Sarah Bax is amazing!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At Eaton, some kids will go to Hardy and some to Deal. Kids with siblings at Deal will be able to get in and some OOB kids at Eaton, who are IB for Deal, will also take the opportunity to go to a better school. It's terrible that friends will be split up like that. The uniforms are just a symbol of that. The two middle schools are not equal. There are haves and have nots in this scenario.

Oh please. Kids split up after elementary and go to different middle schools all the time. A large number will peel off for privates. Talk about haves and have-nots! The kids will be fine; it's the adults who are freaking out. The kids don't have to go to the same middle school to remain friends.

+1

So true.

Eaton parents, I can understand why you are upset. But complaining about it here isn't going to help much. You should work with your elected leaders to try to change this policy. But if you cannot, you have three choices:

1. Move
2. Send your kid to private
3. Send your kid to Hardy.

if you choose Hardy - and I hope you do - then you should know that your kids will be going to a perfectly good school. Better than Deal in some ways (yes, its true), worse in others. But nothing that can't be overcome by involved parents and - this is important - a good attitude.

If you are insisting that your child is going to be miserable about Hardy, your child will pick that up, and will in fact, be miserable.

If you go in with the attitude that Hardy is good, but not perfect - and where it is not perfect we'll work to make it better - your kid will have a great experience, learn a lot, and then go on to excel in high school and college.

Can you be more specific about how it is better and how it is worse?

Well, I'm sure you've heard plenty of rumors and stories about how it is worse, so I won't dwell on those.

How is it better?

- Smaller is better for some - the chance to get to know fellow students and teachers is important; their is some real value in the Principal knowing and taking an interest in every kid. Not possible at Deal; but it happens at Hardy.
- The SEM program at Hardy, which provides great opportunities outside the normal academic environment for high achieving kids.
- The presence of Sarah Bax, who runs the math program and is an award winner who is one of the best teachers in DCPS.
- The arts and music program - especially if you have an arts- or music-oriented kid that may be interested in going on to Ellington or getting involved in the Wilson arts or music programs.
- The diversity of the school, which teaches kids how to work with and be friends with kids from all over the city, from all racial and ethnic backgrounds, and from all income groups - important lessons, and lessons that are much easier to learn in middle school than in high school, college, or later in life.
- New honors or tracked classes - like Geometry - that are smaller than similar classes at Deal.

I realize that this is just a few kids but my dd and her friends graduated from Hardy and after high school ended up at Sarah Lawrence, University of the Arts, Georgetown, and Oberlin. Of course, I understand people's concern about their children's progress at Wilson, given what you've heard about Hardy, but there are kids who have gone to Hardy and done well later. It may not be the school for your child but don't rule it out based on something you've heard about Hardy kids at Wilson. As always, visit, investigate, talk to other parents and then decide.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This post is really sensible, and I tend to agree with much of it. My biggest concern is that the Hardy kids are not getting the same preparation as the Deal kids and are not placed in the highest level classes at Wilson. As a high school, Wilson may be the best DC has to offer, but it's not ideal, and I've been told you really need to be in the highest classes to have a good experience. Friends at Wilson tell me that the kids from Hardy rarely make it into the highest classes. Can anyone comment on that?

I have heard this also. It becomes like two tracks but maybe the really bright kids from Hardy can still make it into the more advanced classes.

This is exactly right. The Hardy high achievers are placed on the same track as the Deal high achievers when they get to Wilson.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At Eaton, some kids will go to Hardy and some to Deal. Kids with siblings at Deal will be able to get in and some OOB kids at Eaton, who are IB for Deal, will also take the opportunity to go to a better school. It's terrible that friends will be split up like that. The uniforms are just a symbol of that. The two middle schools are not equal. There are haves and have nots in this scenario.

Oh please. Kids split up after elementary and go to different middle schools all the time. A large number will peel off for privates. Talk about haves and have-nots! The kids will be fine; it's the adults who are freaking out. The kids don't have to go to the same middle school to remain friends.

+ 1 not unusual in DC at all.

Anonymous wrote:This post is really sensible, and I tend to agree with much of it. My biggest concern is that the Hardy kids are not getting the same preparation as the Deal kids and are not placed in the highest level classes at Wilson. As a high school, Wilson may be the best DC has to offer, but it's not ideal, and I've been told you really need to be in the highest classes to have a good experience. Friends at Wilson tell me that the kids from Hardy rarely make it into the highest classes. Can anyone comment on that?

I have some first-hand experience and some good news for you here. My child is now a Wilson 9th grader, and I heard these same stories and had the same concerns about DC being placed in the honors classes at Wilson.

In fact, my child was placed in the honors classes, as were academic peers from Hardy. My child is swimming with a bigger peer group now, but still is having no trouble staying afloat - in fact, getting better grades in the honors courses at Wilson than DC did at Hardy.

The transition from Hardy to Wilson for my high achiever was very easy - and I give Hardy a lot of credit for preparing DC academically and socially for that transition.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: It's just unfortunate that some students have been forcibly switched from feeding into an excellent public middle school (Deal) into a transitional one (Hardy). As someone said, not everyone wants to send their kids to a transitional school and not every kid is up to the challenge of attending one. I wish the focus had been to work through the issues at Hardy and make it an attractive option for IB parents before forcing more kids into the feeder pattern.

It is indeed unfortunate there is not infinite room at Deal. If there were all DC kids of MS age could attend it. But as that is not the case, someone had to be redistricted out of Deal. Discomfort with that reality, though understandable, is not a good reason to carp about Hardy or its policies, especially as it seems to be considered by most people to be the second best (noncharter) public middle school in DC. All the folks being redisticted to middle schools that do not currently exist can only hope those turn out to the "next Hardy".

