

It’s way better to leave now than be tied to a recommendation from a principal that is adversarial to you.

OMG. Stoking the flames, are we? He hasn't even started yet and there's already an adversarial relationship? People get new bosses everyday without zero input.

It’s different in teaching where the principal has outsize influence on your next job, and hiring only happens over the summer. If you try it out, you could have a terrible year and be trapped

You are still making this HUGE assumption that he's evil and out to get everybody below him.

His last job he cleaned house first thing.

Of administrators. Let's be clear here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there's a lot of rumor and conjecture around the new principal. ACHS is a HARD school to manage. Putting 4,500 teenagers into two campuses isn't going to be an easy task. There's also so much income disparity there that isn't as present at W-L.

I know lots of parents and staff are disappointed that Wilmore wasn't chosen but now that a decision has been made, you gotta give the new guy a chance. Teachers walking away because of it at this point IMO is premature.

It’s way better to leave now than be tied to a recommendation from a principal that is adversarial to you.

OMG. Stoking the flames, are we? He hasn't even started yet and there's already an adversarial relationship? People get new bosses everyday without zero input.

It’s different in teaching where the principal has outsize influence on your next job, and hiring only happens over the summer. If you try it out, you could have a terrible year and be trapped

You are still making this HUGE assumption that he's evil and out to get everybody below him.

His last job he cleaned house first thing.

Of administrators. Let's be clear here.

Yes. But it’s clear he has strong opinions on how things are run, and won’t compromise if his first act is to fire all his direct reports who have experience at the school.

Was he hiring friends or something? I honestly don’t know why a public school would do that, it’s not like they were from the other political party.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent of W-L kids, the academic rigor is great, and the kids in those classes are doing fine and college placement is impressive. I hope that isn't changed. I do think there is a group of kids at the school not getting educated very well, not attending class, threatening teachers, and the school needs to find a better solution to deal with them.

My problem is that I have a kid in the middle of the pack - not an academic superstar who is going to be IB or even shoot for UVA. I worry already about him getting lost in the crowd because he’s not advanced enough to take 17 APs or whatever; but not behind enough to get “equity” resources. He would benefit from a school where the baseline is really high so thay even where he is (“normal” classes) the expectations are appropriate.

I have one kid that fits that description at W-L. He took a couple AP classes, a coupme IB classes and some GenEd. The teachers in the advanced classes went out of their way to bring him along. I have been so impressed. The GenEd teachers were always in touch and helpful too. I understand your concerns but they didn’t play out with my student.

I have that kid, too. He just graduated. I was not thrilled with his education at WL and am glad to be done. The AP and IB classes he took were mostly good. The problem is the large gap between the advanced classes and the regular classes because there is such a divide between the students who take them. There seems to be very little middle ground. He also had a class every year that was not staffed by an actual teacher for part of the year. This especially hurt him in math where he had no geometry teacher for most of the first semester. Last year his physics teacher just up and left in the middle of the year. We got little to no contact from the school about any of it. We did love the school spirit and he made good friends. But in my opinion, if you are a kid in the middle of the pack, you can get a bit lost. Those kids who are motivated and take all upper level classes will do just fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent of W-L kids, the academic rigor is great, and the kids in those classes are doing fine and college placement is impressive. I hope that isn't changed. I do think there is a group of kids at the school not getting educated very well, not attending class, threatening teachers, and the school needs to find a better solution to deal with them.

My problem is that I have a kid in the middle of the pack - not an academic superstar who is going to be IB or even shoot for UVA. I worry already about him getting lost in the crowd because he’s not advanced enough to take 17 APs or whatever; but not behind enough to get “equity” resources. He would benefit from a school where the baseline is really high so thay even where he is (“normal” classes) the expectations are appropriate.

I have one kid that fits that description at W-L. He took a couple AP classes, a coupme IB classes and some GenEd. The teachers in the advanced classes went out of their way to bring him along. I have been so impressed. The GenEd teachers were always in touch and helpful too. I understand your concerns but they didn’t play out with my student.

Thanks!!! I really appreciate that info. where did he go to college?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent of W-L kids, the academic rigor is great, and the kids in those classes are doing fine and college placement is impressive. I hope that isn't changed. I do think there is a group of kids at the school not getting educated very well, not attending class, threatening teachers, and the school needs to find a better solution to deal with them.

