Is GDS too woke?

[Anonymous]

GDS is a great school! If you want to produce a social justice worrier who is confused about their sex, go to GDS.

[Anonymous]

"Wokeness," and diversity, is the GDS brand, not its reality. If you go back a decade or so, it was an inclusive place, but now it caters exclusively to its donor-base.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes it does. It happens at GDS and the other independent schools. Parents are finally saying enough. There has to be a way to teach inclusion without being abusive to white students. I do not think any independent school is currently doing this well.

Agree 100%. The wokeness has go too far. And is abusive to white students and Latino students...basically anyone who isn’t black. Enough already.

Lol Latino students?? The very same group who makes up the majority of “dreamers” and are demanding citizenship when they’re parents broke the law???

Latino students who make up a very large part of America’s permanent underclass?? Lololol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Wokeness," and diversity, is the GDS brand, not its reality. If you go back a decade or so, it was an inclusive place, but now it caters exclusively to its donor-base.

The teachers say and do whatever they want in class. Start there not with the board if you want to see wokeness getting passed on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get ahold of the handouts and materials Elliot and let the readers decide for themselves what is really going on here. Go to the source- the books, the handouts, the teacher trainings, the homework, the actual discussion topics at each grade. Find out what was added in 2019, 2020, 2021.
But get the course documents not some lame headline from an administrator. People need to know.

This feels like the scene in the Matrix where Lawrence Fishburne tells Keanu Reeves to go to the source code.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get ahold of the handouts and materials Elliot and let the readers decide for themselves what is really going on here. Go to the source- the books, the handouts, the teacher trainings, the homework, the actual discussion topics at each grade. Find out what was added in 2019, 2020, 2021.
But get the course documents not some lame headline from an administrator. People need to know.

This feels like the scene in the Matrix where Lawrence Fishburne tells Keanu Reeves to go to the source code.

Isn’t that the question? What is being taught and told and shown to students at each grade. So publish the lesson plans and materials and assignments. Report those facts. Then let the people digest that and make their own minds up about how the school handles CRT and social studies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get ahold of the handouts and materials Elliot and let the readers decide for themselves what is really going on here. Go to the source- the books, the handouts, the teacher trainings, the homework, the actual discussion topics at each grade. Find out what was added in 2019, 2020, 2021.
But get the course documents not some lame headline from an administrator. People need to know.

This feels like the scene in the Matrix where Lawrence Fishburne tells Keanu Reeves to go to the source code.

Isn’t that the question? What is being taught and told and shown to students at each grade. So publish the lesson plans and materials and assignments. Report those facts. Then let the people digest that and make their own minds up about how the school handles CRT and social studies.

There are certainly some teachers who have always taught from an aggrieved / victims of history perspective, but it's not the in-class stuff that worries me; it's the administrative stuff at assemblies, retreats, social action days, etc. These seem to be taking up more and more time at privates. Covid was an accelerant. We've noticed that Wednesdays are now basically a non-school day; a lot of the DEI stuff / everyone is a victim / oppressor happens on these days at all-school Zooms, etc. It's almost like the logic is "we now have all this free time, let's fill it with something."

[Anonymous]

To answer the original question - yes, GDS is too woke. As is every other progressive private school in this area. That’s the culture of the times we’re living in. The pendulum has swung far, far left to overcorrect for the obscenities of the Trump era. Eventually, let’s hope, cooler heads prevail and we get back to more sane times.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get ahold of the handouts and materials Elliot and let the readers decide for themselves what is really going on here. Go to the source- the books, the handouts, the teacher trainings, the homework, the actual discussion topics at each grade. Find out what was added in 2019, 2020, 2021.
But get the course documents not some lame headline from an administrator. People need to know.

+1. Elliot, please do not settle for a watered-down version of this story. This is a big deal, and it is a story that needs to be told. Many, many DC area private school parents at all of these schools are dismayed about what is going on, but as a PP predicted, I suspect that you will get very few that are willing to speak to you, even under the guise of anonymity. I would love to meet a brave soul like Andrew Gutman emerge in Washington, but that has not yet happened. (And no, I'm not willing at this point to step forward myself.)

In addition to probing the books and handouts, as noted above, dig deeper into teacher workshops, new-hires who have been brought on in the last few years for the specific purposes of "addressing equity issues," and how school cultures and dialogue have changed in subtle as well as overt ways. Agree with PP that the schools themselves will never give you the information you need to give this story just due.

[Anonymous]

To answer the question, no. GDS is not too woke. They are working hard to educate students who will be more informed, self-aware, respectful, and responsible members of society than, in many cases--judging from what's posted here--their parents. It's an uphill struggle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To answer the question, no. GDS is not too woke. They are working hard to educate students who will be more informed, self-aware, respectful, and responsible members of society than, in many cases--judging from what's posted here--their parents. It's an uphill struggle.

You are assuming that "they" know what is best, as opposed to children's own parents? Wow. Sorry, but that'll be a hard sell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get ahold of the handouts and materials Elliot and let the readers decide for themselves what is really going on here. Go to the source- the books, the handouts, the teacher trainings, the homework, the actual discussion topics at each grade. Find out what was added in 2019, 2020, 2021.
But get the course documents not some lame headline from an administrator. People need to know.

+1. Elliot, please do not settle for a watered-down version of this story. This is a big deal, and it is a story that needs to be told. Many, many DC area private school parents at all of these schools are dismayed about what is going on, but as a PP predicted, I suspect that you will get very few that are willing to speak to you, even under the guise of anonymity. I would love to meet a brave soul like Andrew Gutman emerge in Washington, but that has not yet happened. (And no, I'm not willing at this point to step forward myself.)

In addition to probing the books and handouts, as noted above, dig deeper into teacher workshops, new-hires who have been brought on in the last few years for the specific purposes of "addressing equity issues," and how school cultures and dialogue have changed in subtle as well as overt ways. Agree with PP that the schools themselves will never give you the information you need to give this story just due.

Mcps had their new CRT social studies class for middle school subpoenaed and collected as a foia request. Some schools had it mandatory others as an elective. It’s making the rounds this week and it’s not pretty. The slides, the videos, the controversial theorists quotes, the talking points, the definitions.

[Anonymous]

If you are a Republican-- yes. Go to The Heights or homeschool

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are a Republican-- yes. Go to The Heights or homeschool

The Heights huh?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are a Republican-- yes. Go to The Heights or homeschool

There are Trump Republicans at every school in this city- except maybe GDS?