Basis is sucking the energy out of my child

[Anonymous]

All you anti-basis posters need to relax. Don’t worry, if things are as dire as you say, soon all parents will see your light, all students will flee, and the school will die on the vine. Calm, calm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have two kids at Basis (both in middle school).

One completes all of her homework during the school day with little effort. She’s been extremely happy this year (though there’s one class with teacher turnover that she complains about).

My other child stresses more about the workload, but still manages to spend a lot of time doing video games and watching TV each evening, plus there’s almost never homework on weekends.

Both kids have stellar grades.

The school is far from perfect, but OP’s posting does not resonate with our family.

This is my family's experience, too.

Everyone knows that kids who succeed at Basis need to be smart and motivated. What a lot of people don't seem to know is that the kids who tend to be fast workers will be much more successful than the equally bright kids who just tend to work a bit slower. Homework loads can range from 20 minutes/day(my kids) - 4 hours/day depending on your child's efficiency.

I don’t understand how that can be true. There’s a massibe difference between 20 minutes and 4 hours.

some kids are just faster. Think back to elementary- do you remember the kids who would finish the math test in a fraction of the time of most kids and still get As? Basis is designed for those kids

A little faster, but not 12x faster.

It's not just "a little." Yes, there are kids who can complete the work much, much faster than other kids, due to intellect, grasp of the material, self-discipline, strong innate executive function or a combination of the above.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

NP. 5th grade parent? Wait till 7th grade.

DP. My 7th grade DD loves BASIS(with the exception of chemistry) Maybe it’s just that girls In general are likely to be more organized and diligent, and thus be better fits for the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: PP, I'm getting the impression that you have a huge axe to grind with BASIS because you're insecure that your child will think he failed at BASIS or that other people will assume that your child wasn't smart enough for BASIS. So, you want the school destroyed because you can't handle that it wasn't a good fit for your kid. Why not just accept that your child is happy and thriving where he is, and many BASIS kids are happy and thriving at BASIS?

Nailed it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All you anti-basis posters need to relax. Don’t worry, if things are as dire as you say, soon all parents will see your light, all students will flee, and the school will die on the vine. Calm, calm.

lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m listening to my Basis kid laughing during virtual class because the teacher is funny and the students are having fun. From my perspective it’s a very happy place. And I think all the criticisms about things missing there lose sight of its location — so close to the National Archives, flagship city public library, Smithsonian museums. My kid in normal times often does homework after school at a museum, so we talk less about the drab school building than the lovely spaces so nearby and their changing exhibits. And I think many of the students participate in travel sports leagues and dance/music/arts programs that require a big time commitment so they are not looking for school extracurriculars the way kids in a less urban setting might be. It’s an amazing place for the right kids.

NP. 5th grade parent? Wait till 7th grade.

My right kid with straight As at BASIS, one of the top half dozen math students in his cohort, begged to leave in 7th grade. He's not into sports, if that's what you mean, he's into "urban" extra-curriculars, e.g. debate, drama and chess.

Is the BASIS work thinking work, or rote work?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All you anti-basis posters need to relax. Don’t worry, if things are as dire as you say, soon all parents will see your light, all students will flee, and the school will die on the vine. Calm, calm.

Hilarious. No public school should be allowed to operate as a “bad fit” for most of its students. My kid really put out for Basis, was an academic star there throughout middle school. But he became too unhappy for us to stay. We moved to the Deal district and got on with things, but it didn’t have to be that way. Basis could be much better run. OP is right to complain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m listening to my Basis kid laughing during virtual class because the teacher is funny and the students are having fun. From my perspective it’s a very happy place. And I think all the criticisms about things missing there lose sight of its location — so close to the National Archives, flagship city public library, Smithsonian museums. My kid in normal times often does homework after school at a museum, so we talk less about the drab school building than the lovely spaces so nearby and their changing exhibits. And I think many of the students participate in travel sports leagues and dance/music/arts programs that require a big time commitment so they are not looking for school extracurriculars the way kids in a less urban setting might be. It’s an amazing place for the right kids.

NP. 5th grade parent? Wait till 7th grade.

My right kid with straight As at BASIS, one of the top half dozen math students in his cohort, begged to leave in 7th grade. He's not into sports, if that's what you mean, he's into "urban" extra-curriculars, e.g. debate, drama and chess.

Is the BASIS work thinking work, or rote work?

. Depends on the teacher. Lots of both. Many young and inexperienced teachers are hired and turnover is huge.

[Anonymous]

My middle schooler has a lot of rote work in subjects like biology—she can name muscles and bones I’ve never heard of! It’s pretty intense. But I’m hoping this gives her a strong foundation to grasp higher-level material as she gets older. She also now knows things like geography, which involves a lot of rote learning but frankly is helpful in life.

There are math problem sets almost every night. (They’re no big deal if your child excels in math; onerous though if math is not a natural strength.)

