Anonymous
03/28/2023 23:07
Subject: Wyngate Elementary?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The principal before Wallen was really great and everyone was sad when he left for central office. He was super involved—knew practically every kid by name and knew which ones had challenges, even though her only been there a couple years. He was really good at the disciplinary stuff too — responded quickly but with a warm and understanding touch. Spent every morning out front greeting kids and families. The replacement was largely invisible to the kids. My kid couldn’t name her and had never met her even after she’d been there a year. She didn’t even go to the annual field day event, which the previous principals had always opened with a big welcome. It just was a really weird vibe—it seemed like she did not want to be there and had little interest in meeting the kids and families. Hopefully she’ll be happier at her new school. I really hope they find someone good for WYngate as it has been a great school with a really friendly involved parent community.
Principals — especially in their couple of years, and especially those in their first assignment — are pulled in all directions with learning how to deal with paperwork and just learning the dynamics of the new role. I agree it’s important to be present, but just because the person wasn’t as present as one wants, doesn’t mean they don’t care per se. Besides, it’s hard to firmly define “present” because the person may not want to be omnipresent, and cultural norms play a role. For example, with a new principal, if MCPS gives them a certain task, they may not know whether or not it can wait. And we’ve all been in new roles where we feel that we have to overprove ourselves to our new colleagues . It just doesn’t sound like she was given much of a chance, especially with the comparison to her predecessor?
First couple of years**
Anonymous
03/28/2023 23:06
Subject: Wyngate Elementary?
Anonymous wrote:The principal before Wallen was really great and everyone was sad when he left for central office. He was super involved—knew practically every kid by name and knew which ones had challenges, even though her only been there a couple years. He was really good at the disciplinary stuff too — responded quickly but with a warm and understanding touch. Spent every morning out front greeting kids and families. The replacement was largely invisible to the kids. My kid couldn’t name her and had never met her even after she’d been there a year. She didn’t even go to the annual field day event, which the previous principals had always opened with a big welcome. It just was a really weird vibe—it seemed like she did not want to be there and had little interest in meeting the kids and families. Hopefully she’ll be happier at her new school. I really hope they find someone good for WYngate as it has been a great school with a really friendly involved parent community.
Principals — especially in their couple of years, and especially those in their first assignment — are pulled in all directions with learning how to deal with paperwork and just learning the dynamics of the new role. I agree it’s important to be present, but just because the person wasn’t as present as one wants, doesn’t mean they don’t care per se. Besides, it’s hard to firmly define “present” because the person may not want to be omnipresent, and cultural norms play a role. For example, with a new principal, if MCPS gives them a certain task, they may not know whether or not it can wait. And we’ve all been in new roles where we feel that we have to overprove ourselves to our new colleagues . It just doesn’t sound like she was given much of a chance, especially with the comparison to her predecessor?
Anonymous
03/28/2023 23:00
Subject: Wyngate Elementary?
The principal before Wallen was really great and everyone was sad when he left for central office. He was super involved—knew practically every kid by name and knew which ones had challenges, even though her only been there a couple years. He was really good at the disciplinary stuff too — responded quickly but with a warm and understanding touch. Spent every morning out front greeting kids and families. The replacement was largely invisible to the kids. My kid couldn’t name her and had never met her even after she’d been there a year. She didn’t even go to the annual field day event, which the previous principals had always opened with a big welcome. It just was a really weird vibe—it seemed like she did not want to be there and had little interest in meeting the kids and families. Hopefully she’ll be happier at her new school. I really hope they find someone good for WYngate as it has been a great school with a really friendly involved parent community.
Anonymous
03/28/2023 22:45
Subject: Wyngate Elementary?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I work for mcps and Goshen is a much better fit for her style of leadership. It was a poor placement to begin with.
How so?
What was her “style of leadership “ that would make her more successful in a less affluent area?
Exactly why I asked how so, exactly why I hate DCUM a lot of times, and exactly why I made the earlier comment regarding how Bethesda parents don’t make leading a school easy. She isn’t the first Black female leader in that area to have faced constant pushback for just doing her job. And before people say “oh it’s not about race”, would another leader of a different background in that area be moved 2 YEARS into their position? There are just people in that area who implicitly won’t respect those that are different from them, and because of the constant measuring/competition, the people of color are seen as lower. She was highly qualified as well.
Anonymous
03/28/2023 22:22
Subject: Wyngate Elementary?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I work for mcps and Goshen is a much better fit for her style of leadership. It was a poor placement to begin with.
How so?
What was her “style of leadership “ that would make her more successful in a less affluent area?
Anonymous
03/28/2023 21:47
Subject: Wyngate Elementary?
Anonymous wrote:I work for mcps and Goshen is a much better fit for her style of leadership. It was a poor placement to begin with.
How so?
Anonymous
03/28/2023 19:13
Subject: Wyngate Elementary?
