Feedback on Eaton Elementary School in Cleveland Park, NW

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

On the flip side, if you would like to be a part of a thriving "community" with super cool black and white families (neither school has much of a spanish population) that are bound together by mutual respect and commitment to their children as well as the school itself, then Hearst and Eaton are arguably your best options.

OR, if you Mt Pleasant families want to be part of a thriving community of super cool families that reflects the actual neighborhood you live in, you could go to Bancroft! I do not get why people even choose to live in Mt. P when they have zero interest in our local school.

As Jeff has tried to say many, many times on this thread, there are many factors that go into a family's calculation about the school they choose. Hell, there are factors that go into the decision making around what brand of toilet paper I buy for my family. In any case, it's not for you to understand. You are better served spending your time focusing on your own family. Your sentiment could also be applied to why a family would choose to send their child to a private or independent school (or even boarding school) that isn't in their own neighborhood. You're being purposely obtuse in a lame attempt to defend your exclusionary attitude.

Unless you choose your IB school because you like the neighborhood school concept. In which case, you are a racist elitist.

Can you please show me where anyone said anything of the sort? There has been a lot of criticism tossed around in this thread, but I am quite sure that nobody has been criticized for choosing their neighborhood school, let alone called a racist elitist. Please refrain from posting made-up, inflammatory remarks.

Page 2 "And what's wrong with going to school with out of bounds kids?
I went to eaton and that was the best part,
It was very diverse as a result.
Scared of brown kids?"

Page 3 "Only way to explain this is OP is referring to the brown or riff raff from EOTP OOB kids. She's not really OOB in her mind because she's wealthy, likely white and lives WOTP."

Page 4 "hmm, based on these posts maybe OOB isn't code word for brown or poor, maybe it really is about you can't afford to live in my neighborhood (which is why op isn't bothered about being the unwanted OOB at Stoddard because she does feel she lives in the neighborhood). We lived in a crappy 2 bedroom condo IB for Eaton, and I can tell you people in my neighborhood knew we couldn't "really" afford to live there and treated us accordingly though we are white and hyper-educated with kids likely to do well when testing comes around in 3rd grade."

The OP was suggesting that it was ok for her to OOB at a school that was not her ib school. PPs were asking why would it be okay for her to be OOB somewhere since she was complaining about OOB kids at her new IB school. How don't you get it?

I'm responding to the hypocrisy that if someone is looking for X quality in a school it's "not for you to understand" and "there are many factors that go into a family's calculation about the school" - in other words, not allowed to judge. But if someone else is looking for quality Y in a school then it's ok to make assumptions and judgments about them.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

On the flip side, if you would like to be a part of a thriving "community" with super cool black and white families (neither school has much of a spanish population) that are bound together by mutual respect and commitment to their children as well as the school itself, then Hearst and Eaton are arguably your best options.

OR, if you Mt Pleasant families want to be part of a thriving community of super cool families that reflects the actual neighborhood you live in, you could go to Bancroft! I do not get why people even choose to live in Mt. P when they have zero interest in our local school.

As Jeff has tried to say many, many times on this thread, there are many factors that go into a family's calculation about the school they choose. Hell, there are factors that go into the decision making around what brand of toilet paper I buy for my family. In any case, it's not for you to understand. You are better served spending your time focusing on your own family. Your sentiment could also be applied to why a family would choose to send their child to a private or independent school (or even boarding school) that isn't in their own neighborhood. You're being purposely obtuse in a lame attempt to defend your exclusionary attitude.

Unless you choose your IB school because you like the neighborhood school concept. In which case, you are a racist elitist.

Can you please show me where anyone said anything of the sort? There has been a lot of criticism tossed around in this thread, but I am quite sure that nobody has been criticized for choosing their neighborhood school, let alone called a racist elitist. Please refrain from posting made-up, inflammatory remarks.

Page 2 "And what's wrong with going to school with out of bounds kids?
I went to eaton and that was the best part,
It was very diverse as a result.
Scared of brown kids?"

Page 3 "Only way to explain this is OP is referring to the brown or riff raff from EOTP OOB kids. She's not really OOB in her mind because she's wealthy, likely white and lives WOTP."

Page 4 "hmm, based on these posts maybe OOB isn't code word for brown or poor, maybe it really is about you can't afford to live in my neighborhood (which is why op isn't bothered about being the unwanted OOB at Stoddard because she does feel she lives in the neighborhood). We lived in a crappy 2 bedroom condo IB for Eaton, and I can tell you people in my neighborhood knew we couldn't "really" afford to live there and treated us accordingly though we are white and hyper-educated with kids likely to do well when testing comes around in 3rd grade."

