Anonymous wrote:Ignore the guilt trip from the goofy optimist posting above. We live across the Street from SH, have for 20 years. Not as many kids brawling on the playground as a few years ago, but the cops still turn up to drag away kids and drug dealing parents now and then. Kid yourself if it works for you but the great majority of IB parents don’t take the bait, same story as 20 years ago...
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Ignore the guilt trip from the goofy optimist posting above. We live across the Street from SH, have for 20 years. Not as many kids brawling on the playground as a few years ago, but the cops still turn up to drag away kids and drug dealing parents now and then. Kid yourself if it works for you but the great majority of IB parents don’t take the bait, same story as 20 years ago...
Wow! You have to tell us more about these drug dealers?!?
Also about your close and personal friendships with kids 11-15.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Ignore the guilt trip from the goofy optimist posting above. We live across the Street from SH, have for 20 years. Not as many kids brawling on the playground as a few years ago, but the cops still turn up to drag away kids and drug dealing parents now and then. Kid yourself if it works for you but the great majority of IB parents don’t take the bait, same story as 20 years ago...
Wow! You have to tell us more about these drug dealers?!?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Unless you send your own kids there I couldn’t give less of a shit about your PhD in STEM.
My kids are very excited to go to SH in a few years. They have a phenomenal arts program and good academics. This attempt to criticize over the lack of tracking in social studies and science is ridiculous.
Science is about being inquisitive and trying to figure out how things work. I don't see a reason everyone can't be included in those explorations.
Social studies is about trying to understand different people in different cultures and different times (including our own). Tracking seems somewhat counterproductive to having inclusive and diverse discussions.
Those classes aren't tracked at most middle schools. So, it does beg the question of why it matters in this particular situation. When you talk about extending tracking to every discipline, it starts to split the school into two tiers. That is not the kind of education I want for my child.
What I'm trying to say is that SH is an outstanding school academically, full of a diversity of cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds. To some, that diversity can be intimidating both at a conscious and subconscious level. You owe it to your child to be honest with yourself about what is causing your discomfort with the school. Otherwise, they might miss out on a unique opportunity.
Anonymous wrote:Ignore the guilt trip from the goofy optimist posting above. We live across the Street from SH, have for 20 years. Not as many kids brawling on the playground as a few years ago, but the cops still turn up to drag away kids and drug dealing parents now and then. Kid yourself if it works for you but the great majority of IB parents don’t take the bait, same story as 20 years ago...
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Unless you send your own kids there I couldn’t give less of a shit about your PhD in STEM.
My kids are very excited to go to SH in a few years. They have a phenomenal arts program and good academics. This attempt to criticize over the lack of tracking in social studies and science is ridiculous.
Science is about being inquisitive and trying to figure out how things work. I don't see a reason everyone can't be included in those explorations.
Social studies is about trying to understand different people in different cultures and different times (including our own). Tracking seems somewhat counterproductive to having inclusive and diverse discussions.
Those classes aren't tracked at most middle schools. So, it does beg the question of why it matters in this particular situation. When you talk about extending tracking to every discipline, it starts to split the school into two tiers. That is not the kind of education I want for my child.
What I'm trying to say is that SH is an outstanding school academically, full of a diversity of cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds. To some, that diversity can be intimidating both at a conscious and subconscious level. You owe it to your child to be honest with yourself about what is causing your discomfort with the school. Otherwise, they might miss out on a unique opportunity.
+100
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Unless you send your own kids there I couldn’t give less of a shit about your PhD in STEM.
My kids are very excited to go to SH in a few years. They have a phenomenal arts program and good academics. This attempt to criticize over the lack of tracking in social studies and science is ridiculous.
Science is about being inquisitive and trying to figure out how things work. I don't see a reason everyone can't be included in those explorations.
Social studies is about trying to understand different people in different cultures and different times (including our own). Tracking seems somewhat counterproductive to having inclusive and diverse discussions.
Those classes aren't tracked at most middle schools. So, it does beg the question of why it matters in this particular situation. When you talk about extending tracking to every discipline, it starts to split the school into two tiers. That is not the kind of education I want for my child.
What I'm trying to say is that SH is an outstanding school academically, full of a diversity of cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds. To some, that diversity can be intimidating both at a conscious and subconscious level. You owe it to your child to be honest with yourself about what is causing your discomfort with the school. Otherwise, they might miss out on a unique opportunity.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Unless you send your own kids there I couldn’t give less of a shit about your PhD in STEM.
My kids are very excited to go to SH in a few years. They have a phenomenal arts program and good academics. This attempt to criticize over the lack of tracking in social studies and science is ridiculous.
Science is about being inquisitive and trying to figure out how things work. I don't see a reason everyone can't be included in those explorations.
Social studies is about trying to understand different people in different cultures and different times (including our own). Tracking seems somewhat counterproductive to having inclusive and diverse discussions.
Those classes aren't tracked at most middle schools. So, it does beg the question of why it matters in this particular situation. When you talk about extending tracking to every discipline, it starts to split the school into two tiers. That is not the kind of education I want for my child.
What I'm trying to say is that SH is an outstanding school academically, full of a diversity of cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds. To some, that diversity can be intimidating both at a conscious and subconscious level. You owe it to your child to be honest with yourself about what is causing your discomfort with the school. Otherwise, they might miss out on a unique opportunity.
Anonymous wrote:Unless you send your own kids there I couldn’t give less of a shit about your PhD in STEM.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We left after 6th. Curriculum and teachers were not the problem, non-tracked science and social studies were, in a big way. Most kids working below grade level in those classes, including a number of students working several years behind grade level. Much better situation for math, ELA and Spanish. Discipline and classroom management so-so. No regrets about leaving. Search for other recent SH threads - quite a few in the last two years.
I'm curious how you knew, as a parent, that other students in class were working several years below grade level. Did you go observe? Take other parents' word for it? Did the teacher tell you?
What does below grade level even mean for middle school science? From what I recall, it was just fun experiments.
Realistically, it looks like kids who read 2-3 years behind grade level. It makes it very difficult to reach actual on grade level science, especially by 8th grade.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We left after 6th. Curriculum and teachers were not the problem, non-tracked science and social studies were, in a big way. Most kids working below grade level in those classes, including a number of students working several years behind grade level. Much better situation for math, ELA and Spanish. Discipline and classroom management so-so. No regrets about leaving. Search for other recent SH threads - quite a few in the last two years.
I'm curious how you knew, as a parent, that other students in class were working several years below grade level. Did you go observe? Take other parents' word for it? Did the teacher tell you?
What does below grade level even mean for middle school science? From what I recall, it was just fun experiments.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We left after 6th. Curriculum and teachers were not the problem, non-tracked science and social studies were, in a big way. Most kids working below grade level in those classes, including a number of students working several years behind grade level. Much better situation for math, ELA and Spanish. Discipline and classroom management so-so. No regrets about leaving. Search for other recent SH threads - quite a few in the last two years.
I'm curious how you knew, as a parent, that other students in class were working several years below grade level. Did you go observe? Take other parents' word for it? Did the teacher tell you?
What does below grade level even mean for middle school science? From what I recall, it was just fun experiments.
Sounds like you were below grade level.
Either that or these parents are trying to create artificial divisions so that Larla doesn't have to be in a class with kids that don't look like her. My PhD in STEM makes me believe it's the latter.