What's the Most Obnoxious Thing You've Heard a Parent Say at Your DC's Private School?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Said another father to my husband while peeking at the inner label of his suit. "Two words. Brooks Brothers."

He wasn't joking.

what does that even mean??

Obviously was obnoxiously telling the poster's husband where to shop in order to dress better. (The label inside poster's husband's suit did not say, "Brooks Brothers.")

That's pretty funny. I actually assumed the poster meant to imply that Brooks Brothers was low end and that the husband should be dressing in something better (and my DH wears nothing but Brooks Brothers). So I guess it's all in the interpretation.

Overall nothing i've ever heard could ever top anything on this board or even some of the comments on this thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You do realize, don't you, that conservatives give more money to charity on average than liberals, even though conservatives make slightly less? The idea that conservatives (particularly religious conservatives) are less generous than liberals (particularly secular liberals) is a demonstrated myth.

This is true only if you count tax-deductible gifts to religious institutions. (And I certainly hope that the recipients working in churches, etc., never complain or otherwise have an opinion since they apparently are second class citizens because they are donor-supported.) Get rid of those gifts and the numbers appear to be equal, or favor liberals just slightly.

http://www.blogher.com/charitable-giving-what-studies-numbers-and-statistics-say

http://www.scientificblogging.com/adaptive_complexity/blog/whos_more_charitable_liberals_or_conservatives

At any rate, I think we've heard this particular PP's anti-financial-aid vitriol many times before. She sounds so charming and generous; I'm sure she is much loved by all who know her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FA is not a gift. Thinking of it as such is as patronizing as it gets.

And for anyone who DOES hold this attitude, I hope you hold ALL criticisms of the government in check while you collect tax breaks since those are essentially gifts from the government, by your logic.

THIS IDEA is officially THE WORST, MOST OBNOXIOUS, MOST OFFENSIVE thing I've ever heard from a parent. The idea that families on FA are somehow lesser citizens of the school makes me want to vomit. Screw you.

According to NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools), the vast majority of financial assistance is need-based grants. The remainder is merit-based awards, loans, payment plans and employee & sibling discounts. A grant by definition is an "award, gift, present, conribution, donation". The act of granting is the giving of funds for a specific purpose.

[Anonymous]

"On our admissions tour at Sidwell many years ago one of the parent tour guides told us she was glad they taught Spanish because her child could talk to "the help" (yes, she phrased it that way), her fellow tour guide (who happened to be Argentinian) and those of us on the tour all stared at her like she had 2 heads."

Ding, Ding, Ding!! No more calls, we have a winner. This, and the black squirrel comment (although that is so offensive that it can't really be called obnoxious).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You are a loser of the highest order. You think she and her kid are second class citizens. They aren't. They have just as much right to criticize any aspect of the school as you do. Face it. You resent her being there. That's what comes out of your comment. Your jealous for some reason. Her child got there through merit. How'd yours get in? Lemme guess, do you vote GOP?[/quote]

What a twisted perception you have. You do realize, don't you, that conservatives give more money to charity on average than liberals, even though conservatives make slightly less? The idea that conservatives (particularly religious conservatives) are less generous than liberals (particularly secular liberals) is a demonstrated myth. Liberals are only generous with other people's money after it has been collected through the tax system.

I don't believe anyone has suggested that financial aid recipients are second-class citizens--at least I hope not. Everyone who attends a private school should feel grateful, notl entitled. Even those who pay the full ride are being supported by the few really big donors that keep these institutions afloat, since tuition never covers the full cost of a student's education. To that extent, all but a very few are in a quite real sense receiving a gift, which, in legal terms, is something freely given with nothing expected in return.

I've seen this posted so many times. This is not true at all schools. Full tuition at some schools covers the cost of educating that child AND contributes to financial aid for other children. At the school where my child attends (a "big 3") it is explicitly stated that over 14% of tuition is allocated to financial aid. I imagine this is the case in other schools as well

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FA is not a gift. Thinking of it as such is as patronizing as it gets.

And for anyone who DOES hold this attitude, I hope you hold ALL criticisms of the government in check while you collect tax breaks since those are essentially gifts from the government, by your logic.

THIS IDEA is officially THE WORST, MOST OBNOXIOUS, MOST OFFENSIVE thing I've ever heard from a parent. The idea that families on FA are somehow lesser citizens of the school makes me want to vomit. Screw you.

According to NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools), the vast majority of financial assistance is need-based grants. The remainder is merit-based awards, loans, payment plans and employee & sibling discounts. A grant by definition is an "award, gift, present, conribution, donation". The act of granting is the giving of funds for a specific purpose.

Yes, I agree. You inspire puke. Your attitude is basically un-American. It runs against the grain of generosity that makes this country so great. People like Bill Gates and Warren Buffet give away huge amounts of their wealth because they believe it is their duty to give back to a nation that has given them so much. It's our duty to ensure that other children have the same opportunities that our children have. If we don't do that we run the risk of creating the kind of meritless aristocracies that have dragged down other nations and civilizations. You, who ever you are, need some soul searching. I doubt it will do any good though. You are too far gone. You are really a nasty piece of work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FA is not a gift. Thinking of it as such is as patronizing as it gets.

And for anyone who DOES hold this attitude, I hope you hold ALL criticisms of the government in check while you collect tax breaks since those are essentially gifts from the government, by your logic.

THIS IDEA is officially THE WORST, MOST OBNOXIOUS, MOST OFFENSIVE thing I've ever heard from a parent. The idea that families on FA are somehow lesser citizens of the school makes me want to vomit. Screw you.

