Anonymous
Post 08/20/2014 13:06     Subject: Re:Ludlow-Taylor getting a new a new Principal


Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Pp. Do you understand that Brent didn't always have the bells and whistles you describe above? Parents enrolled kids despite that. When I visited the school the spring before I enrolled, the School looked horrible, the AP had is feet up on the desk just chilling, the office staff was surly and as I waited to speak to the principal a sobbing 2nd grade girl wandered into the office with a bloody nose because another girl had punched her and sat on her and her teacher wouldn't help so she came to the office for help. No nurses, no joy, certainly no outfitted band room or brand new playground. Test scores in the tank. But I trusted the principal and her vision for moving the school forward: for BOTH the families who were already there and the neighborhood parents who were enrolling kids and starting to fundraise and build gardens.

Fair enough everyone who started at LT and didn't trust or feel included in the vision and priorities of the principal.

But for those of you looking for all the bells and whistles to happen BEFORE you invest your blood sweat and tears, it ain't gonna happen.

The leadership is key and I hope this new leader is a true professional who can bridge the divide.


Re: bolded. I have zero desire to invest in a school that does not already meet the criteria I have so I moved out of Ward 6 (much as I loved living on the Hill) when I had children to somewhere else where schools were already up to my specifications. I think it's pretty appalling that in the vast majority of DCPS schools, it is the norm for the parents to fight the administration and school reality in order to improve the school (or just give up and go elsewhere or put up with a bad education). That's insane to me! I am not a teacher or a school administrator (and I imagine most people on this board are not) so it is not my job to improve a school, any more than it is the job of my DS' teacher to come to my office and help me with my work or make the business I work for run more efficiently. L-T clearly is not serving the neighborhood (whether it is serving the largely OOB population or not) - and in a system with neighborhood schools, I would imagine the priority should be on serving the neighborhood and making the school most attractive to people who live there, whatever that may take. The fact that L-T cannot do that and that parents are expected to improve the school if they want any results is ridiculous.


It is absolutely your job, as a parent, to improve schools. You are a major stakeholder in the school that educates your child. That is not insane. What is insane, though, is you think there is an equivalence in your son's teacher coming to do your work. Your son's teacher doesn't have a vested interest in your job.


A teacher could have a vested interest in a lot of parents’ jobs – police (helping the area to have less crime is good for everyone, her included), medicine (what if she or her family member get sick – having a hospital be more efficient is beneficial to all), various Government agencies (regulations affect us all) etc, and yet nobody expects a teacher to help a policewoman, a doctor or a Government employee do their jobs. My job, as a parent, is to educate my child outside of school on how to behave properly, to ensure he gets proper activities (sports, enrichment etc) to benefit his growth, and to send him to school that does an adequate job teaching him the basics (and to pay taxes to ensure schools are properly funded if the school is public; and pay proper tuition if the school is private). It is not my job to improve the school (to use another, somewhat equivalent example – it is certainly beneficial to me and directly afects me to have a plumber and an electrician to know what they are doing when they work on my house – so I hire knowledgeable professionals, I am not expected to hire incompetent ones and get them up to speed). DH and I are both a product of two different public school systems in different states (and, at one point, different countries). In none of those schools was it expected or necessary for parents to drag the school kicking and screaming into functionality (and no, having a good school with a PTA that raises money through bake sales is not an equivalent of what parents are expected to do to ‘improve’ DCPS schools). Parents of children in NoVa, MoCo or Ward 3 are expected to be involved in their children’s education and possibly help PTA with the above-mentioned fundraising, but it’s a far cry from what parents in most of DCPS are supposed to do to ‘improve’ the schools – which is basically become a teacher/administrator/booster/everything else with little expectation of success. To me, that means that DCPS beaurocracy is broken. (And before anyone gets into ‘Ward 3/NoVa/MoCo have different demographics’ argument – true but (a) L-T inbounds demographic is hardly impoverished and (b) I would think children whose parents have less choice about moving somewhere better deserve even more help from DCPS than the typical DCUM poster but they do not get it.
Anonymous
Post 08/20/2014 13:00     Subject: Re:Ludlow-Taylor getting a new a new Principal
Improve a little, yes, work to reinvent as a school appealing to most neighborhood families as an unpaid part-time job, no way!

DCPS is just pathetic.
Anonymous
Post 08/20/2014 12:55     Subject: Re:Ludlow-Taylor getting a new a new Principal
Anonymous wrote:
Pp. Do you understand that Brent didn't always have the bells and whistles you describe above? Parents enrolled kids despite that. When I visited the school the spring before I enrolled, the School looked horrible, the AP had is feet up on the desk just chilling, the office staff was surly and as I waited to speak to the principal a sobbing 2nd grade girl wandered into the office with a bloody nose because another girl had punched her and sat on her and her teacher wouldn't help so she came to the office for help. No nurses, no joy, certainly no outfitted band room or brand new playground. Test scores in the tank. But I trusted the principal and her vision for moving the school forward: for BOTH the families who were already there and the neighborhood parents who were enrolling kids and starting to fundraise and build gardens.

Fair enough everyone who started at LT and didn't trust or feel included in the vision and priorities of the principal.

But for those of you looking for all the bells and whistles to happen BEFORE you invest your blood sweat and tears, it ain't gonna happen.

The leadership is key and I hope this new leader is a true professional who can bridge the divide.


Re: bolded. I have zero desire to invest in a school that does not already meet the criteria I have so I moved out of Ward 6 (much as I loved living on the Hill) when I had children to somewhere else where schools were already up to my specifications. I think it's pretty appalling that in the vast majority of DCPS schools, it is the norm for the parents to fight the administration and school reality in order to improve the school (or just give up and go elsewhere or put up with a bad education). That's insane to me! I am not a teacher or a school administrator (and I imagine most people on this board are not) so it is not my job to improve a school, any more than it is the job of my DS' teacher to come to my office and help me with my work or make the business I work for run more efficiently. L-T clearly is not serving the neighborhood (whether it is serving the largely OOB population or not) - and in a system with neighborhood schools, I would imagine the priority should be on serving the neighborhood and making the school most attractive to people who live there, whatever that may take. The fact that L-T cannot do that and that parents are expected to improve the school if they want any results is ridiculous.


It is absolutely your job, as a parent, to improve schools. You are a major stakeholder in the school that educates your child. That is not insane. What is insane, though, is you think there is an equivalence in your son's teacher coming to do your work. Your son's teacher doesn't have a vested interest in your job.
Anonymous
Post 08/20/2014 12:50     Subject: Re:Ludlow-Taylor getting a new a new Principal
^^^ Exactly. There's nothing wrong wrong having educational standards. At least that's what people who exceed think. And there's also nothing wrong with expecting bureaucrats to do their jobs; that's what they get paid for!
Anonymous
Post 08/20/2014 12:40     Subject: Ludlow-Taylor getting a new a new Principal
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Pp. Do you understand that Brent didn't always have the bells and whistles you describe above? Parents enrolled kids despite that. When I visited the school the spring before I enrolled, the School looked horrible, the AP had is feet up on the desk just chilling, the office staff was surly and as I waited to speak to the principal a sobbing 2nd grade girl wandered into the office with a bloody nose because another girl had punched her and sat on her and her teacher wouldn't help so she came to the office for help. No nurses, no joy, certainly no outfitted band room or brand new playground. Test scores in the tank. But I trusted the principal and her vision for moving the school forward: for BOTH the families who were already there and the neighborhood parents who were enrolling kids and starting to fundraise and build gardens.

Fair enough everyone who started at LT and didn't trust or feel included in the vision and priorities of the principal.

But for those of you looking for all the bells and whistles to happen BEFORE you invest your blood sweat and tears, it ain't gonna happen.

The leadership is key and I hope this new leader is a true professional who can bridge the divide.


Re: bolded. I have zero desire to invest in a school that does not already meet the criteria I have so I moved out of Ward 6 (much as I loved living on the Hill) when I had children to somewhere else where schools were already up to my specifications. I think it's pretty appalling that in the vast majority of DCPS schools, it is the norm for the parents to fight the administration and school reality in order to improve the school (or just give up and go elsewhere or put up with a bad education). That's insane to me! I am not a teacher or a school administrator (and I imagine most people on this board are not) so it is not my job to improve a school, any more than it is the job of my DS' teacher to come to my office and help me with my work or make the business I work for run more efficiently. L-T clearly is not serving the neighborhood (whether it is serving the largely OOB population or not) - and in a system with neighborhood schools, I would imagine the priority should be on serving the neighborhood and making the school most attractive to people who live there, whatever that may take. The fact that L-T cannot do that and that parents are expected to improve the school if they want any results is ridiculous.


You gotta love entitled Prima Donnas .


Not really. I am not on here demanding L-T change its behavior or writing letters or whatever. I just quietly picked up and moved where I wanted to be. I quietly voted with my feet. If sending my children to the best school I can get them in (and being able to get them into a school that is already good and has been good for a long time) is prima donnaish, than I suppose I am and I am fine with it. I have to say as someone who went to public school outside the District, I do find it bizarre what a lot of parents who do have other options (and if you are a high SESer who bought a house inbounds for L-T, like a lot of psoters here, you do have options) are willing to put up with.
Anonymous
Post 08/20/2014 12:36     Subject: Ludlow-Taylor getting a new a new Principal
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Pp. Do you understand that Brent didn't always have the bells and whistles you describe above? Parents enrolled kids despite that. When I visited the school the spring before I enrolled, the School looked horrible, the AP had is feet up on the desk just chilling, the office staff was surly and as I waited to speak to the principal a sobbing 2nd grade girl wandered into the office with a bloody nose because another girl had punched her and sat on her and her teacher wouldn't help so she came to the office for help. No nurses, no joy, certainly no outfitted band room or brand new playground. Test scores in the tank. But I trusted the principal and her vision for moving the school forward: for BOTH the families who were already there and the neighborhood parents who were enrolling kids and starting to fundraise and build gardens.