The poster was being criticized for not wanting to attend her inbound school, not for wanting to attend it. Are you really that obtuse?

It doesn't matter whether she's opting in or opting out- she's just considering schools just like everyone else. The point is that everyone feels free to make assumptions and judgments about her motives. But, when asked why someone else about their school choice, the claim is- it's a personal choice -- no judgments.

Obtuse? That seems more than a little inflammatory, no?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

On the flip side, if you would like to be a part of a thriving "community" with super cool black and white families (neither school has much of a spanish population) that are bound together by mutual respect and commitment to their children as well as the school itself, then Hearst and Eaton are arguably your best options.

OR, if you Mt Pleasant families want to be part of a thriving community of super cool families that reflects the actual neighborhood you live in, you could go to Bancroft! I do not get why people even choose to live in Mt. P when they have zero interest in our local school.

As Jeff has tried to say many, many times on this thread, there are many factors that go into a family's calculation about the school they choose. Hell, there are factors that go into the decision making around what brand of toilet paper I buy for my family. In any case, it's not for you to understand. You are better served spending your time focusing on your own family. Your sentiment could also be applied to why a family would choose to send their child to a private or independent school (or even boarding school) that isn't in their own neighborhood. You're being purposely obtuse in a lame attempt to defend your exclusionary attitude.

Unless you choose your IB school because you like the neighborhood school concept. In which case, you are a racist elitist.

Can you please show me where anyone said anything of the sort? There has been a lot of criticism tossed around in this thread, but I am quite sure that nobody has been criticized for choosing their neighborhood school, let alone called a racist elitist. Please refrain from posting made-up, inflammatory remarks.

Page 2 "And what's wrong with going to school with out of bounds kids?
I went to eaton and that was the best part,
It was very diverse as a result.
Scared of brown kids?"

Page 3 "Only way to explain this is OP is referring to the brown or riff raff from EOTP OOB kids. She's not really OOB in her mind because she's wealthy, likely white and lives WOTP."

Page 4 "hmm, based on these posts maybe OOB isn't code word for brown or poor, maybe it really is about you can't afford to live in my neighborhood (which is why op isn't bothered about being the unwanted OOB at Stoddard because she does feel she lives in the neighborhood). We lived in a crappy 2 bedroom condo IB for Eaton, and I can tell you people in my neighborhood knew we couldn't "really" afford to live there and treated us accordingly though we are white and hyper-educated with kids likely to do well when testing comes around in 3rd grade."

The poster was being criticized for not wanting to attend her inbound school, not for wanting to attend it. Are you really that obtuse?

It doesn't matter whether she's opting in or opting out- she's just considering schools just like everyone else. The point is that everyone feels free to make assumptions and judgments about her motives. But, when asked why someone else about their school choice, the claim is- it's a personal choice -- no judgments.

Obtuse? That seems more than a little inflammatory, no?

You need to give you. You're out manned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

On the flip side, if you would like to be a part of a thriving "community" with super cool black and white families (neither school has much of a spanish population) that are bound together by mutual respect and commitment to their children as well as the school itself, then Hearst and Eaton are arguably your best options.

OR, if you Mt Pleasant families want to be part of a thriving community of super cool families that reflects the actual neighborhood you live in, you could go to Bancroft! I do not get why people even choose to live in Mt. P when they have zero interest in our local school.

As Jeff has tried to say many, many times on this thread, there are many factors that go into a family's calculation about the school they choose. Hell, there are factors that go into the decision making around what brand of toilet paper I buy for my family. In any case, it's not for you to understand. You are better served spending your time focusing on your own family. Your sentiment could also be applied to why a family would choose to send their child to a private or independent school (or even boarding school) that isn't in their own neighborhood. You're being purposely obtuse in a lame attempt to defend your exclusionary attitude.

Unless you choose your IB school because you like the neighborhood school concept. In which case, you are a racist elitist.

Can you please show me where anyone said anything of the sort? There has been a lot of criticism tossed around in this thread, but I am quite sure that nobody has been criticized for choosing their neighborhood school, let alone called a racist elitist. Please refrain from posting made-up, inflammatory remarks.

Page 2 "And what's wrong with going to school with out of bounds kids?
I went to eaton and that was the best part,
It was very diverse as a result.
Scared of brown kids?"

Page 3 "Only way to explain this is OP is referring to the brown or riff raff from EOTP OOB kids. She's not really OOB in her mind because she's wealthy, likely white and lives WOTP."

