Reply to New Basis DC Head of School

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]There’s nothing wrong with wanting one’s kids to become masters in their native language.  But the idea that a school must support such learning in the name of promoting intellectual curiosity is not an argument that I follow.  I guess learning some Latin along the way would stunt your child’s intellectual development??

Anyway, I think we can all agree that Basis was not the right choice for your child.  Congrats on having another wonderful option.[/quote]

I agree with this. If I have a talented budding violinist, should I expect a school to be instructing them? Should I expect they get exempted from music class because my kids studies violin? No. [/quote]

What, are you dense?  The parents discussed above asked for their children to be left alone on language instruction because they were so far ahead of the pack.  That approach is standard in Metro area suburban schools, where ed leaders and admins actually care about promoting and supporting bilingualism in an increasingly globalized world.  In MoCo, Arlington and Fairfax, kids can test out of mandatory language instruction in public school (though it's not easy to do that). Christ, what an unsophisticated school system this really is.  I'm going to hope that the new HOS actually gets it.    [/quote]

I don’t understand why you’re calling PP dense, she’s asking if you’d actually expect schools to apply this philosophy to all subjects. I personally don’t think BASIS has an obligation to let your kid not take language; I agree that they shouldn’t make him/her take basic classes in the language s/he already speaks, but as long as another language is available, I don’t see a problem. Similarly, I don’t think basis should make my Suzuki-trained violinist take intro violin, but I don’t think then teaching her the flute is objectionable.[/quote]

You clearly weren't raised bilingual or biliterate, not in a tough language of global trade at any rate, and don't get it.  One day in DC, when there are more immigrant and World Bank and State Dept. type families in our public schools, ed leaders will adapt one-size-fits-all language instruction policies to keep up with shifting demographics and changing times.  The bilingual population of BASIS and other strong academic programs is tiny, but it will grow, and more parents will challenge a bone-headed policy over time.  This is what happened in the burbs in the 90s and early 2000s.  Smart new policies on language instruction in the VA and MD burbs are no more than a decade old.  It doesn't help that the BASIS HOS changes almost every year - by the time they figure out what needs to be tweaked, they're out the door.  [/quote]

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