My problem is that I have a kid in the middle of the pack - not an academic superstar who is going to be IB or even shoot for UVA. I worry already about him getting lost in the crowd because he’s not advanced enough to take 17 APs or whatever; but not behind enough to get “equity” resources. He would benefit from a school where the baseline is really high so thay even where he is (“normal” classes) the expectations are appropriate.

I have one kid that fits that description at W-L. He took a couple AP classes, a coupme IB classes and some GenEd. The teachers in the advanced classes went out of their way to bring him along. I have been so impressed. The GenEd teachers were always in touch and helpful too. I understand your concerns but they didn’t play out with my student.

I have that kid, too. He just graduated. I was not thrilled with his education at WL and am glad to be done. The AP and IB classes he took were mostly good. The problem is the large gap between the advanced classes and the regular classes because there is such a divide between the students who take them. There seems to be very little middle ground. He also had a class every year that was not staffed by an actual teacher for part of the year. This especially hurt him in math where he had no geometry teacher for most of the first semester. Last year his physics teacher just up and left in the middle of the year. We got little to no contact from the school about any of it. We did love the school spirit and he made good friends. But in my opinion, if you are a kid in the middle of the pack, you can get a bit lost. Those kids who are motivated and take all upper level classes will do just fine.

Where is he going to college?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent of W-L kids, the academic rigor is great, and the kids in those classes are doing fine and college placement is impressive. I hope that isn't changed. I do think there is a group of kids at the school not getting educated very well, not attending class, threatening teachers, and the school needs to find a better solution to deal with them.

My problem is that I have a kid in the middle of the pack - not an academic superstar who is going to be IB or even shoot for UVA. I worry already about him getting lost in the crowd because he’s not advanced enough to take 17 APs or whatever; but not behind enough to get “equity” resources. He would benefit from a school where the baseline is really high so thay even where he is (“normal” classes) the expectations are appropriate.

I have one kid that fits that description at W-L. He took a couple AP classes, a coupme IB classes and some GenEd. The teachers in the advanced classes went out of their way to bring him along. I have been so impressed. The GenEd teachers were always in touch and helpful too. I understand your concerns but they didn’t play out with my student.

I have that kid, too. He just graduated. I was not thrilled with his education at WL and am glad to be done. The AP and IB classes he took were mostly good. The problem is the large gap between the advanced classes and the regular classes because there is such a divide between the students who take them. There seems to be very little middle ground. He also had a class every year that was not staffed by an actual teacher for part of the year. This especially hurt him in math where he had no geometry teacher for most of the first semester. Last year his physics teacher just up and left in the middle of the year. We got little to no contact from the school about any of it. We did love the school spirit and he made good friends. But in my opinion, if you are a kid in the middle of the pack, you can get a bit lost. Those kids who are motivated and take all upper level classes will do just fine.

Where is he going to college?

JMU

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent of W-L kids, the academic rigor is great, and the kids in those classes are doing fine and college placement is impressive. I hope that isn't changed. I do think there is a group of kids at the school not getting educated very well, not attending class, threatening teachers, and the school needs to find a better solution to deal with them.

My problem is that I have a kid in the middle of the pack - not an academic superstar who is going to be IB or even shoot for UVA. I worry already about him getting lost in the crowd because he’s not advanced enough to take 17 APs or whatever; but not behind enough to get “equity” resources. He would benefit from a school where the baseline is really high so thay even where he is (“normal” classes) the expectations are appropriate.

I have one kid that fits that description at W-L. He took a couple AP classes, a coupme IB classes and some GenEd. The teachers in the advanced classes went out of their way to bring him along. I have been so impressed. The GenEd teachers were always in touch and helpful too. I understand your concerns but they didn’t play out with my student.

I have that kid, too. He just graduated. I was not thrilled with his education at WL and am glad to be done. The AP and IB classes he took were mostly good. The problem is the large gap between the advanced classes and the regular classes because there is such a divide between the students who take them. There seems to be very little middle ground. He also had a class every year that was not staffed by an actual teacher for part of the year. This especially hurt him in math where he had no geometry teacher for most of the first semester. Last year his physics teacher just up and left in the middle of the year. We got little to no contact from the school about any of it. We did love the school spirit and he made good friends. But in my opinion, if you are a kid in the middle of the pack, you can get a bit lost. Those kids who are motivated and take all upper level classes will do just fine.

