SO: How do you fit into a poor or primarily minority public school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can't believe I'm responding to this, but yes, my Jewish kid was the only "white" kid in the class. The problem we ran into was not the other kids, who were always nice to ours, but the very kind teacher thinking she was the life line for all of the other kids , and our kid with 2 college educated parents didn't need much attention or teaching. I don't mean my precious snowflake didn't get advanced math, I mean she needed basic reading.

Indeed, this is the problem. Even if the teachers are excellent where do you think the attention will go in a majority poor school. It's not race, it's SES. Just ask any teacher how difficult it is to teach in a majority low income school. I think diverse schools are good, but diverse should reflect demographics. A 25% low income school could be fairly called diverse and is probably more beneficial to everyone's all around education.

It can be both SES and race. If you take a look at school improvement plans, there is disaggregated data on those charts connecting subgroups to test scores to bridge the gap. As it stands now, these plans should be instructional in nature and should include methods that benefit ALL students. However, subgroups are still tracked. So the white child may - in some cases - be "overlooked." And this is not malicious, but when the goal is to raise the scores of subgroups, whites are not part of that.

It is the assumption that most white kids will succeed,as the data points do indeed prove that in many cases. So if you're the parent of a white child who is not excelling in a majority minority school, you have to be that much more vigilant.

[Anonymous]

My son went to school for K that have very very few white or AA kids. He was one of 2 white kids in his class, and I'm pretty sure each class had 2 white kids, 2 AA kids, and the rest Hispanic or Asian (not quite sure on the percentage of each). Language was an issue, much more than I expected. I chaperoned a field trip in October and was shocked at the number of kids who seemed to speak no English whatsoever. The teacher was a tense, anxious person, fluent in Spanish, and on the field trip spent a lot of time reverting to Spanish in exasperation (which may have helped some but still left a number of kids with absolutely no understanding).
I do think at times my son felt like the odd man out. He had trouble making friends (which was very different from his daycare/preschool experience) and he told me once the other kids only spoke in Spanish so he couldn't play with them.
We are in a more diverse school now and having a much better experience.

[Anonymous]

Or he could have learned Spanish...

[Anonymous]

Typically the schools with high concentrations of English learners don't teach Spanish. The idea being that the English learners need to get up to speed to eventually be ready for testing by the third grade. So even if her child wanted to learn Spanish, chances are the school wasn't facilitating that. It's surprising that MCPS is so disinterested in leveraging the mixed language opportunities that present themselves with lots of Spanish speakers and lots of English speakers attending the same school - everyone could benefit from additional immersion or partial immersion opportunities, but tests matter more to the school district than genuine learning opportunities for all children.

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Typically the schools with high concentrations of English learners don't teach Spanish. The idea being that the English learners need to get up to speed to eventually be ready for testing by the third grade. So even if her child wanted to learn Spanish, chances are the school wasn't facilitating that. It's surprising that MCPS is so disinterested in leveraging the mixed language opportunities that present themselves with lots of Spanish speakers and lots of English speakers attending the same school - everyone could benefit from additional immersion or partial immersion opportunities, but tests matter more to the school district than genuine learning opportunities for all children.

Yes, wouldn't it be great if MCPS had some Spanish immersion programs in elementary school.

Oh, wait, they do!

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/specialprograms/elementary/immersion-spanish.aspx

[Anonymous]

My kids both went to a FCPS elementary school in which white kids are outnumbered (I think their are something like 50 nationalities represented in the school's student population).

The school is small with small classes (fewer than 20 per class). Almost all of the teachers were fabulous, and the kids who are immigrants can speak English or learn very quickly. They do not inhibit learning. The classes divide the kids into groups for language arts and math early on and everyone gets the amount and type of attention they need. The school also has an AAP class in grades 3-6. My children never lacked for anything and they learned from an early age that friends come in all skin colors and accents.

We live very close to Haycock Elementary and a lot of white families transfer their kids there or send them to private school until they are able to enter Haycock's AAP program.

I chalk this up to pure racism and classism and it's pretty disgusting. I've heard stories of parents storming into the school's office to complain when they received information in the mail about registering for kindergarten. "I am NOT sending my child to THIS school!!!" I have neighbors who tried to convince me that there are 7 years olds in gangs roaming the hallways.

They pass on these lovely prejudices to their children too. Some of the kids from my kids' school (including mine) go on to Longfellow and McLean, where the other kids dub my kids' school the "ghetto school." Lovely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Typically the schools with high concentrations of English learners don't teach Spanish. The idea being that the English learners need to get up to speed to eventually be ready for testing by the third grade. So even if her child wanted to learn Spanish, chances are the school wasn't facilitating that. It's surprising that MCPS is so disinterested in leveraging the mixed language opportunities that present themselves with lots of Spanish speakers and lots of English speakers attending the same school - everyone could benefit from additional immersion or partial immersion opportunities, but tests matter more to the school district than genuine learning opportunities for all children.

But this is the general public educational culture...not just MCPS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Typically the schools with high concentrations of English learners don't teach Spanish. The idea being that the English learners need to get up to speed to eventually be ready for testing by the third grade. So even if her child wanted to learn Spanish, chances are the school wasn't facilitating that. It's surprising that MCPS is so disinterested in leveraging the mixed language opportunities that present themselves with lots of Spanish speakers and lots of English speakers attending the same school - everyone could benefit from additional immersion or partial immersion opportunities, but tests matter more to the school district than genuine learning opportunities for all children.

Yes, wouldn't it be great if MCPS had some Spanish immersion programs in elementary school.

Oh, wait, they do!

