Sidwell parents — is your child happy?

[Anonymous]

my girls love Sidwell --homework is less than 10 hours a week... If your child is a perfectionist, it could take longer...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:our dc loves it and doesn't want to leave. the community of kids/classmates and families is wonderful. it's very rigorous and the demands build as kids get ready to transition to high school (for example, in 8th grade a 10 page research paper in history with thesis, formal biblio, cites etc). it seems like a lot of work to me, but apparently it prepares them well for high school. no tutor for our dc and don't hear much about them. our dc loves sports, arts and social, and so for him, life will stay balanced because he likes and needs the mix. but that also means he won't be the highest academic achiever in the class which is ok with him. my sense is that if your child is a perfectionist and really needs perfect scores on everything, that could make for some unhappiness because it will be a big grind (ie there are kids who will study over 10 hours for a history test--in 8th grade). these kids are so talented, but also really nice and interesting and supportive.

Thinking my DS and your's could be friends!

Agree completely. He is not a kid who is spending outrageous hours studying or on HW but he's also not and never will be at the top of the class. But that's OK with him and us. He is getting a fantastic education and enjoying all the school has to offer.

Hopefully, he will be working on that research paper this weekend!

[Anonymous]

Are the moms hot?

[Anonymous]

yes. on fire.

[Anonymous]

For those with happy kids there, what are the specific things that your kids love about the experience there? How do think the Sidwell experience is different from other high-achieving schools?

[Anonymous]

MY 2 boys love Sidwell and have wonderful supportive friends. My boys feel like a member of a community. The classes are hard, but they are learning a lot ( middle school and upper school). The actual content of their classes is incredible and they are never bored. The teachers have very high standards and there is grade deflation ( compared to public school where their older sister got straight As with what now seems like very little effort). At Sidwell there is lots of homework. I would say about 2 hours for MS and 3-4 hours plus some weekend time for US for my kids. We have no tutors. I personally feel like the homework level could be reduced without sacrificing rigor. My boys do feel stressed at times, but the main competition is with themselves, not with other students. As far as I know, they have no idea what grades other students get, except maybe for their closest friends. The school culture, at least for my kids classes does not include comparing grades. I can honestly say that both boys have classes that have inspired them. As to joy, they have a blast with sports, music, art, school plays, all the out of town trips and wonderful field trips. What I personally love about the school is that the time in organized so they can do everything, including private music lessons, drama, clubs, and sports at school and there is no need to drive all over the place. The schedule is organized so kids can be active on a lot of fronts at the same time. The food is great. My kids love having yummy lunch with friends. At home we still try to encourage them to go to bed as early as possible because they are so busy. Finally, they do get nice vacation breaks, and in US a study week before exams. My boys are great students, but not perfectionists, so they shrug off some of the academic pressure. On the other hand, Sidwell might not be a good fit for an anxious, perfectionistic child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a friend with two kids there. They are stressed and stretched to the max with 3-4 hours of homework a night, which started in 7th.. They are thinking of leaving because of the stress, but the kids adamantly want to stay for social reasons - they love their friends.

Real dumb ass comment.

Everyone is different. My kid is a 9th grade @Sidwell and he also spends 4 hours of homework a night which is OK by me. He also has tennis, piano and guitar lessons during the week and more tennis lessons + tournaments + private tutoring on weekend so he has to manage his time wisely. Since he is not the smartest kid in his grade, he needs to work three or four times harder than the smart one. What's wrong with working hard? This country is built on hard work.

Your poor kid. When do they have fun?

No way the above comment comes from is a Sidwell parent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a friend with two kids there. They are stressed and stretched to the max with 3-4 hours of homework a night, which started in 7th.. They are thinking of leaving because of the stress, but the kids adamantly want to stay for social reasons - they love their friends.

Real dumb ass comment.

Everyone is different. My kid is a 9th grade @Sidwell and he also spends 4 hours of homework a night which is OK by me. He also has tennis, piano and guitar lessons during the week and more tennis lessons + tournaments + private tutoring on weekend so he has to manage his time wisely. Since he is not the smartest kid in his grade, he needs to work three or four times harder than the smart one. What's wrong with working hard? This country is built on hard work.

Your poor kid. When do they have fun?

No way the above comment comes from is a Sidwell parent.

I agree. No Sidwell parent cares if their kid is having fun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a friend with two kids there. They are stressed and stretched to the max with 3-4 hours of homework a night, which started in 7th.. They are thinking of leaving because of the stress, but the kids adamantly want to stay for social reasons - they love their friends.

Real dumb ass comment.

Everyone is different. My kid is a 9th grade @Sidwell and he also spends 4 hours of homework a night which is OK by me. He also has tennis, piano and guitar lessons during the week and more tennis lessons + tournaments + private tutoring on weekend so he has to manage his time wisely. Since he is not the smartest kid in his grade, he needs to work three or four times harder than the smart one. What's wrong with working hard? This country is built on hard work.

Your poor kid. When do they have fun?

No way the above comment comes from is a Sidwell parent.