WL is a tale of two schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there's a lot of rumor and conjecture around the new principal. ACHS is a HARD school to manage. Putting 4,500 teenagers into two campuses isn't going to be an easy task. There's also so much income disparity there that isn't as present at W-L.

I know lots of parents and staff are disappointed that Wilmore wasn't chosen but now that a decision has been made, you gotta give the new guy a chance. Teachers walking away because of it at this point IMO is premature.

It’s way better to leave now than be tied to a recommendation from a principal that is adversarial to you.

OMG. Stoking the flames, are we? He hasn't even started yet and there's already an adversarial relationship? People get new bosses everyday without zero input.

It’s different in teaching where the principal has outsize influence on your next job, and hiring only happens over the summer. If you try it out, you could have a terrible year and be trapped

You are still making this HUGE assumption that he's evil and out to get everybody below him.

His last job he cleaned house first thing.

Of administrators. Let's be clear here.

Yes. But it’s clear he has strong opinions on how things are run, and won’t compromise if his first act is to fire all his direct reports who have experience at the school.

Was he hiring friends or something? I honestly don’t know why a public school would do that, it’s not like they were from the other political party.

You mean, being a LEADER? And let's not pretend that leaders often bring in their own people because they work well together. It's typical of private industry. Why can't it be done in public schools too?

You are this close to call him a DEI hire, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there's a lot of rumor and conjecture around the new principal. ACHS is a HARD school to manage. Putting 4,500 teenagers into two campuses isn't going to be an easy task. There's also so much income disparity there that isn't as present at W-L.

I know lots of parents and staff are disappointed that Wilmore wasn't chosen but now that a decision has been made, you gotta give the new guy a chance. Teachers walking away because of it at this point IMO is premature.

It’s way better to leave now than be tied to a recommendation from a principal that is adversarial to you.

OMG. Stoking the flames, are we? He hasn't even started yet and there's already an adversarial relationship? People get new bosses everyday without zero input.

It’s different in teaching where the principal has outsize influence on your next job, and hiring only happens over the summer. If you try it out, you could have a terrible year and be trapped

You are still making this HUGE assumption that he's evil and out to get everybody below him.

His last job he cleaned house first thing.

Of administrators. Let's be clear here.

Yes. But it’s clear he has strong opinions on how things are run, and won’t compromise if his first act is to fire all his direct reports who have experience at the school.

Was he hiring friends or something? I honestly don’t know why a public school would do that, it’s not like they were from the other political party.

You mean, being a LEADER? And let's not pretend that leaders often bring in their own people because they work well together. It's typical of private industry. Why can't it be done in public schools too?

You are this close to call him a DEI hire, right?

Private industry reorgs and executive shuffles are all smoke and mirrors for shareholders.

https://hbr.org/2017/02/assessment-how-succes...-your-companys-reorg

Schools are also much flatter than companies, so you essentially wipe out all middle managers; in companies there is a layer of stability as executives dance on top.

Compare his academic and career qualifications with Wilmer. It’s it about DEI, that is when you compare equivalent candidates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there's a lot of rumor and conjecture around the new principal. ACHS is a HARD school to manage. Putting 4,500 teenagers into two campuses isn't going to be an easy task. There's also so much income disparity there that isn't as present at W-L.

I know lots of parents and staff are disappointed that Wilmore wasn't chosen but now that a decision has been made, you gotta give the new guy a chance. Teachers walking away because of it at this point IMO is premature.

It’s way better to leave now than be tied to a recommendation from a principal that is adversarial to you.

OMG. Stoking the flames, are we? He hasn't even started yet and there's already an adversarial relationship? People get new bosses everyday without zero input.

It’s different in teaching where the principal has outsize influence on your next job, and hiring only happens over the summer. If you try it out, you could have a terrible year and be trapped

You are still making this HUGE assumption that he's evil and out to get everybody below him.

His last job he cleaned house first thing.

Of administrators. Let's be clear here.

