Whitman for Shy Girl
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Anonymous
| Our 9th grader has been at a private her entire life and we are thinking of switching her to Whitman. Are teachers open and available to meet with students who need help? Does Whitman have to be a pressure cooker or is it really up to the student? Most concerned that my student who thrives on personal relationships will not connect with teachers. |
Anonymous
| Oh please. She will be fine. After a month she’ll have her little circle of friends and trusted teachers. There is nothing to worry about. |
Anonymous
| There are lots of quieter kids. I don't think the counselors at Whitman have enough time for this kind of issue to be fair, they are so over-worked, it's more about discipline issues and changing classes. |
Anonymous
| From what I hear, teachers will help, students who need help need to proactively ask. |
Anonymous
|
I think it's fine, but it's definitely harder to have a personal relationship with teachers than it is at private schools (I have a kid at Whitman and a kid at a private school). One of the bummers of Whitman is that the classes change every semester - so even if you are in the same class (9th grade english or whatever) you could have a different teacher each semester.
That said, many teachers are outstanding and if your kid is good at making connections, they will. My Whitman kid has several very good relationships with teachers and they will absolutely go out of their way for your kid as long as the kid is putting in effort. And shy kids can find their group of friends - encourage her to join a club sport or music group. |
Anonymous
Is your child organized and proactive with teachers? As others have pointed out most teachers will make the time but it's not like some private schools where you can approach teachers at lunch or have lunch with them or most have regular office hours. Your child will have to advocate for an appointment. Sometimes teachers miss emails or they don't respond. DC has had a few like that who are willing to make appointments in person but never respond on email. She'll have to remember to go to those appointments and then follow up with you for a ride if it's before or after school. It can get much more time consuming than in private where we've found teachers to be really accessible because it's built into their day. |
Anonymous
| To give you an example OP my child last year saw that a large number of grades were incorrect in StudentVue. She emailed the teacher. No response. Emailed again. Talked to her in class and teacher said she'd look at it. She didn't. Asked again in class. Teacher asked her to make a list of assignments and take screenshots of assignments that were submitted online and email and attach to email. This went on for months. It turned out she input the grades at the same time and input the grades for a different child who is next or before alphabetically. This process would have broken my child who ended up in private and it would never have gotten fixed. |
Anonymous
As a new tenth grader coming from private? When everyone else started on ninth and many have friends dating back to public elementary? I wouldn’t be so sure. Why are you thinking of switching? |
Anonymous
|
My DC entered Whitman from a small private school (although in 9th grade, not 10th). It was a very pleasant surprise. DC had good relationships with many teachers. You do need to make an effort - speak in class, seek out teachers if you need help.
DC made friends easily, although DC knew a few kids from sports and scouts. Your DC must know some kids from the neighborhood or activities? It helps to get involved in some activity or sport - there are tons of options. |
Anonymous
| I think if your child pursues an activity or club she will be fine, Whitman has tons of options |