According to NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools), the vast majority of financial assistance is need-based grants. The remainder is merit-based awards, loans, payment plans and employee & sibling discounts. A grant by definition is an "award, gift, present, conribution, donation". The act of granting is the giving of funds for a specific purpose.

Yes, I agree. You inspire puke. Your attitude is basically un-American. It runs against the grain of generosity that makes this country so great. People like Bill Gates and Warren Buffet give away huge amounts of their wealth because they believe it is their duty to give back to a nation that has given them so much. It's our duty to ensure that other children have the same opportunities that our children have. If we don't do that we run the risk of creating the kind of meritless aristocracies that have dragged down other nations and civilizations. You, who ever you are, need some soul searching. I doubt it will do any good though. You are too far gone. You are really a nasty piece of work.

Just WOW! This is the first time I've posted on this thread. Given the confusion on this thread, I was attempting to clarify whether indeed FA is a gift based on what I read on the NAIS website....and this is the response. Just WOW! I'll exit now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You do realize, don't you, that conservatives give more money to charity on average than liberals, even though conservatives make slightly less? The idea that conservatives (particularly religious conservatives) are less generous than liberals (particularly secular liberals) is a demonstrated myth.

This is true only if you count tax-deductible gifts to religious institutions. (And I certainly hope that the recipients working in churches, etc., never complain or otherwise have an opinion since they apparently are second class citizens because they are donor-supported.) Get rid of those gifts and the numbers appear to be equal, or favor liberals just slightly.

http://www.blogher.com/charitable-giving-what-studies-numbers-and-statistics-say

http://www.scientificblogging.com/adaptive_complexity/blog/whos_more_charitable_liberals_or_conservatives

At any rate, I think we've heard this particular PP's anti-financial-aid vitriol many times before. She sounds so charming and generous; I'm sure she is much loved by all who know her.

Actually, that was the first time I had ever posted about this issue. Apparently more than one person doesn't agree with you! If I were "anti-financial aid," my husband and I would not contribute as generously as we do to our school's annual fund. Some of us who contribute to charity are actually glad to do it. And by the way, contributions to churches (at least ours) don't just go to the people who "work" there, but they also go to support many fine charitable causes that help those in need much more efficiently and effectively than our bloated government bureaucracy, as studies have also shown. I am simply objecting to your rather obtuse refusal to recognize a gift as a gift. It is a typical and not very effective move to try to use nomenclature to change the debate (think "choice," "diversity" instead of "abortion" and "racial/gender-based preferences").

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:With the possible exception of equestrian opportunities at Potomac (which I found pretty funny), this thread is really just listing things some other parents said that annoyed you. They don't really seem linked to private schools.

Ah but it is -- lots of these posters seem resentful that having grabbed what they thought was the brass ring, and people still try to one-up them. (We go to Bethany every year and that's not good enough? You think your kid will get into an Ivy and mine won't -- well joke's on you -- mine did and yours didn't). Lots of mirror images here. People with the same values jockeying for position. Pettiness all around.

[Anonymous]

Why are conservatives so much more mean spirited and less generous than liberals?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Your attitude is basically un-American. It runs against the grain of generosity that makes this country so great.

Isn't the US among the least philanthropic of affluent nations? I thought we only look generous when you look at absolute rather than per capita stats.

That said, I don't think FA is a gift (or that recipients of gifts must suspend all critical judgment wrt gift givers). I think FA is designed to produce a certain type of school community that everyone benefits from. But it also exists in a context where money buys access to education which is much less true elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

The US gave over $300 billion last year, about of third of that was giving to religious institutions.


It was ranked #1 as the most charitable nation in the world.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16638810/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The US gave over $300 billion last year, about of third of that was giving to religious institutions.


It was ranked #1 as the most charitable nation in the world.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16638810/

As pointed out above, this is only in absolute terms. Other countries are equally or more generous on a per capita basis: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_charitable_countries.

In 2006, the per capita giving in the US was $75; in Canada it was $110.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FA is not a gift. Thinking of it as such is as patronizing as it gets.

And for anyone who DOES hold this attitude, I hope you hold ALL criticisms of the government in check while you collect tax breaks since those are essentially gifts from the government, by your logic.

THIS IDEA is officially THE WORST, MOST OBNOXIOUS, MOST OFFENSIVE thing I've ever heard from a parent. The idea that families on FA are somehow lesser citizens of the school makes me want to vomit. Screw you.

According to NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools), the vast majority of financial assistance is need-based grants. The remainder is merit-based awards, loans, payment plans and employee & sibling discounts. A grant by definition is an "award, gift, present, conribution, donation". The act of granting is the giving of funds for a specific purpose.

Some schools give 50% tuition break for full-time employees (except for the Potomac School which I've heard doesn't provide any assistance for employees) and many let you pay on a payment plan. But I can't think of one school in WA area that gives merit-based awards or sibling discounts. If you know of any please tell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:On our admissions tour at Sidwell many years ago one of the parent tour guides told us she was glad they taught Spanish because her child could talk to "the help" (yes, she phrased it that way), her fellow tour guide (who happened to be Argentinian) and those of us on the tour all stared at her like she had 2 heads.

The same tour guide, when I asked what happened if a 4 year old fell asleep during rest time told me that "if your child is that developmentally delayed, maybe your nanny should pick him up at noon". Ouch!

I should add that I know many lovely Sidwell parents, and that I'm not implying this one was typical in any way.

This one is my favorite.