Fair enough everyone who started at LT and didn't trust or feel included in the vision and priorities of the principal.

But for those of you looking for all the bells and whistles to happen BEFORE you invest your blood sweat and tears, it ain't gonna happen.

The leadership is key and I hope this new leader is a true professional who can bridge the divide.


Re: bolded. I have zero desire to invest in a school that does not already meet the criteria I have so I moved out of Ward 6 (much as I loved living on the Hill) when I had children to somewhere else where schools were already up to my specifications. I think it's pretty appalling that in the vast majority of DCPS schools, it is the norm for the parents to fight the administration and school reality in order to improve the school (or just give up and go elsewhere or put up with a bad education). That's insane to me! I am not a teacher or a school administrator (and I imagine most people on this board are not) so it is not my job to improve a school, any more than it is the job of my DS' teacher to come to my office and help me with my work or make the business I work for run more efficiently. L-T clearly is not serving the neighborhood (whether it is serving the largely OOB population or not) - and in a system with neighborhood schools, I would imagine the priority should be on serving the neighborhood and making the school most attractive to people who live there, whatever that may take. The fact that L-T cannot do that and that parents are expected to improve the school if they want any results is ridiculous.


You gotta love entitled Prima Donnas .
Anonymous
Post 08/20/2014 12:34     Subject: Ludlow-Taylor getting a new a new Principal
Anonymous wrote:Pp. Do you understand that Brent didn't always have the bells and whistles you describe above? Parents enrolled kids despite that. When I visited the school the spring before I enrolled, the School looked horrible, the AP had is feet up on the desk just chilling, the office staff was surly and as I waited to speak to the principal a sobbing 2nd grade girl wandered into the office with a bloody nose because another girl had punched her and sat on her and her teacher wouldn't help so she came to the office for help. No nurses, no joy, certainly no outfitted band room or brand new playground. Test scores in the tank. But I trusted the principal and her vision for moving the school forward: for BOTH the families who were already there and the neighborhood parents who were enrolling kids and starting to fundraise and build gardens.

Fair enough everyone who started at LT and didn't trust or feel included in the vision and priorities of the principal.

But for those of you looking for all the bells and whistles to happen BEFORE you invest your blood sweat and tears, it ain't gonna happen.

The leadership is key and I hope this new leader is a true professional who can bridge the divide.


Re: bolded. I have zero desire to invest in a school that does not already meet the criteria I have so I moved out of Ward 6 (much as I loved living on the Hill) when I had children to somewhere else where schools were already up to my specifications. I think it's pretty appalling that in the vast majority of DCPS schools, it is the norm for the parents to fight the administration and school reality in order to improve the school (or just give up and go elsewhere or put up with a bad education). That's insane to me! I am not a teacher or a school administrator (and I imagine most people on this board are not) so it is not my job to improve a school, any more than it is the job of my DS' teacher to come to my office and help me with my work or make the business I work for run more efficiently. L-T clearly is not serving the neighborhood (whether it is serving the largely OOB population or not) - and in a system with neighborhood schools, I would imagine the priority should be on serving the neighborhood and making the school most attractive to people who live there, whatever that may take. The fact that L-T cannot do that and that parents are expected to improve the school if they want any results is ridiculous.
Anonymous
Post 08/20/2014 09:01     Subject: Ludlow-Taylor getting a new a new Principal
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:For those of you enrolled in the school and arguing in this forum, know that you at least turned off this OOB Mom offered a spot to the school. We loved it on our visit. We aren't members of MOTH nor do we know current families at the school, so we turned to DCUM. We couldn't stomach knowing people like you were arguing about anything other than making sure all kids had a quality education, so we went with our other option.


I call troll. If you were serious about L-T, you'd realize that most people posting here probably don't even know where the school is and have a political agenda (anti-neighborhood school). You probably suffer from the latter ailment as well. Your other "option" will be a let down, no doubt, assuming it ever existed.


