New Jay Matthew's op ed on TJ

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Ok. Where to start? First, your English is perfect. If your kids had a hard time learning English, which I doubt, it's because you chose to speak a different language at home. It wasn't because you didn't understand/speak English like many poor immigrants. My DC's best friend's parents have a hard time communicating with me and can't help their kids at all. They also don't have the financial means for tutors. Those kids deserve equity points. Your kids, not so much. My friends are from Sweden, they chose not to speak English at home, their kids do extremely well in school because the parents are well educated...Do you really think their kids are much more deserving of equity points because they speak another language at home?

Thank you for complimenting my English. When I came to the US, I didn't understand what people were saying. In the car, I started listening to NPR because they talk non-stop and do so clearly. I borrowed audio books from the library and listened to them at home. Why can't poor immigrants that you refer to listen to NPR and audio books and take free English courses? There are plenty of them online and on the CDs that can be borrowed from the library. Pre-COVID, they used to have free in-person English classes in the libraries. When the resources are readily available, it's a personal choice what to learn or not to learn.

Ok. If things are about choice, you've chosen to live in an area that values giving opportunities to those who've faced economic and other adversity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, the ignorance of the above post is shocking even by DCUM standards. Read . . . A Hope In The Unseen. If you care to broaden your understanding of the underserved by even one iota.

Just looked it up. So many people come to the US from their poor countries without any money, learn English, get a degree, build a new life for their families from scratch. If they can do that, why can't a family move from SE DC to Fairfax county or any other part of the country and enroll their child in a better and nonviolent school?

"SE DC" Why bother with all that? Just come out and say what you really mean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To everyone shaming people who have been oppressed by systemic racism and cyclical poverty in this country - shame on you.

You haven’t even bothered yourself enough to learn enough about the history of the US to understand how absolutely ignorant your comments are. If you don’t get it, how about you just take a class or read a book, or heck, listen to those with the lived experience?

The experience factors are not race based and you keep trying to make it seem like it is because of some sick and delusional thinking. You don’t even care that there are almost NO students on free and reduced price lunch at TJ, including Asian immigrants of low SES. If you really cared about anyone but yourself, you would be happy these children who have not previously had a hope of getting into TJ just might have a slight shot now. Stop being so selfish.

None of these people care about anything other than their kids getting ahead. Not poor Asian, black, white or Latino kids. Let all the haves continue hoarding all the resources. The ridiculous part about the whole thing is half of these parents are totally shooting their kids in the foot with respect to college admissions, but their tunnel vision of getting as much as possible at a given moment thwarts their long term vision.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Ok. If things are about choice, you've chosen to live in an area that values giving opportunities to those who've faced economic and other adversity.

DP. I think they're focusing way too much on race and entirely too little on SES. Many black kids in AAP are African immigrants, which superficially makes it look like they're serving AAs, when they're actually not. Likewise, many of the hispanic kids in AAP are either upper middle class white hispanics and not disadvantaged in any way.

It seems like kids are split into either FARMS or not-FARMS. This is unfair to lower middle class people who may not be poor, but certainly can't afford the fancy enrichment that wealthier kids are receiving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, the ignorance of the above post is shocking even by DCUM standards. Read . . . A Hope In The Unseen. If you care to broaden your understanding of the underserved by even one iota.

Just looked it up. So many people come to the US from their poor countries without any money, learn English, get a degree, build a new life for their families from scratch. If they can do that, why can't a family move from SE DC to Fairfax county or any other part of the country and enroll their child in a better and nonviolent school?

"SE DC" Why bother with all that? Just come out and say what you really mean.

I referred to the book that was recommended above. A boy lived in SE DC and went to a violent school. That’s why I wonder why someone can walk to the US from Guatemala to give their kids a better and safer future and someone can’t move 30 minutes away and enroll in a different school where their child would be safe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, the ignorance of the above post is shocking even by DCUM standards. Read . . . A Hope In The Unseen. If you care to broaden your understanding of the underserved by even one iota.

Just looked it up. So many people come to the US from their poor countries without any money, learn English, get a degree, build a new life for their families from scratch. If they can do that, why can't a family move from SE DC to Fairfax county or any other part of the country and enroll their child in a better and nonviolent school?

Are you serious? Do you not realize the following:

1) It costs money to move.

2) If you live in DC and work in DC and rely on public transportation to get to work, moving wouldn’t be an option.

3) DC has systems in place that FFX county does not - such as free preschool and subsidized daycare. People living can’t just up and move and suddenly afford thousands of dollars in childcare.

4) SE DC is majority Black and FFX county is not even 1/4 Black. It quite frankly wouldn’t be as safe for a Black family in FFX county due to the racism they would face.

