| Author | Message | ||
     Debby |
I'm interested in finding out about people's first-hand experience with Seth Boyden Demonstration School. I visited yesterday, and met with Marilyn Davenport, and was very impressed. I'm giving it some strong consideration for my little one. | ||
| Nohero |
Debby - If it's not too personal, is your little one in any of the schools now? Also, what specific things were told to you by Ms. Davenport about Seth Boyden, in comparison to the other schools? | ||
| 3mom |
I have a child in Seth Boyden now and I am really happy with the school on the whole. It seems to me that each student in my child's class receives a lot of individual attention from the teacher as well as supporting staff, like the social worker, the music teacher, the librarian and nurse and gym teachers, etc. Many parents however seem to have had unrealistic expectations and are now disappointed. I believe that last year officials may have oversold the concept of the demonstration program, but nonetheless I think the program is off to a good start. | ||
| Cbbk |
Debby - I have two children in Seth Boyden. I have been there before the so called change and will be there after. I have seen the attitude of the teachers, staff and students change for the better, but as far as the teaching strategies to include multiple intelligences, not much has changed. Prior to the "change" most teachers used the center based teaching theory, now, most use the same strategies but some do not. A lot has to be said for the teachers and staff they are wonderful. My advice to you would be to really research the schools, observe a class or two if you are able, talk to other parents at the school, and also check out other schools, classes etc. Look for what will best fit your child. 3MOM- As I said before, I have been at SB before the change and will be there for awhile. I can only speak for myself, but I did not have unrealistic expectations of the changes to be made at SB. I expected my children to receive a quality education by incorporating various teaching and learning strategies, which, neither have changed or been implemented. I do agree that last year officials have oversold the concept, but regardless we as parents should see some results of basic changes. As a parent, I should not have to be at the school a majority of the time to ensure a quality education. This may not only be a result of the "changes" but is may be the result of a curriculum that needs adaptation to multiple intelligences. This has not been done. My overall feeling, Education is top priority! All of our children deserve the best education possible, but before anyone sends their children off to school, please do your own homework! | ||
| 3mom |
Cbbk -- do you feel you need to be at the school the majority of the time? What do you need to do there? My child is in kindergarten and Seth Boyden is my first experience with public school so I don't feel like I have alot to compare it to. I agree with you that parents should be seeing the results of basic changes -- I would be interested to know more specifically what you have observed. Thanks! | ||
| Cbbk |
3mom- When my oldest child (now in 5th grade) was in the 1st grade, he had problems with reading. He was passed on to the next grade. I had constant communication with teachers and project Ahead teachers with no change in his reading problem, I was basically told he was lazy. My child and I suffered through homework etc.After constant complaining that something wasn't right, because at the middle of third grade he still wasn't getting it, I had to continually complain and request testing to find out the problem. Low and behold, he has a learning disability. It was not until 4th grade he was classified and he is now in 5th grade and finally somewhat "getting it". I just had another experience with my 1st grader. My 1st grader just got a new teacher because his teacher left, this new teacher recommended him for project ahead for math (this is basic remedial help) she was only there 4 weeks. I went in asked who assessed him and on what, the administrators had the project ahead teacher assess him. Outcome he was fine in math, there was no need for the recommendation. I have seen substitutes in the kindergarten class make these kids cry. They have no control over the classes, and of course the children do take advantage of Substitutes but to make Kindergarten kids cry. They also have no training in the Multiple Intelligences. The math curriculum is based on Everyday Math (aka Chicago Math) Some children do well with this but if your child is having the slighest problem, forget it. There are no directions with the homework, and the homelinks also have no directions. Unless you are familiar with this curriculum many parents complain they can't help their children, there are no directions and no examples. By me being at the school, I am aware of different things going on at the school. Who my children are friends with, their friends know who I am and yes some do come to me if they have a problem. The teachers know me, and I know them. I try to keep open communication with the teachers to assist with my childrens education. Over the years I have seen and experienced many things with my children in school. Too many to list on this board. I do agree there has been changes, but my advice to newer parents, be very aware of what is going on in the classrooms, if your child is struggling, do not downplay the issue go in and find out what is going on and continue to be informed. Remember you are your child's advocate! Don't assume the school will always do what they are suppose to do. I learned the hard way. cbbk | ||
