Is Sidwell really Sadwell?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This “is actually true for some kids” at every school. Students struggle with depression, and other mental health issues, at every school. Sidwell is not an exception to that rule, nor is it an outlier. What’s your point?

You would have us believe that the percentage of students struggling with mental health is the same at every school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The nickname “Sadwell No Friends” has been around forever. All the private schools have a name. All the kids at the schools know them. It’s just a joke. Don’t take it so seriously.

But this is actually true for some kids and Sidwell does not notice or care one bit about those kids.

This “is actually true for some kids” at every school. Students struggle with depression, and other mental health issues, at every school. Sidwell is not an exception to that rule, nor is it an outlier. What’s your point?

The point would be that Sidwell does not have a particularly warm approach from teachers or admin. There is very little expectation for mentoring. And, yes, it does occur among those who are outgoing and of course there are some teachers that are warm. Every school we know of has a higher bar for the student advisory role and generally employs more kindness into the ethos of the school from the top down.

If you actually had a child at Sidwell, you would know this isn’t true.

Two quick examples:
1. There are weekly required advisory meetings with your assigned/selected faculty/administrator advisor; and
2. My children participated in Sidwell’s peer mentorship program, where they were matched with a senior. They met weekly with their student mentor.

While no place is perfect, my children love Sidwell. They have told me many times that there’s no other school they would prefer to attend over Sidwell. This entire thread is nonsense. However, I understand that people love to hate Sidwell, so these ridiculous posts will continue.

I am the PP you are replying to and I do have children at Sidwell - so there's that..... And, there is some real truth to what the other PP (the one I replied to) said. I have seen multiple other students where this was true. This isn't a hate Sidwell post. I find it amazing that people cannot imagine any other reality than their own.

[Anonymous]

Can't we just agree that a place like Sidwell (or NCS) isn't a one-size-fits-all school?

Plus the teachers vary a LOT. I've had two kids go though. There are easy teachers and there are impossible teachers. You get what you get. It can color the entire experience if you have a demoralizing teacher in a core subject.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This “is actually true for some kids” at every school. Students struggle with depression, and other mental health issues, at every school. Sidwell is not an exception to that rule, nor is it an outlier. What’s your point?

You would have us believe that the percentage of students struggling with mental health is the same at every school?

NP here: Actually I would. Kids are struggling all over—public, private, wealthy, middle class, poor, rural, suburban, city. If you don’t know this, then you haven’t been paying attention.

Take a listen. Worth 30 minutes of your time:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-daily/id1200361736?i=1000577780551

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree it is getting strangely obsessive on this board. . . I have three very happy, very different kids at SFS. We've never felt that it's a pressure cooker, and we frequently remark on how down to earth and warm the school community has been along the way.

Was there a category in the mental health audit for "delusional"? --

from the parent of an SFS alum and current student

[Anonymous]

personally I'd've gone with "Kids-un-well" uh huh yes ma'am

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The nickname “Sadwell No Friends” has been around forever. All the private schools have a name. All the kids at the schools know them. It’s just a joke. Don’t take it so seriously.

But this is actually true for some kids and Sidwell does not notice or care one bit about those kids.

This “is actually true for some kids” at every school. Students struggle with depression, and other mental health issues, at every school. Sidwell is not an exception to that rule, nor is it an outlier. What’s your point?

The point would be that Sidwell does not have a particularly warm approach from teachers or admin. There is very little expectation for mentoring. And, yes, it does occur among those who are outgoing and of course there are some teachers that are warm. Every school we know of has a higher bar for the student advisory role and generally employs more kindness into the ethos of the school from the top down.

If you actually had a child at Sidwell, you would know this isn’t true.

Two quick examples:
1. There are weekly required advisory meetings with your assigned/selected faculty/administrator advisor; and
2. My children participated in Sidwell’s peer mentorship program, where they were matched with a senior. They met weekly with their student mentor.

While no place is perfect, my children love Sidwell. They have told me many times that there’s no other school they would prefer to attend over Sidwell. This entire thread is nonsense. However, I understand that people love to hate Sidwell, so these ridiculous posts will continue.

I am the PP you are replying to and I do have children at Sidwell - so there's that..... And, there is some real truth to what the other PP (the one I replied to) said. I have seen multiple other students where this was true. This isn't a hate Sidwell post. I find it amazing that people cannot imagine any other reality than their own.

If you have children at Sidwell, and you feel as you do, why are they still attending the school? Why don’t you find a school that you **think** is warmer and more kind? Why are you paying a premium for a school that isn’t meeting your/your children’s needs?

I can’t imagine being in that predicament.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The nickname “Sadwell No Friends” has been around forever. All the private schools have a name. All the kids at the schools know them. It’s just a joke. Don’t take it so seriously.

But this is actually true for some kids and Sidwell does not notice or care one bit about those kids.

This “is actually true for some kids” at every school. Students struggle with depression, and other mental health issues, at every school. Sidwell is not an exception to that rule, nor is it an outlier. What’s your point?

