OP, is Walker Jones your IB school? There is another disappointed parent looking for a K slot who is very down on WJ. But it looks like WJ is getting not only some second round love but also some props from current parents. Going to WJ for a year or two is not the end of the world.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, I can't move. My housing costs are $1200 a month for a family of 4. Tell me where in the city I could get somewhere to live for that price and a good school? I have lived here since long before I had children so it was not a consideration when I saw single.

People who throw around "can't you move" have no understanding of the reality of normal people who don't have incomes into six figures.

If you have lived there for so long then WHY did you have multiple kids when you didn't have a viable school option the entire time?
Most of us made the housing decisions years ago based on the knowledge that we would have kids someday. We scrimped and saved and bought in areas we didn't want to live in based on our future school needs. AND we only had one child. we didn't have a second because we couldn't afford to.
I kind of feel like you made your bed and now you want to complain about it.

One clear Law of the Internet, is as inviolable as the Laws of Physics. People with happy lives do not anonymously berate others for their life choices. They're too busy being happy. To need to find an individual who is already down, and metaphorically kick them in the head with one's supposed superiority, all within the pseudo-anonymity of the Internet, is to be by example someone living an unhappy life.

Shorter version: she's a miserable bitch, and she's just trying to drag you down into the pit with her.

Anonymous wrote:No, I can't move. My housing costs are $1200 a month for a family of 4. Tell me where in the city I could get somewhere to live for that price and a good school? I have lived here since long before I had children so it was not a consideration when I saw single.

People who throw around "can't you move" have no understanding of the reality of normal people who don't have incomes into six figures.

Plus everyone in the city deserves a good education, even if they live in Anacostia.

Maybe go to your local school and work to make it better?

Your mortgage is so cheap -if you bought so long ago that schools weren't on your radar you could probably sell and make an enormous profit. Sell your house and move into a rental in a better district.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, here's the thing. There are a lot of kids in the city. "All your child's peers" have not gone off to unicorn school, unless your IB school is standing empty. Those kids are your kid's peers too, unless what you are actually trying to say is that your child is better than the the kids who DO attend your IB school.

I don't really care for my IB school either. It's got okay scores, but it's 1% white and I think that having your child be the only white child in a class is just as bad as having your child be the only black kid in the class. But if I didn't have any other options, I would send her there and make it work. Your kid will make friends in school, most likely. You don't have to stop being friends with the charter-goers.

The more you post, the less sympathetic I become. Figure out a way to make it work and stop being such a snob.

Isn't that the core point of all these threads? Whenever someone says the IB school just isn't an option, well -- obviously, it's an option for someone. Otherwise it would be totally empty and everybody would be homeschooled.

The post that you are responding to is one where I said that my child would be going to the IB school, so you're being disingenuous. And yes, my child's peers have gone to different schools. Our IB school is in a slightly different neighborhood (though geographically close) with a completely different socio economic background than my neighborhood. It is in fact 100 percent black, though my kid is often the only white kid (current school, summer camps etc) and that's not a concern of mine. But the lower SES unfortunately correlates with extremely low parental engagement. Some of my kid's peers (from our neighborhood) went there for ps and pk but they all moved before k.

OP, my point was that "your child's peers" will also be defined by who she goes to school with. So if she attends your IB school, those kids will be her peers. The other kids you're talking about will also be her peers and her friends. I was just saying "all my child's peers" implies that none of the other children who go to that school are her peers at all. I understand your concerns, but honestly, speaking as a person who was lower SES (free lunch and everything), it is not always true that there is low parental engagement in low SES. I'm not saying it's NEVER true. It's just not always true.

Have your pity party, hope for the list to move and then buckle down and make it work.

I didn't read the entire thread, but I have a suggestion. I hear some people can get accepted in DCPSs mid-year despite the lottery. I doubt that's possible for the top DCPSs in the city, but I would give a call to some a few weeks into the school year. And of course, there's always hope with Round 2. Good luck.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This was me a few years ago. Not the resentment part but the being shut out time and time again part. I also had a townhouse that was bought long long ago and moving wasn't impossible but would of been very difficult to do. So you know what I did? My kid went to a crappy school for K and 1. Its really not the end of the world. There are good teachers everywhere...even in schools that are failing. I dedicated myself to being an active parent, to volunteer, to get to know my teacher, to not write off the school or act above it, and I was honestly a little sad to leave when we did get into a charter. Yes some DCPS are very "bad" but having spent a lot of time in a "bad" school there is good to be found in any situation. Kindergarden isn't rocket science.

