Any Canadians on this forum?
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Anonymous
Well, here's my response. OP, this is an example of what you'll find in DC private schools along with a host of other personalities. Although, most may not be as extreme, volatile, and annoying as PP who is a self-proclaimed conservative (which is okay, everybody stands for something), they are well represented along with independent, liberals, etc. PP does not speak for everyone and neither does anyone else who has posted including myself. So, there you have it. You will encounter all sorts of people with all sorts of opinions. And I guarantee, OP, that if anyone were to recommend a particular DC/MD/VA school, PP would assume the position of the ultimate authority on every named school. You know the type. Take school opinions for what they are. Best to contact particular schools for more information. DCUM is NOT the best place to obtain information. |
Anonymous
I am very close friends with someone in Victoria and have spent much time there. Victoria is a wonderful place - but please keep in mind that Victoria is an entirely different world than the DC Metro area. It's not just because you are in Canada - it's because you are not in DC. The relative concentrations of politicians (federal, not state/provincial), lobbyists, lawyers, international NGO's are quite different. Not to mention total population or concentration of highly educated parents (the DC area has highest concentration of PH.D's in the US). |
Anonymous
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OP, I'm going to sidestep the Canada vs. Ugly Americans thing/socialism vs. capitalism thing going on in this thread, and try to answer your question. I grew up in Toronto. I went to public schools all the way through and did not know a soul who went to private school until I went to university. There just weren't many people who sent their kids to private schools at that time (1980s). I'm sure things are different these days though.
My understanding from my friends who still live in Toronto is that the "big deal" private schools in Toronto are Upper Canada College, Bishop Strachan, St. Michael's, and the University of Toronto School (UTS). Of all of these schools, Upper Canada College is the only one I knew about when I was growing up because it was the school where wealthy politicians sent their children. At that time UTS was still I think a public school that you had to test to get into -- I believe that now it is a private school but you may still have to test to get into UTS. |
Anonymous
Wow! You are a complete tool. My guess is that you live in the suburbs and have no clue of what life is like inside the beltway or outside of your own little small world. OP, Hopefully someone responds to your questions about local privates which are comparable to top privates in Toronto. Also, please be careful of folks on this board who are knocking the US. I don't think these folks travel much. FYI, the US is not the only nation with a culture that obsess over schools or has a a significant number of private schools. Schools like STA and GP were based on the British school model. Yes, that culture still exist in the UK. Ever heard of Eton and Warwick? France also is not immune. Ever travel to Latin America. Do you think anyone who can afford to does not send their kid to the top private schools? Ever been to Pakistan, Japan, China, or Australia. You will also find many parents in those countries who chose to send their kids to private schools. All this is done to ensure that their kids are prepared to enter the best schools in those countries. Like the US, this same culture exists in cities like Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. |
Anonymous
Sorry, meant to also say that UCC, Bishop Strachan, St. Mike's, and UTS are probably the equivalent of St. Albans, Sidwell, and Landon. At least, that's my impression. |
Anonymous
Yup. And go anywhere in the world, those of a certain class will think that the wealthy elite class is nuts. From what I hear about urban China, it's way worse, especially since most people only have one child. The competition to go to the top prep schools is fierce. |
Anonymous
UTS used to be semi-private, partly funded by the province, and is now entirely private. Still not a good comparator to DC private schools. The others (I'd add Havergal and the Toronto French School) are more similar. UCC is an all boys school. There's a huge difference in the college/university scene in the U.S. vs Canada which contributes to a much more pressured environment in secondary schools in the U.S. While Canadian universities do have elite honors programs, in general there aren't that many universities in the country, and they are much easier to get into, relatively speaking, than top U.S. schools. I think that has a trickle down effect into high schools and probably even younger, changing the culture of private schools. Kids at Canadian high schools aren't focused on getting into college the way they are in the U.S. There are also grade cutoffs for many universities, so you often have a pretty good idea of where you can and can't get in in advance. I went to private school in Toronto growing up, also the 1980s. The private schools were quite popular then, but of course since I was at one that may have just been my perception. |
Anonymous
THIS. DCUM is not real life. The vast majority of Americans would think the people on this private school board sounds bizarre and crazy. You don't need to grow up in Canada to have a pressure free childhood, I had one in Another part of the US and I'm shocked by how much pressure is put on kids here. |
Anonymous
