Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, for Pre-K, you probably can't go wrong with the school. In fact, if nothing else, it would be equivalent to good free daycare. If you were talking about a higher grade or even K, I would be a bit more reserved in my viewpoint. If you don't like it after Pre-K, your child should not have a hard time at the next school you go to as most children entering K do not know each other and it is quite normal to have everyone "starting" at that point.
Apply, see where they end up, and make a decision. It would be useful if you could get someone in the administration to let you know where they plan on spending the money they are currently raising and what their goals are for the school. Then, you can see if that is in alignment with what you want.

What a nim-whit!

This.

IT parent here. I also was confused about not having a PTA. But now I see that the process for involvement in school is more organic and self-motivated. Why institute a standard structure if the purpose of a PTA - support teachers and the school in their work - is being accomplished otherwise? I don't even know if it is necessary, now that I've had a chance to step back and see how things are. I like the level of parental involvement and am not sure what additional purpose/functions a PTA would serve/fulfill beyond what is in place now.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Two Rivers doesn't have a PTA either.

Inspired Teaching is quite UNCONVENTIONAL, eg. Back to School Night with the kids not only in attendance but in the room running around (believe it or not, because the administration was fine with it, it worked); and--as noted--no formal PTA/PTO.

I'm not sure why the school seems reluctant to put one in place. I haven't gotten a clear answer on that. It would seem to me that it would be to their advantage to do so since they now are involved in the minutia of items that parents could clearly handle on their own and thus remove from the administration's full plate. However, it's the first year and they'll shortly figure out what ultimately works best.

In the meantime, we've managed to have quite a few successful community building family gatherings (pot luck dinners and such). It's been nice. Also, the Holiday fest is just ahead and it is being organized by some of the more active parents, sans a PTA/PTO.

The down side with the current set up is that decisions are made by the administration and just a few active parents on the individual committees, as opposed to the entire parent community having an opportunity to weigh in at a PTA meeting. The upside is that decisions are made by the administration and just a few active parents on the individual committees, as opposed to the entire parent community having an opportunity to weigh in at a PTA meeting.

Agreed. Go to an Open House and ask.

Anonymous wrote:What is the reasoning behind the committee structure--I've never heard of a school without a PTA which is the usual vehicle for involvement. Not judging, just trying to understand. It is hard to do your homework on nuances like this-I read the website and Inspired Teaching Center website, but that doesn't really give clues to stuff like this.

ITS parent here- There is a sort of a PTA- called "Inspired Families." They don't charge dues and have been working in committees rather than as a whole for the most part. Don't know yet how if we'll meet as a whole regularly or not. I like it, personally, because I can work on my committee without having to listen to complaints or praise that doesn't apply to me.
I also went to a parent ed night for 2nd and 3rd grade families. It was laid back but good.

What is the reasoning behind the committee structure--I've never heard of a school without a PTA which is the usual vehicle for involvement. Not judging, just trying to understand. It is hard to do your homework on nuances like this-I read the website and Inspired Teaching Center website, but that doesn't really give clues to stuff like this.

There is no PTA but there are four committees you can join. Fundraising, teacher support, enrichment, and recruitment. The school doesn't do things conventionally which can be good or bad depending on your perspective. Do your homework before enrolling.

Anonymous wrote:Why is there no PTA? Or is that not true?

Why is there no PTA? Or is that not true?

PP, do you understand the process of language acquisition? Any child learning a second language will understand first before speaking, that takes more than two years. This is no different than a baby/toddler learning a primary language. Children understand first then speak- this process develops over 4 yrs from infancy to preschool. From one word to two-word sentences to five words, etc. Essentially a preschooler learning a 2nd language is starting over.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Already, there are a few charter schools which poach families from JKLM territory and those schools are, what? 3 or 4 years old? I

Very few. Seriously, it's a bakers dozen going to Latin instead of Deal and probably a handful at YY. And you know THAT's going to end when the parents wake up and realize they've been commuting 40 minutes each way and the kid still doesn't actually know Mandarin after 3 years.