The point would be that Sidwell does not have a particularly warm approach from teachers or admin. There is very little expectation for mentoring. And, yes, it does occur among those who are outgoing and of course there are some teachers that are warm. Every school we know of has a higher bar for the student advisory role and generally employs more kindness into the ethos of the school from the top down.

If you actually had a child at Sidwell, you would know this isn’t true.

Two quick examples:
1. There are weekly required advisory meetings with your assigned/selected faculty/administrator advisor; and
2. My children participated in Sidwell’s peer mentorship program, where they were matched with a senior. They met weekly with their student mentor.

While no place is perfect, my children love Sidwell. They have told me many times that there’s no other school they would prefer to attend over Sidwell. This entire thread is nonsense. However, I understand that people love to hate Sidwell, so these ridiculous posts will continue.

What else are your kids going to say? Do they know any other school at any level of depth?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This “is actually true for some kids” at every school. Students struggle with depression, and other mental health issues, at every school. Sidwell is not an exception to that rule, nor is it an outlier. What’s your point?

You would have us believe that the percentage of students struggling with mental health is the same at every school?

NP here: Actually I would. Kids are struggling all over—public, private, wealthy, middle class, poor, rural, suburban, city. If you don’t know this, then you haven’t been paying attention.

Take a listen. Worth 30 minutes of your time:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-daily/id1200361736?i=1000577780551

Read what I said more carefully. Nowhere am I disputing that mental health issues exist at every school. I'm just very skeptical that the percentage of students struggling is the same at every single school. It's almost certainly higher in some places than others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The nickname “Sadwell No Friends” has been around forever. All the private schools have a name. All the kids at the schools know them. It’s just a joke. Don’t take it so seriously.

But this is actually true for some kids and Sidwell does not notice or care one bit about those kids.

This “is actually true for some kids” at every school. Students struggle with depression, and other mental health issues, at every school. Sidwell is not an exception to that rule, nor is it an outlier. What’s your point?

The point would be that Sidwell does not have a particularly warm approach from teachers or admin. There is very little expectation for mentoring. And, yes, it does occur among those who are outgoing and of course there are some teachers that are warm. Every school we know of has a higher bar for the student advisory role and generally employs more kindness into the ethos of the school from the top down.

If you actually had a child at Sidwell, you would know this isn’t true.

Two quick examples:
1. There are weekly required advisory meetings with your assigned/selected faculty/administrator advisor; and
2. My children participated in Sidwell’s peer mentorship program, where they were matched with a senior. They met weekly with their student mentor.

While no place is perfect, my children love Sidwell. They have told me many times that there’s no other school they would prefer to attend over Sidwell. This entire thread is nonsense. However, I understand that people love to hate Sidwell, so these ridiculous posts will continue.

I am the PP you are replying to and I do have children at Sidwell - so there's that..... And, there is some real truth to what the other PP (the one I replied to) said. I have seen multiple other students where this was true. This isn't a hate Sidwell post. I find it amazing that people cannot imagine any other reality than their own.

If you have children at Sidwell, and you feel as you do, why are they still attending the school? Why don’t you find a school that you **think** is warmer and more kind? Why are you paying a premium for a school that isn’t meeting your/your children’s needs?

I can’t imagine being in that predicament.

These sorts of questions are ridiculous. And maybe they are coming from families that didn't enter at 9th grade so they don't have perspective? It's also not a "love it or leave it" situation.

I have seen families come in 9th and at first the new kids are all working to adjust both socially and academically. If a kid is getting very good grades but is in 10th grade and still has not made bonds with students or teachers, there is no way they are going to leave midstream. These kids are smart and they have goals and they know how much of an upheaval that would be. At least they have figured out the academic adjustment and who is going to sign up for adjusting academically again to a new high school for junior or senior year? That's crazy.

I would never suggest to these families (the ones whose kids didn't fully find their way and felt on the fringes) "why don't you just leave" - "if you are so unhappy, spend your money elsewhere". It's not that simple. I can put myself into others' shoes. I see some kids doing fine, but others are not.

When it comes down to it, it is not being a Sidwell hater to suggest there are areas in which Sidwell can improve and to think Sidwell has no room for improvement is naive. One of the main ways they can improve is to actually care about kids and families instead of treating parents like the enemy and caring about all the kids they admit, at all levels (academic, social, physical, mental).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When it comes down to it, it is not being a Sidwell hater to suggest there are areas in which Sidwell can improve and to think Sidwell has no room for improvement is naive.

Totally reminds me of this.
https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/259/257/342.png

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The nickname “Sadwell No Friends” has been around forever. All the private schools have a name. All the kids at the schools know them. It’s just a joke. Don’t take it so seriously.

But this is actually true for some kids and Sidwell does not notice or care one bit about those kids.

This “is actually true for some kids” at every school. Students struggle with depression, and other mental health issues, at every school. Sidwell is not an exception to that rule, nor is it an outlier. What’s your point?

