Parents/Families at these schools...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think parent community matters, but I also think people need to realize that anyone who says they love everyone and haven't run into a jerky parent is either:

A) Not interacting enough with the community.

B) Not being honest.

No matter which school you choose, there will always be someone you turn your nose up at for a variety of reasons...they are snooty, they are the woke police, they are clickish, they brag too much, etc etc.

By and large, I enjoy most of the families I've encountered at Sidwell. Many of them are super interesting, educated, and do care about raising kind, global citizens. But are there some I avoid? Absolutely.

Meh, I really haven't run into a "jerky parent" at GDS in several years there. Are there some I try to avoid? Of course. But it's not because they're bad people or unfriendly...we just prioritize different things for our kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think parent community matters, but I also think people need to realize that anyone who says they love everyone and haven't run into a jerky parent is either:

A) Not interacting enough with the community.

B) Not being honest.

No matter which school you choose, there will always be someone you turn your nose up at for a variety of reasons...they are snooty, they are the woke police, they are clickish, they brag too much, etc etc.

By and large, I enjoy most of the families I've encountered at Sidwell. Many of them are super interesting, educated, and do care about raising kind, global citizens. But are there some I avoid? Absolutely.

Meh, I really haven't run into a "jerky parent" at GDS in several years there. Are there some I try to avoid? Of course. But it's not because they're bad people or unfriendly...we just prioritize different things for our kids.

You don't agree with the semantics I chose, but for whatever reason...there are parents you don't like. You can be polite about it, and that is cool, but there is no way a school that touts itself as diverse doesn't have any parent friction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually the parent community matters. You end up interacting with them and their children will end up engaging with yours ( or not if it’s cliquish and think your family does not fit etc.)

Why do you end up interacting with them? Why is it different than public school? Are you joining a social club or a school?

Why do public school parents troll these forums when they clearly do not understand the culture or community of a private school with only 50 kids in some grades? It matters. Parents are still involved in highschool and yes it matters. Some are nice and make it better and others make the experience worse. It matters and good to ask for specific schools and grades at those schools.

I can’t imagine having to take any of this into account when choosing a school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually the parent community matters. You end up interacting with them and their children will end up engaging with yours ( or not if it’s cliquish and think your family does not fit etc.)

Why do you end up interacting with them? Why is it different than public school? Are you joining a social club or a school?

Why do public school parents troll these forums when they clearly do not understand the culture or community of a private school with only 50 kids in some grades? It matters. Parents are still involved in highschool and yes it matters. Some are nice and make it better and others make the experience worse. It matters and good to ask for specific schools and grades at those schools.

I can’t imagine having to take any of this into account when choosing a school

It can be a wonderful experience and community and years of gatherings and sitting together cheering your kids on at their games, potlucks, social activists for families and kids. We have had some wonderful memories at our schools and a few not so great and those involved other parents but overall still great. Would do it all over again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually the parent community matters. You end up interacting with them and their children will end up engaging with yours ( or not if it’s cliquish and think your family does not fit etc.)

Why do you end up interacting with them? Why is it different than public school? Are you joining a social club or a school?

Why do public school parents troll these forums when they clearly do not understand the culture or community of a private school with only 50 kids in some grades? It matters. Parents are still involved in highschool and yes it matters. Some are nice and make it better and others make the experience worse. It matters and good to ask for specific schools and grades at those schools.

I can’t imagine having to take any of this into account when choosing a school

It can be a wonderful experience and community and years of gatherings and sitting together cheering your kids on at their games, potlucks, social activists for families and kids. We have had some wonderful memories at our schools and a few not so great and those involved other parents but overall still great. Would do it all over again.

*social activities not activists

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It would be nice to hear about the types of families at the following schools:

Stone Ridge - Mostly Catholic, white, wealthy but school is about 1/2 as much as top privates - most live in Maryland and NW DC. Parents tend to be conservative Catholics - tend to attend Blessed Sacrament or Little Flower, lots of families belong to Chevy, Congo or Columbia, more SAHMs

Stone Ridge is $45k for high school, is there a high school around here at $90k?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think parent community matters, but I also think people need to realize that anyone who says they love everyone and haven't run into a jerky parent is either:

A) Not interacting enough with the community.

B) Not being honest.

No matter which school you choose, there will always be someone you turn your nose up at for a variety of reasons...they are snooty, they are the woke police, they are clickish, they brag too much, etc etc.

