I chose this school because everyone in my community used to rave about it.
Let's start from the beginning: my son started in kindergarten and things seemed okay-ish. But once he hit first grade, red flags started waving like it was a parade. I noticed his entire class was filled with kids of color -- which in itself is fine -- but then on a field trip, I saw another class (shoutout to Mrs. Vanderholt's class) that was almost exclusively white. It was awkwardly obvious. I asked his teacher why the classes looked segregated. She hit me with a shrug.
Now, about that field trip. While I was waiting for my son to come out of the restroom, I overheard a teacher (shout out again to the same teacher) ask, "Is he blaaaack?!" when a staff member reported a kid playing in the bathroom. The staff member looked like they were still in high school and clearly had no clue how to respond. The teacher then stormed into the restroom and screamed the child's name like she was summoning a demon. That poor boy -- I have no idea what he goes through daily, but if that was her "public field trip" voice, I shudder to think about her "classroom voice."
Then came the conferences. I use the word conferences loosely because they were about as helpful as a screen door on a submarine. The teacher-to-student ratio? A joke. And apparently, speaking above a whisper is now a felony. My son came home saying they played a game called "Cemetery" -- where kids pretend to be dead... by staying silent. Yep. That's the actual game. Can't make this up. And no, I didn't teach him that, nor does anyone in our home play "funeral-themed" games for fun.
Oh, and to add insult to injury: I once recommended this school to a friend whose child was literally reading at 2 years old. She drove 40 minutes just to enroll him here. What did the school do with her little prodigy? The conferences considered him "average"-- He's now 9, reading at an eighth-grade level, and crushing math. So unless their problem was "he's too smart for us," I don't get it. Maybe his skin and hair didn't fit the school's unspoken criteria.
Bottom line: If you're considering this school -- RUN. I wanted to believe in Copperwood. I truly did. But between the weirdly segregated classes, tone-deaf teachers, useless conferences, and "play dead" games, I don't recommend. Although, the librarian there is PHENOMENAL!!!! Talk about a spunky, sweet soul! He helps with pick up and drop off every morning and truly set my day up for success! shot out to MR. R! read more