Yes. But it’s clear he has strong opinions on how things are run, and won’t compromise if his first act is to fire all his direct reports who have experience at the school.

Was he hiring friends or something? I honestly don’t know why a public school would do that, it’s not like they were from the other political party.

You mean, being a LEADER? And let's not pretend that leaders often bring in their own people because they work well together. It's typical of private industry. Why can't it be done in public schools too?

You are this close to call him a DEI hire, right?

He’s an EXECUTIVE!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent of W-L kids, the academic rigor is great, and the kids in those classes are doing fine and college placement is impressive. I hope that isn't changed. I do think there is a group of kids at the school not getting educated very well, not attending class, threatening teachers, and the school needs to find a better solution to deal with them.

My problem is that I have a kid in the middle of the pack - not an academic superstar who is going to be IB or even shoot for UVA. I worry already about him getting lost in the crowd because he’s not advanced enough to take 17 APs or whatever; but not behind enough to get “equity” resources. He would benefit from a school where the baseline is really high so thay even where he is (“normal” classes) the expectations are appropriate.

I have one kid that fits that description at W-L. He took a couple AP classes, a coupme IB classes and some GenEd. The teachers in the advanced classes went out of their way to bring him along. I have been so impressed. The GenEd teachers were always in touch and helpful too. I understand your concerns but they didn’t play out with my student.

I have that kid, too. He just graduated. I was not thrilled with his education at WL and am glad to be done. The AP and IB classes he took were mostly good. The problem is the large gap between the advanced classes and the regular classes because there is such a divide between the students who take them. There seems to be very little middle ground. He also had a class every year that was not staffed by an actual teacher for part of the year. This especially hurt him in math where he had no geometry teacher for most of the first semester. Last year his physics teacher just up and left in the middle of the year. We got little to no contact from the school about any of it. We did love the school spirit and he made good friends. But in my opinion, if you are a kid in the middle of the pack, you can get a bit lost. Those kids who are motivated and take all upper level classes will do just fine.

WL is a tale of two schools?

Not necesarily. Like most schools, everyone’s experience is different. Some gen ed classes are perfectly fine with inspiring teachers and the right amount of challenge. Others could be better. Many if not most students take a mix of gen ed and AP classes.

If this new principal was hired based on his “track record of transforming schools”, I’m not sure how that would apply to W-L which is already a good school. Continuity is always better than taking a gamble on someone with a different philosophy, and Willmore would have offered continuity.

That said, best of luck to the new principal. He’ll be leading a school with a strong academic legacy that spans generations. Indeed, the parents and grandparents of a number of current students attended W-L. Many on the staff are alumni. I hope the new principal builds on these strengths and does not plan a purge of what has worked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent of W-L kids, the academic rigor is great, and the kids in those classes are doing fine and college placement is impressive. I hope that isn't changed. I do think there is a group of kids at the school not getting educated very well, not attending class, threatening teachers, and the school needs to find a better solution to deal with them.

My problem is that I have a kid in the middle of the pack - not an academic superstar who is going to be IB or even shoot for UVA. I worry already about him getting lost in the crowd because he’s not advanced enough to take 17 APs or whatever; but not behind enough to get “equity” resources. He would benefit from a school where the baseline is really high so thay even where he is (“normal” classes) the expectations are appropriate.

I have one kid that fits that description at W-L. He took a couple AP classes, a coupme IB classes and some GenEd. The teachers in the advanced classes went out of their way to bring him along. I have been so impressed. The GenEd teachers were always in touch and helpful too. I understand your concerns but they didn’t play out with my student.

I have that kid, too. He just graduated. I was not thrilled with his education at WL and am glad to be done. The AP and IB classes he took were mostly good. The problem is the large gap between the advanced classes and the regular classes because there is such a divide between the students who take them. There seems to be very little middle ground. He also had a class every year that was not staffed by an actual teacher for part of the year. This especially hurt him in math where he had no geometry teacher for most of the first semester. Last year his physics teacher just up and left in the middle of the year. We got little to no contact from the school about any of it. We did love the school spirit and he made good friends. But in my opinion, if you are a kid in the middle of the pack, you can get a bit lost. Those kids who are motivated and take all upper level classes will do just fine.

This was my experience at my high school in the 1990s. I don't think it's new or special to WL.