Page 4 "hmm, based on these posts maybe OOB isn't code word for brown or poor, maybe it really is about you can't afford to live in my neighborhood (which is why op isn't bothered about being the unwanted OOB at Stoddard because she does feel she lives in the neighborhood). We lived in a crappy 2 bedroom condo IB for Eaton, and I can tell you people in my neighborhood knew we couldn't "really" afford to live there and treated us accordingly though we are white and hyper-educated with kids likely to do well when testing comes around in 3rd grade."

The poster was being criticized for not wanting to attend her inbound school, not for wanting to attend it. Are you really that obtuse?

It doesn't matter whether she's opting in or opting out- she's just considering schools just like everyone else. The point is that everyone feels free to make assumptions and judgments about her motives. But, when asked why someone else about their school choice, the claim is- it's a personal choice -- no judgments.

Obtuse? That seems more than a little inflammatory, no?

Nobody would judge the OP for wanting to look at schools that best fit her family's need. A BIG however is that if you say you don't want to opt in your IB school because it's 50% OOB then proceed to say you want to be OOB at another school, people WILL judge the OP. There is a big contradiction with what OP is saying she values. She would have been better to not disclose her values as the on crazy ass ones she did disclose make her look really bad.

[Anonymous]

Nobody would judge the OP for wanting to look at schools that best fit her family's need. A BIG however is that if you say you don't want to opt in your IB school because it's 50% OOB then proceed to say you want to be OOB at another school, people WILL judge the OP. There is a big contradiction with what OP is saying she values. She would have been better to not disclose her values as the on crazy ass ones she did disclose make her look really bad.

Yes, she did look silly and ignorant of the schools in general. But everyone assumed the reason she didn't want to attend her IB school is because she was racists/classist. What about the person in the Bancroft area who chooses to send their kid to Eaton? Why can't those motives be questioned? Maybe that person is afraid of Hispanic kids?

[Anonymous]

I didn't say that people aren't allowed to judge. Judgement is the fuel on which DCUM runs! Trust me, I'm judging the hell out of you. What I said is that the decisions that take place within a family unit (that is not your own family) are not for you to understand, as in not your concern. You can have all the opinions you want and judge as much as you want, but I think it's a waste of your time. But maybe you have way more time on your hands than I do. Fun thread!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I didn't say that people aren't allowed to judge. Judgement is the fuel on which DCUM runs! Trust me, I'm judging the hell out of you. What I said is that the decisions that take place within a family unit (that is not your own family) are not for you to understand, as in not your concern. You can have all the opinions you want and judge as much as you want, but I think it's a waste of your time. But maybe you have way more time on your hands than I do. Fun thread!

So why is it ok to post comments that the OP must not like brown kids if her preferences are not for anyone to understand?

You clearly have as much time on your hands as I (well, all of us) do...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I didn't say that people aren't allowed to judge. Judgement is the fuel on which DCUM runs! Trust me, I'm judging the hell out of you. What I said is that the decisions that take place within a family unit (that is not your own family) are not for you to understand, as in not your concern. You can have all the opinions you want and judge as much as you want, but I think it's a waste of your time. But maybe you have way more time on your hands than I do. Fun thread!

So why is it ok to post comments that the OP must not like brown kids if her preferences are not for anyone to understand?

You clearly have as much time on your hands as I (well, all of us) do...

Where did I say that is ok? Oh right! I didn't. You're grasping at straws now. Perhaps the "brown kids" poster could come back and enlighten us what he/she was thinking.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

On the flip side, if you would like to be a part of a thriving "community" with super cool black and white families (neither school has much of a spanish population) that are bound together by mutual respect and commitment to their children as well as the school itself, then Hearst and Eaton are arguably your best options.

OR, if you Mt Pleasant families want to be part of a thriving community of super cool families that reflects the actual neighborhood you live in, you could go to Bancroft! I do not get why people even choose to live in Mt. P when they have zero interest in our local school.

As Jeff has tried to say many, many times on this thread, there are many factors that go into a family's calculation about the school they choose. Hell, there are factors that go into the decision making around what brand of toilet paper I buy for my family. In any case, it's not for you to understand. You are better served spending your time focusing on your own family. Your sentiment could also be applied to why a family would choose to send their child to a private or independent school (or even boarding school) that isn't in their own neighborhood. You're being purposely obtuse in a lame attempt to defend your exclusionary attitude.

Unless you choose your IB school because you like the neighborhood school concept. In which case, you are a racist elitist.

