Anonymous wrote:I saw the colleges the grads of HB went to last year and I wasn't super impressed. Are we sure it is a good school?
Anonymous wrote:I saw the colleges the grads of HB went to last year and I wasn't super impressed. Are we sure it is a good school?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:My daughter just got into H-B Woodlawn 8th grade so this thread has been useful as we are relatively new to the area. She's been attending Dorothy Hamm for a year which I can't say enough good things a about.
She tested as gifted but has problems with her grades and some minor discipline issues around her commitment to achieve. I won't turn down the opportunity and how lucky we are but I wonder how well this school can handle her lack of discipline. Fortunately we are literally next door and I can stay involved.
Are the teachers and staff responsive to parent involvement? Dorothy Hamm has been phenomenal in that regard.
HB works best for students who are self-motivated since there is a lot of freedom. It makes sense to try it out for a year or so, and if it’s not the best environment, transferring back to the home high school is no problem. In fact, transferring back to the home school is not uncommon. The HB philosophy is not ideal for all students.
This is not always true for high performing students who have free academic time because they finished all the work quickly. HB lacks the tools for kids to learn on their own unless they have access to facilities/resources/teachers elsewhere. Their science labs are a joke using half baked equipment, some purchased from Amazon. Many classes are blended so they can't possibly teach to everyone. Based upon experience, many teachers have no time (or motivation) to discuss topics with kids who want to learn more and are often turned away. Recently, I think there has even been discussion in Town Meeting to do away with the AP program, thus completing the loop of some people trying to make HB a special needs school in all but name.
This is incoherent, ill-informed, and teacher bashing. Teachers vary in every school, but neither of my kids have ever been turned away by a HB teacher when they wanted to go deeper into a niche interest. They were supported in crafting independent studies, proposing new classes, or less formal projects. HB, much like any university experience, is going to be what a student makes of it. Lots of kids aren’t ready for taking full advantage.
Suggesting blended classes make it impossible to meet all students’ needs is counter to plenty of research.
I heard the discussions about getting rid of AP was brought up by high school students and probably not going to happen. But even if it did, AP is not the most academically challenging possibility. I trust there would be an alternative of some kind. All the top local private schools have gotten rid of AP classes in recent years and it wasn’t to make Sidwell “a special needs school.”
Again, HB is serious about empowering students, for better and for worse. It seems for your kid(s) it was for worse, but there’s no need to universalize.
yeah, this is the craziest take on HB I have ever seen
HB teachers are super devoted to teaching, they teach more periods than other APS high school teachers, serve as advisors, often do one-off classes on things kids are interested in...
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:My daughter just got into H-B Woodlawn 8th grade so this thread has been useful as we are relatively new to the area. She's been attending Dorothy Hamm for a year which I can't say enough good things a about.
She tested as gifted but has problems with her grades and some minor discipline issues around her commitment to achieve. I won't turn down the opportunity and how lucky we are but I wonder how well this school can handle her lack of discipline. Fortunately we are literally next door and I can stay involved.
Are the teachers and staff responsive to parent involvement? Dorothy Hamm has been phenomenal in that regard.
HB works best for students who are self-motivated since there is a lot of freedom. It makes sense to try it out for a year or so, and if it’s not the best environment, transferring back to the home high school is no problem. In fact, transferring back to the home school is not uncommon. The HB philosophy is not ideal for all students.
This is not always true for high performing students who have free academic time because they finished all the work quickly. HB lacks the tools for kids to learn on their own unless they have access to facilities/resources/teachers elsewhere. Their science labs are a joke using half baked equipment, some purchased from Amazon. Many classes are blended so they can't possibly teach to everyone. Based upon experience, many teachers have no time (or motivation) to discuss topics with kids who want to learn more and are often turned away. Recently, I think there has even been discussion in Town Meeting to do away with the AP program, thus completing the loop of some people trying to make HB a special needs school in all but name.
This is incoherent, ill-informed, and teacher bashing. Teachers vary in every school, but neither of my kids have ever been turned away by a HB teacher when they wanted to go deeper into a niche interest. They were supported in crafting independent studies, proposing new classes, or less formal projects. HB, much like any university experience, is going to be what a student makes of it. Lots of kids aren’t ready for taking full advantage.
Suggesting blended classes make it impossible to meet all students’ needs is counter to plenty of research.
