I don't understand why parents waste so much money on private schools in this area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people complaining about VA or MD public schools or saying that private schools are better are either ignoring or don't know the most important part of the private school education: teaching students that they're very important, more important than public schools kids, more important than most adults including their teachers. Kids learn it. Parents should know about it and decide if that's what they want. Or not.

Covid proved how very little the public school community in the DMV actually cares about kids. They do not. Me, me, me - teacher demands, parents complaints, lack of leadership, lack of outreach to kids, lack of planning. The publics were embarrassing shit shows. Disgraceful.

So your jealousy aside (and bitterness). Covid laid bare how pathetic those who run the public school systems are. Privates took care of their teachers and students.

Completely honestly – there are a lot of us on here who went to private, can afford private, and still choose public. Are you just going to tell us that we are naïve? We don’t know what we’re talking about? You’re all so much smarter? I really wonder. Because there are definitely people on the other side of this argument. Many people who went to private in this area choose public. It is the new money people that go for private. Especially if they went to public themselves.

+100
That big law partner with the young hot wife who went to local public? Definitely sending kids to private. About the kids? Nah.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people complaining about VA or MD public schools or saying that private schools are better are either ignoring or don't know the most important part of the private school education: teaching students that they're very important, more important than public schools kids, more important than most adults including their teachers. Kids learn it. Parents should know about it and decide if that's what they want. Or not.

Covid proved how very little the public school community in the DMV actually cares about kids. They do not. Me, me, me - teacher demands, parents complaints, lack of leadership, lack of outreach to kids, lack of planning. The publics were embarrassing shit shows. Disgraceful.

So your jealousy aside (and bitterness). Covid laid bare how pathetic those who run the public school systems are. Privates took care of their teachers and students.

Completely honestly – there are a lot of us on here who went to private, can afford private, and still choose public. Are you just going to tell us that we are naïve? We don’t know what we’re talking about? You’re all so much smarter? I really wonder. Because there are definitely people on the other side of this argument. Many people who went to private in this area choose public. It is the new money people that go for private. Especially if they went to public themselves.

+100
That big law partner with the young hot wife who went to local public? Definitely sending kids to private. About the kids? Nah.

How about the Tech exec with the below average wife (me)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are new to public and so far, my kids are happy with it, but I can see as they get older that both 1) they made need different things from a learning perspective and 2) I will get really sick of chasing around behind them to supplement all the sports/arts/music and even tutoring that they are not getting at school. In summary, you get what you pay for. Whether it's good for the student is one question, but I think there is no doubt that private offers the parents a chance to sit back and take a break. You don't need to be a parent volunteer, or bring an army into an IEP meeting, you don't need to supplement with reading or wonder if you should get a spanish tutor - the school will just do it. And if something is going on, they'll call you.

I do think you’re being overly optimistic about private school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to a public school in the 90s, it was one of the top public high schools in California. When I went to university, I noticed very little difference between those who went to public vs private schools. The SAT scores in DC private schools are basically comparable to the top publics. I don't get it, i mean if you got millions to burn, so be it. I rather give my kids a house.

Did you miss the part where the publics were closed all last year? They are s*** and held by the nuts by the teachers unions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people complaining about VA or MD public schools or saying that private schools are better are either ignoring or don't know the most important part of the private school education: teaching students that they're very important, more important than public schools kids, more important than most adults including their teachers. Kids learn it. Parents should know about it and decide if that's what they want. Or not.

Covid proved how very little the public school community in the DMV actually cares about kids. They do not. Me, me, me - teacher demands, parents complaints, lack of leadership, lack of outreach to kids, lack of planning. The publics were embarrassing shit shows. Disgraceful.

So your jealousy aside (and bitterness). Covid laid bare how pathetic those who run the public school systems are. Privates took care of their teachers and students.

Completely honestly – there are a lot of us on here who went to private, can afford private, and still choose public. Are you just going to tell us that we are naïve? We don’t know what we’re talking about? You’re all so much smarter? I really wonder. Because there are definitely people on the other side of this argument. Many people who went to private in this area choose public. It is the new money people that go for private. Especially if they went to public themselves.

I would tell you it’s probably something else. You probably have easy, compliant or motivated children and public works for you. Maybe your family values public education and you are willing to overlook some things you don’t like. Maybe you didn’t have a good experience at private and the grass is greener on the other side. Lots of different reasons and all are fine.
We have no money and went private this last year. I can 100% guarantee you my single income military family is not doing it to keep up with the joneses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to a public school in the 90s, it was one of the top public high schools in California. When I went to university, I noticed very little difference between those who went to public vs private schools. The SAT scores in DC private schools are basically comparable to the top publics. I don't get it, i mean if you got millions to burn, so be it. I rather give my kids a house.

