Reply to MC police pick up ESS 5 year old; harass & assault him

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Reply to "MC police pick up ESS 5 year old; harass & assault him"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I can’t watch the video. It’s too disturbing.

I’m a teacher and I’ve worked in a variety of schools. In lower income schools, the focus is on discipline. The school to prison pipeline is a real thing. Kids are threatened with things like “you wanna go to jail? you better act right then!” It’s gross. Half the kids in my title 1 kindergarten class had an incarcerated parent to begin with. I was told to “yell more” and “stop being so soft”. Kids are instructed to eat lunch in silence. Work in silence. Stop crying. Straighten up. Do as you’re told and don’t ask questions. It was not for me. Those kids needed love and understanding, not more people yelling at them.

On the flip side, in affluent schools, the focus is on communication and learning. It’s a very respectful approach. Kids are encouraged to talk to each other and staff. Lots more emphasis on empathy and validating feelings. Building relationships. Collaborative projects.

The low income schools retain teachers and administrators who appreciate that authoritarian style. Often they’re people who grew up being talked to like that and continue to raise their own families in that same way. [/quote]

This may be true generally but is not a very accurate characterization of ESS. It's not East Side High. It's lowER income relative to MoCo but most of those are immigrants and the vast majority without criminal records. The admin is mostly white and lives upcounty. They use restorative justice and so on-- maybe not effectively but it's the plan. Maybe it's a bit more like you describe than a W feeder school, but not by a huge margin. [/quote]

+1 and I would add that the portrait PP is describing was also not true when the principal was a Black woman who had grown up in Baltimore. She emphasized excellence for all kids, but never with a heavy hand or authoritarian approach. Kids at ESS are encouraged to talk to one another, they have circle time just like any other elementary school, and there's no "quiet" lunches, except during covid. My kid was a crier, and the counselor dealt with him gently and with care.

The new administration is white, and middle class, and I do wish MCPS had prioritized having either the principal or assistant principal reflect the linguistic and racial diversity in the school, but nothing that you describe above resembles my experience as a long-time ESS parent. [/quote]

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