I get that Hardy is a considered better than most middle schools in the city. But compared to Deal, Hardy is a very distant second. Unfortunate but true.

Anonymous wrote:Will kids still go from SP to eaton? And will Eaton families try to lottery in to Hearst for the Deal feeder?

Why not? IB families at Eaton might claim a proximity preference because Hearst is right in their neighborhood also. If families want the life boat to Deal, Heast may be it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will kids still go from SP to eaton? And will Eaton families try to lottery in to Hearst for the Deal feeder?

I have definitely heard people discussing this option. Hearst has OOB space so why not apply and try to get to Deal?

+1000

Our family has been at Eaton for a few years and I have not ever heard anyone say this. People are happy at Eaton and yes, there is parent involvement working with other Hardy IB feeders to smooth the transition.

My guess is that Eaton people are not the ones bashing Hardy here. The truth is that we don't like being pushed around for what seems to be political reasons. Moving Eaton kids from Deal will really have no impact on the overcrowding for many many years, if ever for all the reasons already listed (siblings, oob Eaton kids are IB Deal kids, grandfathering, etc). But we will not take that frustration out on the kids and adults at Hardy.

Agreed, we need to take it up with politicians, if they care to listen. We are trying.

Your leverage is greatest in the next 6 days.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will kids still go from SP to eaton? And will Eaton families try to lottery in to Hearst for the Deal feeder?

I have definitely heard people discussing this option. Hearst has OOB space so why not apply and try to get to Deal?

+1000

Our family has been at Eaton for a few years and I have not ever heard anyone say this. People are happy at Eaton and yes, there is parent involvement working with other Hardy IB feeders to smooth the transition.

My guess is that Eaton people are not the ones bashing Hardy here. The truth is that we don't like being pushed around for what seems to be political reasons. Moving Eaton kids from Deal will really have no impact on the overcrowding for many many years, if ever for all the reasons already listed (siblings, oob Eaton kids are IB Deal kids, grandfathering, etc). But we will not take that frustration out on the kids and adults at Hardy.

Agreed, we need to take it up with politicians, if they care to listen. We are trying.

I think it is the younger parents. The current parents are mostly grandfathered, especially with sibling preference, so it's not an issue. Are any current parents thinking about choosing Hardy in the next few years? Just curious.

The only reason to choose Hardy voluntarily is if the smaller size is important. On all other measures, folks who have the choice will choose Deal. Who wouldn't?

Anonymous wrote:This post is really sensible, and I tend to agree with much of it. My biggest concern is that the Hardy kids are not getting the same preparation as the Deal kids and are not placed in the highest level classes at Wilson. As a high school, Wilson may be the best DC has to offer, but it's not ideal, and I've been told you really need to be in the highest classes to have a good experience. Friends at Wilson tell me that the kids from Hardy rarely make it into the highest classes. Can anyone comment on that?

I have heard this also. It becomes like two tracks but maybe the really bright kids from Hardy can still make it into the more advanced classes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will kids still go from SP to eaton? And will Eaton families try to lottery in to Hearst for the Deal feeder?

I have definitely heard people discussing this option. Hearst has OOB space so why not apply and try to get to Deal?

+1000

Our family has been at Eaton for a few years and I have not ever heard anyone say this. People are happy at Eaton and yes, there is parent involvement working with other Hardy IB feeders to smooth the transition.

My guess is that Eaton people are not the ones bashing Hardy here. The truth is that we don't like being pushed around for what seems to be political reasons. Moving Eaton kids from Deal will really have no impact on the overcrowding for many many years, if ever for all the reasons already listed (siblings, oob Eaton kids are IB Deal kids, grandfathering, etc). But we will not take that frustration out on the kids and adults at Hardy.

Agreed, we need to take it up with politicians, if they care to listen. We are trying.

I think it is the younger parents. The current parents are mostly grandfathered, especially with sibling preference, so it's not an issue. Are any current parents thinking about choosing Hardy in the next few years? Just curious.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At Eaton, some kids will go to Hardy and some to Deal. Kids with siblings at Deal will be able to get in and some OOB kids at Eaton, who are IB for Deal, will also take the opportunity to go to a better school. It's terrible that friends will be split up like that. The uniforms are just a symbol of that. The two middle schools are not equal. There are haves and have nots in this scenario.

yeah, that happens whenever there is redistricting though, right?

And there are haves and havenots throughout DC. and in every suburban county. and between suburban counties. We live in a have and have not country, or haven't you noticed?

It is just incredibly frustrating to move into the boundaries of a good school district and then be cast out a couple years later. I hope people can appreciate that frustration. I know Hardy parents feel that Hardy is the next best thing to Deal. It is, but there is a world of difference between the two and it will take years to get Hardy up to the level of Deal.

^^I think the point was that people not entering Eaton yet may consider it. Just because you haven't heard it doesn't mean the people posting are making it up.

But agree withe everything else you said.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will kids still go from SP to eaton? And will Eaton families try to lottery in to Hearst for the Deal feeder?

I have definitely heard people discussing this option. Hearst has OOB space so why not apply and try to get to Deal?

+1000

Our family has been at Eaton for a few years and I have not ever heard anyone say this. People are happy at Eaton and yes, there is parent involvement working with other Hardy IB feeders to smooth the transition.

My guess is that Eaton people are not the ones bashing Hardy here. The truth is that we don't like being pushed around for what seems to be political reasons. Moving Eaton kids from Deal will really have no impact on the overcrowding for many many years, if ever for all the reasons already listed (siblings, oob Eaton kids are IB Deal kids, grandfathering, etc). But we will not take that frustration out on the kids and adults at Hardy.

Agreed, we need to take it up with politicians, if they care to listen. We are trying.