Reply to Basis families: talk to me about the building

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[quote=Anonymous]Sorry if this is repetitive.  I didn't have a chance to read all of the posts.  My son attended Basis for two grades, 5th (remote until the last term) and 6th (in-person).  We decided to switch him to the neighborhood DCPS middle school for 7th grade.  The building/environment was nearly the sole reason for the change.   My son did well in class and did not have a problem with the workload.  Although we decided not to do it, he was recommended for the accelerated Math program.  He consistently was in the 90s club (is that right?  whatever the second tier honors was).

He's an active and energetic kid and definitely enjoys sports, gaming, etc. more than academics.  The building and the lack of outdoor time and recess was killing him.  None of his classrooms had windows and the children spent very little time outdoors.  His lunch cohort often had "silent lunch" as a punishment for children acting out, which likely exacerbated the issue.  And despite promises of going to the mall for activities, gym, and lunch, this rarely happened.  He found the physical environment depressing and oppressive.  The learning environment and administration compounded the problem.  His physical education class was limited by the the tiny multipurpose room and focused on fitness rather than games.  His art class focused on art history rather than creation.  Midway through the 6th grade, his first in-person year, he began complaining about it all.  And by the end, there was no way we could send him back.  He dreaded going there even though there were individual teachers, and lots of classmates, that he liked.

I had (have) lots of reservations about switching back to DCPS curriculum and putting him a year behind where he would have been at Basis.  But, his change in mood is worth it.  Yes, there is some chaos.  He doesn't mind it and in some ways relishes it.  He's doing well and is much happier.  He's now having fun at school.

I know other families that stayed at Basis and they're happy too.  As everyone knows, there are good things about the academic focus.  But for at least one energetic and enthusiastic 12 year old, the building and the environment were too much.              [/quote]

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