what grade teachers are problematic and how?

Let's hear it for the cowardly libeling from the Anonymous crew!

Anonymous wrote:The art program is great in the early years. They have a very problematic, creativity-crushing teacher working with older kids. Worst teacher any child of mine ever had in any school. She has destroyed many children's love of art.

Anonymous wrote:The computer teacher is horrible too.

Double SNAP!

The computer teacher is horrible too.

The art program is great in the early years. They have a very problematic, creativity-crushing teacher working with older kids. Worst teacher any child of mine ever had in any school. She has destroyed many children's love of art.

WES has some very good things to recommend it. However, they do lose many many students from the second and third grades. Something is very wrong with the third grade and I hope the new Head of School takes a look at that problem. The turnover is real.
They do have a fantastic art program and the inside of the building is great. Their HS placements are improving.

I just saw this thread. I'm sorry that the posters seem to be primarily people who have either graduated, chosen to leave, or been counseled out of WES. I'm not sure why other current parents never seem to post about WES (or be on DCUM in general), but I'll pipe up.

We have one child at WES, and intend to enroll another. So far, we've found a varied and demanding curriculum, caring teachers, differentiated instruction, and bright and motivated classmates who bring out the best in DC. I truly believe that there is no better art or science program in DC, and most of the other subject areas are very competitive. (The only area which I think needs improvement is the language instruction. The French teacher doesn't seem effective). DC tests as exceptionally gifted (as do most kids in the area apparently), and we would not keep him at WES if he weren't being prepared to meet the challenges of a top high school. But he's making the most of his potential at WES, and more importantly, he just plain loves the school.

We looked at other schools, and the only thing that almost kept us from enrolling were the facilities. But to be honest, they just look crummy from the outside. The interior is wonderful -- tons of well-designed and cheerful space. I've often thought that if the community ever invests in a facelist on the outside, it will see a huge jump in applicants.

Anonymous wrote:PP 2:58 is correct. Take a look at class turnover figures. A few of their classes have almost completely turned over and a few have been relatively stable. If you ask WES, they may not want to provide this information. That might answer your questions.

As a family that left WES, we just didn't feel it was worth the money when compared to a good public or other privates.

PP 2:58 is correct. Take a look at class turnover figures. A few of their classes have almost completely turned over and a few have been relatively stable. If you ask WES, they may not want to provide this information. That might answer your questions.

Anonymous wrote:Really? Their website doesn't indicate that. http://www.w-e-s.org/page.cfm?p=488

They page you cited is correct, though is maintained by the technology coordinator and only mentions the category in which she is involved (multimedia). For a full list of awards won by WES students go here: http://maesaschools.com/maesa_fair_2010.htm.

In doing your due diligence, I would see if you can get glance at the class lists. You will see that the class sizes varies significantly year to year. while small class sizes can be a positive, it also can be a sign of other issues particularly if it varies significantly. Also, if your child enters a larger group - it probably is a better sign that the class is stable and the familes will be around.

Anonymous wrote:Anyone attend the MAESA academic competitions last year? With just a couple of exceptions, WES kids placed in the top three in every category in every division. How many schools belong to MAESA? Thirty or forty?

Anonymous wrote:Really? Their website doesn't indicate that. http://www.w-e-s.org/page.cfm?p=488

Oh snap!

Really? Their website doesn't indicate that. http://www.w-e-s.org/page.cfm?p=488

Anyone attend the MAESA academic competitions last year? With just a couple of exceptions, WES kids placed in the top three in every category in every division. How many schools belong to MAESA? Thirty or forty?

I'll second the PP's comment about the science program at WES -- except that I think it's exceptionally strong from the very first years. Those teachers just grabbed DC's imagination and inspired him in a way that we didn't expect.

After seeing DC's strong interest in the sciences, we wanted to make absolutely sure we were at the right place. We visited other schools and were allowed to watch science class for a bit. I have no idea how representatives those classes were of the science programs at those schools. But the level of work those kids were doing had to be 2 years behind our child's class. We didn't put in an application anywhere, and have continued to be very happy at WES.