Washington International School

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Big 3 and WIS both have a range of families. In each, different grades have their own cultures. Some are more athletic or academically oriented than others.

The most important difference between Big 3 and WIS is both the most obvious and also the most often overlooked: the Big 3 are all independent, American schools while WIS is proudly international. It will never be American nor does it want to be nor will any suggestions take it that way.

This means math will be taught differently with a definite ceiling. It also means history, English and many other subjects are taught from a different lens. Finally core, frankly WASP-y values around stewardship, charity, political leadership and responsibility are not part of the history of the institution. Race means something different in the world than in America. The American way is taught but within a global context.

Both paths lead kids to top institutions like HYPS. Both paths lead to successful engineers at MIT.

The question for us was do we want our kids to have an American or an international experience?

Not sure where you’re getting that WIS “teaches math at a definite ceiling from”.

The IB curriculum is a lot more rigorous and expansive than your basic U.S. prep school as the measure at WIS is an international standard.

If there is indeed a ceiling it’s a lot hirer than the basic independents.

*higher.

English is my third language.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Big 3 and WIS both have a range of families. In each, different grades have their own cultures. Some are more athletic or academically oriented than others.

The most important difference between Big 3 and WIS is both the most obvious and also the most often overlooked: the Big 3 are all independent, American schools while WIS is proudly international. It will never be American nor does it want to be nor will any suggestions take it that way.

This means math will be taught differently with a definite ceiling. It also means history, English and many other subjects are taught from a different lens. Finally core, frankly WASP-y values around stewardship, charity, political leadership and responsibility are not part of the history of the institution. Race means something different in the world than in America. The American way is taught but within a global context.

Both paths lead kids to top institutions like HYPS. Both paths lead to successful engineers at MIT.

The question for us was do we want our kids to have an American or an international experience?

Not sure where you’re getting that WIS “teaches math at a definite ceiling from”.

The IB curriculum is a lot more rigorous and expansive than your basic U.S. prep school as the measure at WIS is an international standard.

If there is indeed a ceiling it’s a lot hirer than the basic independents.

*higher.

English is my third language.

If you are at WIS, talk to the administration. IB HL maths is the ceiling.

Big 3 offers higher. Big 3 is not basic US Prep or basic independent.

WIS parents at times become defensive and talk about how the Big 3 doesn’t go into as much depth or breath. They do not know that the ceiling at the Big 3 is the faculty, and some, not all, of the faculty rival top university level. In almost every field, this exceeds the IB.

Most St Albans parents don’t know how the St Albans curriculum compares against WIS. Most St Albans students who go to HYPS don’t take the highest level maths.

The cultural differences are, at times, beyond communication.

Do you, as a parent, understand international or American culture? Which do you want your child to understand?

Go with that answer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Big 3 and WIS both have a range of families. In each, different grades have their own cultures. Some are more athletic or academically oriented than others.

The most important difference between Big 3 and WIS is both the most obvious and also the most often overlooked: the Big 3 are all independent, American schools while WIS is proudly international. It will never be American nor does it want to be nor will any suggestions take it that way.

This means math will be taught differently with a definite ceiling. It also means history, English and many other subjects are taught from a different lens. Finally core, frankly WASP-y values around stewardship, charity, political leadership and responsibility are not part of the history of the institution. Race means something different in the world than in America. The American way is taught but within a global context.

Both paths lead kids to top institutions like HYPS. Both paths lead to successful engineers at MIT.

The question for us was do we want our kids to have an American or an international experience?

Not sure where you’re getting that WIS “teaches math at a definite ceiling from”.

The IB curriculum is a lot more rigorous and expansive than your basic U.S. prep school as the measure at WIS is an international standard.

If there is indeed a ceiling it’s a lot hirer than the basic independents.

*higher.

English is my third language.

If you are at WIS, talk to the administration. IB HL maths is the ceiling.

Big 3 offers higher. Big 3 is not basic US Prep or basic independent.

WIS parents at times become defensive and talk about how the Big 3 doesn’t go into as much depth or breath. They do not know that the ceiling at the Big 3 is the faculty, and some, not all, of the faculty rival top university level. In almost every field, this exceeds the IB.

Most St Albans parents don’t know how the St Albans curriculum compares against WIS. Most St Albans students who go to HYPS don’t take the highest level maths.

The cultural differences are, at times, beyond communication.

Do you, as a parent, understand international or American culture? Which do you want your child to understand?

Go with that answer.

None of these schools limit your children. None of these schools are better than the rest. Choose for fit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looking for insight from parents who chose WIS for their kids starting from elementary school.

We’re an American family looking at WIS for our kindergartener and eventually his brother.

What have you liked and not liked about the school? Are families mostly non-American? Is it a transient school of mostly diplomats/temporary residents?
If you could do it over, would you choose WIS or somewhere else?

The split between American and non American families is almost 50-50.

The population is not transient at all as most of the international families are not affiliated with the diplomatic core or temporary residents.

We would definitely choose WIS again.

In fact we chose WIS over one of the Big 3 because we didn’t want to deal with the typical DC prep school striver scene.

I call bullshit. Why did you apply to a Big 3 in the first place then?

I am not the previous poster, but we applied to a big 3, WIS and two other schools, and we ended up choosing one of the two other schools. We loved so many things about WIS and think its a wonderful spot for the right kid, though. The poster "calling BS" appears to miss the point that schools are about fit at a certain point. Why call this person a liar?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Big 3 and WIS both have a range of families. In each, different grades have their own cultures. Some are more athletic or academically oriented than others.

The most important difference between Big 3 and WIS is both the most obvious and also the most often overlooked: the Big 3 are all independent, American schools while WIS is proudly international. It will never be American nor does it want to be nor will any suggestions take it that way.

This means math will be taught differently with a definite ceiling. It also means history, English and many other subjects are taught from a different lens. Finally core, frankly WASP-y values around stewardship, charity, political leadership and responsibility are not part of the history of the institution. Race means something different in the world than in America. The American way is taught but within a global context.

Both paths lead kids to top institutions like HYPS. Both paths lead to successful engineers at MIT.

The question for us was do we want our kids to have an American or an international experience?

Not sure where you’re getting that WIS “teaches math at a definite ceiling from”.

The IB curriculum is a lot more rigorous and expansive than your basic U.S. prep school as the measure at WIS is an international standard.

If there is indeed a ceiling it’s a lot hirer than the basic independents.

*higher.

English is my third language.

If you are at WIS, talk to the administration. IB HL maths is the ceiling.

Big 3 offers higher. Big 3 is not basic US Prep or basic independent.

WIS parents at times become defensive and talk about how the Big 3 doesn’t go into as much depth or breath. They do not know that the ceiling at the Big 3 is the faculty, and some, not all, of the faculty rival top university level. In almost every field, this exceeds the IB.

Most St Albans parents don’t know how the St Albans curriculum compares against WIS. Most St Albans students who go to HYPS don’t take the highest level maths.

The cultural differences are, at times, beyond communication.

Do you, as a parent, understand international or American culture? Which do you want your child to understand?

Go with that answer.

None of these schools limit your children. None of these schools are better than the rest. Choose for fit.

Clearly false but okay.