Anonymous wrote:I live in n Arlington and send my kids to private. North or south private is always the better option.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Read Natalie Wexler, The Knowledge Gap. It describes how schools teach reading "strategies" like finding the main idea and identifying text features. Reading it was a light bulb moment when I totally identified exactly what my kids did in APS "book club," spending precious little time on actually building the knowledge base that underpins true reading comprehension. Instead it was like worksheet after worksheet of random practice passages and questions to prepare for the SOLs.

I made the comment above about the deliberate teaching of literacy. It isn't at all like this - I don't know the right words, but would say it's very phoneme based? For example, her younger brother is in kindergarten and recently started reading books; to help she fluently points out how different letter combinations/diphthongs are typically pronounced. But it sounds like you're talking about older kids.

I'm talking about "book club" in 4th-5th grade.

Are you saying that your kid was doing worksheets instead of reading and discussing a book in book club?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Read Natalie Wexler, The Knowledge Gap. It describes how schools teach reading "strategies" like finding the main idea and identifying text features. Reading it was a light bulb moment when I totally identified exactly what my kids did in APS "book club," spending precious little time on actually building the knowledge base that underpins true reading comprehension. Instead it was like worksheet after worksheet of random practice passages and questions to prepare for the SOLs.

I made the comment above about the deliberate teaching of literacy. It isn't at all like this - I don't know the right words, but would say it's very phoneme based? For example, her younger brother is in kindergarten and recently started reading books; to help she fluently points out how different letter combinations/diphthongs are typically pronounced. But it sounds like you're talking about older kids.

I'm talking about "book club" in 4th-5th grade.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Read Natalie Wexler, The Knowledge Gap. It describes how schools teach reading "strategies" like finding the main idea and identifying text features. Reading it was a light bulb moment when I totally identified exactly what my kids did in APS "book club," spending precious little time on actually building the knowledge base that underpins true reading comprehension. Instead it was like worksheet after worksheet of random practice passages and questions to prepare for the SOLs.

I made the comment above about the deliberate teaching of literacy. It isn't at all like this - I don't know the right words, but would say it's very phoneme based? For example, her younger brother is in kindergarten and recently started reading books; to help she fluently points out how different letter combinations/diphthongs are typically pronounced. But it sounds like you're talking about older kids.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have two kiddos that were at Claremont and we pulled them at the start of the school year to go to our neighborhood school, Drew. We live in a new townhome development S of Columbia Pike. Option schools can be amazing, but, are not always the best choice.

I would be curious to hear why your left Claremont, but understand if you'd rather not share.

Immersion just isn't a good fit for some kids. I teach at another school in SA and we get a few from Claremont every year and it's always just that immersion isn't working for their child- some SN and some not.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have two kiddos that were at Claremont and we pulled them at the start of the school year to go to our neighborhood school, Drew. We live in a new townhome development S of Columbia Pike. Option schools can be amazing, but, are not always the best choice.

I would be curious to hear why your left Claremont, but understand if you'd rather not share.

Anonymous wrote:Read Natalie Wexler, The Knowledge Gap. It describes how schools teach reading "strategies" like finding the main idea and identifying text features. Reading it was a light bulb moment when I totally identified exactly what my kids did in APS "book club," spending precious little time on actually building the knowledge base that underpins true reading comprehension. Instead it was like worksheet after worksheet of random practice passages and questions to prepare for the SOLs.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid went to one of these schools and his writing was absolutely atrocious. I just don't think he got much writing instruction/practice, or rather, the emphasis was on putting thoughts to paper without any correction. Spelling, grammar, handwriting - all terrible. Switched to private and finally there is actual writing instruction, criticism, and correction.

Previously at one of these schools and had the same experience….. and went private. Not sure my friends at north Arlington schools see better though….I think it’s more an APS issue than S Arlington issue.

“These” and “S Arlington”? What about Girl Scout cookie notes makes you think it is SA?

Anonymous wrote:We have two kiddos that were at Claremont and we pulled them at the start of the school year to go to our neighborhood school, Drew. We live in a new townhome development S of Columbia Pike. Option schools can be amazing, but, are not always the best choice.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid went to one of these schools and his writing was absolutely atrocious. I just don't think he got much writing instruction/practice, or rather, the emphasis was on putting thoughts to paper without any correction. Spelling, grammar, handwriting - all terrible. Switched to private and finally there is actual writing instruction, criticism, and correction.

Previously at one of these schools and had the same experience….. and went private. Not sure my friends at north Arlington schools see better though….I think it’s more an APS issue than S Arlington issue.

“These” and “S Arlington”? What about Girl Scout cookie notes makes you think it is SA?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid went to one of these schools and his writing was absolutely atrocious. I just don't think he got much writing instruction/practice, or rather, the emphasis was on putting thoughts to paper without any correction. Spelling, grammar, handwriting - all terrible. Switched to private and finally there is actual writing instruction, criticism, and correction.

Previously at one of these schools and had the same experience….. and went private. Not sure my friends at north Arlington schools see better though….I think it’s more an APS issue than S Arlington issue.