I agree. No Sidwell parent cares if their kid is having fun.

Great, the trolls have already taken it away. Thanks guys!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a friend with two kids there. They are stressed and stretched to the max with 3-4 hours of homework a night, which started in 7th.. They are thinking of leaving because of the stress, but the kids adamantly want to stay for social reasons - they love their friends.

Real dumb ass comment.

Everyone is different. My kid is a 9th grade @Sidwell and he also spends 4 hours of homework a night which is OK by me. He also has tennis, piano and guitar lessons during the week and more tennis lessons + tournaments + private tutoring on weekend so he has to manage his time wisely. Since he is not the smartest kid in his grade, he needs to work three or four times harder than the smart one. What's wrong with working hard? This country is built on hard work.

Your poor kid. When do they have fun?

No way the above comment comes from is a Sidwell parent.

I agree. No Sidwell parent cares if their kid is having fun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Life’s too short to put your kid through that pressure at such a young age. My friend interviews for Harvard and she says the Sidwell kids have not been very impressive particularly around a self congratulatory and entitled attitude.

“Interviews for Harvard.” What a joke. Speaking of self congratulatory.

I'm an alumni interviewer there as well. I get the Blair HS, Whitman HS and SFS kids.

I also have kids in private. Not going to say which one, but I understand OP's concern. The tutors, the parent tutoring, the parties, the wealth, and the sudden test/grade culture is ALL THESE SCHOOLS that starts in 9th grade is a tough one.
If you kid does not have study habits, homework regimes, time mgmt, and balance coming out of 8th grade whereever, buckle up.

That said, wonder how many kids like college way better than any of the beltway US or HS experiences?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MY 2 boys love Sidwell and have wonderful supportive friends. My boys feel like a member of a community. The classes are hard, but they are learning a lot ( middle school and upper school). The actual content of their classes is incredible and they are never bored. The teachers have very high standards and there is grade deflation ( compared to public school where their older sister got straight As with what now seems like very little effort). At Sidwell there is lots of homework. I would say about 2 hours for MS and 3-4 hours plus some weekend time for US for my kids. We have no tutors. I personally feel like the homework level could be reduced without sacrificing rigor. My boys do feel stressed at times, but the main competition is with themselves, not with other students. As far as I know, they have no idea what grades other students get, except maybe for their closest friends. The school culture, at least for my kids classes does not include comparing grades. I can honestly say that both boys have classes that have inspired them. As to joy, they have a blast with sports, music, art, school plays, all the out of town trips and wonderful field trips. What I personally love about the school is that the time in organized so they can do everything, including private music lessons, drama, clubs, and sports at school and there is no need to drive all over the place. The schedule is organized so kids can be active on a lot of fronts at the same time. The food is great. My kids love having yummy lunch with friends. At home we still try to encourage them to go to bed as early as possible because they are so busy. Finally, they do get nice vacation breaks, and in US a study week before exams. My boys are great students, but not perfectionists, so they shrug off some of the academic pressure. On the other hand, Sidwell might not be a good fit for an anxious, perfectionistic child.

agree, the extracurriculars (besides any travel team) onsite, at school make our life tons easier.
can't remember how many times we were late to a swim club signup and got our last pick time... Ugh..

[Anonymous]

We have many friends with kids at Sidwell and even the Sidwell boosters acknowledge that it can be a grind, with a lot of pressure on the kids. We discouraged our two from applying, for that reason: we have kids who do well academically but I just don't want them in that kind of hothouse environment.

Honestly though, we felt the same way about GDS, Maret and the Cathedral Schools, so in that sense I don't know that Sidwell is any "worse."

[Anonymous]

We have a 9th grader at Sidwell. We've been surprised at how little homework s/he actually does at home in the evening. Maybe an hour or so. Two hours maximum. S/he seems to get most of it done during study hall and while waiting for sports practices to begin. We're new to the school and our child is quite social so we were worried that s/he may only be surrounded by stressed out kids who are only focused on academics. Fast forward about 6 months and our child has a strong social circle, participates in sports teams, and is doing well academically. Maybe not the top 10 percent of the class but probably in the top 25-30% which is fine with us. We've been very pleasantly surprised by how most of the Sidwell high-school kids, or at least the ones we have met, are relatively well-rounded, happy and well adjusted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a friend with two kids there. They are stressed and stretched to the max with 3-4 hours of homework a night, which started in 7th.. They are thinking of leaving because of the stress, but the kids adamantly want to stay for social reasons - they love their friends.

Real dumb ass comment.

Everyone is different. My kid is a 9th grade @Sidwell and he also spends 4 hours of homework a night which is OK by me. He also has tennis, piano and guitar lessons during the week and more tennis lessons + tournaments + private tutoring on weekend so he has to manage his time wisely. Since he is not the smartest kid in his grade, he needs to work three or four times harder than the smart one. What's wrong with working hard? This country is built on hard work.

Why dumb ass? That's not your experience, which is fine, but that doesn't make the comment "dumb ass."