Reply to Is the quality of the Blair Magnet Program going down?

Forum Index » Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS)

Reply to "Is the quality of the Blair Magnet Program going down?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I don't agree that the Poolesville magnet is stronger than Blair's magnet. I don't even understand how anyone could make this comparison without having kids in both schools. Other odd aspects of this thread are that the principal and the magnet administrator are different people (and genders), and also Blair's current principal used to be TPMS' principal as anyone with connections to TPMS would know. So this whole discussion seems uninformed.

Both schools follow basically the same curriculum, so the difference, if there is one, would be in the quality of the teachers. (Facilities are pretty much irrelevant IMO, but if it matters to you, Blair's building is less than 10 years old.) I can't speak for Poolesville, but the Blair magnet teachers my kids have had have been fabulous.

[/quote]

[b]Having evaluated the quality of both and spoken to the appropriate people---I can tell you Poolesville is better.[/b]  The main school at Poolesville is old but they have a new addition on the right side of the main building.  [b]Poolesville has a rural feel and Blair is at a busy Silver Spring intersection. [/b]The non magnet classes (your child will take non magnet classes at either school---English, History ...) are incomparable.  Poolesville, because of its student body, is able to teach at a much higher level.
   
I don't understand the relevance of the principal and the magnet coordinator being different people of opposite genders!!!   Yes, the new Blair principal is from TPMS.  When Darryl Williams, the previous principal left, some teachers decided to leave.

Blair has the Math, Science, CS magnet and the CAP program.  Poolesville has "houses," for example the Math, Science, CS House.  At least one student got into MIT in 2012.  
Poolesville is a rising star, and Blair seems to be a falling star.

Blair needs to buck up if it wants to stop the slide.

PP which grades are your kids in?
[/quote]

Unless you have had kids in both schools, you have no way of knowing how these two schools compare.

I'm laughing out loud at your "busy intersection" versus rural comment.  This is relevant ... how?[/quote]

[b]Ignorance is bliss, isn't it?  The rural-busy intersection comment is very relevant to safety.  [/b]

The statement of needing to have kids at both schools is equally ignorant.  I'm not going to enlighten you because I don't want anyone to suffer retaliation.  Poolesville is a rising star, and Blair seems to be a falling star.
[/quote]

No ignorance here.  Eyes wide open.  I moved to Silver Spring from Manhattan, and my 15yo son attends Blair.  He navigates that intersection routinely and I never worry, because he is traffic-savvy and pays attention.  These are basic life skills that every adult or near-adult should have.  We do not have to (nor do we want to) live in Poolesville or the like to keep him safe.

Blair's location also gives him independence and self-sufficiency that a rural location would not.  He takes the school bus to get there, but sometimes goes off with friends after school to have lunch (on early release days), or take the city bus to downtown Silver Spring for lunch and a movie.  He is learning to navigate the world without need for a parent to act as chauffeur, or to drive a car himself (contributing to traffic and pollution and likely jeopardizing his safety more than crossing an intersection with traffic lights is).

The fact that he is getting a fabulous education in the magnet program is just icing on the cake.  His non-magnet friends are also getting a great education.

I know nothing about Poolesville HS, and maybe it is a rising star.  I can assure you however, based on two kids having gone through (my daughter graduated two years ago), that Blair is not declining.  Not at all.  [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics