sigh. please don't be a debbie-downer. why are there so many on this listserv???

15:18 here. So some are eager to go, and have the funds to do so. Some are eager to go, but don't have the funds. And a not-insignificant group don't want anything to do with the trip.

The problem, as I see it, is that fund raising efforts will be focused on one or two parents in each grade in the "eager to go, don't have funds" group. The two other groups have no need for fund raising. So invariably, that person gets burned out. Also, with all the classes simultaneously fund raising, they can't all go to the same well -- parents get burned out of weekly bake sales, book sales, etc.

So I don't see the fund-raising working out, UNLESS someone has an in at a major corporation or other entity that has money to burn on this trip.

+10000!!! We're a great school with an overall wonderful and supportive parent community. We want everyone who wants to go, to go, and no judgement towards families who decide otherwise.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Question for those certain you will/would send your kids on this trip:

Will fund raising make any difference in your decision to send your child on this trip (or go with your child)? In other words, have you or are you already setting aside the funds for the trip, or are you expecting a certain amount of funds to be raised in order to defry trip expenses?

Our kid will go on the trip with parent. Fundraising will make no difference and if it were offered, we would turn it down so it can be offered to someone else who could not go otherwise. We already have funds set aside for DC's education for things like this since DC attends a public school and we don't have to pay private school tuition - a great bargain looked at this way.

I like this PP

Anonymous wrote:Question for those certain you will/would send your kids on this trip:

Will fund raising make any difference in your decision to send your child on this trip (or go with your child)? In other words, have you or are you already setting aside the funds for the trip, or are you expecting a certain amount of funds to be raised in order to defry trip expenses?

Our kid will go on the trip with parent. Fundraising will make no difference and if it were offered, we would turn it down so it can be offered to someone else who could not go otherwise. We already have funds set aside for DC's education for things like this since DC attends a public school and we don't have to pay private school tuition - a great bargain looked at this way.

Question for those certain you will/would send your kids on this trip:

Will fund raising make any difference in your decision to send your child on this trip (or go with your child)? In other words, have you or are you already setting aside the funds for the trip, or are you expecting a certain amount of funds to be raised in order to defry trip expenses?

I think there's a big difference between riding a public bus, at a set time with having done so with parents before, and sending your kids on a tour of China for two weeks.

I've also no doubt that a 10 year old is "capable of" going to China on a class trip. The question is, why? Is it worth is to spend $3500++ for such a trip in those years, is it worth it to divide the class into haves and have-nots, is it the best use of classroom time? Is this the most rational format for such a trip? I'm also certain there's no clear answer these questions; each of us have to answer them for ourselves and our kids.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:School officials freak out over 5th grader riding public bus
by David Alpert • November 19, 2012 9:53 am

A Rockville mother decided to let her 10-year-old daughter ride a public bus to get to her school, confident it would be safe. Other "concerned parents" reported this to the principal, who called the central office, who even called Child Welfare Services.

http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/16823/school-officials-fret-over-5th-grader-riding-public-bus/#more

What's your point, other than that you spend too much time on the inter-webs?

I am not the PP who posted the above, but perhaps, people in MoCo and DC both underestimate what a 5th grader is capable of?

Anonymous wrote:School officials freak out over 5th grader riding public bus
by David Alpert • November 19, 2012 9:53 am

A Rockville mother decided to let her 10-year-old daughter ride a public bus to get to her school, confident it would be safe. Other "concerned parents" reported this to the principal, who called the central office, who even called Child Welfare Services.

http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/16823/school-officials-fret-over-5th-grader-riding-public-bus/#more

What's your point, other than that you spend too much time on the inter-webs?