[Anonymous]

Basis’ teacher turnover isn’t higher than other charters - that’s just the way they are. It has about the same or better turnover than the MSs it is compared to most frequently. The stats are in the annual reports posted by the PCSB.

I believe that people who come to Basis from a DCPS or private/parochial wide up more dissatisfied than those who come from charters.

Most charters - not all - don’t have gyms, big play spaces, libraries, cafeterias with windows, full complement of sports and extracurriculars. Thru may have 1-2 of these but not all.

Basis does succeed in bringing out intense feelings in people and some of the complaints are dated. It has as many sports teams as other charters. They compete and win in the charter league in several sports. Is that enough for some- of course not.

What I find amazing is people who send their kid and are surprised. The school is transparent about all of this. Before Covid they always have tons of opportunities to tour.

Charters are meant to be different - not replicate a traditional public. If a charter’s model or curriculum isn’t distinct in some way they have no reason to exist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m listening to my Basis kid laughing during virtual class because the teacher is funny and the students are having fun. From my perspective it’s a very happy place. And I think all the criticisms about things missing there lose sight of its location — so close to the National Archives, flagship city public library, Smithsonian museums. My kid in normal times often does homework after school at a museum, so we talk less about the drab school building than the lovely spaces so nearby and their changing exhibits. And I think many of the students participate in travel sports leagues and dance/music/arts programs that require a big time commitment so they are not looking for school extracurriculars the way kids in a less urban setting might be. It’s an amazing place for the right kids.

NP. 5th grade parent? Wait till 7th grade.

My right kid with straight As at BASIS, one of the top half dozen math students in his cohort, begged to leave in 7th grade. He's not into sports, if that's what you mean, he's into "urban" extra-curriculars, e.g. debate, drama and chess.

Is the BASIS work thinking work, or rote work?

. Depends on the teacher. Lots of both. Many young and inexperienced teachers are hired and turnover is huge.

Well that’s the charter school business model— cycle through lots of young teachers, pay them peanuts, and funnel all the money to the top execs either at the school or at charter management organizations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My middle schooler has a lot of rote work in subjects like biology—she can name muscles and bones I’ve never heard of! It’s pretty intense. But I’m hoping this gives her a strong foundation to grasp higher-level material as she gets older. She also now knows things like geography, which involves a lot of rote learning but frankly is helpful in life.

There are math problem sets almost every night. (They’re no big deal if your child excels in math; onerous though if math is not a natural strength.)

Practicing biologist and physician here:
Memorizing stuff is the bane of elementary and secondary science. Who cares about learning the names of bones and muscles? If that crowds out real learning of biological concepts that’s a reason not to go there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sounds to me like most of the BASIS posters here have 5th, 6th, maybe 7th graders. I don't know too many high school families are thrilled with BASIS. OK, maybe, loving it, no longer.

There aren't that many of us with high school kids because of the age of the school and the size of the cohort. My DC graduated last year, loved BASIS and is thriving in college - well prepared and with a sizeable merit scholarship. Right place for that student. My younger is currently struggling but we are not sure if it is s bad fit or just online learning in MS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My middle schooler has a lot of rote work in subjects like biology—she can name muscles and bones I’ve never heard of! It’s pretty intense. But I’m hoping this gives her a strong foundation to grasp higher-level material as she gets older. She also now knows things like geography, which involves a lot of rote learning but frankly is helpful in life.

There are math problem sets almost every night. (They’re no big deal if your child excels in math; onerous though if math is not a natural strength.)

Practicing biologist and physician here:
Memorizing stuff is the bane of elementary and secondary science. Who cares about learning the names of bones and muscles? If that crowds out real learning of biological concepts that’s a reason not to go there.

I posted the above and wrote nothing about “crowding out real learning of biological concepts.” Anyway, I’m 100% certain that my child is learning more science at Basis than at any other school available to us. Frankly, what she’s learning is impressive. But if you want to send your kid to our IB go for it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Hilarious. No public school should be allowed to operate as a “bad fit” for most of its students. My kid really put out for Basis, was an academic star there throughout middle school. But he became too unhappy for us to stay. We moved to the Deal district and got on with things, but it didn’t have to be that way. Basis could be much better run. OP is right to complain.

We get it, PP. Your son is the most perfectly perfect academic superstar that ever existed, and if he was unhappy at the school, then it's just a bad school. The other kids who are thriving there don't exist, or they're less perfect than your kid and thus don't count.

There's a chance my kids will leave BASIS in high school (for the larger school experience). I don't see it as some huge failure of the program, since my kids would have received excellent educations from 5-8 that will help them thrive anywhere. Not every kid who leaves was a "bad fit." Some decide that they wanted other things for high school. Some get into other elite programs that only run 9-12. As long as they're receiving a top notch education while at BASIS, the school is doing its job.