I work for mcps and Goshen is a much better fit for her style of leadership. It was a poor placement to begin with.
Anonymous
03/28/2023 18:51
Subject: Wyngate Elementary?
She ignored all the disciplinary problems.
Anonymous
03/28/2023 17:24
Subject: Wyngate Elementary?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Bump this thread up. The frictions between the new principal and teachers/PTA are enhancing at Wyngate. While parents have kept on reporting the situation to her boss, his attitude was basically "training her is my job" to shovel the dirt under the carpet again and again. Now teachers may carry a strike or mass leaving next semester, and parents are devastated. Where to go next? Any experience or suggestions from this board?
Every time there is a new Principal there is a mass exodus of established/legacy teachers. This is not new or news. Wyngate is a strong ES in a terrrific cluster with a great community
It's not just a teacher thing. PTA got really intense relationship with this principal too.
Maybe because almost every Bethesda school has parents who think they know better than trained educators. And that bratty behavior gets passed down to the kids. She probably said “I don’t take nonsense” and looked around. Good on her.
Goshen is probably also closer to home.
Anonymous
03/28/2023 17:21
Subject: Wyngate Elementary?
As parents, we don't care too much who is more correct (politically, practically, whatever way you define correctness is). As long as kids are staying with teachers with lots of love and care for the kids and don't need to survive with 5 different subs every week, we as parents are happy.
Anonymous
03/28/2023 17:17
Subject: Wyngate Elementary?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Bump this thread up. The frictions between the new principal and teachers/PTA are enhancing at Wyngate. While parents have kept on reporting the situation to her boss, his attitude was basically "training her is my job" to shovel the dirt under the carpet again and again. Now teachers may carry a strike or mass leaving next semester, and parents are devastated. Where to go next? Any experience or suggestions from this board?
Every time there is a new Principal there is a mass exodus of established/legacy teachers. This is not new or news. Wyngate is a strong ES in a terrrific cluster with a great community
It's not just a teacher thing. PTA got really intense relationship with this principal too.
Maybe because almost every Bethesda school has parents who think they know better than trained educators. And that bratty behavior gets passed down to the kids. She probably said “I don’t take nonsense” and looked around. Good on her.
Anonymous
03/28/2023 17:15
Subject: Wyngate Elementary?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Bump this thread up. The frictions between the new principal and teachers/PTA are enhancing at Wyngate. While parents have kept on reporting the situation to her boss, his attitude was basically "training her is my job" to shovel the dirt under the carpet again and again. Now teachers may carry a strike or mass leaving next semester, and parents are devastated. Where to go next? Any experience or suggestions from this board?
Y’all wanted her out and now you’ve driven her out. Gonna be hard to find good candidates if you don’t even allow your leader a year to settle in without going to her Director, who will obviously take the comments to heart, especially being in a more well resourced area. Finding your stride in administration takes time. Hope you’ll find someone better
She started at Wyngate in July 2021.
So less than 2 years is enough to establish a vision and get things done for kids?
Anonymous
03/28/2023 17:15
Subject: Wyngate Elementary?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Bump this thread up. The frictions between the new principal and teachers/PTA are enhancing at Wyngate. While parents have kept on reporting the situation to her boss, his attitude was basically "training her is my job" to shovel the dirt under the carpet again and again. Now teachers may carry a strike or mass leaving next semester, and parents are devastated. Where to go next? Any experience or suggestions from this board?
Every time there is a new Principal there is a mass exodus of established/legacy teachers. This is not new or news. Wyngate is a strong ES in a terrrific cluster with a great community
It's not just a teacher thing. PTA got really intense relationship with this principal too.
Anonymous
03/28/2023 17:14
Subject: Wyngate Elementary?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Bump this thread up. The frictions between the new principal and teachers/PTA are enhancing at Wyngate. While parents have kept on reporting the situation to her boss, his attitude was basically "training her is my job" to shovel the dirt under the carpet again and again. Now teachers may carry a strike or mass leaving next semester, and parents are devastated. Where to go next? Any experience or suggestions from this board?
The current Wyngate principal was just appointed as the new principal at Goshen. So Wyngate will be getting a new principal.
Thanks! Very much appreciated this timely news.
Anonymous
03/28/2023 17:08
Subject: Wyngate Elementary?
Anonymous wrote:Bump this thread up. The frictions between the new principal and teachers/PTA are enhancing at Wyngate. While parents have kept on reporting the situation to her boss, his attitude was basically "training her is my job" to shovel the dirt under the carpet again and again. Now teachers may carry a strike or mass leaving next semester, and parents are devastated. Where to go next? Any experience or suggestions from this board?
Every time there is a new Principal there is a mass exodus of established/legacy teachers. This is not new or news. Wyngate is a strong ES in a terrrific cluster with a great community