Can you please show me where anyone said anything of the sort? There has been a lot of criticism tossed around in this thread, but I am quite sure that nobody has been criticized for choosing their neighborhood school, let alone called a racist elitist. Please refrain from posting made-up, inflammatory remarks.

Page 2 "And what's wrong with going to school with out of bounds kids?
I went to eaton and that was the best part,
It was very diverse as a result.
Scared of brown kids?"

Page 3 "Only way to explain this is OP is referring to the brown or riff raff from EOTP OOB kids. She's not really OOB in her mind because she's wealthy, likely white and lives WOTP."

Page 4 "hmm, based on these posts maybe OOB isn't code word for brown or poor, maybe it really is about you can't afford to live in my neighborhood (which is why op isn't bothered about being the unwanted OOB at Stoddard because she does feel she lives in the neighborhood). We lived in a crappy 2 bedroom condo IB for Eaton, and I can tell you people in my neighborhood knew we couldn't "really" afford to live there and treated us accordingly though we are white and hyper-educated with kids likely to do well when testing comes around in 3rd grade."

The poster was being criticized for not wanting to attend her inbound school, not for wanting to attend it. Are you really that obtuse?

It doesn't matter whether she's opting in or opting out- she's just considering schools just like everyone else. The point is that everyone feels free to make assumptions and judgments about her motives. But, when asked why someone else about their school choice, the claim is- it's a personal choice -- no judgments.

Obtuse? That seems more than a little inflammatory, no?

No "obtuse" is not an inflammatory description for someone who claims that two polar opposites are the same. But, let me try to break this down for you:

1) Despite your apparent belief that you have mind-reading skills, you really have no idea why EotP families choose to attend OOB WotP. You certainly could not even begin to explain the factors that led to my family's decision. You can make all the assumptions and judgements you like, you are just unlikely to be accurate.

2) The OP of this thread explicitly stated that her concern was that her inbound school had a high number of OOB students. She then went on to describe Hearst as "even worse" because of the number of OOB students there. We don't have to make assumptions about that because she explicitly stated it. At the same time, she inquired about OOB opportunities, creating confusion about why she opposed OOB students at her inbound school, but wouldn't mind her own child being an OOB student. Again, this contradiction is not an assumption that required special mind-reading abilities to reveal -- the OP clearly stated it.

Somehow, you concluded that this means that if you choose your neighborhood school you are a "racist elitist". In fact, any judgement of that sort resulted from the OP's desire not to attend her neighborhood school for the clearly stated reason that it had too many OOB students. You got it completely backwards. Now, your claim is "forwards, backwards, what's the difference?". The difference is a lot.

You seem to have a desire to demonstrate that EotP families who attend WotP schools are no different than the OP. It is within the realm of possibility that you are correct in at least some cases, but we have no way of knowing because none of the EotP families have posted the factors that led to their decisions. Moreover, there is no justification for inventing inflammatory statements that were not made. Despite your apparent belief otherwise, accuracy does matter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Nobody would judge the OP for wanting to look at schools that best fit her family's need. A BIG however is that if you say you don't want to opt in your IB school because it's 50% OOB then proceed to say you want to be OOB at another school, people WILL judge the OP. There is a big contradiction with what OP is saying she values. She would have been better to not disclose her values as the on crazy ass ones she did disclose make her look really bad.

Yes, she did look silly and ignorant of the schools in general. But everyone assumed the reason she didn't want to attend her IB school is because she was racists/classist. What about the person in the Bancroft area who chooses to send their kid to Eaton? Why can't those motives be questioned? Maybe that person is afraid of Hispanic kids?

Yea, I kinda agree here (and am one of the people calling her classist). If she is fine with eaton now that she discovers OOB only means, what, 20-30% low income and at risk (I don't know, just a guess), then she is no worse or better than most of us. If she is still bothered by OOB at eaton even when she knows it means college-y educated middle-class folk who can't afford a house in boundary, then she's classist. If she is bothered when she learns the high AA OB rate (regardless that many/most AA OB are middle class) than she is racist,

But, yes, the middleclass OBers at Eaton from mt Pleasant would likely be fine with Bancroft if it was just 20-30% low income. That is what most of us want - a school that is diverse but majority middle class so we and our kids aren't in culturally alien territory. Unfortunately, 70% of the kids in DC are not middleclass or above, which sets us all up for a scramble.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Nobody would judge the OP for wanting to look at schools that best fit her family's need. A BIG however is that if you say you don't want to opt in your IB school because it's 50% OOB then proceed to say you want to be OOB at another school, people WILL judge the OP. There is a big contradiction with what OP is saying she values. She would have been better to not disclose her values as the on crazy ass ones she did disclose make her look really bad.

