Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ what’s wrong with it?

Not that poster, but here is what I hear from some families:

*Disrupted family schedules because of the bus.
*Tension between students and parents over the workload at home.
*Unfairness to other kids in the family who lose parental attention or have to adjust their schedule.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ what’s wrong with it?

Not that poster, but here is what I hear from some families:

*Disrupted family schedules because of the bus.
*Tension between students and parents over the workload at home.
*Unfairness to other kids in the family who lose parental attention or have to adjust their schedule.

Anonymous wrote:^ what’s wrong with it?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have two teachers at our CES who have been very vocal about their disapproval of the changes to both the CES and the MS Magnets.

One has commented that she ends up spending way more time with some of the students this year at our CES, trying to get them up to speed.

The one great thing about the CES and the Magnets were that the teachers were teaching kids who were all at a similar level. It was a way to avoid the nonsense that MCPS embraces with mixed ability classrooms. But these past two years have changed that.

Let’s get real. The kids were never all at the same level. There was always a variation in skills, interests, background knowledge, and work ethic. The difference I see now is that we get some parents who are less educated themselves so they can’t help at home, less equipped financially to assist with extra materials, less aware of the intense commitment the entire family is making, and less confident in asking teachers to explain a concept differently or reconsider a grade. Under the old system, a family might send three kids through magnet although only the first one was truly gifted and others average because they learned from experience how to make it work. Or they had lots of advice from friends and neighbors with kids who went to magnet. Now there are more kids who are truly trailblazers.

I’ve taught mixed ability general ed. This year’s classes were nothing like that. When MCPS starts admitting to MS magnet fifteen year olds or students reading on a pre-primer level, I’ll be the loudest one protesting.

Signed,
A middle school magnet teacher

Thanks for your post.

Are you a Magnet MS teacher in MCPS or in a neighboring county?

It’s interesting because several families at our regional CES straight out declined their MS Magnet invitation this year. Will be really interested to hear how next year goes at the MS Magnets. And in your experience in particular.

This incoming 6th grade MS Magnet class will be interesting to watch.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Let’s get real. The kids were never all at the same level. There was always a variation in skills, interests, background knowledge, and work ethic. The difference I see now is that we get some parents who are less educated themselves so they can’t help at home, less equipped financially to assist with extra materials, less aware of the intense commitment the entire family is making, and less confident in asking teachers to explain a concept differently or reconsider a grade. Under the old system, a family might send three kids through magnet although only the first one was truly gifted and others average because they learned from experience how to make it work. Or they had lots of advice from friends and neighbors with kids who went to magnet. Now there are more kids who are truly trailblazers.

I’ve taught mixed ability general ed. This year’s classes were nothing like that. When MCPS starts admitting to MS magnet fifteen year olds or students reading on a pre-primer level, I’ll be the loudest one protesting.

Signed,
A middle school magnet teacher

That was my impression as a parent with kids in the magnet programs, too.

Also, as a parent with kids in the magnet program, my opinion is that participation in the magnet program should not require an intense commitment by the entire family.

Whether you like it or not, it does. Sending kids to magnet is a family commitment. We are perfectly okay with that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Let’s get real. The kids were never all at the same level. There was always a variation in skills, interests, background knowledge, and work ethic. The difference I see now is that we get some parents who are less educated themselves so they can’t help at home, less equipped financially to assist with extra materials, less aware of the intense commitment the entire family is making, and less confident in asking teachers to explain a concept differently or reconsider a grade. Under the old system, a family might send three kids through magnet although only the first one was truly gifted and others average because they learned from experience how to make it work. Or they had lots of advice from friends and neighbors with kids who went to magnet. Now there are more kids who are truly trailblazers.

I’ve taught mixed ability general ed. This year’s classes were nothing like that. When MCPS starts admitting to MS magnet fifteen year olds or students reading on a pre-primer level, I’ll be the loudest one protesting.

Signed,
A middle school magnet teacher

That was my impression as a parent with kids in the magnet programs, too.

Also, as a parent with kids in the magnet program, my opinion is that participation in the magnet program should not require an intense commitment by the entire family.

Anonymous wrote:

Let’s get real. The kids were never all at the same level. There was always a variation in skills, interests, background knowledge, and work ethic. The difference I see now is that we get some parents who are less educated themselves so they can’t help at home, less equipped financially to assist with extra materials, less aware of the intense commitment the entire family is making, and less confident in asking teachers to explain a concept differently or reconsider a grade. Under the old system, a family might send three kids through magnet although only the first one was truly gifted and others average because they learned from experience how to make it work. Or they had lots of advice from friends and neighbors with kids who went to magnet. Now there are more kids who are truly trailblazers.

I’ve taught mixed ability general ed. This year’s classes were nothing like that. When MCPS starts admitting to MS magnet fifteen year olds or students reading on a pre-primer level, I’ll be the loudest one protesting.

Signed,
A middle school magnet teacher

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have two teachers at our CES who have been very vocal about their disapproval of the changes to both the CES and the MS Magnets.

One has commented that she ends up spending way more time with some of the students this year at our CES, trying to get them up to speed.

The one great thing about the CES and the Magnets were that the teachers were teaching kids who were all at a similar level. It was a way to avoid the nonsense that MCPS embraces with mixed ability classrooms. But these past two years have changed that.

Let’s get real. The kids were never all at the same level. There was always a variation in skills, interests, background knowledge, and work ethic. The difference I see now is that we get some parents who are less educated themselves so they can’t help at home, less equipped financially to assist with extra materials, less aware of the intense commitment the entire family is making, and less confident in asking teachers to explain a concept differently or reconsider a grade. Under the old system, a family might send three kids through magnet although only the first one was truly gifted and others average because they learned from experience how to make it work. Or they had lots of advice from friends and neighbors with kids who went to magnet. Now there are more kids who are truly trailblazers.

I’ve taught mixed ability general ed. This year’s classes were nothing like that. When MCPS starts admitting to MS magnet fifteen year olds or students reading on a pre-primer level, I’ll be the loudest one protesting.

Signed,
A middle school magnet teacher

Anonymous wrote:We have two teachers at our CES who have been very vocal about their disapproval of the changes to both the CES and the MS Magnets.

One has commented that she ends up spending way more time with some of the students this year at our CES, trying to get them up to speed.

The one great thing about the CES and the Magnets were that the teachers were teaching kids who were all at a similar level. It was a way to avoid the nonsense that MCPS embraces with mixed ability classrooms. But these past two years have changed that.