Is GDS too woke?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All of the top independent schools (and most top universities) are “too woke” for the parents generation, because they are educating a new generation. If you were to ask my kids and their friends (regardless of where they go to school) the schools are not too woke.

Because that is what happens when you are brainwashed

[Anonymous]

Does a middle-of-the-road student feel comfortable in the HS? Someone who is generally in favor of fairness but isn’t especially interested in focusing on social justice issues nor puts energy into rights, political awareness, and so forth. Mixed-race family where one parent is a liberal and one parent self-proclaims to be sick of cancel culture and failure of Democrats to meaningfully focus on economic issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All of the top independent schools (and most top universities) are “too woke” for the parents generation, because they are educating a new generation. If you were to ask my kids and their friends (regardless of where they go to school) the schools are not too woke.

I’d agree to a point.
There should still be a strong understanding that disagreement within a subgroup that feels strongly about social justice (that whole generation mostly, which is a great thing) is okay and should be encouraged. Discussion and critical thinking have really diminished in the era of cancel culture and I hope that things swing back toward middle in regards to open civil discussion being seen as the way towards progress, instead of all must think the same attitudes that are unfortunately more and more present as a fear based reaction in the Trump and post-Trump era. Is GDS too woke? I don’t know, but I think it is important to ask if a student would feel comfortable raising an alternative argument to reparations at that school, just one example, or if they would feel uneasy doing so in fear of being labeled “bad” rather than someone open to difficult and nuanced discussion.

Fox talking point. Who cancelled Rudy or the My Pillow Guy or Sydney Powell? Hint: it wasn't "the woke crowd"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does a middle-of-the-road student feel comfortable in the HS? Someone who is generally in favor of fairness but isn’t especially interested in focusing on social justice issues nor puts energy into rights, political awareness, and so forth. Mixed-race family where one parent is a liberal and one parent self-proclaims to be sick of cancel culture and failure of Democrats to meaningfully focus on economic issues.

It’s a school not Twitter. Its funny that people are so primed by these exaggerated stories about Oberlin or Smith or whatever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was a bit turned off at the Open House when so much of the emphasis was on explaining their equity/woke positions. I have no problem with those positions per se, but it was a weird pitch to focus on that and never mention the math curriculum. I know that the school teaches math, but it was not a correctly calibrate pitch for what many parents want to hear about in an Open House. We ended up at a different school and are happy. I have friends happy at GDS. I think it’s more of a messaging problem than an actual problem with what the kids are learning.

I felt the same, and we are already at a very progressive and liberal leaning school. I’d agree it might be a messaging problem, in that most parents want to know about the academic curriculum and approach just as much. Sometimes schools like this feel they have lost the vision and start to see themselves as a social justice non-profit, ministerial in nature.

It’s literally a social justice non-profit. That’s why it was created.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All of the top independent schools (and most top universities) are “too woke” for the parents generation, because they are educating a new generation. If you were to ask my kids and their friends (regardless of where they go to school) the schools are not too woke.

My kids both think it’s too much. They agree with equity and social justice, but are tired of being made to feel like they are racist just because they are white.

[Anonymous]

Do they blame you for sending them there when that was obvious at the time they started?

[Anonymous]

The hypocrisy of schools such as GDS is astounding. GDS should allow anyone who wishes to attend to come on a first come, first serve basis. That would be equality and social justice!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The problem with GDS is not that it is too woke, it's that its existence is in conflict with its values.

+1. I think hypocrisy is too strong a way to describe it, but they clearly grant themselves all manner of unprincipled exceptions to their stated values. How you square the circle between the things they say they believe and charging 40k per year is beyond me. Perhaps larger minds can grok it. To simple minded folk like me, this raises the question of whether their stated values, you know, actually work. But then again I would say that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All of the top independent schools (and most top universities) are “too woke” for the parents generation, because they are educating a new generation. If you were to ask my kids and their friends (regardless of where they go to school) the schools are not too woke.

I’d agree to a point.
There should still be a strong understanding that disagreement within a subgroup that feels strongly about social justice (that whole generation mostly, which is a great thing) is okay and should be encouraged. Discussion and critical thinking have really diminished in the era of cancel culture and I hope that things swing back toward middle in regards to open civil discussion being seen as the way towards progress, instead of all must think the same attitudes that are unfortunately more and more present as a fear based reaction in the Trump and post-Trump era. Is GDS too woke? I don’t know, but I think it is important to ask if a student would feel comfortable raising an alternative argument to reparations at that school, just one example, or if they would feel uneasy doing so in fear of being labeled “bad” rather than someone open to difficult and nuanced discussion.

This last point is critical. I don’t know the answer. But I hope it is a question the GDS leadership considers.

OP here and that is precisely my concern.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All of the top independent schools (and most top universities) are “too woke” for the parents generation, because they are educating a new generation. If you were to ask my kids and their friends (regardless of where they go to school) the schools are not too woke.

My kids both think it’s too much. They agree with equity and social justice, but are tired of being made to feel like they are racist just because they are white.

Interesting... this is my worry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All of the top independent schools (and most top universities) are “too woke” for the parents generation, because they are educating a new generation. If you were to ask my kids and their friends (regardless of where they go to school) the schools are not too woke.

My kids both think it’s too much. They agree with equity and social justice, but are tired of being made to feel like they are racist just because they are white.

Interesting... this is my worry.

All this kind of heavy-handed woke stuff is doing is to create the very kind of white racial identity they claim to be fighting. You can’t put people in an environment where they are criticized on racial grounds, not really allowed to respond, told that others must be advanced above them due to “equity,” and expect any other result. It’s crazy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The problem with GDS is not that it is too woke, it's that its existence is in conflict with its values.

This is a perfect description.

When my kid was in late elementary at our current K-8, GDS was the top of our list for HS. It was the place that accepted and embraced differences and individuality. Now it’s just the mirror image of the opposite side’s group think we wanted to avoid.

Didn’t apply this year for HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'll leave the question at that....

Yes. Overly consumed.

GDS has lost its way and balance as an academic institution in order to do activist ideological schooling. And it’s curriculum was experimental to begin with so now it’s way out there.

The worst is the opportunity cost of all the hours, assemblies, speakers, and mandatory entire-day workshops 100% dedicated to SjW opinions and little else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All of the top independent schools (and most top universities) are “too woke” for the parents generation, because they are educating a new generation. If you were to ask my kids and their friends (regardless of where they go to school) the schools are not too woke.

How woke and progressive. As a child what should be taught and how.