Yes, she did look silly and ignorant of the schools in general. But everyone assumed the reason she didn't want to attend her IB school is because she was racists/classist. What about the person in the Bancroft area who chooses to send their kid to Eaton? Why can't those motives be questioned? Maybe that person is afraid of Hispanic kids?

If that Bancroft parent said she'd be seeking another school because she has issues with Bancroft's OOB population then it would be the same. Nobody is questioning OP's motives, they are saying she looks like an idiot wanting to become an OOB student to avoid OOB students.

[Anonymous]

But, yes, the middleclass OBers at Eaton from mt Pleasant would likely be fine with Bancroft if it was just 20-30% low income. That is what most of us want - a school that is diverse but majority middle class so we and our kids aren't in culturally alien territory. Unfortunately, 70% of the kids in DC are not middleclass or above, which sets us all up for a scramble.

This thread is getting increasingly confusing and convolunted. But I agree with the point above. I'm a Bancroft parent and I, too, wish the school had a better socioeconomic balance (more middle class families). The thing is, they are right there in the neighborhood. But they don't choose Bancroft (except for preschool). As a parent who has worked very hard to try to change that (by meeting with prospective families, doing what I can to improve the school, etc.), it's incredibly frustrating. Chicken and the egg problem, I guess.

But for any parents who are on the fence, I can tell you that Bancroft is a surprisingly good for a school that 70%+ low income Latino kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

But, yes, the middleclass OBers at Eaton from mt Pleasant would likely be fine with Bancroft if it was just 20-30% low income. That is what most of us want - a school that is diverse but majority middle class so we and our kids aren't in culturally alien territory. Unfortunately, 70% of the kids in DC are not middleclass or above, which sets us all up for a scramble.

This thread is getting increasingly confusing and convolunted. But I agree with the point above. I'm a Bancroft parent and I, too, wish the school had a better socioeconomic balance (more middle class families). The thing is, they are right there in the neighborhood. But they don't choose Bancroft (except for preschool). As a parent who has worked very hard to try to change that (by meeting with prospective families, doing what I can to improve the school, etc.), it's incredibly frustrating. Chicken and the egg problem, I guess.

But for any parents who are on the fence, I can tell you that Bancroft is a surprisingly good for a school that 70%+ low income Latino kids.

I applaud you for your honesty. If a few Janney/Murch parents would let themselves be rezoned for Hearst. If Mt. Pleasant families stayed home for Bancroft. If the Logan charter crowed stayed home for Garrison. And so on. We would eventually have a functional, logical and SUCCESSFUL elementary school system. Traffic would be reduced and everyone would win. But instead, because of poor policy decisions, we are left with this ridiculous system where neighbors flee their neighborhoods by claiming some elaborate OOB decision-making process, but in reality everyone knows what is going on.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

But, yes, the middleclass OBers at Eaton from mt Pleasant would likely be fine with Bancroft if it was just 20-30% low income. That is what most of us want - a school that is diverse but majority middle class so we and our kids aren't in culturally alien territory. Unfortunately, 70% of the kids in DC are not middleclass or above, which sets us all up for a scramble.

This thread is getting increasingly confusing and convolunted. But I agree with the point above. I'm a Bancroft parent and I, too, wish the school had a better socioeconomic balance (more middle class families). The thing is, they are right there in the neighborhood. But they don't choose Bancroft (except for preschool). As a parent who has worked very hard to try to change that (by meeting with prospective families, doing what I can to improve the school, etc.), it's incredibly frustrating. Chicken and the egg problem, I guess.

But for any parents who are on the fence, I can tell you that Bancroft is a surprisingly good for a school that 70%+ low income Latino kids.

I applaud you for your honesty. If a few Janney/Murch parents would let themselves be rezoned for Hearst. If Mt. Pleasant families stayed home for Bancroft. If the Logan charter crowed stayed home for Garrison. And so on. We would eventually have a functional, logical and SUCCESSFUL elementary school system. Traffic would be reduced and everyone would win. But instead, because of poor policy decisions, we are left with this ridiculous system where neighbors flee their neighborhoods by claiming some elaborate OOB decision-making process, but in reality everyone knows what is going on.

Again, you may believe that you have special mind-reading capabilities, but the truth is that you don't. If everyone who chooses not to attend Bancroft is doing so because of the socio-economic mix, how do you explain those who are simply not interested in its bilingual program?

[Anonymous]

Oyster has a bilingual program and the school traditionally has been one the most sought-after in the city.