To those who struggled to send their kids to a Big 3-like school - did it turn out to be "worth it."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So what you mean is, teachers who notice the "quiet" kid and spend time to find his or her passion? Or maybe you mean teachers who spend time to work with the struggling kid?

This does happen at publics, maybe not quite as much, but it happens.

Smaler classes also mean that kids who are very capable are not allowed to just coast and yet get straight "A"s, as happened with our oldest who went to public through middle school. He had to work harder and think more deeply when he got to a "Big 3" high school. He ended up doing very well, developed great study and time-management skills, and loved the challenge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I posted re Sidwell and, yes, I'm a parent there. I'll stand by my statement: the US is very strong and worth every penny; MS and LS, not so much.

Did your kid(s) actually go through sidwell lower school? If so, what are the shortcomings?

Yes. Quality of teaching is inconsistent -- some burnouts; curriculum not as creative and innovative as we had expected. On the other hand, class size is a plus. Major difference among divisions: US teaching is much stronger than MS or LS.

Let me ask you this... Were your children prepared to handle (and excel within) the rigors of Sidwell upper school? Or did they find themselves struggling to catch up because of the bumpy road they had in lower school?

bump

Not a "bumpy" road, just a "not worth $30K" road. And we actually have kind of a control experiment, with one child who started in US, one in MS and one in LS. All 3 have done fine, but if I were doing it over again, I think I'd start them all in 9th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I didn't want my kids to go to public school. Period. I didn't want them being assaulted by kids who skateboard and parents who shuffle around in Birkenstocks.

We are in a fantastic public school district and i can't say that i have ever seen a pair of Birkenstocks on any parent or child....

what i found freaky at our old Gtown school were the adults in f*ing bright purple and green crocks. They looked like mental patients.

[Anonymous]

Geez, am I the only one who assumed that the original Birks comment was a joke?

[Anonymous]

PP: "Geez, am I the only one who assumed that the original Birks comment was a joke?"

No. Though its a small sample, there also does appear to be a clear correlation between Birkenstock-wearing and the absence of a sense of humor.

[Anonymous]

My experience in our Big 3 School, and from what I've heard from others (including others outside of the Big 3), is that you need to get on the private school track early. Kids who come in later from the publics, even though generally bright, usually find themselves so far behind in terms of base of knowledge and study skills.

I've always heard just the opposite: that the kids accepted at MS and above are the real high-wattage star power, the students who ultimately boost the schools' rankings and placement records.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

My experience in our Big 3 School, and from what I've heard from others (including others outside of the Big 3), is that you need to get on the private school track early. Kids who come in later from the publics, even though generally bright, usually find themselves so far behind in terms of base of knowledge and study skills.

I've always heard just the opposite: that the kids accepted at MS and above are the real high-wattage star power, the students who ultimately boost the schools' rankings and placement records.

Well, now both of you have heard the opposite perspective.

Let's be done with these silly generalizations. Unless you have some databank available, it just fuels fires.

[Anonymous]

Oh come on. It's worth hearing both of these points of view and, actually, there's some truth in each. Basically, it's good to be on notice that test scores matter more at this level and that the bar for admissions might be raised (or at least different) if you wait to apply. And it's useful to remember that there's an acculturation process and differences in curricula so even a kid who is very smart and who will ultimately excel at a new school may have a difficult transition year academically if s/he doesn't arrive with the same knowledge base or skill set that a particular school has been developing in its students.

What fuels fires on DCUM is people eager to start them and others eager to watch and willing to stoke them. It has nothing to do with generalizations or the presence or absence of databanks.

[Anonymous]

timely bump since it's that time of year where important decisions get made...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:timely bump since it's that time of year where important decisions get made...

College application season. Seems to be worth it!

[Anonymous]

OP, I might be helpful here. I have one in public and one in a close to big three. We could only afford to put one in private.
My take is that public school can do it all if you keep tabs.
Private school has stinky teachers, but private school is often more fun for the kids.
In the end, do not waste money of private school without first trying public school. Move only if public is not working out for you.
The best years for private are middle school in comparison to public, but if your child is academically motivated, it is a wash.
It is irresponsible to spend money on a school that you can not afford, and it sounds like you can't afford it.

[Anonymous]

SAM2 wrote:Thanks to the PPs for clarifying that your assessment of GDS/Sidwell LS & MS are your own anecdotal experiences. There's a lot to unpack from the GDS parent's post. (Are you the same person I was trading PMs with a couple months ago?)

I did not mean to suggest that anecdotal evidence is not valid. It certainly has its place and often is the only evidence available. But I personally treat all anecdotal evidence (including even my own experiences) with a fair amount of skepticism unless it can be confirmed by objective data. (Yeah, I know, I'm a real Dorothy Parker as a dinner guest.) And on DCUM, it's even harder to decide whether anonymous reports are valid or not. So thanks for explaining the basis for your comments.

Our private is much more in depth and much more challenging than our highly rated public. no comparison.

[Anonymous]

I have looked and looked for an emphasis on science at public. Do not see it. math is pushed, but not science. The private teachers do a better job of teaching the math that they do assign.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From an educational standpoint: I could certainly imagine sending my DC to Walls after 8+ years of private. And you wouldn't be surprised if someone chose TJ or Blair after a PreK-8 private, would you?

From a social standpoint: Plenty of "wolves" in private schools and I don't see privates as inherently having better environments/influences than publics. Schools are like ecological systems -- lots of different niches within. I'd certainly rather have my DC be a nerd in public than a druggie or a mean girl or the poor kid in private -- and for some kids, that could be the trade-off depending on the schools involved.

I just wouldn't bothered with the 30K for 9 years of elementary/middle school= 270K if I were just going to do public HS...to me that seems like a huge waste of $ if good public elem/ms were available.

there is also a perception among people that public schools in NOVA and MOCO are more rigorous in Math and Science in ES and MS. Not sure whether students from top private ES and MS can really be competitive to gain admission to TJ and Blair.

Private school students are accepted at TJ. Not all of them attend. Also TJ is a public school and tends to support students coming from public.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So what you mean is, teachers who notice the "quiet" kid and spend time to find his or her passion? Or maybe you mean teachers who spend time to work with the struggling kid?

This does happen at publics, maybe not quite as much, but it happens.

Smaler classes also mean that kids who are very capable are not allowed to just coast and yet get straight "A"s, as happened with our oldest who went to public through middle school. He had to work harder and think more deeply when he got to a "Big 3" high school. He ended up doing very well, developed great study and time-management skills, and loved the challenge.

High school is harder and requires deeper thought than middle school anywhere, private or public. My kid found this going from private to public.