Private School for Dummies

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:GDS parent who does not consider it a "pressure cooker." But, as a school full of very creative, ambitious, smart students, they demand lots from themselves. Students who thrive in that environment -- exactly like the elite colleges and graduate schools they're headed toward -- do wonderfully.

My DC appreciates that the teachers are super supportive and accessible and really engaged with the students. But, she also is very grateful that most of her classmates take the work seriously and are interested in the ideas they are learning about. Yes, there are smarmy Tracy Flick/Eddie Haskell types (can't escape them in DC) and a few well-heeled slackers, but they are a minority. But, it is not full of the ne'er do wells who take education as one giant form to fill out with items to memorize and check off without any original critical or creative thought.

This is what lots of GDS parents like to tell themselves, but by junior year (if not earlier) the toll on the kids' mental health is really obvious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would you ever title your thread "Private School for Dummies"? You said your kid is an A student, but suffers from anxiety. What is wrong with you that makes you think it's okay to suggest that he's actually stupid? Also, I'm not familiar with any private school in the area that markets itself as one for "dummies".

Maybe you need to look closer to home for the reasons for his anxiety and stress. Sounds like it's more than possible that it has nothing to do with his school...

I think op was interested in a quick instruction how private school work and which ones would suit her child.
Most likely op referred to herself/himself as the dummy in regard to the private school world not the DC.
But I could be wrong.

Thank you yes, I was just trying to get attention with the subject line. Things are fine at home thanks. Jeez.

Moral of the story - don't try to be clever when you are...not clever.

Fixing this for you. Moral of the story - don't try be clever when your audience is...not clever.

PP below is right -- if you've set foot in a bookstore or explored any sort of area of interest in recent years, you'd know about the "X for Dummies" series that's provides primers on all sorts of topics for people seeking to acquire base level knowledge. OP's title is spot on for what she's asking.

If she was asking it in 1998. So cutting edge, OP!

[Anonymous]

St. Andrews, Field, Burke.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would you ever title your thread "Private School for Dummies"? You said your kid is an A student, but suffers from anxiety. What is wrong with you that makes you think it's okay to suggest that he's actually stupid? Also, I'm not familiar with any private school in the area that markets itself as one for "dummies".

Maybe you need to look closer to home for the reasons for his anxiety and stress. Sounds like it's more than possible that it has nothing to do with his school...

+1

Seriously? There's two of you?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_Dummies

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would you ever title your thread "Private School for Dummies"? You said your kid is an A student, but suffers from anxiety. What is wrong with you that makes you think it's okay to suggest that he's actually stupid? Also, I'm not familiar with any private school in the area that markets itself as one for "dummies".

Maybe you need to look closer to home for the reasons for his anxiety and stress. Sounds like it's more than possible that it has nothing to do with his school...

Because there are over a hundred titles in the "X For Dummies" book series that have sold hundreds of millions of copies, and OP probably figured that anyone who has set foot in a bookstore since 1995 would recognize the conceit.

Dummy.

Quite.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][u]Why would you ever title your thread "Private School for Dummies"? [/u]You said your kid is an A student, but suffers from anxiety. What is wrong with you that makes you think it's okay to suggest that he's actually stupid? Also, I'm not familiar with any private school in the area that markets itself as one for "dummies".

Maybe you need to look closer to home for the reasons for his anxiety and stress. Sounds like it's more than possible that it has nothing to do with his school...[/quote]

Because there are over a hundred titles in the "[i]X[/i] For Dummies" book series that have sold hundreds of millions of copies, and OP probably figured that anyone who has set foot in a bookstore since 1995 would recognize the conceit.

Dummy.

[Anonymous]

I would seriously look at Maret. Kids are high achieving and striving to do well, go to great schools but a little less pressure, IMO, to Sidwell and the Cathedral schools. Really happy kids everywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would you ever title your thread "Private School for Dummies"? You said your kid is an A student, but suffers from anxiety. What is wrong with you that makes you think it's okay to suggest that he's actually stupid? Also, I'm not familiar with any private school in the area that markets itself as one for "dummies".

Maybe you need to look closer to home for the reasons for his anxiety and stress. Sounds like it's more than possible that it has nothing to do with his school...

Because there are over a hundred titles in the "X For Dummies" book series that have sold hundreds of millions of copies, and OP probably figured that anyone who has set foot in a bookstore since 1995 would recognize the conceit.

Dummy.

