Just a reminder that if you live in NE Seattle, we have a listserv that started a few months ago that is being used to help connect incoming families. We have a roster with over 30 families on it, and people are starting to arrange get-togethers. My daughter met a few new friends from other NE schools a few weeks ago at a local park and had a great time. We hope to arrange more events over the summer.
You can join the listserv and opt in to the roster or just contact me via the listserv if you'd like to be on the roster only.
While the original idea was to connect families who live near one another, I don't think the group would be opposed to expanding, particularly in the absence of other groups in other neighborhoods. Our roster can be sorted by address or school that you are transferring from, so it will still be easy to find people who live near you for carpooling etc.
That whole incident is baffling to me in that both sides handled the situation so badly and the child is the one who will now suffer.
Granted the teacher could have been a bit more sensitive about how she handled it, but I really doubt that it was racially motivated as Mudede has made it out to be.
Instead of just talking to the teacher, why do they have to bring it up with the media, lawyers etc...requiring 'proof' that the teacher was nauseated.
My child has spent many a day/time in the hallway, in another classroom etc...so the teacher could work with the 25+ other kids who aren't being disruptive. Do I ask for documentation that what my child did was so disruptive that the teacher couldn't teach? Nope. Do I make it out that the teacher doesn't like my child's religion (we're in the vast minority)? Nope. Could the teacher's handle the situation more sensitively? Sure. But at the end of the day, they have 25+ kids to teach and something my child does gets in the way. And it might be the teacher is having a bad day and has less patience...who knows.
I would like to know more as well. I'm troubled by the idea that a newspaper/blog person just runs to the keyboard instead of getting to the bottom of things. I'm also troubled by the impression that Charles has left many readers—that his daughter was kicked out of APP.
Charlie — saw your comment on Slog. You should know that unregistered commenters' posts often don't show up for registered commenters. All it says is "Unregistered Comment on June 4, 2010 at 10:32 AM" and then you have to click on it for it to appear.
In any case, I don't think it matters at this point. The official narrative is that a racist teacher pounced on a pretext to demote an African American to the non-APP program.
I'm a little disappointed in Mr. Mudede. When APP was in the throes of the split in the Fall of '08, I had hoped that he might use his platform to discuss the pros and cons of the split - coming from his unique perspective. Whether pro or con, I would have been interested in what he had to say; it would have either refuted the assertions of a vocal minority who favored the split or supported those who wished to keep the cohort intact for reasons not motivated by racism/classism.
How unfortunate that his only public discussion of the program that his child participates in has to do with this hair product allergy and perceived racism. It just smacks of one more jab at the "racist" APP program.
We don't know if the teacher/student/parents had a history of negative interactions prior to this, if the teacher had asked the student to stop wearing the product prior to the incident (some accounts suggest this), or if there was an APP classroom she could have been moved to instead of a Gen. Ed. class (some have said there is another APP class at the same grade), if the teacher has called attention to her allergies/chemical sensitivities or asked other students to stop using a product or leave the classroom. I'm all for rooting out racism where it exists, but I'm not ready to crucify this teacher without more info.
It sounds like the whole thing could have been better handled by all parties involved.
My child is going to Hamilton APP for 6th grade next year. He was doing 6th grade math in his Spectrum class which he found so easy that he just took the test without ever opening the book to do the homework. I want to make sure he is in the right level next year.
I just got a form from the District that says he should be at level 8? What do you all think? That would be the standard APP two years ahead. I just want to make sure he is in a class where he has to do the homework to ace the math tests. Any advice?
Just real advice not a rant on APP or that he should home school or take on line courses-just what class should he take at Hamilton? What are the curent offerings for incoming 6th graders for math? Can he take higher than level 8? Is there some test that will help figure out the right level for him? His WASL score was 99% but that doesn't give much info into where he should be placed.
Last year there was no math at Hamilton that was more than two years above (apparently there was a bit of a scandal about the district placement test that showed NOT ONE student qualifying for algebra in sixth grade, which most people think is bogus). No telling whether it will be different next year or not. He would have the chance at doing math team with Mr. Pounder, though, which is very much worth doing if he's that sort of kid. He's also likely to meet other students capable of working at the same level.
You might consider having him take the SAT or ACT. I also recommend the book _Developing Math Talent_, by Susan Assouline and Ann Lupkowski-Shoplik. What have his MAP scores been like?
