Briar Woods/Eagle Ridge

are people really narrow minded and naive enough to think that things like bullying or promiscuity are relagated to a particular school district?? COME ON. bullies are everywhere. sex is everywhere. drugs are everywhere. vandalism and petty crime are everywhere. bad administrators are everywhere. crappy teachers are everywhere. and---- GREAT teachers are everywhere. wonderful students are everywhere.

this thread has annoyed me for awhile. you can talk to 10 people in the same class and hear TEN DIFFERENT STORIES- and all are likely true, based on their PERCEPTION and experience. maybe if the school had 100 people in it, you could generalize and say "BWHS" is this or that way, but you can't do that with schools the size of ERMS and BWHS.

sure i am frustrated by how easy ERMS seemed for my son, and the concern that he will be behind his peers in schools that have a more challenging cirriculum, as a poster pointed out. that's the only valid point in this whole thread.

but the social aspect?? that's INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR, not district lines. that's who a kid chooses to hang out with and how he/she handles social situations, not a building. that's parental guidance on navigating the hell that is middle and high school life- not the job of teachers coaches and administrators! (they can supplement, but it's OUR JOB at home to prepare our kids for this.)

people are so quick to move blame from PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY to the school, the teachers, the admin- enough already. kids need to learn how to handle cliques, people who don't like them, bullies, teasing, and all of the other bad stuff in high school because guess what? it doesn't disappear when you become an adult!!! i know almost as many jackholes NOW as I did when i was teased and tormented in middle school. did my parents rescue me and change my school district?? NO- they made me stand up for myself, and build my confidence in spite of the hard times. did i stockpile weapons and shoot up my school? NO- i learned that sometimes people SUCK and you have to learn to deal with negative situations in life.

not teaching kids how to HANDLE difficult situations rather than sheltering and protecting or ignoring them only raises weak, soft, ill-prepared adults who have no idea how to deal with THE. REAL . WORLD. not the Mtv version- the actual real world where we are rejected, our feelings are hurt, unfair treatment happens, and life can SUCK. deal with it- good grief.

rant off.

PS- not judging anyone who HAS had to move their kid for certain circumstances- this is a general statement based on tyocial situations, not the extreme.

 

Where is my "Like" Button? You are spot on Redon. Thank you!

 

redon1 is a cyber bully!

 

Redon1~ I LOVE YOUR POST AND AGREEE WHOLE HEARTEDLY WITH EVERYTHING YOU SAID!!!

 

When I am reminded of teenagers is Ashburn, I like to recall the event at Beaverdam Reservoir last year.

 

Were those the party kids of BWHS, or the "fluent in German" kids of SBHS ?

 

:fight:

 

i have had so many positive interactions with teens from all over Ashburn: volunteers from the BWHS cheer squad and Loudoun Youth volunteers at Broradlands Live, watched about 7 young men from the BWHS varsity football team in a very respectful and polite interaction with an Ashburn business owner, teens stepping in to help a woman having car trouble in the safeway parking lot, and yes- the heoric actions of BWHS teens last year... we have a TON of great kid here. unfortunately a few lousy punks grab the "headlines". I swear I'm going start a website dedicated to the good things teens do around here...

 

I can be completely honest and say that for every good action one of us does there are two bad actions.

 

Redon, when your son is diagnosed with single episode depression - severe and attempts suicide directly because of the bullying, when you try to get help through the school and the safety and security officer and your son is then physically injured from the retaliation, we can then talk about having the strength to stand up against it. Believe me, I am not one that sits back and blames others and my children are strong. However bullying can be a lot stronger.

 

hence, my disclaimer about the extreme.

 

Andrew-
I'm guessing I might be a few years older than you and have been around and interacting with teens for several decades. My experience is that the truth is the exact opposite of what you state.
And when there are many incidents of "bad things" happening, it is the result of very few individuals doing it.

 

I have to disagree with you again. I interact with nearly every student at BWHS at least once on a weekly basis and know what goes on behind the scenes. The teens nowadays are much different than the ones you have interacted with in decades past. They value different things than teens did 20 years ago.

I can guarantee you that you have no idea 75% of the things that 'we' (hesitant to use that word) do on a nightly basis. If I am correct, you have 1-2 kids currently in high school, and I can tell you that they are not, from what I know, part of these activities. And once again, I can guarantee you that for every good Samaritan act one of 'us' does, there are two of 'us' out their doing things they shouldn't be doing, no matter how minor it is.

 

The BWHS Adminstrators are the most ineffectual and dispassionate group I have ever encountered (unless its Falcon Football). We as a community need to hold them to a higher standard, we need to demand it. Problem is they don't make themselves available. We should demand it. Unfortunately our school board rep is equally inaccessable.

 

If things are really as bad as people say and the teenagers are really this horrible, we collectively are the biggest bunch of smucks in all Loudoun County. We are upset that Openband takes our $$$ and gives us substandard service, yet give thousands of dollars to the school system that gives us a school that is on par with a prison. I'm confident we'll have a post talking about kids making shanks in metal shop.......

I have to disagree with Shim. In the last two months, I was able to sit with the Principle at BWHS for over an hour. True, he did not make himself available, but when I called and SCHEDULED a meeting, we were able to sit and talk.

 

Guessing easily over 1000 students at BWHS and you interact with most on a weekly basis?! Either you are the most social person EVER or this is BS.

Just an observation.

 

I sell food every study hall period to raise money for school functions. We go classroom to classroom where kids can buy snacks and drinks and 100% of the profit goes back to the school. The most we've sold in a single study hall period has been $1300, meaning we had about 1000 kids buy that day.

 

I am still skeptical. Are you a student? If so, I doubt that you have much time for true interaction in your 45-50 minute study hall period when actively selling your goodies. And I highly doubt teachers will allow you ample time to chat up the students while class is in session.

Also, I did a few things (very few) I am not proud when I was in school and not fer nuttin, I did go telling people who were not in my immediate circle of close friends what I did. I am sure you get some scoop, but I also bet you hear some stories 2nd, 3rd... hand but most of "those" stories are embellished or out right not true. YMMV

 

Yes, I am a student. Everybody has study hall at the same time for 90 minutes-- it is called FLEX. It is also when we have our assemblies, when kids can make up tests, etc.

You'd be surprised how dumb people are to post things publicly on twitter. I, or anyone, doesnt need to be close friends with a person to know what they are doing.

 

andrew you have some valid points but remember that people are far more likely to brag about breaking a rule or law than they are to crow about volunteering with charity, an act of kindness, doing something nice, etc.

maybe if people focused on their own behavior and stop thinking about what everyone around them if doing, the spoiled, entitled, self centered
"someone else is at fault" attitude that plagues ashburn will fade... adults as well as teens btw!!