Anonymous
Post 12/11/2016 08:08     Subject: EdFest reactions

Anonymous wrote:My first edoest, what an overwhelming experience!
Please please help! My twins are getting ready to enter pk3 and my husband and I are going nuts with research lol.

Well, back to EdFEST: I got a good vibe from the following booths (in no particular order):
1- DC Bilingual
2- Ingenuity Prep
3- Lees Montesano

On a side note, I ruled out onevery school due to the parent volunteer I spoke with. She said "why are you freaking out this is not college, who cares what elementary school your child goes to, they are basically the same, I don't get why they rank them in my opinion..." well that did it for me, like ma'am elementary education sets the tone for your child's academic journey, I can't just throw my twins at some bottom of the barrel school!

All in all, this was my first EdFEST and it wasn't a waste of time.


My advice: calm down.

PK3 doesn't "set the tone for your child's education journey."
Anonymous
Post 12/11/2016 05:53     Subject: EdFest reactions

My first edoest, what an overwhelming experience!
Please please help! My twins are getting ready to enter pk3 and my husband and I are going nuts with research lol.

Well, back to EdFEST: I got a good vibe from the following booths (in no particular order):
1- DC Bilingual
2- Ingenuity Prep
3- Lees Montesano

On a side note, I ruled out onevery school due to the parent volunteer I spoke with. She said "why are you freaking out this is not college, who cares what elementary school your child goes to, they are basically the same, I don't get why they rank them in my opinion..." well that did it for me, like ma'am elementary education sets the tone for your child's academic journey, I can't just throw my twins at some bottom of the barrel school!

All in all, this was my first EdFEST and it wasn't a waste of time.
Anonymous
Post 12/11/2016 05:11     Subject: EdFest reactions

Anonymous wrote:It helped me, very new to all of this (twins that will be entering PK3), figure out some questions I need to be asking that I didn't know enough to ask. And different booths definitely had different vibes. Our IB doesn't have a great reputation or test scores and the booth didn't feel very reassuring. But another very close by DCPS with similar scores but a better reputation had their principal and AP there and both were very engaging, etc.

So worth going until one of my twins bolted from the play area and we had a fright while hunting him down (I had literally turned my back for seconds to get the other a granola bar).

Please don't make a decision about your kids school based on a booth. Please.
Anonymous
Post 12/11/2016 01:46     Subject: Re:EdFest reactions

What were some of the impressive booths and vice versa?
Anonymous
Post 12/10/2016 21:15     Subject: EdFest reactions

It helped me, very new to all of this (twins that will be entering PK3), figure out some questions I need to be asking that I didn't know enough to ask. And different booths definitely had different vibes. Our IB doesn't have a great reputation or test scores and the booth didn't feel very reassuring. But another very close by DCPS with similar scores but a better reputation had their principal and AP there and both were very engaging, etc.

So worth going until one of my twins bolted from the play area and we had a fright while hunting him down (I had literally turned my back for seconds to get the other a granola bar).
Anonymous
Post 12/10/2016 16:59     Subject: EdFest reactions

Anonymous wrote:Meh, I learned more from parent volunteers.


Same here. It's really hard to talk to a stranger on a playground about what they like and don't like about the school. It helps you rank IMO.
Anonymous
Post 12/10/2016 16:25     Subject: EdFest reactions

Meh, I learned more from parent volunteers.
Anonymous
Post 12/10/2016 15:54     Subject: EdFest reactions

I still don't get edfest. It seems like how you found out about intermural sports teams in college. If I want to know more about your school- I'll go there & look at it. Not stand by a booth why you show me a power point presentation.
Anonymous
Post 12/10/2016 15:44     Subject: EdFest reactions

Anonymous wrote:i really enjoyed some of the teachers I spoke with.


Where?
Anonymous
Post 12/10/2016 15:44     Subject: EdFest reactions

Anonymous wrote:or not everyone who parked in the lot went to EdFest?


How about I put it a different way. There were easily 400 cars with MD tags (50%+) of the cars. There were not 400 exhibitors. I don't notamally chime in when MD students are discussed. But I felt it necessary to mention as it was quite surprising to me. Fwiw, the booth/school I worked had 8 staff, only one of us lives in MD, rest DC.
Anonymous
Post 12/10/2016 15:41     Subject: EdFest reactions

i really enjoyed some of the teachers I spoke with.
Anonymous
Post 12/10/2016 15:18     Subject: EdFest reactions

or not everyone who parked in the lot went to EdFest?
Anonymous
Post 12/10/2016 15:10     Subject: EdFest reactions

Anonymous wrote:Also lots and lots and lots of Maryland license plates in the lot but that could well be teachers, staff and exhibitors.


Not that many. A lot of exhibitors parked to the right of the building. I worked it and was very surprised by the number of MD plates. If people say it's all teachers etc that would mean that there were 4:1 exhibitors to attendees.
Anonymous
Post 12/10/2016 13:00     Subject: EdFest reactions

Also lots and lots and lots of Maryland license plates in the lot but that could well be teachers, staff and exhibitors.
Anonymous
Post 12/10/2016 12:59     Subject: EdFest reactions

I'm here representing our DCPS ... not nearly the crowds as previous years.