GDS - What do you love about HS, what do you wish was a little different?

[Anonymous]

DD is excited to attend but also wants to have a realistic view.

[Anonymous]

Hopefully your kid at GDS is more committed to research than you are considering the numerous threads on various forms of this question.

[Anonymous]

NP. Hope you don't have a child there. Why so rude?

[Anonymous]

The teachers are great and really know the kids. Kids are held to a high standard, but GDS maintains an atmosphere that is lighter and more fun than at some other area schools. Kids are valued for who they are. Some kids are gunning for Harvard from day one, but many more are not. Arts programs are strong, as are Debate and Model UN. Great writing instruction. I wish the college admissions process was a little more transparent and less based on the assumption that all parents are unreasonable, but the CC office does a great job and helps kids find their best outcome. I sometimes wished they pushed the less motivated kids a bit more, but they put the kids’ happiness first. They don’t try to turn the laid back kids into the more driven kids, rather, they let them find their path at their own pace. The influx of new kids at 9th is a needed breath of fresh air. It’s a nice place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The teachers are great and really know the kids. Kids are held to a high standard, but GDS maintains an atmosphere that is lighter and more fun than at some other area schools. Kids are valued for who they are. Some kids are gunning for Harvard from day one, but many more are not. Arts programs are strong, as are Debate and Model UN. Great writing instruction. I wish the college admissions process was a little more transparent and less based on the assumption that all parents are unreasonable, but the CC office does a great job and helps kids find their best outcome. I sometimes wished they pushed the less motivated kids a bit more, but they put the kids’ happiness first. They don’t try to turn the laid back kids into the more driven kids, rather, they let them find their path at their own pace. The influx of new kids at 9th is a needed breath of fresh air. It’s a nice place.

This is just another way of saying that the children of affluent, Ivy educated parents are treated differently than say children of poor parents on financial aid?

A school focused on equity that doesn’t hold all students to the same standards?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The teachers are great and really know the kids. Kids are held to a high standard, but GDS maintains an atmosphere that is lighter and more fun than at some other area schools. Kids are valued for who they are. Some kids are gunning for Harvard from day one, but many more are not. Arts programs are strong, as are Debate and Model UN. Great writing instruction. I wish the college admissions process was a little more transparent and less based on the assumption that all parents are unreasonable, but the CC office does a great job and helps kids find their best outcome. I sometimes wished they pushed the less motivated kids a bit more, but they put the kids’ happiness first. They don’t try to turn the laid back kids into the more driven kids, rather, they let them find their path at their own pace. The influx of new kids at 9th is a needed breath of fresh air. It’s a nice place.

This is just another way of saying that the children of affluent, Ivy educated parents are treated differently than say children of poor parents on financial aid?

A school focused on equity that doesn’t hold all students to the same standards?

Are you seriously saying that kids from families receiving financial aid are less motivated than kids from more affluent families?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The teachers are great and really know the kids. Kids are held to a high standard, but GDS maintains an atmosphere that is lighter and more fun than at some other area schools. Kids are valued for who they are. Some kids are gunning for Harvard from day one, but many more are not. Arts programs are strong, as are Debate and Model UN. Great writing instruction. I wish the college admissions process was a little more transparent and less based on the assumption that all parents are unreasonable, but the CC office does a great job and helps kids find their best outcome. I sometimes wished they pushed the less motivated kids a bit more, but they put the kids’ happiness first. They don’t try to turn the laid back kids into the more driven kids, rather, they let them find their path at their own pace. The influx of new kids at 9th is a needed breath of fresh air. It’s a nice place.

This is just another way of saying that the children of affluent, Ivy educated parents are treated differently than say children of poor parents on financial aid?

A school focused on equity that doesn’t hold all students to the same standards?