School officials freak out over 5th grader riding public bus
by David Alpert • November 19, 2012 9:53 am

A Rockville mother decided to let her 10-year-old daughter ride a public bus to get to her school, confident it would be safe. Other "concerned parents" reported this to the principal, who called the central office, who even called Child Welfare Services.

http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/16823/school-officials-fret-over-5th-grader-riding-public-bus/#more

I'm new to DC too, and this forum is WAY different from the parenting forum I have used up until now. My main forum (which I still use) is way more crunch granola and people trip over themselves to be kind and try not to offend. Mostly I think it paves the way for a very comfortable environment, but now being on DCUM also I can see there are benefits and losses with both "tones". I actually love the directness and no-BS attitudes here, although I totally agree that the anonymity seems to facilitate both trolling and bitter bored people just trying to be mean or stir up crap.

I would love the directness of DCUM but without the anonymity. Requiring signing in does not mean people have to use real names... and it does crack down on the "Ok, now I'm posting as one person... and now I'm pretending to be someone else!" unless people want to re-register all the time just to be silly.

My take so far on YY is that while there are probably some very legitimate concerns voiced here about the school, a lot of the really nasty comments sound like haters and not people trying to have a constructive discussion. This thread is really interesting and I think raises good points about such a trip, so I don't see criticizing the trip as hating. I just see some of the pointless nastiness as hating, which, well, what else is pointless nastiness anyway?

Anonymous wrote:Yes, anonymous fora are the cesspools of the internet. That's why all the credible hosting sites (such as prestigious publications) require a log-in ID. Even when people aren't using their own names and have the benefit of a pseudonym other users can't trace, they still behave differently. Users recognize the relationship between their ID and the mud they sling. It always elevates the tone of the conversation. Sometimes DCUM might as well be 4chan.

I disagree. DCUM is well moderated. You might see strong opinions expressed here, but they're strong opinions on the topic of DC Public schools and generally expressed by those who actually have kids in the system.

A poorly moderated forum has spam posts, links to porn sites, racist posts, gross posts, etc. None of that here.

And yes, I appreciate having an opportunity to discuss or "vent" anonymously. Being active at my child's school I don't want to risk offending people over petty issues at the school itself.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unf, DCUM (or any anonymous forum) brings out the worst in people. I've seen such mean things posted on so many threads, unf. I tend to just ignore as often they are trying to be provocative and incite a reaction. No reaction seems to work best but that's just my thought and approach.

What does "Unf" mean? I've been a Yu Ying parent for a couple of years. My family loves the school - and most importantly, my child does. I'm genuinely surprised by the elevated emotion on this forum - perhaps that's the gift/curse of anonymity. I know no-one at the school who isn't at least civil, usually friendly and knowledgeable. Is DCUM always like people honking at an intersection, using noise to assault anyone within earshot? who are otherwise perfectly delightful?

Yes, anonymous fora are the cesspools of the internet. That's why all the credible hosting sites (such as prestigious publications) require a log-in ID. Even when people aren't using their own names and have the benefit of a pseudonym other users can't trace, they still behave differently. Users recognize the relationship between their ID and the mud they sling. It always elevates the tone of the conversation. Sometimes DCUM might as well be 4chan.

I'm the person who wrote using "unf" (unfortunately). And yes despite the many negative e-mails, DCUM has been a goldmine of information for me. I was new to DC last year and learned about both the charters my children ended up going to from it. I think I've seen negative reports on almost every single school so it takes a lot of reading (esp between the lines) to get a full picture. I'm sure some people will say go straight to the horse's mouth, visit the schools, open houses, etc. For those moving from another city or further beyond, this isn't possible or very difficult.

Anonymous wrote:Unf, DCUM (or any anonymous forum) brings out the worst in people. I've seen such mean things posted on so many threads, unf. I tend to just ignore as often they are trying to be provocative and incite a reaction. No reaction seems to work best but that's just my thought and approach.

What does "Unf" mean? I've been a Yu Ying parent for a couple of years. My family loves the school - and most importantly, my child does. I'm genuinely surprised by the elevated emotion on this forum - perhaps that's the gift/curse of anonymity. I know no-one at the school who isn't at least civil, usually friendly and knowledgeable. Is DCUM always like people honking at an intersection, using noise to assault anyone within earshot? who are otherwise perfectly delightful?