Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone: please write back when your kids are about 9 or so. I mean it. If your kids' school day still includes a nap or mandatory rest period, lovely. I mean it, you're probably a lovely person. I have no doubt your school does a solid job with center time and the plastic groceries.

But you're not equipped to talk about how well charter X or dcps school Y does with, say, national math benchmarks. Or prep for a middle school STEM program.

We'll see how I feel when my kid is nine. But right now I can tell you that my late birthday three year old who could barely hold a crayon in August when he started school can now WRITE. He is on the cusp of READING (and can read and spell out simple words). He can add and subtract. He could do none of those things before he started school. He amazes me every day telling me what he has learned at school in four short months.

He's not four until next September and his teachers have taught him to read and write, already. I am stunned. It's not all "center time and plastic groceries". With education like this we'll definitely be staying in DC.

NP here. My child is 9 and has attended DCPS at the same neighborhood school since 3. He hit all those benchmarks and is doing increadibly well at math. He loves school and never misses a day-- somehow manages to only get sick on weekends! But his sense of imagination is not that high. He doesn't have a strong sense of curiosity. Maybe he would have been like this regardless. Maybe it is something that will just come to him later. But it is something I am worried about. I wonder if there is a test for curiousity? MAybe my expectations are too high.

there was an article in the wash post mag about something similar to this about a year ago. A very bright child from DC charter schools who went to Georgetown completely unprepared. He said no one had ever taught him to think.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone: please write back when your kids are about 9 or so. I mean it. If your kids' school day still includes a nap or mandatory rest period, lovely. I mean it, you're probably a lovely person. I have no doubt your school does a solid job with center time and the plastic groceries.

But you're not equipped to talk about how well charter X or dcps school Y does with, say, national math benchmarks. Or prep for a middle school STEM program.

We'll see how I feel when my kid is nine. But right now I can tell you that my late birthday three year old who could barely hold a crayon in August when he started school can now WRITE. He is on the cusp of READING (and can read and spell out simple words). He can add and subtract. He could do none of those things before he started school. He amazes me every day telling me what he has learned at school in four short months.

He's not four until next September and his teachers have taught him to read and write, already. I am stunned. It's not all "center time and plastic groceries". With education like this we'll definitely be staying in DC.

NP here. My child is 9 and has attended DCPS at the same neighborhood school since 3. He hit all those benchmarks and is doing increadibly well at math. He loves school and never misses a day-- somehow manages to only get sick on weekends! But his sense of imagination is not that high. He doesn't have a strong sense of curiosity. Maybe he would have been like this regardless. Maybe it is something that will just come to him later. But it is something I am worried about. I wonder if there is a test for curiousity? MAybe my expectations are too high.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We moved from Adams Morgan to Baltimore a few years back. It may not be convenient, but Baltimore (Charles Village, Bolton Hill) is definitely worth looking at.

It's not worth it if you cherish a decent commute, unless you despise DC and love Baltimore for some reason. The retail/restaurant scene in DC is much more vibrant than anything Charles Village or Bolton Hill has to offer. In DC you can walk, bike, and take transit to dozens of different, "colorful" neighborhoods. Baltimore's Charles Village and Bolton Hill are beautiful, but not any more so than DC's historic neighborhoods.

I'm the poster you're quoting. You're right that the commute from Baltimore to DC sucks. I don't do it (I work from home), but I think the difference between Baltimore and DC is that because Baltimore has a lower cost of living, the population tends to be funkier/artsier. If OP is really looking for jerky artisans, she's more likely to find them in Baltimore, Hon (IMHO.)

I think the OP would like Baltimore's Hampden neighborhood the best. I'm surprised no one mentioned it. It reminds me of gentrifying but still funky Echo Park or Highland Park in LA, except that Hampden always had a white Southern, blue collar, working class vibe. Confederate flags were not all that uncommon a few years ago. Today it's a mix of the blue collar families and the very artsy. There are some great independent restaurants and stores, but not much in the way of ethnic food, except for an excellent Asian noodle place. When it comes to ethnic food options DC wins.

Hampden is the region's answer to Echo Park. Too bad the commute to DC would suck. Public transportation is terrible, and the light rail station is a long hike. [/

the people in Hampden are gross