I heard the discussions about getting rid of AP was brought up by high school students and probably not going to happen. But even if it did, AP is not the most academically challenging possibility. I trust there would be an alternative of some kind. All the top local private schools have gotten rid of AP classes in recent years and it wasn’t to make Sidwell “a special needs school.”
Again, HB is serious about empowering students, for better and for worse. It seems for your kid(s) it was for worse, but there’s no need to universalize.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:My daughter just got into H-B Woodlawn 8th grade so this thread has been useful as we are relatively new to the area. She's been attending Dorothy Hamm for a year which I can't say enough good things a about.
She tested as gifted but has problems with her grades and some minor discipline issues around her commitment to achieve. I won't turn down the opportunity and how lucky we are but I wonder how well this school can handle her lack of discipline. Fortunately we are literally next door and I can stay involved.
Are the teachers and staff responsive to parent involvement? Dorothy Hamm has been phenomenal in that regard.
HB works best for students who are self-motivated since there is a lot of freedom. It makes sense to try it out for a year or so, and if it’s not the best environment, transferring back to the home high school is no problem. In fact, transferring back to the home school is not uncommon. The HB philosophy is not ideal for all students.
This is not always true for high performing students who have free academic time because they finished all the work quickly. HB lacks the tools for kids to learn on their own unless they have access to facilities/resources/teachers elsewhere. Their science labs are a joke using half baked equipment, some purchased from Amazon. Many classes are blended so they can't possibly teach to everyone. Based upon experience, many teachers have no time (or motivation) to discuss topics with kids who want to learn more and are often turned away. Recently, I think there has even been discussion in Town Meeting to do away with the AP program, thus completing the loop of some people trying to make HB a special needs school in all but name.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:My daughter just got into H-B Woodlawn 8th grade so this thread has been useful as we are relatively new to the area. She's been attending Dorothy Hamm for a year which I can't say enough good things a about.
She tested as gifted but has problems with her grades and some minor discipline issues around her commitment to achieve. I won't turn down the opportunity and how lucky we are but I wonder how well this school can handle her lack of discipline. Fortunately we are literally next door and I can stay involved.
Are the teachers and staff responsive to parent involvement? Dorothy Hamm has been phenomenal in that regard.
HB works best for students who are self-motivated since there is a lot of freedom. It makes sense to try it out for a year or so, and if it’s not the best environment, transferring back to the home high school is no problem. In fact, transferring back to the home school is not uncommon. The HB philosophy is not ideal for all students.
This is not always true for high performing students who have free academic time because they finished all the work quickly. HB lacks the tools for kids to learn on their own unless they have access to facilities/resources/teachers elsewhere. Their science labs are a joke using half baked equipment, some purchased from Amazon. Many classes are blended so they can't possibly teach to everyone. Based upon experience, many teachers have no time (or motivation) to discuss topics with kids who want to learn more and are often turned away. Recently, I think there has even been discussion in Town Meeting to do away with the AP program, thus completing the loop of some people trying to make HB a special needs school in all but name.
This is incoherent, ill-informed, and teacher bashing. Teachers vary in every school, but neither of my kids have ever been turned away by a HB teacher when they wanted to go deeper into a niche interest. They were supported in crafting independent studies, proposing new classes, or less formal projects. HB, much like any university experience, is going to be what a student makes of it. Lots of kids aren’t ready for taking full advantage.
Suggesting blended classes make it impossible to meet all students’ needs is counter to plenty of research.
I heard the discussions about getting rid of AP was brought up by high school students and probably not going to happen. But even if it did, AP is not the most academically challenging possibility. I trust there would be an alternative of some kind. All the top local private schools have gotten rid of AP classes in recent years and it wasn’t to make Sidwell “a special needs school.”
Again, HB is serious about empowering students, for better and for worse. It seems for your kid(s) it was for worse, but there’s no need to universalize.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:My daughter just got into H-B Woodlawn 8th grade so this thread has been useful as we are relatively new to the area. She's been attending Dorothy Hamm for a year which I can't say enough good things a about.
She tested as gifted but has problems with her grades and some minor discipline issues around her commitment to achieve. I won't turn down the opportunity and how lucky we are but I wonder how well this school can handle her lack of discipline. Fortunately we are literally next door and I can stay involved.
Are the teachers and staff responsive to parent involvement? Dorothy Hamm has been phenomenal in that regard.
