I think its weird to justify the existence of this school by saying, "people who are not Jewish will go because they are just so desperate, they don't care if their kid will learn a language they will never use." I know that this is true and could very well happen. I also understand why they were approved by the charter board, technically. But to me personally, having a school that seems like it will be for either children of one religion or families who have no other options is just kind of lame. I think most non-Jewish families would choose many many other languages over Hebrew, so this would really be a last resort for them. Don't they want families that are committed to Hebrew immersion itself - and who are those people that are not Jewish? Maybe I'm wrong but it just seems off to me. I guess I would say the same thing for a Danish immersion school.

Anonymous wrote:I think IT'S weird that you think people are justifying the school, by saying "people who are not Jewish will go because they are just so desperate, they don't care if their kid will learn a language they will never use." People are actually making a more sophisticated series of points:

1. the philosophy of charter schools is that they are "niche" schools within the greater DCPS system; point taken here, ok.
2. people are drawn to charters because they tend to have smaller classes, sometimes offer safer campuses, and tend to encourage new teaching styles; agreed
3. there aren't enough Jewish children in the District to constitute a majority of the students at the new school; ok
4. there is utility in learning languages regardless of the language learned as it makes it more likely students will study additional languages in the future; True, but I still think that the value of learning Hebrew is a small fraction of the value of learning many other languages.
5. "They" the founders of the school want to serve rank in file students in the District - and have no illusions that they will locate families committed to Hebrew immersion itself - but would be happy to have parents committed to language learning; OK - I suppose if they know that will be the case at least they will be prepared for parents who are luke-warm at best to a primary objective of the school.
6. Many people besides Jews see the value of language learning, including the Hebrew language; I do not believe that this is true.
7. DCPS, the charter school system, American public education in general appear to have propensity for lameness; haha - not sure what your point is here, but I generally disagree.
8. It is also lame to bitch about a school after it has been approved, while doing nothing to voice such concerns during the application process - which included multiple opportunities for public comments; oh whatever - My stance is not so firm that I would even consider formally objecting to the school. I think anonymous posting is perfectly valid for expressing my thoughts on the matter.
9. The Charter School Board found the Hebrew Charter School to have one of the strongest applications this year; Great - they put together a good application. I'm not surprised.
9. Mary J. Blige and Lauryn Hill are cool; haha - Not a Lauryn Hill fan, but good point about Mary J .
10. Ron Jeremy is Jewish; Michael Phelps, not so much. haha!!

And thanks for the grammar correction.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jews are also "overrepresented" in cults, the porn industry, and competitive chess. None of this matters, of course, since this won't be a Jewish school. It MAY be a school with SOME Jewish students like other elementary schools in DC, with SOME Jewish teachers like other elementary schools in DC, and a MAJORITY of African, African-American, Hispanic, and Vietnamese students like other elementary schools in DC (there really just aren't enough of us in DC proper to "take over"). The only difference is that this school will expose kids to a foreign language, namely, Modern Hebrew. Not as "beautiful" as Italian (subjective), not as "useful" as Mandarin (subjective), but a real language which can serve as a springboard for language learning throughout the kids' lifetimes.

Do Jewish parents place great importance on education? Yes. But that this is also true of all of the Hispanic and African-American parents in my circle of friends. College begets college in any ethic group. Parents who are college-educated want their children to be college-educated. In this country, Jews, like Asian-Americans, and Arab-Americans are more likely to be college-educated. What charter schools try to do is to put kids in a position to go to college and grow up to be parents who take for granted that their kids will go to college, too.

Jewish single mother/doctoral student

I wonder how many Maryland tags will appear at drop off and pick-up.

Anonymous wrote:Not claiming to be comprehensive, but here's what I'm aware of;

Italian: Offered at Duke Ellington High School for the Performing Arts (DCPS, selective admission). Anywhere else?

Hebrew: Anywhere currently offered?

Arabic: Washington Latin (charter) has an after school not for credit Arabic option. Anywhere else?

Anonymous wrote:Jews are also "overrepresented" in cults, the porn industry, and competitive chess. None of this matters, of course, since this won't be a Jewish school. It MAY be a school with SOME Jewish students like other elementary schools in DC, with SOME Jewish teachers like other elementary schools in DC, and a MAJORITY of African, African-American, Hispanic, and Vietnamese students like other elementary schools in DC (there really just aren't enough of us in DC proper to "take over"). The only difference is that this school will expose kids to a foreign language, namely, Modern Hebrew. Not as "beautiful" as Italian (subjective), not as "useful" as Mandarin (subjective), but a real language which can serve as a springboard for language learning throughout the kids' lifetimes.

Do Jewish parents place great importance on education? Yes. But that this is also true of all of the Hispanic and African-American parents in my circle of friends. College begets college in any ethic group. Parents who are college-educated want their children to be college-educated. In this country, Jews, like Asian-Americans, and Arab-Americans are more likely to be college-educated. What charter schools try to do is to put kids in a position to go to college and grow up to be parents who take for granted that their kids will go to college, too.

Jewish single mother/doctoral student

Anonymous wrote:Rather than argue for 11+ pages about a hypothetical (yes, they'll all be Jewish!!) (no, black and Latino kids will go too!!), wouldn't it make more sense to wait a year and see what actually happens? I assume they'll publish enrollment stats like everyone else.

Anonymous wrote:

You haven't actually read what people are saying, have you. If you'd actually read these "hilarious" pages, you'd see that all of your concerns have been addressed.

Actually, I have read all the hilarious pages and no, the concerns I have raised have not been adequately addressed.

You asserting your reasons are good enough...fail. Just because you want it. Just because you marshaled resources to meet your niche need? Not good enough. By a long shot.

DC doesn't need a Hebrew immersion school. It is a waste of resources for the communities in need. It forces students to learn a language they will never use.

Address that, smartass.

You haven't actually read what people are saying, have you. If you'd actually read these "hilarious" pages, you'd see that all of your concerns have been addressed.