Anonymous wrote:I have a kindergartener and an older kid in Mcps and have been thrilled with 4 out of 5 teachers. The other one wasnt terrible, just not stellar. The difference between the okay teachers and the great ones are that the great ones are able to keep tabs on which kids need what and tailor accordingly. I am astounded at how well the kindergarten teachers we have do this. Do I wish there was less testing? Yes, but so do the teachers and principals. Are the report cards dumb? Yes, but the teachers are great about communicating actual strengths/challenges. I'm sure that you can get more from certain privates but until people stop complaIning about their taxes, it's really unfair to expect MCPS to give the same customized experience as a school that costs 20k to 40k a year and is not required to educate the more challenged children.

+1

My one DC is in HGC and has had a few great teachers. My other DC had a pretty good K experience - jumped a whole grade in reading while in K. And good teachers will know how to differentiate and provide acceleration in class. From K-2, kids are grouped by reading and math ability.

But, it is true, generally, public schools have larger class sizes so your DC won't get a lot of individualized attention. But, you know what, plenty of kids do great without a lot of individualized attention.

There's some creativity going on in K, but there is of course some standard learning, as well.

Every parent has different opinions on what they value in K-2 learning, and MCPS is certainly not going to cater to everyone's needs or wants. That doesn't mean that MCPS bad. It's just not everyone's cup of tea. For me, I don't want my K to just be doing creative stuff all day. Yes, I do want my DC to have some rules and learn the "this is how you do it" way.

I think the PP nailed it. Too many parents compare MCPS to a private school education. Night and day. You can't expect MCPS to operate at the same quality level as a private school. Its just not possible. Exploding class sizes, changing demographics, losing students in high income areas while gaining students in low income areas, aging facilities with no money to improve them, and a union are all huge issues that don't exist at private schools. Some of these problems are made worse by MCPS decisions but overall private schools do not have to even address these issues.

There was a short window in MCPS when you could argue that some schools were close to the level of some good private schools. I think too many parents are operating under bad information thinking that MCPS is still run in this manner. Its not. Over the past few years either by design or by accident, the schools are leveling out. They all have the same curriculum which was always true but the better schools no longer have access to achievement oriented materials or acceleration. The HGC and Magnet programs haven't grown to meet demand. The class sizes grew out of control.

I have a kindergartener and an older kid in Mcps and have been thrilled with 4 out of 5 teachers. The other one wasnt terrible, just not stellar. The difference between the okay teachers and the great ones are that the great ones are able to keep tabs on which kids need what and tailor accordingly. I am astounded at how well the kindergarten teachers we have do this. Do I wish there was less testing? Yes, but so do the teachers and principals. Are the report cards dumb? Yes, but the teachers are great about communicating actual strengths/challenges. I'm sure that you can get more from certain privates but until people stop complaIning about their taxes, it's really unfair to expect MCPS to give the same customized experience as a school that costs 20k to 40k a year and is not required to educate the more challenged children.

Anonymous wrote:OP- many people in MCPS can't swing the cost of private. There is a lot of bitterness and denial. People want to believe that they scored a great deal on free education or don't want to believe that they wasted money moving to the burbs for a mediocre school system. There are also a lot of people who just don't care and this is fine too. MCPS isn't horrible but it doesn't provide a great learning environment. The goals and incentives are just very different for MCPS employees than they are at a private school. You are not going to change MCPS. You won't be able to influence anything and you are basically at their whims because in the end they aren't accountable to the students or the parents.

And then there are the people who do care and who are satisfied with the education their child is getting in MCPS.

OP, if you don't like your child's kindergarten class, then certainly consider private school, if that's an option for you. You might be happier at the Washington Waldorf school in Bethesda, for example. Just don't conclude that you know all about all of MCPS, based on your one child's four months in one kindergarten class in one elementary school. Also don't conclude, like the PP, that people who say that they are satisfied with MCPS must be either jealous liars or useless slackers.

Anonymous wrote:Top of class
Middle of class
Bottom of class

MCPS sucks

well that was a well thought out and informative argument.

Four months isn't too short to make an assessment of her child's experience. It would be foolish to just keep waiting around for some miraculous change that isn't going to happen. If private is an option for the OP then she should look into it for next year. Now is the time when private schools start doing open houses and admissions season will start soon for next year.

OP- many people in MCPS can't swing the cost of private. There is a lot of bitterness and denial. People want to believe that they scored a great deal on free education or don't want to believe that they wasted money moving to the burbs for a mediocre school system. There are also a lot of people who just don't care and this is fine too. MCPS isn't horrible but it doesn't provide a great learning environment. The goals and incentives are just very different for MCPS employees than they are at a private school. You are not going to change MCPS. You won't be able to influence anything and you are basically at their whims because in the end they aren't accountable to the students or the parents.

You can search through all the threads but you'll see a trend in problems with the curriculum, very large class sizes with a wide range of abilities, no acceleration, overwhelmed teachers who don't have time to grade or provide meaningful feedback, lots of seat work and worksheets, limited access to the school, no textbooks and very little substantive material on what your child is doing, no real grading until middle school, bad math program, inconsistent reading program, and a crap shoot on whether you get a good, mediocre or terrible teacher. If you believe, like some do, that your child can learn independently despite all this, then MCPS is a better deal. If you believe, like many others do, that your child needs a more professional learning environment focused on actual learning then go private.

Anonymous wrote:Am a parent of a kindergartener who is doing very well and is at the top the class but feel like there's something missing in the school day. I felt like there was a lot of joy and wonder in DC's day in preschool but that MCPS is all about discipline, rules and doing things the "right" way.
Does anyone else feel the same way?
Are there any private schools in the area with a more creative approach to early elementary and that are affordable?

Where in MoCo are you?

Top of class
Middle of class
Bottom of class

MCPS sucks

Anonymous wrote:I think that the angst on this thread is because OP's child has been in kindergarten for all of 4 months.

That too

I think that the angst on this thread is because OP's child has been in kindergarten for all of 4 months.

My feeling is that the angst on this thread is because OP announced that her child is at the top of his class. She could have asked her question without throwing that little tidbit in there. Sure she should be concerned about her child's education. Although in this case I don't think she has much to be concerned about. If she continues to feel this way all year perhaps private would be more appropriate. I would give it more time though.

People are very nerdy in this area.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Am a parent of a kindergartener who is doing very well and is at the top the class but feel like there's something missing in the school day. I felt like there was a lot of joy and wonder in DC's day in preschool but that MCPS is all about discipline, rules and doing things the "right" way.
Does anyone else feel the same way?
Are there any private schools in the area with a more creative approach to early elementary and that are affordable?

Go on the private school page and they will direct you to all options. County schools teach for standardized testing only. B O R I N G!!!!!

That may be true for your child's school. It is not true for my children's schools.

We have break, recess, and center time where they choose activities like "housekeeping" and blocks.

My son loves school.

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, you really shouldn't give a shit about your kid's education. The sooner you accept this and join the PP, the happier you will be. Remember ignorance is bliss - new MCPS motto.

Her kid has been in school six whole months and is doing well. I hope she never has a real problem.

Yeah, you really shouldn't give a shit about your kid's education. The sooner you accept this and join the PP, the happier you will be. Remember ignorance is bliss - new MCPS motto.