Why Beauvoir?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why is everyone so emotional about B? Good question. It is because we are focussed on young children and emotionally involved in their every little portion of their life. And Beauvoir is deals with our young children -- and only young children -- and hence is our emotion extends itself to it.

By the time, your kids are in 4 or 5th grade, your interest and involvement in the school will diminish signficantly -- whether you want it to or not. When my eldest daughter went to her first school (not B.), I was very involved in all things pre-k, KG, 1st and 2nd. By 4th grade, I was still very involved but not as much emotionally. As your child gets older, parents mature as well (or at least hopefully).

Beauvoir is for the young -- whether it is for the young child or the relatively new parent.

My second child is at Beauvoir but I think I'm more mature the second time around and can't really get excited by the school (though I like it) and instead focus on whether my son is happy, engaged, and learning.

I hope this gives you some insights into the Beavoir mystique.

I'd like to believe that. It does sound so well reasoned. But the STA mania also present on this board gives me pause . . .

[Anonymous]

Oh, god, not another Beauvoir post! I know nothing about this school, & unfortunately because of the vast number of posts on DCUM, I don't have any interest in knowing. When I began my school search, and because I've never been one to follow the masses, I've only used DCUM to see what schools existed in the area. And guess what, with some free-thinking, & not trying to be like everyone else, I have found a number of wonderful schools with the same quality of education, some better, & was accepted at one of them. Try it. There's more than Beauvoir out there...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh, god, not another Beauvoir post! I know nothing about this school, & unfortunately because of the vast number of posts on DCUM, I don't have any interest in knowing. When I began my school search, and because I've never been one to follow the masses, I've only used DCUM to see what schools existed in the area. And guess what, with some free-thinking, & not trying to be like everyone else, I have found a number of wonderful schools with the same quality of education, some better, & was accepted at one of them. Try it. There's more than Beauvoir out there...

Are you sure about that? If you truly had no interest in knowing, why would you open this thread or any other thread pertaining to Beauvoir -- especially if you've found and chosen a different school for your child?

[Anonymous]

I have my own little theory on why Beauvoir, and to a lesser extent, Norwood seem to hold so much power over the imagination of parents in this area. Another poster on another thread used the phrase "golden children" ... if you go look at these schools in person, you cannot help but notice the beautiful, leafy campus facilities and the big bowed girls running around. It is a bit like looking at the pictures out of those old Dick and Jane books (fortunately with some diversity added in), which for some reason is very comforting and brings out a feeling of nostalgia for the good old days when children were well-raised, well dressed, always smiling, happy to be at school, etc. It is a myth of course, but it seems to me that these two schools bring that picture to mind better than any of the others and parents seek to capture that myth and try to make it a reality.

[Anonymous]

Did you really mean Norwood? I would have thought Maret. I have a child at Norwood and I have yet to notice that the school has such a hold! Great school, though. (And actually I haven't seen many big bows.)

[Anonymous]

9:23 again. I really only included Norwood because that is the school that was being discussed when the phrase "golden children" was used. I really think my amateur pschological analysis could apply to most of the private schools in this area. I am not suggesting that the schools are not good ... I believe that they are indeed an oasis in many ways to some of the issues faced by public schools these days. But that alone cannot explain why folks are so fascinated with Beauvoir in particular, so I was just adding an additional reason to explain it.

[Anonymous]

My guess is that most Beauvoir parents saw that it was a good school on a gorgeous campus with access to good secondary schools.

But for this particular conversation, Beauvoir gets talked about so much because it gives parents the sense-- mostly due to St. Albans, I think-- that getting in there is the gateway to Washington's elite. The myth-- and I really don't think it's born out in fact-- is that if you are there, you have crossed over that line that a mere fancy law degree or firm partnership or $3M house cannot buy you.

For me, the more interesting question is why do parents want their children to be the gateway to this partly imaginary in-crowd? My two theories:
(1) the class of parents who think about this have been on an overachievement track their whole lives, have gotten where they want to be, and have no further outlets for advancement other than their children; and
(2) Some parents who left competitive professions and an upwardly-spiraling career path to be parents treat parenting the same as their old careers, and focus upon the maximum possible achievement in parenting, and positioning their kids at the front of the line for the colleges that put them at the front of the line and the alumni/ae networks that do the same.

[Anonymous]

I don't know. I have had it explained to me again and again and I can't see past the sexual abuse. It speaks to me of a school and community so in love with itself that it couldn't think straight.

