Potomac School pressure cooker or not

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I keep seeing conflicting posts with people saying it's not that bad and then there was the recent poster saying it's more than a 10 for stress. Which is it? How does it compare to other top privates in the area? How does it compare with public?

It mainly depends on just how good a student you have. But that’s true whether it’s Langley HS, TJ, Potomac, or Sidwell friends.

[Anonymous]

The class composition largely drives the US experience-there are a couple of classes that are not cohesive and kids don’t speak to each other unless they are part of the same “group”. The prior comments about nepotism in athletics and some of the coaches ruining the athletic experience have also been true in our experience. And several teachers do not return work in a timely manner-not just English with papers etc. All in all a disappointing experience and we will be glad to be moving on!

[Anonymous]

What are the current 3rd and 8th grades like?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The class composition largely drives the US experience-there are a couple of classes that are not cohesive and kids don’t speak to each other unless they are part of the same “group”. The prior comments about nepotism in athletics and some of the coaches ruining the athletic experience have also been true in our experience. And several teachers do not return work in a timely manner-not just English with papers etc. All in all a disappointing experience and we will be glad to be moving on!

Gotta take the sour grapes with a grain of salt. Sorry your family had a negative experience. That is no t the case for vast majority though.

[Anonymous]

I think it is the typical US experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The class composition largely drives the US experience-there are a couple of classes that are not cohesive and kids don’t speak to each other unless they are part of the same “group”. The prior comments about nepotism in athletics and some of the coaches ruining the athletic experience have also been true in our experience. And several teachers do not return work in a timely manner-not just English with papers etc. All in all a disappointing experience and we will be glad to be moving on!

Gotta take the sour grapes with a grain of salt. Sorry your family had a negative experience. That is no t the case for vast majority though.

NP here. I think "vast majority" would be vastly overstating that. It's often the people behind the problems who are oblivious to it. OP: while the administration has finally taken a few steps to address the academic pressures--mostly with the block schedule--there still remains quite a bit of pressure that comes from within the student body. There are lots of things to like about Potomac, but some pretty major issues persist, as with many schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The class composition largely drives the US experience-there are a couple of classes that are not cohesive and kids don’t speak to each other unless they are part of the same “group”. The prior comments about nepotism in athletics and some of the coaches ruining the athletic experience have also been true in our experience. And several teachers do not return work in a timely manner-not just English with papers etc. All in all a disappointing experience and we will be glad to be moving on!

Gotta take the sour grapes with a grain of salt. Sorry your family had a negative experience. That is no t the case for vast majority though.

NP here. I think "vast majority" would be vastly overstating that. It's often the people behind the problems who are oblivious to it. OP: while the administration has finally taken a few steps to address the academic pressures--mostly with the block schedule--there still remains quite a bit of pressure that comes from within the student body. There are lots of things to like about Potomac, but some pretty major issues persist, as with many schools.

Please speak to your experience as I will speak to mine. While nothing is perfect, we have been thrilled with almost every aspect of Potomac. It is truly a first rate school that does recognize that not all students are high flyers. Remember that the students who were admitted in the LS may not be the strongest in the US. They certainly know that and teach accordingly. 100% agree with PP that it is the parents who add to whatever potential stress is in any top notch school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The class composition largely drives the US experience-there are a couple of classes that are not cohesive and kids don’t speak to each other unless they are part of the same “group”. The prior comments about nepotism in athletics and some of the coaches ruining the athletic experience have also been true in our experience. And several teachers do not return work in a timely manner-not just English with papers etc. All in all a disappointing experience and we will be glad to be moving on!

Gotta take the sour grapes with a grain of salt. Sorry your family had a negative experience. That is no t the case for vast majority though.

NP here. I think "vast majority" would be vastly overstating that. It's often the people behind the problems who are oblivious to it. OP: while the administration has finally taken a few steps to address the academic pressures--mostly with the block schedule--there still remains quite a bit of pressure that comes from within the student body. There are lots of things to like about Potomac, but some pretty major issues persist, as with many schools.

Please speak to your experience as I will speak to mine. While nothing is perfect, we have been thrilled with almost every aspect of Potomac. It is truly a first rate school that does recognize that not all students are high flyers. Remember that the students who were admitted in the LS may not be the strongest in the US. They certainly know that and teach accordingly. 100% agree with PP that it is the parents who add to whatever potential stress is in any top notch school.

This back and forth alone says a lot about the parent community…

[Anonymous]

From my view it's great that parents can have an honest conversation about differing perspectives. I think the discussion between the different families has been respectful which gives me a good impression of the culture.

[Anonymous]

My second kid is there ..first kid in public.
They are about the same. Both kids have the same amount it free time and pressure.
First kid accepted to MIT, UVA, TECH, and Ohio. I know… totally random!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From my view it's great that parents can have an honest conversation about differing perspectives. I think the discussion between the different families has been respectful which gives me a good impression of the culture.

+1

[Anonymous]

In my child's experience, the US is rigorous with hours of homework each night (even with the block schedule and a study hall). This may depend on workload (honors vs. regular classes). But there is a lot of work and group work, which can be challenging depending on how much the partner does. The teachers are generally supportive, but not all of them are particularly strong. That has been disappointing. Overall, the student population is high achieving, and there seems to be a lot of pressure to excel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From my view it's great that parents can have an honest conversation about differing perspectives. I think the discussion between the different families has been respectful which gives me a good impression of the culture.

+1

Exactly. Plus, this is my least favorite DCUM response. I've been on here a while and I think I've seen "this response/these responses say everything you need to know about the parent community" (in a negative way) about every single school in the DMV.

[Anonymous]

It’s obvious that different people are having different experiences and that doesn’t make one right and one wrong. Some parents on this forum feel the need to completely cancel any negative thing said about the school and I don’t think that is honest. High school is tough for almost everyone and there are definitely issues privates have over publics. Whenever I post I intend to be honest because I don’t want people thinking these schools are perfect or life changing for all even though that’s what they try to market themselves as.

[Anonymous]

Parent of a lifer who agrees graduation cannot come soon enough. We have other children who left for area privates and are much happier. The US math department has extremely weak teachers that continue to remain despite extensive complaints. The rigor is what your child makes of it regarding their class choices. Sadly, I can think of two teachers who really seem passionate about their classes and understands how my child and other students learn. The remainder have been lackluster--tuition dollars spent for my child to watch videos rather than active teaching is disappointing. The administration needs to take action on a number of issues that seem to be perpetually excused.