Open houses -- why bother?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here -- great answers. I think that part of it is that I don't have a strong educational philosophy myself and believe in collective wisdom more than my own first impressions.

I'm just the opposite, so going to open houses is invaluable. I can all the collective wisdom out there, but nothing beats going and seeing for myself whether the vibe is right for my kid.

Similar here. I still don't have a firm grasp about all of the models out there, but I know what I like and what I don't like once I see it in person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here -- great answers. I think that part of it is that I don't have a strong educational philosophy myself and believe in collective wisdom more than my own first impressions.

I'm just the opposite, so going to open houses is invaluable. I can all the collective wisdom out there, but nothing beats going and seeing for myself whether the vibe is right for my kid.

Similar here. I still don't have a firm grasp about all of the models out there, but I know what I like and what I don't like once I see it in person.

You know this makes little sense, right? I'm not saying there is a better way, but the idea that you can predict with any degree of certainty whether a school will be a good fit for your child over the course of years based on such a small sample size doesn't hold water. I get it though. It's a process that you desperately want to have some control over but deep down know it is more like throwing darts.

I'm not trying to rain on your parade, just suggesting you shouldn't have a false sense of confidence in your choice.

For example, Logan Montessori has been brought up here. We did our diligence and were excited to get in. We thought it had the right "vibe" for our independent child. But after a few months of actually living with the school we were ready to head for zee hillz.

[Anonymous]

So what do you suggest for the pp? When all is said and done, we have to trust our instincts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you're not looking for public childcare, there are lots of private preschool options on the Hill. Enroll in one of those and send your child to Maury in PreK 4.

This

[Anonymous]

People who call PS a free childcare--meaty fingers just pounding the keyboard w/ a wine buzz--are among my favortite DCUM posters.

[Anonymous]

ditto what everyone said about the common lottery, etc. Also, keep in mind, even though Maury may be your only realistic public school choice because of the odds for the other schools in the lottery, it is clearly not your only option (there are private options and daycare). If you do get into Maury, you probably will want to know what sort of environment you are sending your 3-year-old into. DCPS for preschool is much different from daycare, which usually have open door policies and strict rules about safety, etc. At DCPS you pretty much drop your kid off and trust the teachers are looking out for them in a way you would be comfortable with. I have a child in a PS3 program and personally continue to be amazed at how much they "trust" 3-year-olds to do what they are told without a lot of supervision.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:ditto what everyone said about the common lottery, etc. Also, keep in mind, even though Maury may be your only realistic public school choice because of the odds for the other schools in the lottery, it is clearly not your only option (there are private options and daycare). If you do get into Maury, you probably will want to know what sort of environment you are sending your 3-year-old into. DCPS for preschool is much different from daycare, which usually have open door policies and strict rules about safety, etc. At DCPS you pretty much drop your kid off and trust the teachers are looking out for them in a way you would be comfortable with. I have a child in a PS3 program and personally continue to be amazed at how much they "trust" 3-year-olds to do what they are told without a lot of supervision.

Can you give more details about this? Thanks from an upcoming pk3 parent weighing dcps and daycare options.