Petty incident or detail that turned you off a school?

[Anonymous]

Two schools, two pretty "petty" things, probably, with two highly regarded schools--thus amplifying the likelihood that these were petty details for us to look at:

1. At one school, they had the 1st grade kids in circle time for about 15 minutes learning the word "otoscope." They referred back to this particular circle time throughout the tour as an example of how the kids are learning such amazing things. I thought to myself, "why in the world do first graders need to know what an otoscope is? Why is this the big bragging point"

2. At another school, the whole lower school was just dark. Rainy day? Dark. Sunny day? Dark. Hallways? Dark. Classrooms? Dark. It seemed drab and somber, and despite the fancy name, we just couldn't see sending our kid to a school where the light just didn't manage to get in anywhere.

[Anonymous]

Finding out that GDS is no longer a top feeder to Harvard.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Sidwell. Great school and we have many friends with kids there who love it and are happy. Unfortunately, during our Zoom information session, a few of the 5th or 6th graders that presented (and were great - all of them were intelligent, well spoken, absolutely lovely) noted how their teacher(s) helped when they were feeling anxious. The fact those children referred to feeling anxious at all during that type of presentation worried me. I felt it wouldn't be a good fit for our child.

Well all of these schools with a Socio-Emotional Learning curriculum obsessively talk to kids about anxiety starting in Kindergarten. So now every poor kid thinks they have anxiety but what they really have is crazy left-wing indoctrination.

Bless your heart. Absolutely keep teaching your kids to suppress their negative feelings and hiding their difference. That’ll work out great.

You can’t read I guess. That’s not what I said. I said don’t tell kids they have anxiety when they don’t.

+1- Different PP. OF course you run to the other extreme. No one is telling anyone to suppress their feelings but this constant "anxiety talk" way too young is absurd

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:School was still asking for Vax card to visit even though this was last year. Even though we are vaxxed it seemed strange like they are a crazy over the top worry school.

Ooh ooh ooh I know! Burke!

[Anonymous]

During the initial Zoom information session, they set the precedent that we would be asked to donate additional funds and participate in their fundraiser. I get that this is a thing, but maybe save that for down the road once I'm more committed. Right now I'm worrying about paying for my own kid and wondering what that looks like, don't tell me from the first hour I'm meeting you that I have to help donate to you so that kids whose families can't afford it can also go there. And that is indeed what they said - not anything about having great student-teacher ratios or fantastic supplies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Finding out that GDS is no longer a top feeder to Harvard.

: lol:

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:During the initial Zoom information session, they set the precedent that we would be asked to donate additional funds and participate in their fundraiser. I get that this is a thing, but maybe save that for down the road once I'm more committed. Right now I'm worrying about paying for my own kid and wondering what that looks like, don't tell me from the first hour I'm meeting you that I have to help donate to you so that kids whose families can't afford it can also go there. And that is indeed what they said - not anything about having great student-teacher ratios or fantastic supplies.

Gotta wonder what went down with last year’s new families during the annual fund or auction asks that someone in the administration said hey, we should get way ahead of this this year. That’s crazy.

[Anonymous]

I was asked to wait in a vestibule while my children were walked by a student to their shadow classrooms.

The secretary and vice principal clearly thought the glass door between them and the vestibule was soundproof. They began to discuss whether I looked familiar and their initial (though admittedly positive) first impressions of my children. While nothing unkind was said, I found it off-putting that they were openly sizing us up--it just left a bad taste in my mouth.

This was our parish school. We chose not to proceed further with the application process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:During the initial Zoom information session, they set the precedent that we would be asked to donate additional funds and participate in their fundraiser. I get that this is a thing, but maybe save that for down the road once I'm more committed. Right now I'm worrying about paying for my own kid and wondering what that looks like, don't tell me from the first hour I'm meeting you that I have to help donate to you so that kids whose families can't afford it can also go there. And that is indeed what they said - not anything about having great student-teacher ratios or fantastic supplies.

Gotta wonder what went down with last year’s new families during the annual fund or auction asks that someone in the administration said hey, we should get way ahead of this this year. That’s crazy.

Plus when you have to make notable sacrifices to pay full tuition (like we do), I'm not all that sympathetic about someone who can't afford it wanting me to "chip in" so their kid can go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FFS, people, stay on topic. "Petty" means "of little or no importance or consequence". We want to hear dumb stuff that made you forego a school. Like the bell rang in minor rather than major key or the campus had an odd number of buildings. Disagreeing with the school on key points of educational philosophy is of great importance and consequence. You want to talk about those? Start a new thread.

YES! I came here for petty tomfoolery. Stay focused, people. lol!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Here’s a petty one: I hate the font of our school. All three of my kids went/go there, and we otherwise love the school, but ten years on I still hate that stupid font.

Now, that's petty. Understandable. But also petty. What font is it?

I don’t want to say the exact one, but it’s one of the ones that we all know and so it therefore seems…undignified.

Comic Sans?

Papyrus!

Ewwww.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Our LS interview at GDS was really bad. The interviewer seemed really disinterested throughout, didn't pre-read anything about our kids, was just going through the motions. It was such a different vibe than what we had expected from the school and turned us off completely.

Same.

Hmm. All the GDS haters are out. Or are you trying yo discourage the competitions get your kid in?

Lol all the haters must be very organized because it’s the same feedback for years- disinterest/cold interview, 3-4 hours of homework in the US and a HOS who seems to be unable to preform basic administrative task or deal/communicate with parents, the neighborhood, DC government, etc.

My interview for pre k at DGS was actually great. She was engaging, knowledgeable, and prepared - knew a lot about us from our application. She didn't rush us either. She was the most likable. Did not get in though!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our LS interview at GDS was really bad. The interviewer seemed really disinterested throughout, didn't pre-read anything about our kids, was just going through the motions. It was such a different vibe than what we had expected from the school and turned us off completely.

Same.

Hmm. All the GDS haters are out. Or are you trying yo discourage the competitions get your kid in?

Lol all the haters must be very organized because it’s the same feedback for years- disinterest/cold interview, 3-4 hours of homework in the US and a HOS who seems to be unable to preform basic administrative task or deal/communicate with parents, the neighborhood, DC government, etc.

My interview for pre k at DGS was actually great. She was engaging, knowledgeable, and prepared - knew a lot about us from our application. She didn't rush us either. She was the most likable. Did not get in though!

*GDS !

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here’s a petty one: I hate the font of our school. All three of my kids went/go there, and we otherwise love the school, but ten years on I still hate that stupid font.

Now, that's petty. Understandable. But also petty. What font is it?

Oh, is it Burke? I hate their font too. Love the school (our DC has several friends who are students there), but the different fonts for every letter of the name always irks me!

[Anonymous]

At a progressive elementary school in NYC, the hallways had couches outside of each classroom. For parents.
It was a way of saying that at this school, there are parents who hang around ALL DAY and the administration tolerates it.