Landon School - Positive Freshman Parent Reflection
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Anonymous
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My son is a 1st year student at Landon School. He is in Upper School Form III (9th Grade).
As the school year has come to a close, I have been reflecting on whether Landon was the best choice for my son. I have talked to him extensively regarding his experiences at Landon. He has indicated the experience has been very positive. Generally, he is engaging, non-judgmental, respectful, focuses on learning, and works hard to stay competitive in his sport. This seems to correlate to what administrators, coaches, parents, and students indicate about him. As a parent, I am very satisfied that he has made a successful transition to the Landon Upper School. He previously attended a pubic middle school. He is age appropriate for the grade (14). I have always encouraged him to be a high achieving student. He was in the Junior Honor Society in middle school. He tested at an average level. So what has Landon offered that has made a difference for my son: 1. Class sizes of no more than 15 students. These students are generally focused and about the work at hand during class. 2. He has a contained environment that he can call his own. I like the idea of going to an open, quite space to learn, and have fun. It is like home away from home. 3. He has to deal with different kinds of people. In life you are going to deal with people with different experiences that you. He has embraced that, regardless of their wealth (or lack thereof), connections, or where they live. 4. Becoming a self-advocate is stressed and encouraged. His teachers where necessary have encouraged him to be ask for help when he needs it. The objective is for him to be successful. It seems the teachers can manage this much better, than in schools with larger class size. it builds integrity and character, when you visit and talk to your teachers 5. Understanding the value of competition. As a child I was raised to not be concerned with how well you compare to others. You will know whether you are doing your best. That served me well in some ways, not in others. I have communicated that understanding and handling competition, helps to motivate you when you need to complete a task with a deadline, or achieve goals that you have set for yourself. I feel Landon naturally handles that. 6. Academics. It is well documented in these forums the differing opinions regarding Landon's academic prowess. It appears that Landon academics are sufficient, such that there is a direct correlation between SAT and GPA in most cases. So, if you are an A student, you are likely to score statistically high on your SAT's. With that you should have a better shot at getting into an Ivy, or some top 50 school. I say this without factoring the subjective things that go into college admissions. I have seen the different, charts and statistics comparing Landon against other schools. Landon does well enough for this parent. That does not mean that Landon "sucks" academically. No different than any other school, my son, has a teacher that is very particular in an "old school" way. He has had to rise above those challenges. I tell him, buck up, and don't give up. This is how it will be for the rest of your life. Build some more character. 7. Athletics. In my opinion, my son is a slightly better than average soccer player (harsh dad!). Not LAX, Football, or Basketball, but SOCCER. I communicated to the coach his exploits on his club team, and about his demeanor and character. He went and gave it all in the Varsity tryouts. He made Varisity Soccer as a Freshman. I was blown away. I liked the fact he focused, practiced, and competed consistently at a high level to make the team. Landon this year went to the IAC finals and unfortunately lost to St. Albans (many who read this forum will like that) :-) It was the first time in many years of going to the IAC Championship. Although he only played in six games toward the end of those games, he became a better player, and he is respected by the upper class players, for his demeanor and character. Also, he fetched their water bottles all the time. :-) So, I am a satisfied Landon parent. Is the school doing things better than a few years ago, Yes. Would I like to see greater progress in some areas, Yes. All parents want any school to do things better. I am no exception. Lastly, I hope this post can serve as a beacon of positive light about Landon School. This is my reflection regarding my son. I hope there are others who are willing to post their own positive views. I also wish that the thread does not turn into some assault on Landon or negative comparison with some other schools. That is not the intent of post. GO BEARS!! |
Anonymous
| +1, OP. |
Anonymous
| Caught a couple of typo's. No jokes please. |
Anonymous
| Glad to hear Landon is working for your son and your family....but I still wouldn't touch Landon with a 10 foot pole. The school seems to really be in need of some introspection. We have two boys and while I love the idea of single sex we will be looking elsewhere. |
Anonymous
| I would be afraid of identifying your son to that level. I'd bet not many frosh made varsity soccer OP. |
Anonymous
| I commend the original poster. He is clearly and rightly proud of his son. We have a Landon 4th grader and are also happy with the school. They work hard to give my child a solid, well-rounded education and the head of the Lower School is incredibly responsive and forthright. In addition, his home room teacher takes an interest in my child's well-being - both academic and social. They don't always get it right - but neither did his previous school. My child is not a standout athlete but has found a home in the arts program and is flourishing there. Landon has a far greater diversity in ethnicity and economic status than our previous school - which is a great benefit in my opinion. I will continue to evaluate the school every year - as i would with any school. who knows where we will end up but for now - we are happy where we are. Keep up the good work Landon - with my kid - you are on the right track. |
Anonymous
| OP and 19:08, I would give the praise of your boys to a solid upbringing and home life which translates to their success at Landon. No doubt about it. |
Anonymous
| Commendable loyalty to the school. I find it a little weird that you as an adult signed off with "GO BEARS!" though. And you seem pretty fixated on your son's athletic success, which seems to confirm the sterotype of Landon as a jock school with parents very concerned about athletics. |
Anonymous
Give it a break. There are far worse things than supporting your kids team with a shout out. When my kid's out there running track with their school against in competition, you better believe I'm shouting GO TEAM! Lighten up! |
Anonymous
He put himself out there and gave the world his reflections on Landon. Some of the citizens of the World appear underwhelmed. C'est la vie. If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen. |
Anonymous
| Great post OP. +1 parent of 5th grader. |
Anonymous
Great, your revelation that you shout out the school sports nickname of your son's team (Bulldogs? Bulldogs? Saints? Maroon? Lil' Hoyas?) at sporting events is courageous and transgressive. Signing "GO BEARS!" to an open letter extolling the balanced education at Landon School is still goofy. |
Anonymous
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Thanks for posting, OP.
Ignore the pp's who are wasting everyone's time by obsessing over something as unimportant as the Go Bears comment. The point of your post was to give some insight into an actual current parent and student at the school instead of talking about if a LAX helmet can fit in a toilet (from the other Landon thread.) |
Anonymous
| I find it weird that the father lobbied the soccer coach on the son's behalf. Where's all that independence? |
Anonymous
| I think the PR department is hard at work. My son's excelling at his school; would I sit down and write about it and share it with ya'll on a Thursday night? No, way. I have a life and 1000 other things to do as the school year comes to a close. This is a "set" piece done at the suggestion of marketing. Landon has a lot of problems - the LAX environment; the Duke mess; the ethics messes; the history of cheating on SATs; the way the boys treat girls, etc. This just isn't the way to fix those problems but it appears marketing wanted something it could point to during the summer tours. |