Culture of Holton-Arms

[Anonymous]

Regarding tutors in Upper School - Holton is very challenging with super smart girls - Perhaps the top of the class does not need tutors but my daughter and most of her friends need tutors to excel in the class. Yes, you can go to a teacher for help, but he/she/they are not giving your daughter an hour of their time every week - there isn't enough time in the day.

[Anonymous]

I had three daughters at Holton and never hired a single tutor for any of them, ever. One did work with the learning specialist there in some study skills but that’s it. Super hyper competitive parents hired tutors but that wasn’t everyone and those kids didn’t make it any farther than other kids. All went to great colleges and universities. It’s really the parents who create this stressful competition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:+1. The problem is that girls in Holton MS will not be prepared for the top notch classes because the curriculum is so slow and limited. So they need extra math. Trust me when I say that the top math girls in MS all supplement. It should not be necessary for the price tag and really exacerbates the wealth gap.

This is true. All the top students at Holton have science and math tutors.
Be prepared to get tutors for your girls in high school

That’s obviously wrong. My DD is a top student and has never had a tutor.

This is the culture of Holton.

[Anonymous]

Mine never had a tutor. Went to HYP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:+1. The problem is that girls in Holton MS will not be prepared for the top notch classes because the curriculum is so slow and limited. So they need extra math. Trust me when I say that the top math girls in MS all supplement. It should not be necessary for the price tag and really exacerbates the wealth gap.

This is true. All the top students at Holton have science and math tutors.
Be prepared to get tutors for your girls in high school

This is FALSE.

My daughter is a top student and does not have ANY tutors. If she needs help, she reaches out to her teachers or friends in her class. The teachers are always wiling and able to assist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had three daughters at Holton and never hired a single tutor for any of them, ever. One did work with the learning specialist there in some study skills but that’s it. Super hyper competitive parents hired tutors but that wasn’t everyone and those kids didn’t make it any farther than other kids. All went to great colleges and universities. It’s really the parents who create this stressful competition.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had three daughters at Holton and never hired a single tutor for any of them, ever. One did work with the learning specialist there in some study skills but that’s it. Super hyper competitive parents hired tutors but that wasn’t everyone and those kids didn’t make it any farther than other kids. All went to great colleges and universities. It’s really the parents who create this stressful competition.

This.

Is the same bath of insecure hyper competitive parents that groom their kids with Russian math school, demand lower schools privately accelerate what they already paid to accelerate, tons of competitions age 4 on…..

Do kids themselves even like the tutors?

[Anonymous]

I find two things weird here. One weird thing is that some parents assume everyone needs tutoring to do well because their kids need it, or because they know of a few cases and are making sweeping assumptions about everyone else.

But I also find it weird that people are bashing kids who need tutors and assuming their parents are only doing it to be ultra-competitive. Some kids are very good independent learners and some kids are not. My kid is self-organized and self-motivated, and as never needed tutoring. I have plenty of friends who have extremely bright kids who are not as organized. Maybe some inattentive or executive functioning issues going on, and they benefit from the extra support that tutoring can give. I would never judge them for this.

[Anonymous]

On a side note, does Holton give out financial aid strictly need-based? Or do they take your academics into consideration? Straight-A students who may not qualify for need-based financial aid will still receive it for their academic excellence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I find two things weird here. One weird thing is that some parents assume everyone needs tutoring to do well because their kids need it, or because they know of a few cases and are making sweeping assumptions about everyone else.

But I also find it weird that people are bashing kids who need tutors and assuming their parents are only doing it to be ultra-competitive. Some kids are very good independent learners and some kids are not. My kid is self-organized and self-motivated, and as never needed tutoring. I have plenty of friends who have extremely bright kids who are not as organized. Maybe some inattentive or executive functioning issues going on, and they benefit from the extra support that tutoring can give. I would never judge them for this.

I have been at K bday parties where a mom openly said she puts her daughter in XYZ math program after school to “get ahead and build confidence.”
Same mom in grade 1 and 2 demanded her child have a 1:1 pullout for math twice a week to aid the “acceleration.”

Tutoring due to LDs, SNs, or processing speed issues is entirely different. Agree. As is tutoring because your child never was taught math facts or phonics, foundational learning topics, and needs remedial. Or moving to a new school or district and needing a couple months of getting filled in. All different.

[Anonymous]

Where do most of the families live? DC or MC?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where do most of the families live? DC or MC?

We found the majority live in MD, but plenty kids came from both DC + VA.

[Anonymous]

Liberal, super liberal, even more liberal.

[Anonymous]

Arrogant parents, arrogant students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Arrogant parents, arrogant students.

And yet, the most arrogant statement in this entire thread is yours.