| Musicme |
cbbk, and Debbie As a parent with 3 kids in SB, (new to the school this year) I am grateful that my spouse has been able to spend time in the school. Parents' involvement spans the range of nearly full-time to non-existent, based upon time available and interest level. The school continues to struggle with available resources and staffing issues AS DOES ANY SCHOOL ( i don't know how to bold so sorry if I shout). Realize that SB started a bit behind the curve as far as resources that the town committed to the school through the years. The effort to make it a Demonstration School have helped to narrow the gap, but an active interest by the parents will help their children anywhere. We had our own reasons for moving 3 children out of Tuscan to Seth Boyden. People can be drawn to an "alternative experience" for many reasons. The results we've seen so far have been positive. | ||
| Lisat |
Debby, I too was going to ask on the board for people's personal experience with Seth Boyden. In September I called 14 people (friends of friends who have children there). I received generally positive reactions but some cautioned me not to expect that all I'd heard (multiple intelligences, integrated curriculum, etc.) was true. I plan to call them in March to see if their feelings have changed. Go to classes if you can, but I find speaking to parents to be one of the best ways to gauge a school. Here are some questions I wish I'd asked before my son started out (at a different elementary school than Seth Boyden): Do the teachers yell? (I assumed they didn't but discovered they did. Don't believe administrators, speak to parents.) How do the teachers discipline the students? Are entire classes punished by having a special (music/art/gym) taken away? Do they place marbles in a jar for good class behavior and reward the class when the marbles reach a certain level? Do they also removed marbles and encourage the class to blame a particular child? Are parents allowed to volunteer? Can they volunteer in the classrooms? (From what I've heard from parents and SB administrators is that Seth Boyden really welcomes parents in the classroom. The school my child goes to said they did, but when I offered to do anything, e.g., bulletin boards, photocopying, reading, etc. for the teacher one day a week every week (even though I work a full-time but flexible job) I was told she didn't need me. How are the different levels of abilities handled in the lower grades? If they tell you that they take a child from wherever he is and bring him forward... Ask them how. How much do teachers rely on worksheets vs. hands-on activities? How often do they go outside during recess? One of our teachers wouldn't go out if it was colder than 50 degrees. Are you allowed to request a certain teacher? If not, is there a way to request a type of teacher, e.g., nurturing, energetic? In speaking to people (including administrators) it seems excellence isn't across the board anywhere. It's teacher by teacher. You really do have to be your child's advocate. If you think the teacher isn't assessing your child properly, do something about it. In our case, we had our child tested at our own expense and even then it took 1 and 1/2 years for the school to assess him correctly. Never assume they know your child better than you do. But you may have to do some research, etc., to advocate well for your child. Good luck, Debby. | ||
| Jham |
We have two kids at Seth Boyden (1st grade and 4th grade) beginning this year and so far the experience has been very postive. | ||
| Mck |
musicme: "Realize that SB started a bit behind the curve as far as resources that the town committed to the school through the years. The effort to make it a Demonstration School have helped to narrow the gap..." Are you trying to say that the District spent less money on SB than the other elementary schools? AS far as i know that is not true, and could be a divisive thing to say in this public forum. In fact, SB was the 1st school to be wired, as the "Technology School", and the first school to get a new cafeteria. It would be against all Board policy, and probably illegal, to spend less on one school than another. The school was crowded, yes: because a lot of kids were moving into the neighborhood. The classes were compliant with class size policy. Ralph Lieber once made a pitch to spend more money on SB because, as he said, the equal resources spent there turn out to be non-equal if the academic results are not equal. He actually suggested a demo school of some sort, but the parents didn't go for that idea. The bad old Board was irresponsible and undoubtedly ignored the poor performance of the school, but mostly out of ideological perversity, in my opinion. | ||
| Musicme |
Mck I'm not trying to throw dirt in anyone's face and far be it from me to suggest that South Mountain has the same resources as SB. Maybe it's the PTA, maybe it's a little pot 'o gold that was found in the reservation... Go and look at the two schools yourself. I would never try to raise any divisive thoughts on this board.... Did the board spend more on one school than another? Traditionally or just in the last few years? First school to be wired. Do the wires make it all the way to the portables? Cafeteria? the only two I know are Tuscan and SB. I know which is smaller. Look, I like the school, I also liked Tuscan. I know the district is in trouble, I know the scores aren't what I would like them to be. But face reality Mck, there are disparities. We're trying to address them through aggresive parent assistance. See the SB Poetry corner. See the Tutoring program. The school paper. Not on the town's dime. | ||