I have a thing for the old-fashioned schools that are smaller and lower-key. I just can't see somebody slipping through the cracks so easily in that sort of environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh, god, not another Beauvoir post! I know nothing about this school, & unfortunately because of the vast number of posts on DCUM, I don't have any interest in knowing. When I began my school search, and because I've never been one to follow the masses, I've only used DCUM to see what schools existed in the area. And guess what, with some free-thinking, & not trying to be like everyone else, I have found a number of wonderful schools with the same quality of education, some better, & was accepted at one of them. Try it. There's more than Beauvoir out there...

Are you sure about that? If you truly had no interest in knowing, why would you open this thread or any other thread pertaining to Beauvoir -- especially if you've found and chosen a different school for your child?

Bored moments. I'm intrigued by the nonsense sometimes..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh, god, not another Beauvoir post! I know nothing about this school, & unfortunately because of the vast number of posts on DCUM, I don't have any interest in knowing. When I began my school search, and because I've never been one to follow the masses, I've only used DCUM to see what schools existed in the area. And guess what, with some free-thinking, & not trying to be like everyone else, I have found a number of wonderful schools with the same quality of education, some better, & was accepted at one of them. Try it. There's more than Beauvoir out there...

Are you sure about that? If you truly had no interest in knowing, why would you open this thread or any other thread pertaining to Beauvoir -- especially if you've found and chosen a different school for your child?

Bored moments. I'm intrigued by the nonsense sometimes..

It seems strange to me that you would avoid a school that could potentially be a perfect fit for your child just because of the views DCUM many of whom have never had children at B but rely on hearsay (most of which is completely wrong) for most of their information.. The day I make a decision on something so important based on DCUM's opinions would be a very sad day. I am sure your kids are at a great school though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh, god, not another Beauvoir post! I know nothing about this school, & unfortunately because of the vast number of posts on DCUM, I don't have any interest in knowing. When I began my school search, and because I've never been one to follow the masses, I've only used DCUM to see what schools existed in the area. And guess what, with some free-thinking, & not trying to be like everyone else, I have found a number of wonderful schools with the same quality of education, some better, & was accepted at one of them. Try it. There's more than Beauvoir out there...

Are you sure about that? If you truly had no interest in knowing, why would you open this thread or any other thread pertaining to Beauvoir -- especially if you've found and chosen a different school for your child?

Bored moments. I'm intrigued by the nonsense sometimes..

It seems strange to me that you would avoid a school that could potentially be a perfect fit for your child just because of the views DCUM many of whom have never had children at B but rely on hearsay (most of which is completely wrong) for most of their information.. The day I make a decision on something so important based on DCUM's opinions would be a very sad day. I am sure your kids are at a great school though.

My DS is actually about to start a wonderful school. And, to be honest, the posts didn't make my decision for me, but I had to wonder, if the parents are this way, I can only imagine what the kids might be like...I don't feel like I missed a thing by not applying to B. Like I said, I found several schools just as good, & some better, that we applied to. B is not the end all be all..

[Anonymous]

Then why are you spending so much time thinking about it and posting about it here?!!! What a weird obsession ... and don't tell me you are not obsessed when you start a thread like this one and continue to post.

[Anonymous]

Beauvoir is a good school.

It's the only traditional school out of the "Big Three" and as a result, has many followers.

I didn't like GDS because of the way students spoke to teachers.

Sidwell seemed too stuck up.

If you actually visit Beauvoir, it's really a ncie environment where the kids are learning tres beaucoup. Plus, I like that it's set up like a public school... Elementary School then a different secondary school... but it's got the freedom of a private school to give a great education.

[Anonymous]

And, to be honest, the posts didn't make my decision for me, but I had to wonder, if the parents are this way, I can only imagine what the kids might be like...

New poster to this thread. I have not done any sort of rigorous study of the various Beauvoir threads on DCUM, but my impression has always been that the Beauvoir parents who post here (or at least the ones that identify themselves as Beauvoir parents) actually seem pretty reasonable and pleasant. To me at least, it's some of the anti-Beauvoir people that seem a little stressful. BTW, I've got no connection to Beauvoir -- just a curious bystander.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Beauvoir is a good school.

It's the only traditional school out of the "Big Three" and as a result, has many followers.

I didn't like GDS because of the way students spoke to teachers.

Sidwell seemed too stuck up.

If you actually visit Beauvoir, it's really a ncie environment where the kids are learning tres beaucoup. Plus, I like that it's set up like a public school... Elementary School then a different secondary school... but it's got the freedom of a private school to give a great education.

We did not look at Beauvoir as we were interested in a progressive education and both our DC are now at GDS (while I would prefer that they not call their teachers by their first names, I completely understand and accept the historical reasons for this practice). While I understand some of the comments at the macro level -- leafy campus, golden chair, hair bows -- I know some families at the individual level and like all of them. We're not necessarily friends, but we are friendly. I try to see the trees in these situations and not just focus on the forest.