Um, no, and I don’t know how you got that out of what I wrote. I am affluent and Ivy educated, and I was referring to my own children as among the more laid back and less motivated. I have no idea how you would assume from what I wrote that I was referring to students on financial aid or saying that GDS is treating kids a certain way based on who their parents are. That is not at all what we have experienced. They adapt their approach to each kid based on who the kids are, which is really great for kids. As a typical DCUM Type A parent I sometimes wished they had lit more of a fire under my kids, but that was not what my kids would have wanted, and they loved their GDS experience and have been happy and successful in college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The teachers are great and really know the kids. Kids are held to a high standard, but GDS maintains an atmosphere that is lighter and more fun than at some other area schools. Kids are valued for who they are. Some kids are gunning for Harvard from day one, but many more are not. Arts programs are strong, as are Debate and Model UN. Great writing instruction. I wish the college admissions process was a little more transparent and less based on the assumption that all parents are unreasonable, but the CC office does a great job and helps kids find their best outcome. I sometimes wished they pushed the less motivated kids a bit more, but they put the kids’ happiness first. They don’t try to turn the laid back kids into the more driven kids, rather, they let them find their path at their own pace. The influx of new kids at 9th is a needed breath of fresh air. It’s a nice place.

This is just another way of saying that the children of affluent, Ivy educated parents are treated differently than say children of poor parents on financial aid?

A school focused on equity that doesn’t hold all students to the same standards?

Um, no, and I don’t know how you got that out of what I wrote. I am affluent and Ivy educated, and I was referring to my own children as among the more laid back and less motivated. I have no idea how you would assume from what I wrote that I was referring to students on financial aid or saying that GDS is treating kids a certain way based on who their parents are. That is not at all what we have experienced. They adapt their approach to each kid based on who the kids are, which is really great for kids. As a typical DCUM Type A parent I sometimes wished they had lit more of a fire under my kids, but that was not what my kids would have wanted, and they loved their GDS experience and have been happy and successful in college.

+1. You're describing well us too as parents, as well as one of our kids. Our other child is pretty driven FWIW. GDS has been wonderful for both. I so very much agree on your description.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The teachers are great and really know the kids. Kids are held to a high standard, but GDS maintains an atmosphere that is lighter and more fun than at some other area schools. Kids are valued for who they are. Some kids are gunning for Harvard from day one, but many more are not. Arts programs are strong, as are Debate and Model UN. Great writing instruction. I wish the college admissions process was a little more transparent and less based on the assumption that all parents are unreasonable, but the CC office does a great job and helps kids find their best outcome. I sometimes wished they pushed the less motivated kids a bit more, but they put the kids’ happiness first. They don’t try to turn the laid back kids into the more driven kids, rather, they let them find their path at their own pace. The influx of new kids at 9th is a needed breath of fresh air. It’s a nice place.

I'm a current gds MS parent, not sure how my child will want to balance his time between academics and extracurricular activities, and this post made me feel really good about our future high school years. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The teachers are great and really know the kids. Kids are held to a high standard, but GDS maintains an atmosphere that is lighter and more fun than at some other area schools. Kids are valued for who they are. Some kids are gunning for Harvard from day one, but many more are not. Arts programs are strong, as are Debate and Model UN. Great writing instruction. I wish the college admissions process was a little more transparent and less based on the assumption that all parents are unreasonable, but the CC office does a great job and helps kids find their best outcome. I sometimes wished they pushed the less motivated kids a bit more, but they put the kids’ happiness first. They don’t try to turn the laid back kids into the more driven kids, rather, they let them find their path at their own pace. The influx of new kids at 9th is a needed breath of fresh air. It’s a nice place.

I'm a current gds MS parent, not sure how my child will want to balance his time between academics and extracurricular activities, and this post made me feel really good about our future high school years. Thank you.

It sounds wonderful!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The teachers are great and really know the kids. Kids are held to a high standard, but GDS maintains an atmosphere that is lighter and more fun than at some other area schools. Kids are valued for who they are. Some kids are gunning for Harvard from day one, but many more are not. Arts programs are strong, as are Debate and Model UN. Great writing instruction. I wish the college admissions process was a little more transparent and less based on the assumption that all parents are unreasonable, but the CC office does a great job and helps kids find their best outcome. I sometimes wished they pushed the less motivated kids a bit more, but they put the kids’ happiness first. They don’t try to turn the laid back kids into the more driven kids, rather, they let them find their path at their own pace. The influx of new kids at 9th is a needed breath of fresh air. It’s a nice place.

I'm a current gds MS parent, not sure how my child will want to balance his time between academics and extracurricular activities, and this post made me feel really good about our future high school years. Thank you.

+1
I agree that description makes me feel really good about GDS.