Also, it seems to me like you’re arguing all the schools in FCPS are great, so then what’s the big fuss over TJ? Clearly if any old school is fine for the people from SE DC, and FCPS school will be fine for your kids and the kids of anyone suing over TJ admissions reform.

#3 sounds like the only valid reason to live in DC until a child turns 5. When their child turns 5, rather than going to a violent SE DC school, they can rent a room near a metro station in VA or MD. Why do they have to live in a SFH or townhouse? You can perfectly live in 1 room like many people in other countries do and share a bathroom and kitchen with a homeowner. I'd for sure prefer that than allow my kids to attend a violent school. Note, my comments refer to the book that was recommended above, not to TJ. The book's Wikipedia page says:

"At Ballou Senior High, a school besieged by violence in Washington, D.C., honor students have learned to keep their heads down. Like most inner-city kids, they know that any special attention in a place this dangerous can make you a target of violence."

[Anonymous]

It is so gross to watch privileged people try to behave like they aren’t privileged in order to keep underprivileged people from the things that they already have privileged access to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is so gross to watch privileged people try to behave like they aren’t privileged in order to keep underprivileged people from the things that they already have privileged access to.

NP, but what are you talking about? Wouldn’t it also be so gross for people to tear down something that others took decades to build just because they didn’t go there? This isn’t about creating new opportunities, for the most part; rather, it is displacing one community from a school because some politically powerful groups just wanted to show they could flex.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:TJ should be closed and let the money be spent on improving lower income schools.

- said the anti-Asian racist.

How do you bigots live with yourselves?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Ok. If things are about choice, you've chosen to live in an area that values giving opportunities to those who've faced economic and other adversity.

DP. I think they're focusing way too much on race and entirely too little on SES. Many black kids in AAP are African immigrants, which superficially makes it look like they're serving AAs, when they're actually not. Likewise, many of the hispanic kids in AAP are either upper middle class white hispanics and not disadvantaged in any way.

It seems like kids are split into either FARMS or not-FARMS. This is unfair to lower middle class people who may not be poor, but certainly can't afford the fancy enrichment that wealthier kids are receiving.

+10!
Yes. This!!
The vast majority of efforts to promote equity should be focusing more on SES and NOT on race. And I agree SES should take into account more than just FARMS / non-FARMS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is so gross to watch privileged people try to behave like they aren’t privileged in order to keep underprivileged people from the things that they already have privileged access to.

NP, but what are you talking about? Wouldn’t it also be so gross for people to tear down something that others took decades to build just because they didn’t go there? This isn’t about creating new opportunities, for the most part; rather, it is displacing one community from a school because some politically powerful groups just wanted to show they could flex.

So one group built TJ? TJ is a public school and the public district in charge of it would like it to serve a broader cross section of the county's residents. If you think serving more of the county's geographic regions is political, that's on you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:“ Jay Matthews is basically phoning it in at this point”
+1 cannot recall the last good piece by him I have read. He is like Petula for education.

I lost all respect for him when he did that hit piece on Lafayette at Carol Leonnig’s behest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:TJ should be closed and let the money be spent on improving lower income schools.

- said the anti-Asian racist.

How do you bigots live with yourselves?

DP. What? There are lots of Asian kids of lower income schools. I don't have a problem with TJ staying open, but I have a problem with the total pushback from current beneficiaries to any change that might bring in a broader group of kids. What do you think happens to the thousands of high performing kids who were rejected by TJ each year under the old system? I'm guessing most of them ended up at an equal or better school than if they had gone to TJ. The kids rejected under the new system will also do well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:TJ should be closed and let the money be spent on improving lower income schools.

- said the anti-Asian racist.

How do you bigots live with yourselves?

DP. What? There are lots of Asian kids of lower income schools. I don't have a problem with TJ staying open, but I have a problem with the total pushback from current beneficiaries to any change that might bring in a broader group of kids. What do you think happens to the thousands of high performing kids who were rejected by TJ each year under the old system? I'm guessing most of them ended up at an equal or better school than if they had gone to TJ. The kids rejected under the new system will also do well.

+1 FCPS is one of the best school systems in the country. It’s not like the TJ is the end all be all. In fact, it’s become more difficult to get into top universities as a TJ student so it’s more of a detriment if that is the ultimate goal you have for your children.

Honestly, people who are against any change to the admissions process are just racist and classist and don’t want their kids to go to school with poor kids or Black and brown kids. They’re not fooling anyone.

[Anonymous]

Jay Matthews has literally never been a reliable resource on TJ. It is only now that he's admitting it because he talked to a parent with an agenda.