Reply to Hardy Middle School -- 5th grade in feeder school -- who's considering Hardy for 6th?

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Reply to "Hardy Middle School -- 5th grade in feeder school -- who's considering Hardy for 6th?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]People should go into the school selection process with information, not hearsay (and by this I mean, PLEASE do not rely on DCUM gossip, including my own opinion). Go see for yourself, ask questions, and keep an open mind.  There are upcoming open houses at the school.

Hardy is an urban school in an ethnically diverse city - this is both a blessing and a challenge.  If you don't feel comfortable with people from different backgrounds and perspectives, it may not be the school for you. [b] It has an obligation to be a school for everybody, not just your child.  If you want special attention given to your child, it might not be for you.  It is undergoing a lot of transformation, and if you are uncomfortable leading change, rather than benefiting from it, go elsewhere.  It has strong and emerging academics, but it is certainly not a magnate school, and if you have a child who is exceptionally gifted, they will likely do better in a more consistently challenging environment.[/b]

As the previous poster noted, language about school enrollment is focused on feeder school enrollment, not in boundary.  And this is good, because what we want for a public school is an emphasis on academics, and adequate preparation for rigor during the transition from elementary to middle school, right? Because given the demographics, if you care more about in boundary rather than feeder school patterns, the focus shifts to class and race, rather than education.  If you want a school with rich, white kids, this is not the school for you.

I choose to live in DC because the diversity is so dynamic and interesting, and with this come some obvious challenges.  [b]Why would I want to deprive my children of being able to benefit from all the richness (culturally) that surrounds them? They need to learn to handle themselves around others that are richer, poorer, Blacker, whiter, more or less American, smarter, and less smart than they are.[/b]  I think they will benefit from developing their own academic interests and challenges, rather than having it fed to them from the school, so having the time and independence to explore an interest on their own will develop a passion more readily than having 4 hours of homework a night.

[b]I posit this: is it really the best for your child to go to the "best school"? What is the outcome we seek for our children?[/b] [/quote]

This is what I think Patricia Pride and Ms. Whisnant should have said to Mann parents, in addition to the fact that Hardy still practices what I would call old school EOTP "tough love" in terms of their emphasis on behavior and discipline - obviously having staff scream at kids is on the brink of inappropriate, but at BASIS DC you can tell which teachers came from EOTP DC schools and which ones came from AZ - not because one group are clearer better teachers than the other, just because their entire approach to the kids and issues of classroom control are different.  And to be honest, some times old school EOTP tough love works better because that is what the kids who are getting out of line are used to.............[/quote]

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