Hey now, I'm probably one of the primary "I don't care about neighborhood schools" people, and I'm an OOB parent at LT (which might be one reason I place less value on the neighborhood school business, b/c LT *isn't* my neighborhood school, and my child is having a wonderful experience there).
Anonymous
Post 08/20/2014 08:49     Subject: Ludlow-Taylor getting a new a new Principal
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:For those of you enrolled in the school and arguing in this forum, know that you at least turned off this OOB Mom offered a spot to the school. We loved it on our visit. We aren't members of MOTH nor do we know current families at the school, so we turned to DCUM. We couldn't stomach knowing people like you were arguing about anything other than making sure all kids had a quality education, so we went with our other option.


What was your other option? Let me guess, there was no other option because you are either an idiot or a troll.


+ 1.
Anonymous
Post 08/20/2014 08:02     Subject: Ludlow-Taylor getting a new a new Principal
Anonymous wrote:For those of you enrolled in the school and arguing in this forum, know that you at least turned off this OOB Mom offered a spot to the school. We loved it on our visit. We aren't members of MOTH nor do we know current families at the school, so we turned to DCUM. We couldn't stomach knowing people like you were arguing about anything other than making sure all kids had a quality education, so we went with our other option.


What was your other option? Let me guess, there was no other option because you are either an idiot or a troll.
Anonymous
Post 08/20/2014 07:53     Subject: Ludlow-Taylor getting a new a new Principal
Anonymous wrote:For those of you enrolled in the school and arguing in this forum, know that you at least turned off this OOB Mom offered a spot to the school. We loved it on our visit. We aren't members of MOTH nor do we know current families at the school, so we turned to DCUM. We couldn't stomach knowing people like you were arguing about anything other than making sure all kids had a quality education, so we went with our other option.


Hurray! One OOB down, 300 more to go.
Strategy is working.

Anonymous
Post 08/20/2014 05:47     Subject: Ludlow-Taylor getting a new a new Principal
Anonymous wrote:For those of you enrolled in the school and arguing in this forum, know that you at least turned off this OOB Mom offered a spot to the school. We loved it on our visit. We aren't members of MOTH nor do we know current families at the school, so we turned to DCUM. We couldn't stomach knowing people like you were arguing about anything other than making sure all kids had a quality education, so we went with our other option.

If this is true then you are dumb. I don't know a dammed thing about Ludlow Taylor but would never take this board as a way of learning information. You do realize on an anonymous forum it could be the same 4 people arguing with each other? If you are new to the DCPS schooling song and dance you need a thicker skin and more discernment. If you are a veteran to this process then you just lack critical thinking skills. If you are a troll then good job! You got people to respond to your post- which is the goal of trolling, right?
Anonymous
Post 08/20/2014 05:08     Subject: Ludlow-Taylor getting a new a new Principal
Anonymous wrote:For those of you enrolled in the school and arguing in this forum, know that you at least turned off this OOB Mom offered a spot to the school. We loved it on our visit. We aren't members of MOTH nor do we know current families at the school, so we turned to DCUM. We couldn't stomach knowing people like you were arguing about anything other than making sure all kids had a quality education, so we went with our other option.


I call troll. If you were serious about L-T, you'd realize that most people posting here probably don't even know where the school is and have a political agenda (anti-neighborhood school). You probably suffer from the latter ailment as well. Your other "option" will be a let down, no doubt, assuming it ever existed.
Anonymous
Post 08/19/2014 23:06     Subject: Ludlow-Taylor getting a new a new Principal
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:^^ I'm so tired of hearing the Brent story. Brent got better because they do not have housing projects in their IB and because with the recession people could not afford private for a few years. It was not forward thinking parents/field of dreams shit.


Whatever you need to tell yourself. Your defensiveness reeks. Maybe learn something about the Brent Neighbors group and the people in it before you spout your theories.


NP here. I'm sure the "Brent Neighbors" are lovely. But if you are trying to make a comparison between the tiny Brent boundary (and Maury boundary for that matter) with no housing projects (and yes, we know about Ellen Wilson-- sorry, that's not Potomac Gardens by any stretch) and the boundaries for Payne, Tyler, Miner, Watkins…. well, whatever you need to tell yourself.


School improvement doesn't have anything to do with tiny boundaries or housing projects. Brent was improving in its culture and academic standards for all the kids in it when it was still a vast majority OOB students. Same students, different school culture, different leadership and active PTA support. The goal is "school improvement". Not "make school all inboundary students". Yes, much much easier to improve a smaller school, but isn't LT tiny?
Anonymous
Post 08/19/2014 22:54     Subject: Ludlow-Taylor getting a new a new Principal
For those of you enrolled in the school and arguing in this forum, know that you at least turned off this OOB Mom offered a spot to the school. We loved it on our visit. We aren't members of MOTH nor do we know current families at the school, so we turned to DCUM. We couldn't stomach knowing people like you were arguing about anything other than making sure all kids had a quality education, so we went with our other option.