Re: The Potomac School in Mclean
Posted by:
Moving to private school
()
Date: March 19, 2011 09:24AM
Some APs are power mongers who run their departments like fiefdoms. The Principal doesn't appear to have the guts to rein them in. I've heard from those inside the school that his main concern is managing up, not down, and so it seems that things are getting out of control. Teachers who wouldn't last a year at another school in the county seem to find a home here (parents letters can fill a folder, but nothing is done), and if your child happens to end up with one, good luck getting any support without bringing in the big guns. Instead of helping a child, they will build a case against him/her just to protect the teacher - in a resource scarce environment, that is complete waste. The school has a reputation among those in the educational community for not giving support to students when they need it.Teachers can bully with no consequence regardless of the harm done. Certain situations have been going on for years! Same goes for coaches -- they can demean, degrade, humiliate and drive a kid away from a sport -- again with no recourse. To be fair, though, that seems to be the way of the Northern Region, not just LBSS.
All in all, these folks preach character education to the kids, put it on their billboards, but don't model it themselves. The kids see right through it. It's interesting, too, how this all fits w/ the zero tolerance policies. THat situation is out of control based on what I've read, but at the same time, my children are well aware of kids getting baked before school, before practice etc. very near to school grounds. If you are a good athlete, heads turn the other way. If not, you're in trouble. It's hard to raise honorable teenagers in that environment.
There are many good teachers and great staff at LBSS. Our own AP is good. I know from some inside the school that they, too, suffer from the effects of poor leadership. THe school used to be in the top 100 in the country, but no more.