It's not that there's anything inferior about IT, YY, CapCity when compared to Janney. It's that there's nothing so fucking powerfully amazing about these schools relative to Janney that warrants that loooong trek across the park into the depths of Northeast, while you're trying to get to work at 8:45.

Are you jealous or just misinformed?

YY Kindergarteners respond well and easily to instructions from Chinese speakers. Despite all the books we'd read and online exercises we'd done, nothing proved DS understood the tones (Mandarin) so well as when a Chinese mother spoke up on the playground in Chinese and he understood and answered and responded appropriately.

By the way, your own language is vulgar. So much so, that I wouldn't want to associate with you in any language: Latin, Chinese, or even English.

Good for your kid that he understood. But there's a big difference between understanding something and being able to speak something. Ask yourself the honest question, can he and other Kindergarteners at YY speak Mandarin, not just the simple Chinese characters they learned at school?

I've heard that there's no PTA there still. Plenty of parents want to have a PTA. One reason I heard is the administration doesn't want to have one. True?

Any good school should expect a lot from its teachers. Charters in their initial years are notorious for expecting more - given the time and energy demands of starting a school from scratch. But you know what? I want my child to have a teacher who is giving it his/her all - as opposed to a teacher who is just filling a space and putting in years. We have been thrilled with our child's teacher at IT and the enthusiasm my child shows for going to school each and every day.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One of my questions for parents at IT, are you at all concerned about teacher burnout? It seems they have so much responsibility (no breaks during the day) and such high expectations, that I wonder how long they can keep it up... I'm speaking as an avid admirer from afar, keeping my eye on what I see as a very exciting school.

IT parent here again. I think teacher burn out is a real issue. My husband and I discuss it frequently and it is a concern for us because the teachers are truly wonderful at IT--even the teacher aides are extraordinary. The good news is that they aren't burning out over disillusionment, but fatigue. To run an "inspired" classroom takes an incredible amount of energy and many of the teachers have kids of their own to tend to when the work day is done. The parent community is working on getting them more support in a variety of different ways. The teachers I have spoken with are very tired, but still very excited about the program. I get the sense that they are more tired than frustrated right now. They are on the front lines of this thing and are having to deal challenges from the parent side as well as, the administration side. The parent community is working hard to show our appreciation for all of their efforts, in whatever way we can. Still it is an issue that I keep in mind understanding that you will have teacher burn out at any given school.

IT parent here. As soon as the school is able to get it organized, family members will be volunteering to "spell" teachers during lunch and recess. This should help with the burnout factor. That said, teaching takes an enormous amount of commitment and energy--especially when you're putting as much into it as the teachers at IT. I'm hoping that support from the administration, parent relief during the day, and the overall commitment of everyone involved in the school will go along way toward helping prevent burnout. Fingers crossed!

Anonymous wrote:One of my questions for parents at IT, are you at all concerned about teacher burnout? It seems they have so much responsibility (no breaks during the day) and such high expectations, that I wonder how long they can keep it up... I'm speaking as an avid admirer from afar, keeping my eye on what I see as a very exciting school.

IT parent here again. I think teacher burn out is a real issue. My husband and I discuss it frequently and it is a concern for us because the teachers are truly wonderful at IT--even the teacher aides are extraordinary. The good news is that they aren't burning out over disillusionment, but fatigue. To run an "inspired" classroom takes an incredible amount of energy and many of the teachers have kids of their own to tend to when the work day is done. The parent community is working on getting them more support in a variety of different ways. The teachers I have spoken with are very tired, but still very excited about the program. I get the sense that they are more tired than frustrated right now. They are on the front lines of this thing and are having to deal challenges from the parent side as well as, the administration side. The parent community is working hard to show our appreciation for all of their efforts, in whatever way we can. Still it is an issue that I keep in mind understanding that you will have teacher burn out at any given school.