Reply to Mundo Verde Public Charter: Failing on Its Most Basic Mission

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Our child is in this same class that op is referring to and we have had a night and day different experience. Yes there has been teacher turnover, but I don’t know what the admin can do to address that when teachers are leaving for higher paying dcps jobs or jobs closer to home. This has been an incredibly difficult year for teachers and so while the rate of change has been bad, it seems concentrated in this one class. Our kid is exceeding all academic expectations, and many of the other kids in the class  are as well. Reading at 4th and 5th grade level and doing extremely hard math problems. The specials teachers are amazing, and the general environment is wonderful, with caring teachers and admin.

Not to diminish the op’s experience, but the reports of bullying I have heard on the what’s app chats always lack specificity in a way that makes me not understand what is going on. Just that the kids feelings were hurt, or was run into during recess. It raises questions as to whether the parents are confusing bullying with actual children engaging in growing up and playing. We have actually gotten concerned in the other direction, that this culture of fear around being accused of being a bully has forced kids to withdraw and be incredibly careful when they engage with their peers lest any action be misinterpreted. We have been at Calle ocho since the day it opened and have been so appreciative of the opportunities it has presented and the kindness of the staff. I really hope ops experience improves, but frankly it sounds like it won’t and they should consider other options.  The idea that they believe that a second grade classroom is so full of bullying that their kid is in need self defense seems frankly misguided and unlikely. [/quote]

I do not expect you or anyone else to understand what it's like to walk in anyone else's shoes. I'm glad your experience is a positive one. But trust, your not knowing more than the "vague" details of what our child has endured, does not make you an expert here. And it doesn't in any way make what she experienced acceptable. Just don't pass what we've experienced with the incessant physically and verbally abusive behavior as overreactive in any way. You should love your child to the best of your abilities, and be thankful your child can roll with the punches. I'm not raising a girl to accept that - because unacceptable, violent behavior should be corrected. It should be corrected by a child's parents and the school in which the child is entrusted daily. What you categorize as misguided (and unlikely?) is ensuring our child has training to defend herself when someone intentionally attempts to inflict pain and belittlement on her, because the abuse was happening multiple times everyday without protection from the adults - who have been too under-resourced to address the situation. You may be a family contented with the cavalier "boys will be boys" attitude of a previous century. We are not.

But the severe behavioral problems were merely the first three months of the year. The rest has been dominated by teacher turnover. And the effects of it can't just be swept under the rug simply because your child is excelling. The truth is that many, many others are not. Parents are enrolling their kids in tutoring because the Lord of the Flies daycare that is the MV because their kids are not thriving in the chaos. I invite you to write your truth. Just don't be so doubtful of what others are going through. Because it is true and it exists in larger numbers than you are giving credit.

To suggest that those who don't share your same point of view are a confused anomaly only makes you seem very short-sighted, uncaring and out of sync with the reality around you.[/quote]

+1000 That's well said. I stand by my prior post that accused them of straight up victim blaming and suggesting that if it didn't happen to their kid then it didn't happen. And I was labeled a racist for saying so.

(Can't help but notice the woman who thought being against bullying was racist has put her keyboard down now.)[/quote]

NP: We are at another charter that has similar problems as MV in terms of discipline and administration. It drives me nuts when parents--who are clearly aware of the issues--don't speak up or seem at all concerned about these issues just because the issues are not directly impacting their children. Do you not see the irony that these schools tout that they are all about equity and supposed commitment to social justice but then refuse to address any real challenges? It's ALL performative.

[/quote]

Yes indeed. We are also at a different (non-MV) charter. Equity and social justice has been turned on its head to mean that they protect at all costs the feelings of the aggressor at the expense of not only the direct victim, but also the other kids in the class who witness the aggression. The irony is that the schools spend so much time worrying about equity for the aggressor that they ignore the impact of these outbursts on the other students and the rest of the community - as if equity doesn't mean also providing a safe learning environment for those kids as well.   [/quote]

Word.

It also doesn't help the aggressors to go too easy on them. It creates division among the kids when certain peers are allowed repeated egregious behavior.[/quote]

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