Well said, PP! A friend of mine from overseas once observed that Americans are the only ones who would buy a book insulting their intelligence!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would you ever title your thread "Private School for Dummies"? You said your kid is an A student, but suffers from anxiety. What is wrong with you that makes you think it's okay to suggest that he's actually stupid? Also, I'm not familiar with any private school in the area that markets itself as one for "dummies".

Maybe you need to look closer to home for the reasons for his anxiety and stress. Sounds like it's more than possible that it has nothing to do with his school...

Because there are over a hundred titles in the "X For Dummies" book series that have sold hundreds of millions of copies, and OP probably figured that anyone who has set foot in a bookstore since 1995 would recognize the conceit.

Dummy.

Thank you, Captain Obvious. I got the reference as most people did. However, I had to call her out for 2 things: 1) A thread title that came across as unnecessarily mean-spirited toward her child and; 2) A piss-poor attempt at humor. As a PP suggested, don't try to be clever when you're simply incapable of it. The same could be said about your post.

I'm moving on from the "dummies" and "poors" on DCUM Private School forum...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:GDS parent who does not consider it a "pressure cooker." But, as a school full of very creative, ambitious, smart students, they demand lots from themselves. Students who thrive in that environment -- exactly like the elite colleges and graduate schools they're headed toward -- do wonderfully.

My DC appreciates that the teachers are super supportive and accessible and really engaged with the students. But, she also is very grateful that most of her classmates take the work seriously and are interested in the ideas they are learning about. Yes, there are smarmy Tracy Flick/Eddie Haskell types (can't escape them in DC) and a few well-heeled slackers, but they are a minority. But, it is not full of the ne'er do wells who take education as one giant form to fill out with items to memorize and check off without any original critical or creative thought.

+1 Very good description.

[Anonymous]

Maybe Sandy Spring Friends, if it isn't too far a commute.

[Anonymous]

Sandy Springs Friends has bus service. Might be a nice option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would you ever title your thread "Private School for Dummies"? You said your kid is an A student, but suffers from anxiety. What is wrong with you that makes you think it's okay to suggest that he's actually stupid? Also, I'm not familiar with any private school in the area that markets itself as one for "dummies".

Maybe you need to look closer to home for the reasons for his anxiety and stress. Sounds like it's more than possible that it has nothing to do with his school...

Because there are over a hundred titles in the "X For Dummies" book series that have sold hundreds of millions of copies, and OP probably figured that anyone who has set foot in a bookstore since 1995 would recognize the conceit.

Dummy.

Thank you, Captain Obvious. I got the reference as most people did. However, I had to call her out for 2 things: 1) A thread title that came across as unnecessarily mean-spirited toward her child and; 2) A piss-poor attempt at humor. As a PP suggested, don't try to be clever when you're simply incapable of it. The same could be said about your post.

I'm moving on from the "dummies" and "poors" on DCUM Private School forum...

Well, Captain Obvious, it was pretty clear to everyone else that "for Dummies" referred to herself, not her kid.

But since you are "moving on", you can expend all of your misplaced outrage in a new forum. Lucky them!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GDS parent who does not consider it a "pressure cooker." But, as a school full of very creative, ambitious, smart students, they demand lots from themselves. Students who thrive in that environment -- exactly like the elite colleges and graduate schools they're headed toward -- do wonderfully.

My DC appreciates that the teachers are super supportive and accessible and really engaged with the students. But, she also is very grateful that most of her classmates take the work seriously and are interested in the ideas they are learning about. Yes, there are smarmy Tracy Flick/Eddie Haskell types (can't escape them in DC) and a few well-heeled slackers, but they are a minority. But, it is not full of the ne'er do wells who take education as one giant form to fill out with items to memorize and check off without any original critical or creative thought.

+1 Very good description.

Parents who are already anticipating the elite graduate schools their HS students will be attending are probably not the best judges of what constitutes a pressure cooker environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GDS parent who does not consider it a "pressure cooker." But, as a school full of very creative, ambitious, smart students, they demand lots from themselves. Students who thrive in that environment -- exactly like the elite colleges and graduate schools they're headed toward -- do wonderfully.

My DC appreciates that the teachers are super supportive and accessible and really engaged with the students. But, she also is very grateful that most of her classmates take the work seriously and are interested in the ideas they are learning about. Yes, there are smarmy Tracy Flick/Eddie Haskell types (can't escape them in DC) and a few well-heeled slackers, but they are a minority. But, it is not full of the ne'er do wells who take education as one giant form to fill out with items to memorize and check off without any original critical or creative thought.

+1 Very good description.

Parents who are already anticipating the elite graduate schools their HS students will be attending are probably not the best judges of what constitutes a pressure cooker environment.

+1-- What a gasbag.