The point would be that Sidwell does not have a particularly warm approach from teachers or admin. There is very little expectation for mentoring. And, yes, it does occur among those who are outgoing and of course there are some teachers that are warm. Every school we know of has a higher bar for the student advisory role and generally employs more kindness into the ethos of the school from the top down.

If you actually had a child at Sidwell, you would know this isn’t true.

Two quick examples:
1. There are weekly required advisory meetings with your assigned/selected faculty/administrator advisor; and
2. My children participated in Sidwell’s peer mentorship program, where they were matched with a senior. They met weekly with their student mentor.

While no place is perfect, my children love Sidwell. They have told me many times that there’s no other school they would prefer to attend over Sidwell. This entire thread is nonsense. However, I understand that people love to hate Sidwell, so these ridiculous posts will continue.

I am the PP you are replying to and I do have children at Sidwell - so there's that..... And, there is some real truth to what the other PP (the one I replied to) said. I have seen multiple other students where this was true. This isn't a hate Sidwell post. I find it amazing that people cannot imagine any other reality than their own.

If you have children at Sidwell, and you feel as you do, why are they still attending the school? Why don’t you find a school that you **think** is warmer and more kind? Why are you paying a premium for a school that isn’t meeting your/your children’s needs?

I can’t imagine being in that predicament.

These sorts of questions are ridiculous. And maybe they are coming from families that didn't enter at 9th grade so they don't have perspective? It's also not a "love it or leave it" situation.

I have seen families come in 9th and at first the new kids are all working to adjust both socially and academically. If a kid is getting very good grades but is in 10th grade and still has not made bonds with students or teachers, there is no way they are going to leave midstream. These kids are smart and they have goals and they know how much of an upheaval that would be. At least they have figured out the academic adjustment and who is going to sign up for adjusting academically again to a new high school for junior or senior year? That's crazy.

I would never suggest to these families (the ones whose kids didn't fully find their way and felt on the fringes) "why don't you just leave" - "if you are so unhappy, spend your money elsewhere". It's not that simple. I can put myself into others' shoes. I see some kids doing fine, but others are not.

When it comes down to it, it is not being a Sidwell hater to suggest there are areas in which Sidwell can improve and to think Sidwell has no room for improvement is naive. One of the main ways they can improve is to actually care about kids and families instead of treating parents like the enemy and caring about all the kids they admit, at all levels (academic, social, physical, mental).

Let me preface this by saying that both of my children started at Sidwell in 9th grade.

If your child is doing well academically, but struggling socially, what do you want Sidwell to do? Sidwell has scores of clubs (academic, social, affinity, etc) that meet daily. There are a number of sports teams, student publications, and fine arts organizations to join. Sidwell offers numerous (sometimes an overwhelming amount) opportunities to socialize on and off campus. What would you like the school to do for students who struggle to make friends and meaningful social connections? I’m genuinely interested in your answer.

I’m going to ask this as gently as possible: Are you open to the idea that your child/some children will struggle socially in any, largely neurotypical, school environment? There’s always room for improvement, and I’m certain Sidwell can do something better. But perhaps your child will have a difficult time socially no matter where he ends up.

[Anonymous]

2 kids at Sidwell. I think the school is not the problem. Everywhere has college anxiety. That’s everywhere. But for my other Sidwell parents on the line, let’s be honest. The social culture (especially among girls) is toxic. There are cliques. Mean girls. Bullying. Mental cruelty. Kids who are excluded from friend groups. This non-stop mean social culture amongst entitled high school kids is nasty. We stay because the school is academically really good. Some of the best teachers. The Upper School principal is legendary and a role model. I just wish the kids would be like him. We can’t wait to leave because the kids at this place are Spoiled, narcissistic brats. And yes let’s talk about the secret mental health audit and survey.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:2 kids at Sidwell. I think the school is not the problem. Everywhere has college anxiety. That’s everywhere. But for my other Sidwell parents on the line, let’s be honest. The social culture (especially among girls) is toxic. There are cliques. Mean girls. Bullying. Mental cruelty. Kids who are excluded from friend groups. This non-stop mean social culture amongst entitled high school kids is nasty. We stay because the school is academically really good. Some of the best teachers. The Upper School principal is legendary and a role model. I just wish the kids would be like him. We can’t wait to leave because the kids at this place are Spoiled, narcissistic brats. And yes let’s talk about the secret mental health audit and survey.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:2 kids at Sidwell. I think the school is not the problem. Everywhere has college anxiety. That’s everywhere. But for my other Sidwell parents on the line, let’s be honest. The social culture (especially among girls) is toxic. There are cliques. Mean girls. Bullying. Mental cruelty. Kids who are excluded from friend groups. This non-stop mean social culture amongst entitled high school kids is nasty. We stay because the school is academically really good. Some of the best teachers. The Upper School principal is legendary and a role model. I just wish the kids would be like him. We can’t wait to leave because the kids at this place are Spoiled, narcissistic brats. And yes let’s talk about the secret mental health audit and survey.

Sorry everywhere has pockets of college anxiety but at Sidwell it seems to be the majority of the school.