270 MAP score is 99% of 10th grade (in the fall). How about using the option of the "Math contract"? According to the SPS website, you can ask to place your child one level above the assigned if there is space available. This would be Algebra 1.
Anonymous should definitely take the contract for her child. Not only would it be an appropriate placement, but it would evade further exposure to the CMP2 materials.
In light of the events at Thurgood Marshall, I'm surprised that no parents have mentioned the teacher's history and the negative effects that being in her class have had on their children for years to come. There are numerous stories out there regarding the teacher's worrisome well being. Do not just jump to conclusions that because Charles Mudede is her father, that it started out as being all about race relations. The girl was singled out, removed for the day, the principal was not informed, and no one called home until the weekend. At that point, everything unraveled... There needs to be accountability for teachers who remain in classrooms even though evidence shows that the children would be better served by a different teacher.
"In light of the events at Thurgood Marshall, I'm surprised that no parents have mentioned the teacher's history and the negative effects that being in her class have had on their children for years to come. There are numerous stories out there regarding the teacher's worrisome well being."
Next week, on Wednesday, June 16, from 4:00pm to 5:30pm, will be a Board Work Session on Advanced Learning.
Hopefully someone can go and report back on what is (or isn't) discussed. I can't make it, but would love to hear what the district is planning for APP...if anything.
One panelist says in part: Labeling a very young child as “gifted” and segregating him from his peers in a “gifted program” is unnecessary — as long as he has a good neighborhood school as an alternative. Children need to learn that hard work is more important than being born with a high IQ. Putting them in a “gifted” class sends the opposite message.
22 comments:
Just a reminder that if you live in NE Seattle, we have a listserv that started a few months ago that is being used to help connect incoming families. We have a roster with over 30 families on it, and people are starting to arrange get-togethers. My daughter met a few new friends from other NE schools a few weeks ago at a local park and had a great time. We hope to arrange more events over the summer.
You can join the listserv and opt in to the roster or just contact me via the listserv if you'd like to be on the roster only.
While the original idea was to connect families who live near one another, I don't think the group would be opposed to expanding, particularly in the absence of other groups in other neighborhoods. Our roster can be sorted by address or school that you are transferring from, so it will still be easy to find people who live near you for carpooling etc.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/APP_NE/
What's the deal with Charles Mudede, his daughter, her hair, APP at Thurgood Marshall and his accusations regarding the way his daughter was treated?
Charlie--
That whole incident is baffling to me in that both sides handled the situation so badly and the child is the one who will now suffer.
Granted the teacher could have been a bit more sensitive about how she handled it, but I really doubt that it was racially motivated as Mudede has made it out to be.
Instead of just talking to the teacher, why do they have to bring it up with the media, lawyers etc...requiring 'proof' that the teacher was nauseated.
My child has spent many a day/time in the hallway, in another classroom etc...so the teacher could work with the 25+ other kids who aren't being disruptive. Do I ask for documentation that what my child did was so disruptive that the teacher couldn't teach? Nope. Do I make it out that the teacher doesn't like my child's religion (we're in the vast minority)? Nope. Could the teacher's handle the situation more sensitively? Sure. But at the end of the day, they have 25+ kids to teach and something my child does gets in the way. And it might be the teacher is having a bad day and has less patience...who knows.
I would like to know more as well. I'm troubled by the idea that a newspaper/blog person just runs to the keyboard instead of getting to the bottom of things. I'm also troubled by the impression that Charles has left many readers—that his daughter was kicked out of APP.
Charlie — saw your comment on Slog. You should know that unregistered commenters' posts often don't show up for registered commenters. All it says is "Unregistered Comment on June 4, 2010 at 10:32 AM" and then you have to click on it for it to appear.
In any case, I don't think it matters at this point. The official narrative is that a racist teacher pounced on a pretext to demote an African American to the non-APP program.
I'm a little disappointed in Mr. Mudede. When APP was in the throes of the split in the Fall of '08, I had hoped that he might use his platform to discuss the pros and cons of the split - coming from his unique perspective. Whether pro or con, I would have been interested in what he had to say; it would have either refuted the assertions of a vocal minority who favored the split or supported those who wished to keep the cohort intact for reasons not motivated by racism/classism.
How unfortunate that his only public discussion of the program that his child participates in has to do with this hair product allergy and perceived racism. It just smacks of one more jab at the "racist" APP program.