By and large, I enjoy most of the families I've encountered at Sidwell. Many of them are super interesting, educated, and do care about raising kind, global citizens. But are there some I avoid? Absolutely.

Meh, I really haven't run into a "jerky parent" at GDS in several years there. Are there some I try to avoid? Of course. But it's not because they're bad people or unfriendly...we just prioritize different things for our kids.

You don't agree with the semantics I chose, but for whatever reason...there are parents you don't like. You can be polite about it, and that is cool, but there is no way a school that touts itself as diverse doesn't have any parent friction.

Why does there have to be friction just because parents don't see eye to eye on everything? I go into interactions with parents expecting that we'll have some differences, and that's okay. Personally, it's exhausting to dislike someone...I'd rather direct that time and energy on something more worthwhile. Most often, these are people I won't be seeing more than a handful of times each year.

[Anonymous]

I am a mom who doesn’t work outside the home and if someone described me as an unemployed mom I would probably punch them in their flinty eyed face so whoever wrote that, if you’re wondering why the moms at your school don’t like you let this be a clue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a mom who doesn’t work outside the home and if someone described me as an unemployed mom I would probably punch them in their flinty eyed face so whoever wrote that, if you’re wondering why the moms at your school don’t like you let this be a clue.

What school does your child(ren) attend?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who gives a shit what the families are like? You’re not going to school, your kid is. God private school people are weird.

Actually, it does matter. My DD was looking at all girls schools and often, the moms can drive who socializes with who and can influence the friend group. We visited three schools and found the following:

#1 - Lots of unemployed moms who hung around the school "volunteering" all of the time and basically, had their hand in all aspects of school activities, who their kid could socialize with, etc.

#2 - Most moms with great and impressive careers but also were members of country clubs and most socialization revolved only those families who were similarly situated.

#3 - Lots of educated moms with great careers - many of whom were wealthy but were still down to earth and welcoming to me and my kid. Volunteered at the school when asked but were otherwise very involved in their own personal lives/careers.

Guess which school we chose?

All three types of moms exist in public schools too

Yes, but public schools are bigger and you don't HAVE to interact with them if you don't want to. In private you have to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a mom who doesn’t work outside the home and if someone described me as an unemployed mom I would probably punch them in their flinty eyed face so whoever wrote that, if you’re wondering why the moms at your school don’t like you let this be a clue.

This seems like an odd bone to pick. From the Oxford Dictionary:

un·em·ployed (adjective) (of a person) without a paid job but available to work

Whether you are educated and wealthy or poor and uneducated, both of you can be considered unemployed. Even if you don't like it, it's true.

[Anonymous]

DCUM stereotypes of the parents at my kid's school were 100% right. I wish I'd believed them going in instead of being led down the garden path by admissions and admin. I'm not sure it would have changed anything but at least I would have had my eyes open.

Search for the worst, most troll filled threads you can find about your prospective schools. Take everything you read about the parent vibe as absolute gospel.

Thank me later.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DCUM stereotypes of the parents at my kid's school were 100% right. I wish I'd believed them going in instead of being led down the garden path by admissions and admin. I'm not sure it would have changed anything but at least I would have had my eyes open.

Search for the worst, most troll filled threads you can find about your prospective schools. Take everything you read about the parent vibe as absolute gospel.

Thank me later.

What was this school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a mom who doesn’t work outside the home and if someone described me as an unemployed mom I would probably punch them in their flinty eyed face so whoever wrote that, if you’re wondering why the moms at your school don’t like you let this be a clue.

This seems like an odd bone to pick. From the Oxford Dictionary:

un·em·ployed (adjective) (of a person) without a paid job but available to work

Whether you are educated and wealthy or poor and uneducated, both of you can be considered unemployed. Even if you don't like it, it's true.

Beyond the literal definition, it can have a negative connotation (you’re not ambitious, you don’t work, etc., which if you’ve ever been a homemaker with kids, is patently untrue on all accounts)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCUM stereotypes of the parents at my kid's school were 100% right. I wish I'd believed them going in instead of being led down the garden path by admissions and admin. I'm not sure it would have changed anything but at least I would have had my eyes open.

Search for the worst, most troll filled threads you can find about your prospective schools. Take everything you read about the parent vibe as absolute gospel.

Thank me later.

What was this school?

Yes, I would like to know.