HB works best for students who are self-motivated since there is a lot of freedom. It makes sense to try it out for a year or so, and if it’s not the best environment, transferring back to the home high school is no problem. In fact, transferring back to the home school is not uncommon. The HB philosophy is not ideal for all students.
This is not always true for high performing students who have free academic time because they finished all the work quickly. HB lacks the tools for kids to learn on their own unless they have access to facilities/resources/teachers elsewhere. Their science labs are a joke using half baked equipment, some purchased from Amazon. Many classes are blended so they can't possibly teach to everyone. Based upon experience, many teachers have no time (or motivation) to discuss topics with kids who want to learn more and are often turned away. Recently, I think there has even been discussion in Town Meeting to do away with the AP program, thus completing the loop of some people trying to make HB a special needs school in all but name.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:My daughter just got into H-B Woodlawn 8th grade so this thread has been useful as we are relatively new to the area. She's been attending Dorothy Hamm for a year which I can't say enough good things a about.
She tested as gifted but has problems with her grades and some minor discipline issues around her commitment to achieve. I won't turn down the opportunity and how lucky we are but I wonder how well this school can handle her lack of discipline. Fortunately we are literally next door and I can stay involved.
Are the teachers and staff responsive to parent involvement? Dorothy Hamm has been phenomenal in that regard.
HB works best for students who are self-motivated since there is a lot of freedom. It makes sense to try it out for a year or so, and if it’s not the best environment, transferring back to the home high school is no problem. In fact, transferring back to the home school is not uncommon. The HB philosophy is not ideal for all students.
Anonymous wrote:My daughter just got into H-B Woodlawn 8th grade so this thread has been useful as we are relatively new to the area. She's been attending Dorothy Hamm for a year which I can't say enough good things a about.
She tested as gifted but has problems with her grades and some minor discipline issues around her commitment to achieve. I won't turn down the opportunity and how lucky we are but I wonder how well this school can handle her lack of discipline. Fortunately we are literally next door and I can stay involved.
Are the teachers and staff responsive to parent involvement? Dorothy Hamm has been phenomenal in that regard.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We are trying to make the same decision.
Clearly HB has more resources and better facilities. Smaller class sizes. Better test scores.
Our impression is that it also gets, on balance, the more engaged and committed teachers—all of whom are dealing with fewer students and are more supported than at Y or WL.
But what about HB for a kid who isn’t all that “quirky”, doesn’t have an elaborate menu of pronouns, and is just a good student, highly social? It’s difficult to tell what % of the student population is fairly normal v those that are more in the (maybe stereotypical) “freaks and geeks” or ultra-woke mold that HB seems to cater to? (FTR it’s great those kids have a place they can thrive, and no issue with DC being in that kind of environment… just unclear whether *everyone* is like that or there’s more of a mix than is readily apparent.)
So your kid is "normal" and the HB kids are "freaks and geeks" or "ultra-woke"?!
HB is not for you. Please just keep your kid at his home school where he can have his "normal" experience with his bro's. Let "those kids" - your words - at HB live in peace without the toxicity your son would bring.
DP. Actually the history of HB was that it opened exactly to support kids who had those sorts of alternative learning styles for whom a large comprehensive high school wasn't a good fit. The so-called quirky kids. Over the decades it has become a haven for families wanting to get their kids out of the giant middle and and high schools and into an environment perceived as closer to a private school experience. It sounds like PP is trying to figure out exactly that, whether it's maintained its quirky vibe or if it now reflects an experience that a kid who would do just fine at Yorktown or W-L would also enjoy.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We are trying to make the same decision.
Clearly HB has more resources and better facilities. Smaller class sizes. Better test scores.
Our impression is that it also gets, on balance, the more engaged and committed teachers—all of whom are dealing with fewer students and are more supported than at Y or WL.
But what about HB for a kid who isn’t all that “quirky”, doesn’t have an elaborate menu of pronouns, and is just a good student, highly social? It’s difficult to tell what % of the student population is fairly normal v those that are more in the (maybe stereotypical) “freaks and geeks” or ultra-woke mold that HB seems to cater to? (FTR it’s great those kids have a place they can thrive, and no issue with DC being in that kind of environment… just unclear whether *everyone* is like that or there’s more of a mix than is readily apparent.)
So your kid is "normal" and the HB kids are "freaks and geeks" or "ultra-woke"?!
HB is not for you. Please just keep your kid at his home school where he can have his "normal" experience with his bro's. Let "those kids" - your words - at HB live in peace without the toxicity your son would bring.