We don't know if the teacher/student/parents had a history of negative interactions prior to this, if the teacher had asked the student to stop wearing the product prior to the incident (some accounts suggest this), or if there was an APP classroom she could have been moved to instead of a Gen. Ed. class (some have said there is another APP class at the same grade), if the teacher has called attention to her allergies/chemical sensitivities or asked other students to stop using a product or leave the classroom. I'm all for rooting out racism where it exists, but I'm not ready to crucify this teacher without more info.
It sounds like the whole thing could have been better handled by all parties involved.
Haven't seen him at a single school function this year.
And the Stranger has shown zero interest in SPS matters, aside from this matter.
Not true. Before this, the Stranger has shown interest in branding APP a bunch of whining elitists, if memory serves.
Come on Ben, surely you must be thinking about some other paper:
The Seattle Weekly?
http://www.seattleweekly.com/2010-03-24/news/affluent-kids-come-at-a-cost/
Maybe the Seattle Times?
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004051211_gifted04m.html
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2008532393_opin18sanders.html
Or the Seattle PI?
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/176577_garfield07.html
My child is going to Hamilton APP for 6th grade next year. He was doing 6th grade math in his Spectrum class which he found so easy that he just took the test without ever opening the book to do the homework. I want to make sure he is in the right level next year.
I just got a form from the District that says he should be at level 8? What do you all think? That would be the standard APP two years ahead. I just want to make sure he is in a class where he has to do the homework to ace the math tests. Any advice?
Just real advice not a rant on APP or that he should home school or take on line courses-just what class should he take at Hamilton? What are the curent offerings for incoming 6th graders for math? Can he take higher than level 8? Is there some test that will help figure out the right level for him? His WASL score was 99% but that doesn't give much info into where he should be placed.
Thanks.
Also is there a Hamilton APP Blog?
Thanks
Last year there was no math at Hamilton that was more than two years above (apparently there was a bit of a scandal about the district placement test that showed NOT ONE student qualifying for algebra in sixth grade, which most people think is bogus). No telling whether it will be different next year or not. He would have the chance at doing math team with Mr. Pounder, though, which is very much worth doing if he's that sort of kid. He's also likely to meet other students capable of working at the same level.
You might consider having him take the SAT or ACT. I also recommend the book _Developing Math Talent_, by Susan Assouline and Ann Lupkowski-Shoplik. What have his MAP scores been like?
Helen Schinske
If it helps at all, my APP child scored a 270 on the MAP and was placed in Math 8.
270 MAP score is 99% of 10th grade (in the fall). How about using the option of the "Math contract"? According to the SPS website, you can ask to place your child one level above the assigned if there is space available. This would be Algebra 1.
Anonymous should definitely take the contract for her child. Not only would it be an appropriate placement, but it would evade further exposure to the CMP2 materials.
Wondering if anyone saw this post in the NYT, and if so, what they thought.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/07/a-classical-education-back-to-the-future/?src=me&ref=general
In light of the events at Thurgood Marshall, I'm surprised that no parents have mentioned the teacher's history and the negative effects that being in her class have had on their children for years to come. There are numerous stories out there regarding the teacher's worrisome well being. Do not just jump to conclusions that because Charles Mudede is her father, that it started out as being all about race relations. The girl was singled out, removed for the day, the principal was not informed, and no one called home until the weekend. At that point, everything unraveled... There needs to be accountability for teachers who remain in classrooms even though evidence shows that the children would be better served by a different teacher.
"In light of the events at Thurgood Marshall, I'm surprised that no parents have mentioned the teacher's history and the negative effects that being in her class have had on their children for years to come. There are numerous stories out there regarding the teacher's worrisome well being."
Could you be slightly less vague, please?
Anonymous @ 11:01, do you have facts to bring to the table?
Cause that topic is all BSed out.
From saveseattleschools blog:
Next week, on Wednesday, June 16, from 4:00pm to 5:30pm, will be a Board Work Session on Advanced Learning.
Hopefully someone can go and report back on what is (or isn't) discussed. I can't make it, but would love to hear what the district is planning for APP...if anything.
Did anyone make it to the board work session on APP? Any info to share?
Interesting 'debate' on the NYT editorial blog site:
The Pitfalls in Identifying a Gifted Child.
One panelist says in part:
Labeling a very young child as “gifted” and segregating him from his peers in a “gifted program” is unnecessary — as long as he has a good neighborhood school as an alternative. Children need to learn that hard work is more important than being born with a high IQ. Putting them in a “gifted” class sends the opposite message.
That generated much discussion in the comments.
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