Anonymous wrote:I am not talking about PK 3. Obviously, the rules of social engagement are different for three year olds than they are for nine year olds.

Tell that to my private school.

Anonymous wrote:Van Ness Elementary School will be a special place once it opens this Fall. The fact that they have chosen exceptional leadership and that the school is being completely renovated will help out tremendously. Also, the Capitol Riverfront is a great place for an elementary school!

I happened to walk by Van Ness this afternoon and peaked in the window. The building (at least the first floor) appears to be a completely empty shell: concrete floors and no interior walls (as far as I could tell anyway). Are they planning to have that place open for the start of school in about two months? I don't see how that's possible.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ours is terrible - you want all the reasons why???

sure, but name it. Without a school's name, it doesn't help anyone. How would someone taking a tour know what to look for?

Are people afraid that the administration or their friends at the school will know who is posting?

Oh, I'm not afraid to name it. Tyler. Horrid. Two years wasted.

What were all the reasons why?

Oh my lord, I'm not sure I have time to detail everything, but here goes.

-Shame based discipline
-Recess constantly taken away as punishment despite DCPS policy expressly forbidding that
-physical violence between children as young as 1st grade very common
-only ONE social worker for the entire building; she spends entire days breaking up fights. Good luck if your kid has a 504/IEP and needs her services. (not blaming her in particular; there should be two SWs)
-there are hardly ANY children in spanish immersion with IEPs or behavior problems. They routinely (and illegally) refuse to provide services within Spanish and bounce kids into the regular program. It's the haves vs the have nots, and it's shameful.
-very inconsistent ability among teachers; some are really shining stars but many are dismal.

I could go on and on, but more detail will out me too easily.

I forgot one! TV. They watch so much damn tv. Often at least one episode every day, but much more if it was during winter when they had indoor recess. I hate how much of their short day they spend watching TV, given that they don't do social studies or science at all.

I am not talking about PK 3. Obviously, the rules of social engagement are different for three year olds than they are for nine year olds.

My PK3-er acts out a lot. I would feel horrible if the whole class was punished for it. he is not old enough to understand this collective responsibility of which you speak. And in fact his IEP shows that he responds much better to positive rather than negative reinforcement. Seems like a classroom management strategy for desperate teachers.

As you all said, my children have never attended a "truly" rough school. They've attended schools with kids from very diverse backgrounds and socioeconomic levels... but yes, never a school "like Tyler." That is because we deliberately chose neighborhoods based somewhat on schools. My child has never attended a school that was more than 10% white either, which is neither here nor there--except to point out that in an urban environment there are plenty of schools where fights are not breaking out on the playground constantly. In my child's current elementary environment, the students are all penalized if some of them are talking and not listening, or being rowdy in line. From what I've seen, the teachers have a pretty light hand with this though. And, again, I have no problem with it.

I have a lot more of an issue with the types of parents who use this kind of stuff as examples of why schools need improvement, or why a school's administration (supposedly) isn't doing its job correctly. I may be reaching here--I am probably reaching--but this is the kind of bs that is getting bandied about at our current school by people who have never been in a classroom.

Anonymous wrote:And the next time those five kids get into a fight, their peers will ostracize them. Correct them. Again, this is not something I have a problem with. It's not all about my special sparkly child who never does anything wrong-its about the class as a team. As a group. All looking out for and helping each other.

And if you're kid gets beat up while trying to break up the fight to correct them (because the teacher is busy trying to break up another fight), you'll be okay with that as well, right?

Anonymous wrote:

How can punishing an entire class be a good thing? I find it hard to believe that something like that is beneficial.

Then you must be a special snowflake. I think it teaches children that they are all in this together, that they need to self-regulate themselves and their friends, and that the good for all outweighs the actions of a few. It's called social responsibility, and it's something I want my child to learn.

Laughing out loud!! Literally!!! What child does your school attend? Doubt it's a school like Tyler. You're telling me that in a class where there is (almost certainly) several kids with undiagnosed ADHD and other problems which leads to an inability to control themselves, you'd like your child to try to step in and regulate them? What a laugh.

Anonymous wrote:And the next time those five kids get into a fight, their peers will ostracize them. Correct them. Again, this is not something I have a problem with. It's not all about my special sparkly child who never does anything wrong-its about the class as a team. As a group. All looking out for and helping each other.

Then your kid has clearly never been in a truly rough school. My kid does stuff wrong and I expect consequences. But no way in hell am I going to teach her to get in the middle of a fight with 5 kids from the projects and try and get them to stop. Yelling at them from the sidelines sure didn't help.

And the next time those five kids get into a fight, their peers will ostracize them. Correct them. Again, this is not something I have a problem with. It's not all about my special sparkly child who never does anything wrong-its about the class as a team. As a group. All looking out for and helping each other.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

How can punishing an entire class be a good thing? I find it hard to believe that something like that is beneficial.

Then you must be a special snowflake. I think it teaches children that they are all in this together, that they need to self-regulate themselves and their friends, and that the good for all outweighs the actions of a few. It's called social responsibility, and it's something I want my child to learn.

It is my child's job to self-regulate themselves. It is not their job to regulate their "friends." Entire classes that are punished over and over and over again for the misbehavior of a few is just not appropriate.

+1 Picture this: 5 kids get in a fight. My child (any many others) not involved. But the ENTIRE CLASS spent recess with their heads on their desks. How is that a logical consequence?? And my kid was supposed to stop the kids from fighting? No, I don't think so.

Anonymous wrote:

How can punishing an entire class be a good thing? I find it hard to believe that something like that is beneficial.

Then you must be a special snowflake. I think it teaches children that they are all in this together, that they need to self-regulate themselves and their friends, and that the good for all outweighs the actions of a few. It's called social responsibility, and it's something I want my child to learn.

It is my child's job to self-regulate themselves. It is not their job to regulate their "friends." Entire classes that are punished over and over and over again for the misbehavior of a few is just not appropriate.

Anonymous wrote:

How can punishing an entire class be a good thing? I find it hard to believe that something like that is beneficial.

Then you must be a special snowflake. I think it teaches children that they are all in this together, that they need to self-regulate themselves and their friends, and that the good for all outweighs the actions of a few. It's called social responsibility, and it's something I want my child to learn.

What is a special "snowflake"?

How can punishing an entire class be a good thing? I find it hard to believe that something like that is beneficial.

Then you must be a special snowflake. I think it teaches children that they are all in this together, that they need to self-regulate themselves and their friends, and that the good for all outweighs the actions of a few. It's called social responsibility, and it's something I want my child to learn.

We've gone a little OT but my son has had his recess taken away at a JKLM. There have been times when he disrupts class and has to hang with the social worker or one of the other teachers out of class for a bit. Then he has the lesson he missed during recess. I think it's a great logical consequence.