Moving to DC, and can't decide between Oyster and MoCo

[Anonymous]

OP- have you spent time in the neighborhoods you're considering? There's a huge difference-- how do you want to live?

My kid is at Oyster. The level of challenge varies according to the teacher, though we have high hopes for some school-wide standards under the new principal. There are a lot of bright students in every class, so the level of instruction is generally pretty good, and they have started pulling the lowest kids out for extra help, which also helps the middle and high ones move forward. The bilingual program has absolutely added a measure of challenge for our daughter, but we'd still like to see more. We're starting her on supplementary classes with the Hopkins Center for Talented Youth in addition to other after-school classes. It's nice to have elementary and middle school covered acceptably and I'm guardedly optimistic about Wilson since they're not shy about tracking. Still, DCPS does not do enough for its brightest students-- there's no denying that.

For us, there's no question of moving to the 'burbs. We'd hate it and feel it would suck every other sort of stimulation out of DD's life, even if we could depend on more stimulation at school.

However, it sounds like you're not opposed to living MoCo style. While I'd like to sell my school and see it packed with even more bright students, I'm compelled to tell you that the idea of moving to Woodley Park / Adams Morgan just for the school when you're not looking for an urban lifestyle strikes me as strange. I guess I see the school as ok for us *because* it permits us to follow what I see as a healthier lifestyle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
It's getting down to the wire, and we still can't make up our minds about where to live.

The choice boils down to:

--buy or rent an apartment or townhome in the boundary area for Oyster OR
--buy or rent a SF house in Bethesda, Chevy Chase or Silver Spring in the BCC cluster.

We are focusing on Oyster because our kids are talented at school, and we think the bilingual aspect of Oyster will make up for the fact that DCPS has no gifted program.

BUT, we keep coming back to the fact that DCPS has no gifted program, and MoCo has gifted and highly gifted programs. Plus, we really want to live in a house with a yard.

Our kids are in small, nurturing private schools now.

If your kids are in Oyster, what would make you move them to Maryland?

If your kids are in good MoCo schools, would you move to DC to send them to Oyster?

Actually, I think these seem like strange choices. You're seriously deciding only between Oyster and MoCo (anywhere from CC to SS?)? If you like city living so much, why not one of the academically superior DCPS elementaries (arguably better than most if not all MoCo schools)? Otoh, if it's the language immersion thing, does it really have to be Oyster? There are several excellent language immersion charter schools in DC, and there are also language immersion schools in Arlington and Fairfax.

It just looks to me like you've chosen two dissimilar options, without considering the alternatives that are actually closer to either one. It's like you're trying to paint a room either Royal Blue or Golden Yellow. Why not Navy? Why not Butter Yellow? Why are you comparing apples to engine blocks?

[Anonymous]

15:27 here responding to a minor point:

If the OP is looking for both city living and a Ward 3 school, Oyster is the only option. The others draw from neighborhoods much less urban in character... certainly than Adams Morgan/ Kalorama Triangle but also even less than Woodley Park.

[Anonymous]

I'm the poster who wrote that Wilson would be a mistake. Sure, you are correct that there are some students for which Wilson would not be a mistake. But I assure you I know a lot about Wilson and for most students my advice stands.

[Anonymous]

19:30 Thanks, if you feel comfortable elaborating ... I know several students who are very happy there. They're boys, athletes; perhaps Wilson's athletics outweigh deficiencies in its academics for these students.

[Anonymous]

OP, how old are your children and do they already have any Spanish? You don't want to set them up for failure.

[Anonymous]

Wow. There are a lot of people posting here about Wilson, but have they walked through? There is some serious stuff going down in that school...that is not to say that your kid won't go to an Ivy, they MAY, but there is a LOT to slog through before they get there....they EARN it. I would STRONGLY urge people to take a hard look at the school and try to just imagine your lovely child NOT in the top 10% of the school. It can be pretty rough...

[Anonymous]

22:58 -- what do you mean? You'd know before entering Wilson whether you'd be in one of the academies or whether you'd be in general education. You would make your decision (to go or not go) accordingly I assume.

Or are you saying the academies are like juvenile detention too? Or what are you saying?

[Anonymous]

Wilson can be great but it is certainly pretty rough. Coming from a small nurturing private school into that environment would be a challenge. Still, it might round out their book smarts with some street smarts.

Bethesda is very nice, and there are some parts that are reasonably urban in environment - East Bethesda, parts of chevy chase you can walk to shops, metro etc and don't need a car, but you still have a yard.

[Anonymous]

It's also not just a matter of renting v. owning, language v. g&t, yard v. no yard. It's about lifestyle, being surrounded by moms and families raising their kids with similar values, how involved you are/want to be in your kid's education. Because these are the big differences. I'm not saying which values are better at all. But it is in these areas where huge differences b/w Bethesda and DC come in.

Consider commute, the kinds of friends you have now and the kinds of friends you want, how you'll spend your leisure, envision your day-to-day life, how much time do you have to helping in your kids' school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's also not just a matter of renting v. owning, language v. g&t, yard v. no yard. It's about lifestyle, being surrounded by moms and families raising their kids with similar values, how involved you are/want to be in your kid's education. Because these are the big differences. I'm not saying which values are better at all. But it is in these areas where huge differences b/w Bethesda and DC come in.

Consider commute, the kinds of friends you have now and the kinds of friends you want, how you'll spend your leisure, envision your day-to-day life, how much time do you have to helping in your kids' school?

I can't imagine the values in dc are that different from Bethesda, are they? Both are liberal, diverse etc, though dc is clearly more urban. what did you have in mind?

[Anonymous]

What about the differences between Bethesda and Silver Spring? Huge!

[Anonymous]

OP, I think you have posted on this before because the problem sounds similar to some other threads I have read. I still think you should go for MoCo because you seem very worried about getting the perfect fit for your kids. My kid came up through DCPS and I'm fine with it but it's not for families who are looking for "perfect." I think you should bite the bullet and go for MoCo.

Good luck with your decision!

[Anonymous]

I can't imagine the values in dc are that different from Bethesda, are they? Both are liberal, diverse etc, though dc is clearly more urban. what did you have in mind?

Bethesda is diverse??? I suppose some people are doctors and others are lawyers. Some drive Volvos and some drive BMWs, but beyond that I haven't noticed much ethnic, social or economic diversity.

[Anonymous]

I think that Oyster and MoCo have a lot more in common than some of the PPs admit. Anyone who thinks that living in Woodley Park constitutes an urban lifestyle is either kidding themselves or has a serious case of pretentiousness. I've lived in both Woodley Park and Chevy Chase and the only difference is that Woodley Park is less economically diverse.