Experience after leaving FCPS

[Anonymous]

Move to the mid-west. Schools will remain open, a quality public education is available and although competition will still exists, 1st grade tutors are not the norm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live in FCPS and work in one of those districts. Where do you live that you feel it’s a pressure cooker? If it is, it could be self imposed pressure.

What I’ve observed in FCPS and APS/ACPS/FCCPS etc is that standards are much lower. None of these public schools focus on academics anymore and it’s the opposite of a pressure cooker. It’s become worse after covid. Grade inflation is high, academics are bare bottom. My own children attend private school to have some sense of rigor and standards.

Parents seem to be Tiger parents over grades and getting into top colleges at all costs, not about learning.

Don’t move if your kids are happy.

FCPS has more rigor than most privates. Sorry you waste your money but no need to post that bullshit.

[Anonymous]

I love living in N Arlington - my neighbors are amazing, kind, and smart; there is so much proximity to experiences in DC (museums, shoes, etc) BUT I would absolutely move if there was another place that was less stressful for our kids. FWIW I DO think APS is less cutthroat than Fairfax, but it’s still more competitive than my schools growing up (and more competitive than I think is healthy).

When I went to college my mom warned me that I would be going from being a big fish in a small pond (eg a top performer at a small public HS in middle America) to a small fish in a big pond (top 15 college). I actually think that mix of experiences— having a less stressful, confidence building experience when I was younger and then getting a different perspective in college— was ideal (at least for me) and I was ould loce the same for my kids…. But it’s never going to happen in APS.

Also, +1 to APS being poorly run and creating constant new problems for district families

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:“They say they love school and don’t want to move.” There you have it. Don’t move. We are in Arlington and it’s a pressure cooker environment here too. In general kids play outside less but we got lucky and our neighbors all force their kids to play outside. I force them at least once a day and take them to the park regularly. Once they are out they love it but I feel kids these days need to be dragged outside. There is so much to do at home so why leave. My kids are in one of those enrichment math classes but we are immigrants and most immigrants have the impression that math in the US sucks (it does). But otherwise we keep activities to a minimal - they can never be enrolled in more than two activities and since they are close in age they have to do the same thing (not spending my entire time shuffling the kids around). Based on what you are saying I wouldn’t move. Nothing you say seems unique to Falls Church. Also i suggest reading the Coddling of the American Mind. Reading it now and based on what you are saying I think you would agree with a lot of the author’s points

OP here, thanks, I put in a request for the coddling of the American mind, reviews look up my alley

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Move to the mid-west. Schools will remain open, a quality public education is available and although competition will still exists, 1st grade tutors are not the norm.

OP here, husband and I grew up in the Midwest (lower income fair amount of URM suburb in Chicago), so if we could move back we would but husbands business is tied here. Similar to prior poster we went from big fish in small pond to small fish in big pond in college and I do feel I benefited academically from it compared to peers in grad school. But then again I have terrible anxiety in adulthood so maybe not. Also feel that experience completely ill prepared me to be a parent in this UMC educated environment. Does anyone have experiences with south arlington? Would it be dumb to move kids to a less performing school just to avoid the type A families?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Move to the mid-west. Schools will remain open, a quality public education is available and although competition will still exists, 1st grade tutors are not the norm.

OP here, husband and I grew up in the Midwest (lower income fair amount of URM suburb in Chicago), so if we could move back we would but husbands business is tied here. Similar to prior poster we went from big fish in small pond to small fish in big pond in college and I do feel I benefited academically from it compared to peers in grad school. But then again I have terrible anxiety in adulthood so maybe not. Also feel that experience completely ill prepared me to be a parent in this UMC educated environment. Does anyone have experiences with south arlington? Would it be dumb to move kids to a less performing school just to avoid the type A families?

Not in South Arlington, but I think there are type A families everywhere in Arlington.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in FCPS and work in one of those districts. Where do you live that you feel it’s a pressure cooker? If it is, it could be self imposed pressure.

What I’ve observed in FCPS and APS/ACPS/FCCPS etc is that standards are much lower. None of these public schools focus on academics anymore and it’s the opposite of a pressure cooker. It’s become worse after covid. Grade inflation is high, academics are bare bottom. My own children attend private school to have some sense of rigor and standards.

Parents seem to be Tiger parents over grades and getting into top colleges at all costs, not about learning.

Don’t move if your kids are happy.

FCPS has more rigor than most privates. Sorry you waste your money but no need to post that bullshit.

I’m sorry but it’s just not true. If you read my post, I’m also a teacher. We compare with others teaching the same subject in FCPS. None of our districts have the same rigor as some, not all, of the privates. Parents are more obsessed with inflated grades in pubic and in my experience, that is why they can appear more of a pressure cooker in high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Move to the mid-west. Schools will remain open, a quality public education is available and although competition will still exists, 1st grade tutors are not the norm.

OP here, husband and I grew up in the Midwest (lower income fair amount of URM suburb in Chicago), so if we could move back we would but husbands business is tied here. Similar to prior poster we went from big fish in small pond to small fish in big pond in college and I do feel I benefited academically from it compared to peers in grad school. But then again I have terrible anxiety in adulthood so maybe not. Also feel that experience completely ill prepared me to be a parent in this UMC educated environment. Does anyone have experiences with south arlington? Would it be dumb to move kids to a less performing school just to avoid the type A families?

No actually I don't think it's dumb to move to a lower performing school if your top priority is to avoid the type A families. However I would do your research and know what you're getting in to. Those schools have other problems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“They say they love school and don’t want to move.” There you have it. Don’t move. We are in Arlington and it’s a pressure cooker environment here too. In general kids play outside less but we got lucky and our neighbors all force their kids to play outside. I force them at least once a day and take them to the park regularly. Once they are out they love it but I feel kids these days need to be dragged outside. There is so much to do at home so why leave. My kids are in one of those enrichment math classes but we are immigrants and most immigrants have the impression that math in the US sucks (it does). But otherwise we keep activities to a minimal - they can never be enrolled in more than two activities and since they are close in age they have to do the same thing (not spending my entire time shuffling the kids around). Based on what you are saying I wouldn’t move. Nothing you say seems unique to Falls Church. Also i suggest reading the Coddling of the American Mind. Reading it now and based on what you are saying I think you would agree with a lot of the author’s points :)

OP here, thanks, I put in a request for the coddling of the American mind, reviews look up my alley

It’s a great book!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Move to the mid-west. Schools will remain open, a quality public education is available and although competition will still exists, 1st grade tutors are not the norm.

OP here, husband and I grew up in the Midwest (lower income fair amount of URM suburb in Chicago), so if we could move back we would but husbands business is tied here. Similar to prior poster we went from big fish in small pond to small fish in big pond in college and I do feel I benefited academically from it compared to peers in grad school. But then again I have terrible anxiety in adulthood so maybe not. Also feel that experience completely ill prepared me to be a parent in this UMC educated environment. Does anyone have experiences with south arlington? Would it be dumb to move kids to a less performing school just to avoid the type A families?

No actually I don't think it's dumb to move to a lower performing school if your top priority is to avoid the type A families. However I would do your research and know what you're getting in to. Those schools have other problems.

What are the other problems???