Signed by a Mom who's oldest child learned to read and write in a failing DCPS school.

THANKS! Fortunately my kid already knows how to read and write pretty well so the pressure is off on that front!

Oh, so is this why you think your child will not have any "peers" at the IB school? Get over yourself. I was with you at the beginning, although I thought it was childish and simplistic to cry "No fair!" just because you are unhappy with the lottery results. The more posts you have written, though, the less sympathetic you have become. You are not entitled to a "better" school option than your neighbors just because your friends have better options. In fact, some might argue that it's unfair for a kid who is SO advanced to be eligible for a charter K spot anyway. Shouldn't the spot be saved for a child who hasn't already mastered the K curriculum? I'm not saying I agree with that, but it's no more ridiculous than your stating that someone who is IB for a "better" school should not have the opportunity to lottery in for immersion, Montessori, etc. And really, how many of the K spots in your desired schools do you really think have been taken by kids who chose it over a JKLMM school? Would that have really made the difference in your child getting in or not?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, here's the thing. There are a lot of kids in the city. "All your child's peers" have not gone off to unicorn school, unless your IB school is standing empty. Those kids are your kid's peers too, unless what you are actually trying to say is that your child is better than the the kids who DO attend your IB school.

I don't really care for my IB school either. It's got okay scores, but it's 1% white and I think that having your child be the only white child in a class is just as bad as having your child be the only black kid in the class. But if I didn't have any other options, I would send her there and make it work. Your kid will make friends in school, most likely. You don't have to stop being friends with the charter-goers.

The more you post, the less sympathetic I become. Figure out a way to make it work and stop being such a snob.

Agree. OP has options, but doesn't want to be inconvenienced. I'll reserve my sympathy for people with no options who are really stuck. Not people who whine "But I don't WANT a longer commute! I don't WANT to leave the city! I like it here." Boo-friggin-hoo.

So helpful. I'm sure OP hadn't thought about moving or getting a new job when she posted here. (Pretty sure she said nothing about commute or not wanting to leave the city, so you must be projecting there.)

Op sounds very entitled to me. And nobody said anything about getting a new job.

Yes they did. Said you could change careers in your 30s and get a new job earning more money. I'm sure that hadn't crossed her mind before and that it's actually super easy to just completely switch careers once you're established to another much higher paying field. I mean, everyone's doing it, right?

Well I never said anything about getting a new job. You were responding to me, right? Op owns (OWNS!) a home and she's whining? Please...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, here's the thing. There are a lot of kids in the city. "All your child's peers" have not gone off to unicorn school, unless your IB school is standing empty. Those kids are your kid's peers too, unless what you are actually trying to say is that your child is better than the the kids who DO attend your IB school.

I don't really care for my IB school either. It's got okay scores, but it's 1% white and I think that having your child be the only white child in a class is just as bad as having your child be the only black kid in the class. But if I didn't have any other options, I would send her there and make it work. Your kid will make friends in school, most likely. You don't have to stop being friends with the charter-goers.

The more you post, the less sympathetic I become. Figure out a way to make it work and stop being such a snob.

Agree. OP has options, but doesn't want to be inconvenienced. I'll reserve my sympathy for people with no options who are really stuck. Not people who whine "But I don't WANT a longer commute! I don't WANT to leave the city! I like it here." Boo-friggin-hoo.

So helpful. I'm sure OP hadn't thought about moving or getting a new job when she posted here. (Pretty sure she said nothing about commute or not wanting to leave the city, so you must be projecting there.)

Op sounds very entitled to me. And nobody said anything about getting a new job.

Yes they did. Said you could change careers in your 30s and get a new job earning more money. I'm sure that hadn't crossed her mind before and that it's actually super easy to just completely switch careers once you're established to another much higher paying field. I mean, everyone's doing it, right?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, here's the thing. There are a lot of kids in the city. "All your child's peers" have not gone off to unicorn school, unless your IB school is standing empty. Those kids are your kid's peers too, unless what you are actually trying to say is that your child is better than the the kids who DO attend your IB school.

I don't really care for my IB school either. It's got okay scores, but it's 1% white and I think that having your child be the only white child in a class is just as bad as having your child be the only black kid in the class. But if I didn't have any other options, I would send her there and make it work. Your kid will make friends in school, most likely. You don't have to stop being friends with the charter-goers.

