Reply to SWW - Letters of Recommendation

Forum Index » DC Public and Public Charter Schools

Reply to "SWW - Letters of Recommendation"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I feel for the kids/families who didn’t get an interview. I also feel for them to sit here and read the replies from those who DID get an interview and act like it’s because of something they did (versus something others didn’t do) and not luck of the draw in the motivation level of their kid’s teacher (I’m looking at you, Pentagon poster). It’s easy to think the system isn’t broken when it’s worked on your favor. Have some empathy for those for whom the system didn’t work. [/quote]

Kids shouldn’t take it personally.  Even if you got everything in, it’s not based on the best and brightest.  It’s basically a lottery.

Lots of kids who should have gotten an interview didn’t.  Move on, it’s Walls lost.[/quote]

My kid has moved on (and is thriving at a different application HS). I'm still mad though. Kid absolutely busted their 🍑 to get that 4.0 in 7th grade, and then the people who were supposed to value that couldn't be bothered to notice.  And now there's a younger sibling in the picture who is about to run this same gauntlet.

It's easy for each of us to atomize, to say [i]my[/I] kid deserves better, and then solve for that kid. Harder for all to say with one voice that all our kids deserve better when Walls, which knows damn well how to fix this, DGAF.[/quote]

We have also moved on but I have a very different outlook- I feel like it was such a blessing that we didn’t get in. Knowing what I know now, I would not have any of my younger children apply to Walls.[/quote]

Why?[/quote]

Different poster- way stronger academics at other schools. Good grades and leadership not prioritized. Gaming the system seems to work in the short term which allows school in general to decline. [/quote]

How do you assess that academics are stronger at other schools if your kid is only at one of them?

(For what it's worth, my DC was lucky enough to win the Walls semi-lottery and is having a good experience.)[/quote]

DP one area you can look at is tracking and advance course offerings.  Also for the higher level classes is there objective criteria for entrance or can anyone take it.

As to experiences, how do you k ow your kid could have had a better overall experience at other schools?  One area is EC and sports.  Another is facilities 
[/quote]

My question is specific, not general.  The PP said other schools "have way stronger academics" than Walls.  I'm skeptical of that claim but would be interested to hear her basis for it.

[b]The poster before her said she wouldn't have her kids after the 1st one apply to Walls "knowing what she knows now," which is kind of a mysterious statement.[/b]  Someone asked "why?"  I'd be interested in hearing that answer too; I haven't observed anything to be ominous at Walls as that PP implied.

Walls has weaknesses -- randomness of admissions being one of them -- but overall it's great, imo.[/quote]

I mean, I'm sure that person is just making internal justifications since her kid didn't get in. Very common. [/quote]

Or maybe like me, that poster seems the weak academic offerings, lack of ECs and sports, combined with the low standards from dcps and went elsewhere?  Sorry even the lowest rated suburban high school has better academics than Walls. [/quote]

Reality is Walls is just a mediocre school. It’s nothing special. The good schools in the burbs and the magnets are so, so much better.

Most people know that what Walls has going for it is that there is a decent cohort of academically minded kids and less behavioral issues.  That’s basically it.

[b]Course offerings limited and doesn’t do compare to burb[/b]s, many teachers just clocking it in, principal is not good, facilities is poor,[b] limited EC and sports[/b].

This is supposed to be DC’s magnet school and it could potentially be so much better.  Now OSSE is trying to destroy the one thing that is good about it is the top academic performance of the kids and student body.

[/quote]

These things are trade-offs for being a much smaller school than the suburban high schools or JR.  Some kids and parents value the experience of being in a 600-student school vs a 2500-student school.

I think some teachers are "just clocking it in" but most are good.

Can't disagree with you on the other points.  [/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