Would you force your happy kid to switch to private from FCPS.

[Anonymous]

I have a very happy social sixth grade son. He is a solid student, is part of student council, plays multiple sports, has lots of friends and all around good kid. We have not been happy with FCPS since Covid. There is little learning happening in the class, especially in language arts. I don’t think DS has progressed much since before Covid.

He is adamant that he does not want to switch schools and leave his friends.

Would you force him to switch?

I know he will make new friends immediately. We would like him to switch and can always return back to public.

Would you switch to private if you could easily afford it?

We have a seven figure income and can afford tuition.

[Anonymous]

Is there a school where he knows someone?

[Anonymous]

No

Compromise- he goes to fancy boarding school or college summer programs for enrichment

[Anonymous]

No

[Anonymous]

No. Supplement if you really feel that’s necessary. Otherwise, would not create trouble.

[Anonymous]

Don't force a kid to switch - that's a recipe for the kid to hate it. If you have disposable income, spend it on good summer programs, supplementing curriculum etc. Why would you even want to switch?

As a family that had one in public and one in private, I can tell you there are good things about each the most important factor for us in picking a school was the kids' happiness and success. Unless your kid is struggling I would not move.

[Anonymous]

No
But you could have some leverage ... what enrichment/academic effort/goals would you like to see from him? Maybe there are ways: 1) for you to feel more at peace staying where he is, while 2) putting a small amount of increased pressure on him to meet some worthy goals.

[Anonymous]

A hard No.

And , Fwiw, the grass isn't always greener.

[Anonymous]

Take advantage of supplemental academic programs and summer enrichment programs. Or serious foreign language classes for kids at the Goethe-Institut DC or Alliance Française DC.

[Anonymous]

^ And stick with the public schools.

[Anonymous]

Psychologist here- if he’s happy do not force him to switch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't force a kid to switch - that's a recipe for the kid to hate it. If you have disposable income, spend it on good summer programs, supplementing curriculum etc. Why would you even want to switch?

As a family that had one in public and one in private, I can tell you there are good things about each the most important factor for us in picking a school was the kids' happiness and success. Unless your kid is struggling I would not move.

+1

The better non-public schools have all finished their admissions cycle by now so unless you went through that process and just found out that he got off the waiting list somewhere great, I wouldn't trade a solid FCPS middle school for a mediocre private or parochial school. From his perspective, the adjustment to middle school is hard enough when friends will be there; switching to a new school for 7th grade would be pretty scary, especially if it's a last minute move.

If you want to switch him for high school, that would be a different matter and it's something you could start getting him on board with now and give him time to acclimate to the idea. Friendships adjust and shift in middle school so he might be ready for a change in another year or two.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't force a kid to switch - that's a recipe for the kid to hate it. If you have disposable income, spend it on good summer programs, supplementing curriculum etc. Why would you even want to switch?

As a family that had one in public and one in private, I can tell you there are good things about each the most important factor for us in picking a school was the kids' happiness and success. Unless your kid is struggling I would not move.

+1

The better non-public schools have all finished their admissions cycle by now so unless you went through that process and just found out that he got off the waiting list somewhere great, I wouldn't trade a solid FCPS middle school for a mediocre private or parochial school. From his perspective, the adjustment to middle school is hard enough when friends will be there; switching to a new school for 7th grade would be pretty scary, especially if it's a last minute move.

If you want to switch him for high school, that would be a different matter and it's something you could start getting him on board with now and give him time to acclimate to the idea. Friendships adjust and shift in middle school so he might be ready for a change in another year or two.

DP. That sounds like good advice to me. There is a shift in friendships. And, you may see a change in the academics in the middle school, too.

[Anonymous]

Absolutely not. You are about to go to middle school where opportunities to do all sorts of extras exist. Honors classes, clubs, writing for the newspaper, etc. A happy teenager is a gift--don't rock that boat.

[Anonymous]

Why did you post this again? I already responded.