If you are a HCES parent are you happy right now? I am not but wonder if it is just me - most of the families I am friendly with are happy enough. Upper elem fwiw.
op - I also have an 8th grader! Things are good in the HS. Dc is lonely and doesn’t love the remote days but is learning. my upper elem is learning maybe 1/4 of what I would expect them to learn! They have put these kids in pods and the teachers are running around teaching the same thing 3 times. So dc has multiple periods of “independent work”. I wish the 54k for private was not something we had to think about...
@anonymous Agree about the HS. DC misses friends terribly and is not as motivated, but the standards of teaching/learning are still high. It sounds like the ES in general has suffered more in this. Hang in there. Your DC will soon be in the HS and the majority of kids are going to need some catching up after this hellacious year.
I have a kid in HCES. I've pretty much given up on DC learning anything this year. They are learning fractions and decimals in math, which they did last year, and there was a pointless "poetry" special with a cruel teacher that was like pulling teeth for my DC. We can't afford private, so I just tell myself this is the best NYC public education. Teachers seem unhappy and passionless.
@anonymous I hate to be specific, but Ms M. She borders on sadistic, and several kids have cried and have been humiliated in front of the whole class for minor mistakes. Many, many parents have complained to no avail. I would advise your DC to keep his/her head down and just try to do the work EXACTLY as she instructs.
It's not just you - we are miserable in the ES this year as well. It's December and nothing new has been introduced in the curriculum. If you dare to ask a teacher why something happened, you are spoken down to. I tried to make an official complaint and wasn't even given the courtesy of an answer as to what exactly is going on. Several families have bailed for private school or different state altogether. I'm so sad as is my child.
Adding to this that if you ask other parents why they don't say something, many will tell you it's out of fear of retaliation from the teachers. So many teachers have been rude to the kids in many different ways - but everyone is afraid to say anything. It's a mess.
@anonymous we can't afford private, no way to do it, it just isn't an option. My kid loves his friends at school and has had a great experience up to now. I really hope we can muddle through the rest of this year and that next year brings back the school we knew.
Today I spoke to a 4th grade parent and a separate 6th grade parent who mentioned being afraid of retaliation. I think 1st grade is the one class mostly united.
The other DOE elementary schools are not going full time five days. They are now *allowed to* go full time, if they have the space and the staffing to do so while still meeting de-density requirements. But very few schools fit that bill.
I'm sure I'll be bombarded with emails from PSC, but I think it should happen. They will make covid testing mandatory, but I'm fine with that, as should any parent who is opting for in person instruction.
Was just talking to a friend about this - there is such deep unhappiness with some administrative decisions. They just feel rattled to the core, and wonder why the administration is treating people so poorly -- unnecessarily so.
What kind of administrative decisions are affecting the parents? Isn't it mainly the teachers who are unhappy with the administration? (just curious, no horse in this race, I'm a HCHS parent)
Reassigning teachers and shuffling pods mid-year so the kids are all upset (in particular the very young ones). There are never any schedules given ahead of time - wouldn't they already have planned for remote days? It seems they haven't because every time there is a switch to remote, we don't find out the day's schedule until about 10pm the night before. Even the fully remote students!
@Anonymous Agree that shuffling teachers/pods is odd if there was no reason to do it (it wasn't to balance out the # of kids who are remote/in person? that would make sense...).
As far as schedule - isn't it a regular school day? My remote 4th grader gets his daily schedule at the 8:40am morning meeting every day. I don't know why I'd need to know anything about it the day before.
What specifically are you unhappy with? Is it mostly an issue with remote learning? HS parent here (8th grade).
op - I also have an 8th grader! Things are good in the HS. Dc is lonely and doesn’t love the remote days but is learning. my upper elem is learning maybe 1/4 of what I would expect them to learn! They have put these kids in pods and the teachers are running around teaching the same thing 3 times. So dc has multiple periods of “independent work”. I wish the 54k for private was not something we had to think about...
@anonymous Agree about the HS. DC misses friends terribly and is not as motivated, but the standards of teaching/learning are still high. It sounds like the ES in general has suffered more in this. Hang in there. Your DC will soon be in the HS and the majority of kids are going to need some catching up after this hellacious year.
I have a kid in HCES. I've pretty much given up on DC learning anything this year. They are learning fractions and decimals in math, which they did last year, and there was a pointless "poetry" special with a cruel teacher that was like pulling teeth for my DC. We can't afford private, so I just tell myself this is the best NYC public education. Teachers seem unhappy and passionless.
Who was the poetry teacher? I think my dc has her this quarter!
@anonymous I hate to be specific, but Ms M. She borders on sadistic, and several kids have cried and have been humiliated in front of the whole class for minor mistakes. Many, many parents have complained to no avail. I would advise your DC to keep his/her head down and just try to do the work EXACTLY as she instructs.
Not Mrs M (4th grade and beloved) but the learning specialist right?
It's not just you - we are miserable in the ES this year as well. It's December and nothing new has been introduced in the curriculum. If you dare to ask a teacher why something happened, you are spoken down to. I tried to make an official complaint and wasn't even given the courtesy of an answer as to what exactly is going on. Several families have bailed for private school or different state altogether. I'm so sad as is my child.
I wish we could bail. I would do private in a heart beat if 54k was not am issue. We can do it butbwith sacrifices.
Adding to this that if you ask other parents why they don't say something, many will tell you it's out of fear of retaliation from the teachers. So many teachers have been rude to the kids in many different ways - but everyone is afraid to say anything. It's a mess.
@anonymous we can't afford private, no way to do it, it just isn't an option. My kid loves his friends at school and has had a great experience up to now. I really hope we can muddle through the rest of this year and that next year brings back the school we knew.
I don't know if people are "afraid" to say anything. Certainly the current first grade class parents have been very vocal, which is a good thing.
That is the one grade that seems united. The current 4th is definitely not united.
Today I spoke to a 4th grade parent and a separate 6th grade parent who mentioned being afraid of retaliation. I think 1st grade is the one class mostly united.
Can you imagine being in 3rd that would be the worst! I have heard from really unhappy parents in that grade.
HCES needs to go full time in person 5 days a week, just like the other DOE elementary schools.
Ha! Have you been under a rock? our union may not even allow the 4 we had!
The other DOE elementary schools are not going full time five days. They are now *allowed to* go full time, if they have the space and the staffing to do so while still meeting de-density requirements. But very few schools fit that bill.
@a nonymous Agree. My question is how will this affect the kids who are still 100% remote?
I'm sure I'll be bombarded with emails from PSC, but I think it should happen. They will make covid testing mandatory, but I'm fine with that, as should any parent who is opting for in person instruction.
Was just talking to a friend about this - there is such deep unhappiness with some administrative decisions. They just feel rattled to the core, and wonder why the administration is treating people so poorly -- unnecessarily so.
What kind of administrative decisions are affecting the parents? Isn't it mainly the teachers who are unhappy with the administration? (just curious, no horse in this race, I'm a HCHS parent)
Reassigning teachers and shuffling pods mid-year so the kids are all upset (in particular the very young ones). There are never any schedules given ahead of time - wouldn't they already have planned for remote days? It seems they haven't because every time there is a switch to remote, we don't find out the day's schedule until about 10pm the night before. Even the fully remote students!
@Anonymous Agree that shuffling teachers/pods is odd if there was no reason to do it (it wasn't to balance out the # of kids who are remote/in person? that would make sense...).
As far as schedule - isn't it a regular school day? My remote 4th grader gets his daily schedule at the 8:40am morning meeting every day. I don't know why I'd need to know anything about it the day before.