Reply to Middle Schools for Cap Hill

Forum Index » DC Public and Public Charter Schools

Reply to "Middle Schools for Cap Hill"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Everybody doesn't care for the way you IB parents are lending a hand.  Boycotts have their uses.[/quote]

So we should boycott the school we think has a good chance of working for our kid, because you don’t think it works for your kid? makes a lot of sense. 
[/quote]

DP but no, no one is saying don't send your kid to your IB if that's what you want. People are specifically reacting to the attitude that choosing not to attend the IB is some kind of betrayal. It's not. It's a practical choice to give your kid the education and environment they need.

And I think a lot of people are also pointing out the inherent privilege of certain parents insisting that the IB school is good enough because they have resources that will ensure their kid is never really in danger of missing out on opportunities by attending a struggling IB school. That privilege might take the form of being wealthy enough to afford to supplement and support your kid outside of school so they don't fall behind academically, having kids without SNs that might require a different school environment, being white, or being firmly ensconced in the UMC versus maybe being the first generation of your family to attend college or have a professional career and feeling more a more tenuous hold on future opportunities for your child. Criticizing people for going to charters, moving, or attending private schools as being part of the problem often ignores these privileges and assumes that every family IB for SH, EH, or JA is similarly sitauted. We aren't. Some of us rightfully worry more about how going to a MS where many kids test below grade level and behavioral issues are common might impact our child's chances of going to college or getting the education they need to do well as an adult. The refusal to even acknowledge that is really insulting.[/quote]

It's also insulting to think that every parent values what you value PP? There are a lot of parents who believe their kids will get the best education by attending a struggling school. The assumptions that kids need supplementation, that they will simply coast on privilege, or even that everyone is similarly situated are all wrong. Some people just prefer these schools for their kids, just like they prefer living on the Hill rather than in NW or the burbs. Posts like yours insinuate that people live here because they can't live in a better place, and that's insulting.[/quote]

Nowhere in my post did I insinuate that people live on the Hill because they can't live in a "better place." At all. Nor did I say everyone is similarly situations or shares my values -- the opposite actually. I didn't even tell you what my values are, I was more trying to provide some examples of why someone might choose not to send their kid to their IB MS on the Hill that you might not have considered.

My experience with this debate is that people who are militant that we should all be sending our kids IB tend to believe that all the other families on the Hill are just like them. I've had this conversation a dozen times. We are at a Hill DCPS and love it, but will almost definitely be heading elsewhere for MS. I don't advertise this but I don't hide it either -- when people talk about MS I just plainly state we will be using the lottery and likely headed elsewhere. I think this is better than pretending we are excited to stay IB, because we aren't. I don't want to be one of those families that claims we are committed to staying IB for MS only to quietly go elsewhere -- I have seen this happen with other cohorts and people feel betrayed. So I choose to be honest.

And that is often when we get a hard sell on the IB MS. But what people don't understand is that I have no opinion on what they choose regarding MS for their own kids. Or no judgment, rather. If they go to the IB MS, I will congratulate them on investing in the neighborhood school, choosing a commute that works for their family, and going with what makes sense for them. If they go to a charter, I'll understand (as this is what we will likely do). If they move, I'll understand that too. I'm not imposing my values on anyone. Do what is best for your family and consistent with your values. I support you in that.

And I will do the same.[/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