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/specialprograms/elementary/immersion-spanish.aspx

I think the pp was saying they should have more

[Anonymous]

Yes, I was saying they should have more. Sorry to generalize about MCPS, it's just where I'm located. In the downcounty. With lots of Spanish speakers and currently no access to immersion (the lottery, and all, makes those programs unavailable to most of us) even though more than 2/3rds of my child's classmates are spanish speakers. So yes, I'm saying I think they should have more. and that it wouldn't take a genius to recognize that incorporating at least some spanish learning in my child's school is a ridiculous thing not to do. I can't comment on other districts because I don't live there. Wasn't trying to be exclusionary or say that only MCPS faces challenges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids both went to a FCPS elementary school in which white kids are outnumbered (I think their are something like 50 nationalities represented in the school's student population).

The school is small with small classes (fewer than 20 per class). Almost all of the teachers were fabulous, and the kids who are immigrants can speak English or learn very quickly. They do not inhibit learning. The classes divide the kids into groups for language arts and math early on and everyone gets the amount and type of attention they need. The school also has an AAP class in grades 3-6. My children never lacked for anything and they learned from an early age that friends come in all skin colors and accents.

We live very close to Haycock Elementary and a lot of white families transfer their kids there or send them to private school until they are able to enter Haycock's AAP program.

I chalk this up to pure racism and classism and it's pretty disgusting. I've heard stories of parents storming into the school's office to complain when they received information in the mail about registering for kindergarten. "I am NOT sending my child to THIS school!!!" I have neighbors who tried to convince me that there are 7 years olds in gangs roaming the hallways.

They pass on these lovely prejudices to their children too. Some of the kids from my kids' school (including mine) go on to Longfellow and McLean, where the other kids dub my kids' school the "ghetto school." Lovely.

We aren't in FCPS but otherwise I could have written this post. It's amazing to me to see people's look of astonishment when I tell them where my kids are in school. Clearly by not fighting for a transfer of going private I am committing some type of child abuse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids both went to a FCPS elementary school in which white kids are outnumbered (I think their are something like 50 nationalities represented in the school's student population).

The school is small with small classes (fewer than 20 per class). Almost all of the teachers were fabulous, and the kids who are immigrants can speak English or learn very quickly. They do not inhibit learning. The classes divide the kids into groups for language arts and math early on and everyone gets the amount and type of attention they need. The school also has an AAP class in grades 3-6. My children never lacked for anything and they learned from an early age that friends come in all skin colors and accents.

We live very close to Haycock Elementary and a lot of white families transfer their kids there or send them to private school until they are able to enter Haycock's AAP program.

I chalk this up to pure racism and classism and it's pretty disgusting. I've heard stories of parents storming into the school's office to complain when they received information in the mail about registering for kindergarten. "I am NOT sending my child to THIS school!!!" I have neighbors who tried to convince me that there are 7 years olds in gangs roaming the hallways.

They pass on these lovely prejudices to their children too. Some of the kids from my kids' school (including mine) go on to Longfellow and McLean, where the other kids dub my kids' school the "ghetto school." Lovely.

which elementary school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids both went to a FCPS elementary school in which white kids are outnumbered (I think their are something like 50 nationalities represented in the school's student population).

The school is small with small classes (fewer than 20 per class). Almost all of the teachers were fabulous, and the kids who are immigrants can speak English or learn very quickly. They do not inhibit learning. The classes divide the kids into groups for language arts and math early on and everyone gets the amount and type of attention they need. The school also has an AAP class in grades 3-6. My children never lacked for anything and they learned from an early age that friends come in all skin colors and accents.

We live very close to Haycock Elementary and a lot of white families transfer their kids there or send them to private school until they are able to enter Haycock's AAP program.

I chalk this up to pure racism and classism and it's pretty disgusting. I've heard stories of parents storming into the school's office to complain when they received information in the mail about registering for kindergarten. "I am NOT sending my child to THIS school!!!" I have neighbors who tried to convince me that there are 7 years olds in gangs roaming the hallways.

They pass on these lovely prejudices to their children too. Some of the kids from my kids' school (including mine) go on to Longfellow and McLean, where the other kids dub my kids' school the "ghetto school." Lovely.

which elementary school

timberlane?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Typically the schools with high concentrations of English learners don't teach Spanish. The idea being that the English learners need to get up to speed to eventually be ready for testing by the third grade. So even if her child wanted to learn Spanish, chances are the school wasn't facilitating that. It's surprising that MCPS is so disinterested in leveraging the mixed language opportunities that present themselves with lots of Spanish speakers and lots of English speakers attending the same school - everyone could benefit from additional immersion or partial immersion opportunities, but tests matter more to the school district than genuine learning opportunities for all children.

In many cases, second language learners (my personal experience in the "red zone" as an educator) are illiterate in their own language. I think your idea is creative; don't get me wrong - and actually forward thinking. But literacy would still be the biggest challenge for many kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Typically the schools with high concentrations of English learners don't teach Spanish. The idea being that the English learners need to get up to speed to eventually be ready for testing by the third grade. So even if her child wanted to learn Spanish, chances are the school wasn't facilitating that. It's surprising that MCPS is so disinterested in leveraging the mixed language opportunities that present themselves with lots of Spanish speakers and lots of English speakers attending the same school - everyone could benefit from additional immersion or partial immersion opportunities, but tests matter more to the school district than genuine learning opportunities for all children.

In many cases, second language learners (my personal experience in the "red zone" as an educator) are illiterate in their own language. I think your idea is creative; don't get me wrong - and actually forward thinking. But literacy would still be the biggest challenge for many kids.

And let's not forget to add in the dialects.