The more you post, the less sympathetic I become. Figure out a way to make it work and stop being such a snob.

Isn't that the core point of all these threads? Whenever someone says the IB school just isn't an option, well -- obviously, it's an option for someone. Otherwise it would be totally empty and everybody would be homeschooled.

The post that you are responding to is one where I said that my child would be going to the IB school, so you're being disingenuous. And yes, my child's peers have gone to different schools. Our IB school is in a slightly different neighborhood (though geographically close) with a completely different socio economic background than my neighborhood. It is in fact 100 percent black, though my kid is often the only white kid (current school, summer camps etc) and that's not a concern of mine. But the lower SES unfortunately correlates with extremely low parental engagement. Some of my kid's peers (from our neighborhood) went there for ps and pk but they all moved before k.

Anonymous wrote:Did you look at SELA last year? This year?

Not OP but we got into Sela for next year. In all honesty, I am really concerned about its future. Are you a current parent? If so, are you returning? What are your thoughts about the Ex. Director leaving at the end of the year? Has there been a transition plan for families? I really really want Sela to succeed, the idea of another successful immersion charter school in DC is really attractive. I have visited the school but haven't been back since I heard Dr. Lody is leaving, I'm really curious about how current families are feeling about the future.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, here's the thing. There are a lot of kids in the city. "All your child's peers" have not gone off to unicorn school, unless your IB school is standing empty. Those kids are your kid's peers too, unless what you are actually trying to say is that your child is better than the the kids who DO attend your IB school.

I don't really care for my IB school either. It's got okay scores, but it's 1% white and I think that having your child be the only white child in a class is just as bad as having your child be the only black kid in the class. But if I didn't have any other options, I would send her there and make it work. Your kid will make friends in school, most likely. You don't have to stop being friends with the charter-goers.

The more you post, the less sympathetic I become. Figure out a way to make it work and stop being such a snob.

Agree. OP has options, but doesn't want to be inconvenienced. I'll reserve my sympathy for people with no options who are really stuck. Not people who whine "But I don't WANT a longer commute! I don't WANT to leave the city! I like it here." Boo-friggin-hoo.

So helpful. I'm sure OP hadn't thought about moving or getting a new job when she posted here. (Pretty sure she said nothing about commute or not wanting to leave the city, so you must be projecting there.)

Op sounds very entitled to me. And nobody said anything about getting a new job.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, here's the thing. There are a lot of kids in the city. "All your child's peers" have not gone off to unicorn school, unless your IB school is standing empty. Those kids are your kid's peers too, unless what you are actually trying to say is that your child is better than the the kids who DO attend your IB school.

I don't really care for my IB school either. It's got okay scores, but it's 1% white and I think that having your child be the only white child in a class is just as bad as having your child be the only black kid in the class. But if I didn't have any other options, I would send her there and make it work. Your kid will make friends in school, most likely. You don't have to stop being friends with the charter-goers.

The more you post, the less sympathetic I become. Figure out a way to make it work and stop being such a snob.

Agree. OP has options, but doesn't want to be inconvenienced. I'll reserve my sympathy for people with no options who are really stuck. Not people who whine "But I don't WANT a longer commute! I don't WANT to leave the city! I like it here." Boo-friggin-hoo.

So helpful. I'm sure OP hadn't thought about moving or getting a new job when she posted here. (Pretty sure she said nothing about commute or not wanting to leave the city, so you must be projecting there.)

Anonymous wrote:OP, here's the thing. There are a lot of kids in the city. "All your child's peers" have not gone off to unicorn school, unless your IB school is standing empty. Those kids are your kid's peers too, unless what you are actually trying to say is that your child is better than the the kids who DO attend your IB school.

I don't really care for my IB school either. It's got okay scores, but it's 1% white and I think that having your child be the only white child in a class is just as bad as having your child be the only black kid in the class. But if I didn't have any other options, I would send her there and make it work. Your kid will make friends in school, most likely. You don't have to stop being friends with the charter-goers.

The more you post, the less sympathetic I become. Figure out a way to make it work and stop being such a snob.

Isn't that the core point of all these threads? Whenever someone says the IB school just isn't an option, well -- obviously, it's an option for someone. Otherwise it would be totally empty and everybody would be homeschooled.

The OP has the option to move. That is always an option, renting out her current home and renting somewhere else. I know people who have done it.