The "More" Child

If Eastern Middle School parents didn’t know they were being had before, they do now. The letter promised by Community Superintendent Heath Morrison with the “solution” alluded to by Jerry Weast was sent out in backpacks and via snailmail and posted to school listservs today.  It’s also posted on the Eastern home page where it is available for download in English and Spanish. But I’m posting it here too:

Dear Members of the Eastern Middle School Community:

The purpose of this letter is to ask for your input as we gather data about the viability of a plan for a voluntary after school program at Eastern Middle School.

Since the decision was taken to return our school to a seven period day for the 2009-2010 school year, our Community Superintendent, Dr. Morrison, and I have been working to identify ways in which we could support increased choices for students transitioning from the current structure to our new schedule.

One promising idea would be to offer an eighth class to students who would volunteer to add a course after school. The class would meet Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 2:47 until 4:10, after which students would have access to the activity buses to return home. Three days of the 83 minute classes provide approximately the same instructional time as five days of 50 minute classes.

Before we can go forward with planning such an offering, I need your help. One size never fits all, and this program will certainly not meet the needs of every student. On the other hand, if it will provide a workable alternative choice for enough students to put a class or two together, Dr. Morrison and I would like to try to make it happen.

The data I need to collect reflect your interest in enrolling your child in an additional class after school. If you are not interested in this option, it is not necessary to reply to this letter. If you are interested in your child’s participation in this program, please fill out the attached form and return it to Eastern. The deadline for your response is Tuesday, April 14, 2009. Depending on interest from students we will be able to determine if it is possible to offer this eighth period.

I know you may have questions about this proposal. We have planned a meeting to talk about this idea on Monday, March 30, from 7:00 until 8:00 PM in the Eastern Middle School cafeteria. Language facilitation will be available for Spanish speakers. You are invited to come out to ask questions that might help you decide if you are interested in participating.

Your response is vital to our capacity to make plans that suit the needs of our community. Thanks for your thoughtful input.

Respectfully,

Charlotte Chakan Boucher

Principal

Eastern Middle School

This is followed by an Optional Eighth Class Interest Response Form which asks parents to indicate:

______ Our family is interested in adding an after school class three days a week for our child’s schedule next year. If this possibility becomes a reality, we understand that the additional class might meet during the school day with one of his/her other classes meeting after school.

We have already selected 7 classes for our child. The class we would choose to add to our child’s schedule is:_________.

If you are not interested in this option, it is not necessary to return this form. If you are interested in this option, please return this form to the Counseling Office at Eastern Middle School no later than April 14, 2009.

So the “solution” being proposed is that kids opting into this schedule would for three days each week, be spending 8 hours daily in school — and with the long morning and afternoon commutes, this would really mean at least 10.5 hours daily, possibly walking home or taking public transportation.  They would be giving up other after school activities such as participating in sports, Scouts, drama, clubs.  Remember, these are 11, 12 and 13 year old kids with a challenging homework workload.  (And that “flex” class might not be an elective.  Think Algebra.) Teachers would presumably be paid to teach these classes (possibly some who otherwise lead school clubs–meaning kids in those clubs would lose out).  Buses would have to be arranged.  And yet absolutely no costing out has been done by MCPS on what it would take to compensate teachers and keep the 8 period schedule.  Instead they make the argument that the up county Clemente Magnet “successfully operates” its music program for Humanities students on a 8 period schedule–overlooking the fact that the Clemente music teacher provides instruction without pay during her lunch period and after school.  Also left unaddressed is the issue of shorter class periods and the impact of that on magnet instruction.  The inability to take classes at Blair. And the simple fact that parents were given absolutely no heads up when they applied to the program (unlike Loiederman) that the schedule could change midstream.

Rightly, parents are wondering if this proposed “flex” period is a bone being thrown to them–with the knowledge that most probably won’t want their kids at school until 4 p.m. and they’ll pass on it. Then, MCPS can say, “Well, we tried to give you what you wanted.”

I’d throw it back.