Reply to Did anyone find primary day too "academic" or structured?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]When my DC started K in MCPS, there were several noticeable differences that made me cringe that I had wasted so much money on PDS. First, as I noted above, the differentiation. For example, her MCPS K teacher noticed immediately that she could read and therefore gave her access to a special shelf of books for her to read while other kids were being taught the alphabet. All kids were ultimately grouped into Math and Reading groups based on ability while at PDS my older DC in PDS was struggling with boredom but wasn't given anything different to do because "it was outside the curriculum."

Second, I loved the quality difference in the facilities. The facilities at our MCPS school are just far and away better -- PDS has no gym, ours has a spectacular one; PDS has no cafeteria, ours had a great one where the kids could socialize at lunch (without a prayer first!); PDS has no Health Room, our has a staffed Health Room with beds, closet for individual needs (my DC requires equipment in case of a medical episode and it is kept onsite in the closet), bathroom, safe room, refrigerator and telephone for the kids to use; PDS has no counselor, ours has a counselor with her own spacious office with a couch and a table for lunch bunches to resolve issues among students as well as offering in-classroom character building lessons; PDS's director was inaccessible, our principal is available via phone, email, at drop-off and pick-up and for lunch bunches with the students themselves if they just want to hang with her; PDS has a dearth of musical instruments (though a wonderful music teacher while we were there) while our school has 2 music rooms and tons of instruments; PDS has no extracurricular activities run at the school, ours has all kinds of academic and sports programs run right at the school as well a huge theater production for upperclass students. I could go on and on, but you get my point.[/quote]
Wow, your experience -- however many years ago it happened -- is quite outdated.  I can speak for my kids who attend right now.

1) Differentiation definitely happens if the teachers deem appropriate.  One of our kids got "advanced" work with the specialists this past year, both in math and reading.

2) The school nurse definitely has an office where students go for cuts, bruises, etc.

3) Current HOS is quite accessible and transparent with communication about where things are with the school and where they're headed.

4) For a school of 120 students, PDS seems to have plenty of musical instruments.

5) There are definitely extra-curriculars after school.  When I pick up the kids from aftercare and see their classmates, it's often at the end of chess, robotics, dance, taekwondo, soccer, or tennis.

Sorry you didn't like PDS.  I would never question that.  But what you've described isn't remotely reflective of how things are now, and I don't know many current parents who are dissatisfied.[/quote]

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