You are getting a really skewed picture of the typical American school system. In most of the country, kids go to whatever school they are zoned for. The schools are typically located in the neighborhood. My children walk or bike to school every day. All the kids in our neighborhood go to the same elementary, middle, and high schools. I only know of two or three kids who are in private schools and that is only for religious reasons. Our public schools are excellent. There is no lottery. No charter. No stress. You just go to the school in your neighborhood. (Obviously we aren't in D.C. anymore.) We have literally lived all over this country and overseas. D.C. is the only place we've ever lived where schools were even an issue. |
Anonymous
I have posted on this thread and I am not knocking the US. Canada has less than 5% of its students in private school and half of those are in Quebec. Those who do go to private school are the rich,elite and as you say that is true in every country. It seems though in the US that more students attend privates and they aren't all the rich elite. There just seems to be more pressure in the US compared to Canada to be defined by the school you attend or your GPA or the college you get into. And it seems that many who aren't rich and elite still don't want to send their kids to public and they try and get into charters. Maybe it is only the rich elite who are doing testing and applications and stressing over schools. It just seems on this board like those issues are widespread. Maybe that is only within the rich elite in DC as well and that is who this board represents. |
Anonymous
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On a related topic from today's Wapo: "While U.S. teenagers scored slightly above average in reading, their scores were average in science and below average in math, compared to 64 other countries and economies that participated in the 2012 Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, which was administered last fall."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/us-students-lag-around-average-on-international-science-math-and-reading-test/2013/12/02/2e510f26-5b92-11e3-a49b-90a0e156254b_story.html |
Anonymous
You are simplifying the situation by painting the entire country with the same brush. That would be like me going to Montreal and then coming back to the US and telling everyone that Canadians are a bunch of French wannabes. Go to rural America: the Midwest, the South, the Rocky Mountains and you will see less of the mentality you referenced above. Although the dynamic you referenced does exist, you need to separate and understand the different drivers. One dynamic which drives this push for a strong education (private schools, charter schools and magnet schools) is that the US has a culture of bias. These biases tend to negatively impact racial, ethnic and religious minorities and immigrants. Education has always been one way to mitigate biases against the above groups. As such, parents from these groups who want their kids to succeed tend to make sure that they have access to good schools so that the same kids can access the best colleges and universities. That is why if you ever visit one of the elite DC-area schools, you will see families who probably can't afford the $40,000 annual cost to attend these schools. These families will use the schools’ financial aid to enroll their kids. One of the benefits of US culture (a culture which everyone on this pages knocks), which does not exist in other countries, is that these same schools recognize the value in having a racially and economically diverse student body. They also recognize the importance of providing access to all students. Follow the progression of Jewish, Korean and other immigrant groups and you will see a drive to excel in education. This same dynamic drives the elite to push their kids so that their kids have the same opportunities that the parents had. With a more competitive landscape, kids can no longer get by on the family name alone. Again, you can knock our system but it is a system that has and will likely to continue to keep us globally competitive. |
Anonymous
For the folks complaining that too much pressure is placed on kids, dig down into the study and you will see that MA ranked just below the Asian nations and at the same level of most of Europe. My analysis says that if you separated private and top public schools, you would see that those students probably score at same level as the top schools in Asia and Europe. |
Anonymous
Middle class families receiving financial aid are paying a substantial portion of the tuition of which I am a paying recipient. Most coffers in private school cannot provide full pay because there are so many applicants seeking financial aid. I agree that one of the benefits of US culture is recognizing the value of racially and economically diverse colleges, and most schools have made it their goal to ensure this happens. However, it comes at the cost of past and ongoing litigation (affirmative action) at many of these institutes to achieve exactly what you extoll, some unsuccessfully. The dynamic and available opportunities that push kids to excel in education is a good one but comes replete with the stressors of maintaining high GPAs and standardized college entrance test scores. Rural America may not reflect these ideas but many step outside of rural America and will have to compete. I am not knocking our system. I would live nowhere else but America. But I would be remiss if I didn't reflect further on your heartfelt comments. America is not an academic utopia, no matter what part of this country you are in. It offers much and some of the best academia in the world. The diligent seek out what works best and meets personal expectations. It's separating the wheat from the chaff. And that's anywhere you live whether it's east, west, middle America or wherever. |
Anonymous
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