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Well, my home in So. Cal is finally in escrow after 6 mos. on the market and several price drops. Unfortunately, I am contractually bound to remain here until the end of the school year. However, I know spring will come sooner than I anticipate (when many teaching openings for the next school year are posted). We are planning on moving to Cary and I would like my drive to work to be 30 minutes or less.
Are there any Wake County High School teachers willing to suggest great high schools?
My definition of great: parent involvement, small english learner population, teacher collaboration, good class sizes (35 or less), and supportive staff.
I'm a student at Green Hope High. Green Hope High School Online . It's on the border of Cary and Morrisville. It's the top public high school in the county (and one of only three high schools in the whole state to get the School of Excellence award.) Panther Creek High just opened last year a few miles away so they may have openings.
So there's great academics, class size less than 35; can't say much about the rest.
Well, my home in So. Cal is finally in escrow after 6 mos. on the market and several price drops. Unfortunately, I am contractually bound to remain here until the end of the school year. However, I know spring will come sooner than I anticipate (when many teaching openings for the next school year are posted). We are planning on moving to Cary and I would like my drive to work to be 30 minutes or less.
Are there any Wake County High School teachers willing to suggest great high schools?
My definition of great: parent involvement, small english learner population, teacher collaboration, good class sizes (35 or less), and supportive staff.
Thank you for your help.
You may want to rethink your moving here. We have many international students in the area....yes, some illegal, many who are not.
If you don't want ESL students, move somewhere else, because even Chapel Hill has them.
Why is "small English learner population" part of the definition of a great school?
It meets my requirements for a great school. I knew that if I didn't list my specific requirements, I would get the question "what makes a great school?". I was trying to be specific.
It is my requirement because I have taught in an area for several years and watched the English learner population quadruple. It places a large strain on teachers when administrators place nearly all their emphasis on how this sub-group performs on state tests and ignores the rest.
You may want to rethink your moving here. We have many international students in the area....yes, some illegal, many who are not.
If you don't want ESL students, move somewhere else, because even Chapel Hill has them.
I didn't say that I didn't want them (ESL students). I do not want the population that I currently have. We have ESL students that have been in California since elementary school and are still not even remotely close to fluency. Perhaps it is the entire school system here that is at fault, but it is hard to perform miracles when the ESL population doubles each year and the teachers rarely see a bilingual aide.
Oh, and this wasn't intended to be a debate about ESL students or immigrants (that is a different forum). I was asking a very specific question and I am sorry if you thought it was necessary to add your two cents without considering the question I was asking.
You specified that you want a "small English learner population." You're not against ESL students, but that stands for English as a second language. Something doesn't add up...
This area is home to an international community, and as I teacher I LOVE that about Wake County. That was one feature that attracted me to this area.
I have students from all over the world, and I have great respect for their cultures. I would hope that any teacher would feel the same.
I didn't say that I didn't want them (ESL students). I do not want the population that I currently have. We have ESL students that have been in California since elementary school and are still not even remotely close to fluency. Perhaps it is the entire school system here that is at fault, but it is hard to perform miracles when the ESL population doubles each year and the teachers rarely see a bilingual aide.
Oh, and this wasn't intended to be a debate about ESL students or immigrants (that is a different forum). I was asking a very specific question and I am sorry if you thought it was necessary to add your two cents without considering the question I was asking.
I did consider the question you were asking. The schools in the Triangle have a sizeable ESL student population. If you don't like that, then you need to look elsewhere because you aren't going to avoid it.
I will note that most ESL students do have a degree of fluency after a year or so in our schools. My daughter has been through classes with students that started the year with no or limited english and they all were speaking well enough by the end of the year (each to their own degree). This was not only students from Mexico, but also India, Iraq, West Africa and France.
You specified that you want a "small English learner population." You're not against ESL students, but that stands for English as a second language. Something doesn't add up...
This area is home to an international community, and as I teacher I LOVE that about Wake County. That was one feature that attracted me to this area.
I have students from all over the world, and I have great respect for their cultures. I would hope that any teacher would feel the same.
No kidding that something 'doesn't add up'. I love the fact that there are folks from so many areas here. I like that I can go to a public place and here Spanish, Hindi, Arabic, French...heck, the other day there were two older ladies speaking Gaelic at the dog park!! (They had just met, both speak perfect English, but were so excited to find someone that spoke their native language!)
Fedup, there really are no schools like that in Wake County. You need to understand that Wake County schools divides up populations based on income and sends them all over the county. You will find a sizeable ESL population in every school in Wake County, and that is their goal: to NOT have them concentrated in certain schools or areas. Even if there IS one today, it won't stay that way for long as Wake County is constantly shifting their student populations from one school to another to maintain that balance.
I doubt you will find much difference in population size of ESL students in any of the other surrounding county's schools. This is a HUGE immigrant area, as others have already said, from all over the world due to the many Universities in the area, the standard of living, access to affordable housing and access to jobs.
If you really want mostly English speaking students, you will have to look at private high schools and maybe charter schools like Raleigh Charter High School.
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