GDS...is it as good as its reputation?

[Anonymous]

Now that does ring true -- on all counts, LOL!

[Anonymous]

its the perfect school for people who want everyone to get first place trophies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know many terrific kids and families at GDS. Mine are at Burke and we love it.

I went to an open house a few years ago for GDS and heard the head of the school talk about how two different recently graduated GDS students had emailed him to say Welcome to GDS (which is lovely) and each of them described they were so well prepared by GDS in the first weeks of college that they could tell their professors what was missing from the syllabus and make suggestions about how to make it better.

I didn't want that to be my kids, though I could probably make the argument for why you might.

This is hilarious, but unfortunately it rings true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe the high schoolers are insecure because their expectations were so high after elementary and middle school at GDS. It's great to encourage kids in alternate careers and to follow their dreams, but I do think the kind of confidence GDS seeks to build is not good in the long-term. Real self-confidence comes from struggling for success and overcoming obstacles. Just being told you're the best over time does not do that. A friend of mine attended two different accepted students events a couple years ago -- GDS and SFS. She said she was surprised at how "special" the GDS students made themselves out to be. The SFS students, she said, were more modest in their demeanor and very willing to talk of their stumbles and failures. She described it as the difference between long-term confidence and short-term, feel good confidence. That description made an impression on me,

Once again, a post by someone who doesn't actually have children at GDS. When you read the posts by parents who actually have first-hand experience with the school, you get a different sense of the school.

Agreed! All of the posts by GDS parents are fair and balanced with no attacking of other schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know many terrific kids and families at GDS. Mine are at Burke and we love it.

I went to an open house a few years ago for GDS and heard the head of the school talk about how two different recently graduated GDS students had emailed him to say Welcome to GDS (which is lovely) and each of them described they were so well prepared by GDS in the first weeks of college that they could tell their professors what was missing from the syllabus and make suggestions about how to make it better.

I didn't want that to be my kids, though I could probably make the argument for why you might.

As a GDS parent and professor, I find this anecdote cringe-worthy. Such behavior is both rude and presumptuous, and I can think of better examples of GDS students who possess manners and grace while accomplishing great things. I do like our HoS, but he ought to have found a better story to share with prospective parents.

FWIW, I have found the GDS curriculum and culture to be fantastic preparation for college

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous]I know many terrific kids and families at GDS. Mine are at Burke and we love it.

I went to an open house a few years ago for GDS and heard the head of the school talk about how two different recently graduated GDS students had emailed him to say Welcome to GDS (which is lovely) and each of them described they were so well prepared by GDS in the first weeks of college that they could tell their professors what was missing from the syllabus and make suggestions about how to make it better.

I didn't want that to be my kids, though I could probably make the argument for why you might.[/quote]

Ok that's hilarious! Bold as hell and totally inappropriate for a child to tell a professor that! It's one thing to think it and know it, it's another to not know boundaries. I would never want my kids to be so rude! Confident yes, rude no!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:its the perfect school for people who want everyone to get first place trophies.

Wrong again! It's a school generally that doesn't like to give trophies or even to compute GPA or class rank. And a school that encourages you not to compare yourself with your classmates but to ask yourself whether you can do more/better. Then it offers some pretty amazing people (live and dead) as role models.

Now, there are a lot of ways people can respond to that. The story about the "helpful/welcoming" college freshmen captures one version. But "it's never good enough" is another because, hey, you can always do more/better. There are open-ended assignments that enable kids to do some very ambitious academic work, but that don't require it. And a truncated enough grading system that hard work and intellectual ambition may not feel worth the extra effort. Especially when the effect of doing something great is the assumption that you should do something even better next time. Then throw in opportunities to rewrite or get extensions or do extra credit and the hamster wheel can keep turning until the hamster drops dead from exhaustion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know many terrific kids and families at GDS. Mine are at Burke and we love it.

I went to an open house a few years ago for GDS and heard the head of the school talk about how two different recently graduated GDS students had emailed him to say Welcome to GDS (which is lovely) and each of them described they were so well prepared by GDS in the first weeks of college that they could tell their professors what was missing from the syllabus and make suggestions about how to make it better.

I didn't want that to be my kids, though I could probably make the argument for why you might.

As a GDS parent and professor, I find this anecdote cringe-worthy. Such behavior is both rude and presumptuous, and I can think of better examples of GDS students who possess manners and grace while accomplishing great things. I do like our HoS, but he ought to have found a better story to share with prospective parents.

FWIW, I have found the GDS curriculum and culture to be fantastic preparation for college

LOL, that was exactly the word I was going to use. Also a prof.

[Anonymous]

But I should add that my second thought (as prof not parent) was that I might end up liking that kid if s/he were right!

Teens, they're young, they're awkward, they make mistakes. But if your mistake is being overly invested in the contents of the syllabus, I'll probably forgive you. I've had students who push be to be a better teacher and I've loved them for it.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I know many terrific kids and families at GDS. Mine are at Burke and we love it.

I went to an open house a few years ago for GDS and heard the head of the school talk about how two different recently graduated GDS students had emailed him to say Welcome to GDS (which is lovely) and each of them described they were so well prepared by GDS in the first weeks of college that they could tell their professors what was missing from the syllabus and make suggestions about how to make it better.

I didn't want that to be my kids, though I could probably make the argument for why you might.[/quote]

Ok that's hilarious! Bold as hell and totally inappropriate for a child to tell a professor that! It's one thing to think it and know it, it's another to not know boundaries. I would never want my kids to be so rude! Confident yes, rude no![/quote]

I would take that anecdote to mean that the students felt so well prepared that they felt like they could have helped the professor improve the syllabus, not that the student told this to the professor. I went to a school very much like GDS and was well prepared for college. We had a mandatory writing seminar freshman year and it was pretty reiterative of my junior year hs English course. I was actually able to use a paper I wrote for my HS English class and make a few changes to reuse it for the college course.

[Anonymous]

It seems that the "Team of Aces" self-regard filters down to the students.

[Anonymous]

Different value system entirely.

[Anonymous]

Just to clarify as the poster of the anecdote about the GDS graduates in college, it was clear these two kids had each actually told the professor what was wrong with the class. I was astounded, but all kids do boneheaded, entitled, rude things sometimes. It was weirder to me that everyone at the open house was nodding and smiling at this description.

That said, most professors would be thrilled that someone actually looked at the syllabus before asking questions that are answered in the syllabus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just to clarify as the poster of the anecdote about the GDS graduates in college, it was clear these two kids had each actually told the professor what was wrong with the class. I was astounded, but all kids do boneheaded, entitled, rude things sometimes. It was weirder to me that everyone at the open house was nodding and smiling at this description.

That said, most professors would be thrilled that someone actually looked at the syllabus before asking questions that are answered in the syllabus.

Some of the GDS kids do act like they believe that they're the smartest guys in the room.

[Anonymous]

You know, universities do routinely ask students to evaluate each class and each professor-- some even withhold grades until you fill out such questionnaires. Whether talking to the professor directly about perceived deficiencies in the syllabus is polite or rude probably depends on when and how that conversation happens. First few weeks -- rude. End of term -- not necessarily.