| Mck |
Musicme: I think you misinterpreted my post, and now I really DO think that your insinuations are divisive, and wrong. Enough said. | ||
| Musicme |
Mck I had my follow up post all typed up to send, but it's just not worth the vitriol. If I misinterpreted your post, sorry. I'll think what I do and you can think what you want. It's not worth yet another round of slug-fest, here on the board. | ||
| Ffof |
Musicme: I'm sorry, but the "poor SB" sob story just isn't cutting it. Re: "Do the wires make it all the way to the portables?" Marshall has had portables for at least 6 years now. "Cafeteria" Guess what, Marshall doesn't even have one nor does it have an auditorium (it's a combination lunchroom/auditorium/and sometimes gym- NOT optimal) The point here is that each school could probably find something that they don't have but that another school does have and I don't believe it's been a game of favoritism from the BOE. I have no doubt you have seen disparities with the "extras" that come from parent involvement. If one of the positives of the Demonstration School has been increased parent involvement, then that's a good thing but not something to blame on the rest of the elementary community. | ||
| Spw784 |
Lisat: Can I ask , what school you are comparing to SB? musicme: Just wondering, how did South Mtn, all of a sudden, get involved with the SB debate? Yes, SB was the first "wired" school, etc... and South Mtn does have a very active PTA . | ||
| Lisat |
Spw784, For the sake of anonymity, I won't say which school my son attends. And from conversations with friends, it seems my son's school is not the ony one with drawbacks. Teachers (or other staff) yelling at students, homework that's difficult for parents to understand because of missing, contradictory, or confusing instructions, not being welcome as a volunteer in the classroom, teaching to the middle, misassessing abilities, etc., seems to take place in schools other than the one we're in. But some of these situations do vary by school or by individual teacher. Of course, certain aspects of our school are unique and wonderful including 2 staff members we've met. And we're feeling better since the school now has a more accurate picture of our son and has promised more appropriate lessons. That said, I do believe people should start researching all their options before their children are 4 years old so they can make informed decisions. Plus, certain paths require more lead time. Although we researched the different public schools in Manhattan and Maplewood, we're now even looking into private schools. It's against almost everything I believe in. But our frustrations with our son's school forced me into doing the research. And we're asking grandparents whether they can help financially. Plus, we're still researching SB and liking some of what we hear. One positive is that when they say parents are welcome, they really mean it. A number of people have told us that they volunteer in the classroom. (Silly me to have assumed that all schools would welcome the extra help. I understand that in some states, parents are actually prohibited from volunteering in their own child's classroom but can volunteer in another. If our son winds up in private school, we'll be too busy working to pay for it to be able to volunteer.) And we may stay where we are because there's something to be said for continuity. Also, we're finally figuring out the system and how to get a better education for our son within the system. Too bad we've been such slow learners. | ||
| Spw784 |
One problem schools may have about volunteering in the classroom is confidentiality & privacy . Ex: Johnny's mom is helping out in Mrs. Smith's classroom and hears / sees things in the classroom in regards to other students. Her jogging partner's child is also in the class and gets a time out for throwing a pencil across the room (a safety issue).. Some times Johnnys mom, may go home and tell her friend, "did you know what your son did today?" or, "Did you know that child ABC or XYZ doesn't know how to do fractions, division, adding, etc. . ? If parents are volunteering in the classroom, they have to understand that information they may hear is expected to not leave the classroom. If parents want to volunteer, there are other , less restrictive (with fewer privacy "rules") places throughout the building: lunch program, library, PTA., etc. contact me offline, and maybe we can chat about this. spw784@aol.com | ||
| Manley |
My kids went to Seth Boyden before it was a demonstration school.The teachers were wonderful.There are only 20 students left from my sons kindergarten class who attend Columbia.These 11th graders are some of the nicest and smartest kids at Columbia.My daughter is in the 8th grade and we played the game "which school will she attend this year". Lisat: The teaching staff has changed by 60% in the last 5 years.As the teachers become more comfortable and experienced, this district will take off.In order for a good teacher to become a great teacher in takes about 5 to 10 years.Hang in there. |
