Reply to DME Meeting at SWS June 5th

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Reply to "DME Meeting at SWS June 5th"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]my only objection to the LT folks was the person who characterized all SWS famlies as "commuters" in relation to the LT OOB students.  Many of us have followed the school to 3 different locations.  We were prepared to follow it to SE waterfront if Van Ness was in play.  I'm sure there's some limit at which the predominantly Cap Hill based school community would have travelled, but the core of the current school community is on or near the Hill with some exceptions.  FWIW - SWS won the DCPS "Golden Bike" award for the highest % of students who biked/scooted to school on Bike to School Day this year.[/quote]

The ANC Lady lost all credit with me the second she claimed the increase in diversity the school would see with a proximity preference.  It's such a load of crap this line of reasoning -- there wasn't a single AA family whose hand's popped up when the DME asked who was a neighbor not at the school.  Not one.  (Then she stroked Tommy when he walked in ...eww.)  There are plenty of reasons one could argue for proximity preference, but an increase in diversity is not it people, so let it rest.  
 
I agree the LT parents were put on the spot, and they were perhaps a little crazed as a result.   I disagree with the pp's assessment that 75% of the people in the room were for proximity.   I'd say it was split down the middle based on whether or not you're currently enrolled.  I only heard two SWS parents state they were supportive of proximity preference (one an immediate neighbor) - everyone else said their main concern was to maintain it as an opt-in school and one of the parents made what I thought was a very good point: that even with proximity acting as an opt-in solution vs. a finite boundary, the school would, for all intents, eventually become an IB school with proximity pref., and as such, this would degrade the curriculum over time.

The argument that RE isn't specialized doesn't hold water for me, and perhaps if you were all actually parents at the school it would be more clear that this place is unique.  It's very different to have an isolated "RE" program in preschool than it is to have an entire culture who uses the same language, a whole environment thoughtfully constructed to teach children to make certain connections in their lives and the fact that SWS is attempting to carry that from one grade to the next.  It's a very different model from the traditional, direct instruction environment that most of us grew up in, and many people need to adjust to it (parents that is.)  I thought one of the most poignant moments of the meeting was when the Principal spoke at the end about how some people might think they want in "Oh, it's a successful, warm, fuzzy program - Let me in!"  But when push comes to shove, when you find yourself at that 5th parent meeting/event/field trip/art display of the month, when you friend's Kindergartener from another school is rattling off sight words that your kindergartener has no clue what they are, it dawns on you just how unique, this type of education takes a commitment people.  It IS specialized.

The argument that it will be a commuter school without proximity is a total falsehood as well, as most of the parents who won spots this year are from the hill - if not the immediate neighborhood! That stated the only valid argument I have yet to hear is the one that the neighbors are in a special position to benefit the school.   I agree with this, wholeheartedly.  I'm just not convinced it's enough to override the benefits of the school remaining a true city-wide school, especially with the new lottery process.

To the neighbor at the end, saying "we won't ruin your school" -- I beg to differ.  If you're using false logic, such as an increase in diversity, and if you want to argue that the curriculum is not unique, in my opinion you WILL hurt the program and I'd rather not have you around.  [/quote]

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