defending DC Public Schools

[Anonymous]

Are the people criticizing your choice offering to help pay the private school tuition or stand in for you on your longer commute from Maryland or Virginia?

I don't understand why people get so invested in the private school mystique. I mean, it's great if you can afford it relatively easily. But if you can't, unless you can pinpoint a specific, critical need that can't be met in the public school setting, why put yourself through the stress? When I look around at my adult friends today, you absolutely cannot tell who went to private schools and who went to public schools.

[Anonymous]

I don't understand why people get so invested in the private school mystique. I mean, it's great if you can afford it relatively easily. But if you can't, unless you can pinpoint a specific, critical need that can't be met in the public school setting, why put yourself through the stress? When I look around at my adult friends today, you absolutely cannot tell who went to private schools and who went to public schools.

I can and not to the private school benefit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why people get so invested in the private school mystique. I mean, it's great if you can afford it relatively easily. But if you can't, unless you can pinpoint a specific, critical need that can't be met in the public school setting, why put yourself through the stress? When I look around at my adult friends today, you absolutely cannot tell who went to private schools and who went to public schools.

I can and not to the private school benefit.

1) Have you tried navigating the politics of DCPS schools? The lottery system for OOB PK? Michelle Rhee debates? Principles? Teacher firings? Test scores? Middle school feeders? High schools? Aftercare quality? Foreign language immersion? These are quite stressful if one wants to maximize educational opportunities within DCPS.

2) My circle of friends (mostly from college and grad school) all went to either private school or nationally recognized public schools (Mont Co, NoVa, Chicago burbs, NYC magnets). Of course, this was in the 80s and 90s, so things may have changed. But going to a GREAT school, public or private, set you up for college and beyond. No one I am friends with was educated in a struggling public school system.

[Anonymous]

Too bad fancy private school didn't teach you that the principal is your "pal."

I learned that in a shitty urban school. Go me!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why people get so invested in the private school mystique. I mean, it's great if you can afford it relatively easily. But if you can't, unless you can pinpoint a specific, critical need that can't be met in the public school setting, why put yourself through the stress? When I look around at my adult friends today, you absolutely cannot tell who went to private schools and who went to public schools.

I can and not to the private school benefit.

1) Have you tried navigating the politics of DCPS schools? The lottery system for OOB PK? Michelle Rhee debates? Principles? Teacher firings? Test scores? Middle school feeders? High schools? Aftercare quality? Foreign language immersion? These are quite stressful if one wants to maximize educational opportunities within DCPS.

2) My circle of friends (mostly from college and grad school) all went to either private school or nationally recognized public schools (Mont Co, NoVa, Chicago burbs, NYC magnets). Of course, this was in the 80s and 90s, so things may have changed. But going to a GREAT school, public or private, set you up for college and beyond. No one I am friends with was educated in a struggling public school system.

Is this a joke? I think you need to get out more. I feel nauseous just imagining your circle of friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why people get so invested in the private school mystique. I mean, it's great if you can afford it relatively easily. But if you can't, unless you can pinpoint a specific, critical need that can't be met in the public school setting, why put yourself through the stress? When I look around at my adult friends today, you absolutely cannot tell who went to private schools and who went to public schools.

I can and not to the private school benefit.

1) Have you tried navigating the politics of DCPS schools? The lottery system for OOB PK? Michelle Rhee debates? Principles? Teacher firings? Test scores? Middle school feeders? High schools? Aftercare quality? Foreign language immersion? These are quite stressful if one wants to maximize educational opportunities within DCPS.

2) My circle of friends (mostly from college and grad school) all went to either private school or nationally recognized public schools (Mont Co, NoVa, Chicago burbs, NYC magnets). Of course, this was in the 80s and 90s, so things may have changed. But going to a GREAT school, public or private, set you up for college and beyond. No one I am friends with was educated in a struggling public school system.

NYC not a struggling school system in 80s and 90s - this is a joke right?

[Anonymous]

They said "NYC magnets" - which have always been excellent.

[Anonymous]

Too bad; this started out as such a nice, civil thread. I have to say I struggle with the same issues, i.e., well-meaning grandparents and friends being a bit freaked out about the kids going to DCPS.

We like living close to the school, and we had a great Veteran's day today with other kids in the neighborhood who also attend my kids' school. The not having to drive my kids to school every day thing is huge for me, and for my kids' quality of life.

But, I don't know why everyone here is so hell-bent on criticizing the parents who are sending their kids to private schools. We have friends down the street whose kids our our kids' ages. They go to private, my kids go to public. They still play together, and we are friends with the parents. They feel comfortable with private for their kids, and who am I to judge?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why people get so invested in the private school mystique. I mean, it's great if you can afford it relatively easily. But if you can't, unless you can pinpoint a specific, critical need that can't be met in the public school setting, why put yourself through the stress? When I look around at my adult friends today, you absolutely cannot tell who went to private schools and who went to public schools.

I can and not to the private school benefit.

1) Have you tried navigating the politics of DCPS schools? The lottery system for OOB PK? Michelle Rhee debates? Principles? Teacher firings? Test scores? Middle school feeders? High schools? Aftercare quality? Foreign language immersion? These are quite stressful if one wants to maximize educational opportunities within DCPS.

2) My circle of friends (mostly from college and grad school) all went to either private school or nationally recognized public schools (Mont Co, NoVa, Chicago burbs, NYC magnets). Of course, this was in the 80s and 90s, so things may have changed. But going to a GREAT school, public or private, set you up for college and beyond. No one I am friends with was educated in a struggling public school system.

I'm the pp.

1) I actually attended DCPS, so yes, I'm familiar with what a PITA it can be. But if you can't truly afford the private school you're sending your kids too, that's stressful too. That was my point.]

2) Not trying to be harsh, but maybe this says more about you than about the effects of private/public school choice. My comment was based on my experience, which has been the opposite. I went to DCPS, so arguably not a GREAT public school education, and I've ended up in about the same place as my friends that went to some of the "Big 3" schools here or came from GREAT public schools in other parts of the country. I have many friends from DCPS that were similarly set up fine for "college and beyond".

To the later poster, I wasn't trying to down the parents that choose private in general. If money were no object, I would probably send my kids to private schools or the best public school system I could find (certainly not DCPS). But money is an object, so I'm not going to stress myself financially when I have, over the course of my own life, failed to see any distinct advantage that private school provides in the general sense. Now of course if you have a child whose needs can't be met in the public schools, that is different (and I acknowledge that the need might be for more advanced instruction than the public school is possible of providing).