Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every freaking MS thread on DCUM devolves into an existential defense of BASIS. The subject line is "DCPS Middle Schools besides Deal or Hardy" which BASIS most certainly is not. The most neurotic lot of parents imaginable.

Nope not neurotic but realist because the DCPS middle school options EOTP are terrible in regards to rigor and peer group. Realist because DCPS refuses to do full tracking like our neighbors in VA and MD. Realist because the academic standards in DCPS are so low and continues to be lowered all in the name of equity.

again -- then this thread really doesn't seem to pertain to you. you cite no experience with any DCPS middle school other than ones you've rejected and one can only assume where you've never enrolled a child.

I'm not that PP but another. My neighborhood has an extremely low-performing IB educational campus. My 5th grader was assaulted by an 8th grader there for his bike. So yeah, we didn't try it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every freaking MS thread on DCUM devolves into an existential defense of BASIS. The subject line is "DCPS Middle Schools besides Deal or Hardy" which BASIS most certainly is not. The most neurotic lot of parents imaginable.

Nope not neurotic but realist because the DCPS middle school options EOTP are terrible in regards to rigor and peer group. Realist because DCPS refuses to do full tracking like our neighbors in VA and MD. Realist because the academic standards in DCPS are so low and continues to be lowered all in the name of equity.

again -- then this thread really doesn't seem to pertain to you. you cite no experience with any DCPS middle school other than ones you've rejected and one can only assume where you've never enrolled a child.

Anonymous wrote:Every freaking MS thread on DCUM devolves into an existential defense of BASIS. The subject line is "DCPS Middle Schools besides Deal or Hardy" which BASIS most certainly is not. The most neurotic lot of parents imaginable.

Nope not neurotic but realist because the DCPS middle school options EOTP are terrible in regards to rigor and peer group. Realist because DCPS refuses to do full tracking like our neighbors in VA and MD. Realist because the academic standards in DCPS are so low and continues to be lowered all in the name of equity.

Anonymous wrote:Every freaking MS thread on DCUM devolves into an existential defense of BASIS. The subject line is "DCPS Middle Schools besides Deal or Hardy" which BASIS most certainly is not. The most neurotic lot of parents imaginable.

Because disgruntled IB SH people always bash it when lamenting their lack of options.

I attended Bronx Science in the 80s (before Stuyvesant had its new building and when Bronx Science’s facilitates were superior).

I recall an hour-long commute on the 4 train that involved a long walk past a subway junkyard in the Bronx, a concrete field where kids played handball, an auditorium where we gathered for exceedingly boring assemblies a couple of times or so a year. There was PE, which I hated, as did my friends. The neighborhood commerce opportunities consisted of a truck that sold hotdogs, chips and the like. If there was a library I can’t recall. I think there was a nearby field. I understood it as the place where kids who played hookie sometimes went to get high.

Mostly I remember some great teachers and lots of smart, motivated kids.

In contrast to this recollection, Basis’ downtown location near the mall is quite stunning and vibrant to me. And the building itself seems totally fine and rather inconsequential.

What matters is the peer group and what happens in the classroom.

Every freaking MS thread on DCUM devolves into an existential defense of BASIS. The subject line is "DCPS Middle Schools besides Deal or Hardy" which BASIS most certainly is not. The most neurotic lot of parents imaginable.

No recollection of any importance of the gym or library or spending any significant time in the library when I was in middle school. It must not have been that important. We did not have a computer lab.

But I do remember great teachers, challenging classes that prepared me for high school. I did well in high school and went on to get a full 4 year academic scholarship in college.

If facilities is so important to you, by all means choose your IB. It’s not to us when it comes down to either a challenging curriculum to prepare our child for college or a crappy school that can’t even get 1/5th of the students at grade level.

No contest there. We will definitely consider Basis when the time comes.

Anonymous wrote:That's a 5th grade parent speaking, BASIS, the great place. Which nerdy kid is in heaven without a school library? Without a school computer lab. Without a school gym or stage.

You wind up running your kid to superior extra-curriculars than BASIS offers eventually, which can be a real drag. BASIS is better than moving to the burbs or wiping out our college savings for privates for most of us, and it can certainly launch a productive college career at a top school. But please spare us the cheery superlatives from 5th grade.

I think it is the parents more than the kids that miss these things! If you remember back to being a kid, you never notice/appreciate any of this stuff. How many times did our parents tell us to look at/enjoy the beauty of nature, etc? Do I remember any of those gorgeous national parks they dragged me too year after year? Nope! Similarly, my main middle school memory of the ample fields, gym, etc. is one of being cold changing in the locker rooms and hating having to go out into the cold for PE.

Many BASIS students have been in charters since PK. They never had schools with libraries, performance space or fields. They’ve gone to school in church basements and warehouses and other weird spaces. Mine went there from LAMB, they were in one subpar, makeshift facility after another and lived it. BASIS doesn’t faze them and they are happy (late MS and HS).

You don’t miss what you never had. And if you want those things, you should certainly choose your IB DCPS.

That's a 5th grade parent speaking, BASIS, the great place. Which nerdy kid is in heaven without a school library? Without a school computer lab. Without a school gym or stage.

You wind up running your kid to superior extra-curriculars than BASIS offers eventually, which can be a real drag. BASIS is better than moving to the burbs or wiping out our college savings for privates for most of us, and it can certainly launch a productive college career at a top school. But please spare us the cheery superlatives from 5th grade.

I hope the next Basis head of school will continue with the school culture that's in place now. It has been a warm and supportive place from our perspective, and our kid loves it -- no complaints about pressure or stress, homework doesn't take too long. There are lots of tests and quizzes but our kid doesn't find that oppressive, sees it more like guideposts that keep the expectations for the classes very clear and ensures students know if they're falling behind so they can get help. It definitely wouldn't be a good place for a kid with text anxiety, but for many it's a great place.

Anonymous wrote:I also don't have a child at Basis, but will be considering it for at least one of our kids. DCUM is all about sharing our particular experience. I've never read the posts that describe a child thriving or a child stunting as being indicative of what's necessarily going to happen to MY child, but it's super helpful to hear about all the different experiences. This forum wouldn't be nearly as valuable if only the positives were reported, but those who had a bad experience never mentioned the reasons why THEIR child failed to thrive.

It is so variable and you don't know until you get there. I have one kid who thrived at BDC through HS, went on to a great college with a significant scholarship and has been surprised by how prepared he is compared to many classmates. The other kid was fine through 7th and went into a tailspin in 8th -- not all because of BASIS, but it didn't help. He went elsewhere for HS and is doing well. Even that one has really good time management and study skills, and is ahead of the curve in science and math, which I do credit to BASIS.

I also don't have a child at Basis, but will be considering it for at least one of our kids. DCUM is all about sharing our particular experience. I've never read the posts that describe a child thriving or a child stunting as being indicative of what's necessarily going to happen to MY child, but it's super helpful to hear about all the different experiences. This forum wouldn't be nearly as valuable if only the positives were reported, but those who had a bad experience never mentioned the reasons why THEIR child failed to thrive.

Right, but that's high school. When the pressure cooker is for 11 and 12 year olds, particularly those willing and able to do the required school work, perhaps some moderation, along with some government oversight, wouldn't go amiss.

As far as I'm concerned, the head who left several weeks ago was much better on the issue than previous heads - she worked to make the environment more humane for the younger students. I see her departure as a loss on that score, and I'm hardly alone.