Did you miss the part where the publics were closed all last year? They are s*** and held by the nuts by the teachers unions.

+1
Or the math and literacy benchmarks that were just released showing what a failure virtual learning was, which many of us already knew.

[Anonymous]

I moved my kids to private for high school (Big3) because they were in DCPS and had never learned to write well. This really bothered me. The math instruction in public was good. But they could barely read critically, write thoughtfully or work hard. Their work ethic was horrible because very little was ever asked of them. They got As for turning in just about anything because
there were plenty of kids turning in nothing and those kids could't be failed. So those who turned in nothing got Cs and kids like mine always got As even though they were barely doing anything. Again, that really bothered me. I have no illusion that they'll get into better colleges or develop networking circle or whatever other reasons people think that families use private for.

I did it purely for learning. I myself went to a crappy high school (in my case it was a crappy private) and I entered college behind my peers from stronger schools. As such, it REALLY bothered me that my kids weren't learning some of the basic fundamentals in school. I supplemented for years but it became increasingly difficult to supplement older kids (mainly because they don't want to do extra reading/writing/whatever on the weekend for mom and dad.

This was DCPS. MCPS and FCPS might be ENTIRELY different. I have no experience with those districts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Completely honestly – there are a lot of us on here who went to private, can afford private, and still choose public. Are you just going to tell us that we are naïve? We don’t know what we’re talking about? You’re all so much smarter? I really wonder. Because there are definitely people on the other side of this argument. Many people who went to private in this area choose public. It is the new money people that go for private. Especially if they went to public themselves.

At least in my neck of the woods, most of the people who chose private either are strongly religious and wanted their kids in a religious school, or they tried public and it didn't work for their kids.

[Anonymous]

If we could afford to send our three to good privates we absolutely would. All we can afford is the mediocre faith based schools which I don’t think are better than the MCPS schools we are zoned for. My kids love their mcps school, it has a great community, and I’ve been happy with the ELC and compacted math curriculums, but I still think my kids would get a better overall educational experience at a good private school.

[Anonymous]

Privates (at least the better ones) can be selective about their students. They only choose students who they know will do well and be motivated, and with parents who will be involved. Publics can't do that. Which environment is going to lead to better outcomes -- a school full of motivated kids and involved parents, or one that's not?

Then look at funding. MCPS spends $16k per student, the 4th highest in the country ( https://foxbaltimore.com/news/project-baltimore/us-census-six-maryland-schools-among-nations-most-funded ). Our private is $45k. Sure not everyone is paying full price, but still the average spending per student is higher. Privates just have more resources available. (Yes, I realize the $16k/student does not include capital budget while privates have to cover that, but it's not such a huge difference.. and at our school the newest building, which cost $30mln, was funded entirely by donations not tuition).

Pick what's best for your family and your children. Privates have certain structural benefits over public, and those may or may not be beneficial in your particular situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people complaining about VA or MD public schools or saying that private schools are better are either ignoring or don't know the most important part of the private school education: teaching students that they're very important, more important than public schools kids, more important than most adults including their teachers. Kids learn it. Parents should know about it and decide if that's what they want. Or not.

Covid proved how very little the public school community in the DMV actually cares about kids. They do not. Me, me, me - teacher demands, parents complaints, lack of leadership, lack of outreach to kids, lack of planning. The publics were embarrassing shit shows. Disgraceful.

So your jealousy aside (and bitterness). Covid laid bare how pathetic those who run the public school systems are. Privates took care of their teachers and students.

Completely honestly – there are a lot of us on here who went to private, can afford private, and still choose public. Are you just going to tell us that we are naïve? We don’t know what we’re talking about? You’re all so much smarter? I really wonder. Because there are definitely people on the other side of this argument. Many people who went to private in this area choose public. It is the new money people that go for private. Especially if they went to public themselves.

+100
That big law partner with the young hot wife who went to local public? Definitely sending kids to private. About the kids? Nah.

How about the Tech exec with the below average wife (me)?

I’d say calling your wife below average explains why you think that other things can move you up on paper.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Privates (at least the better ones) can be selective about their students. They only choose students who they know will do well and be motivated, and with parents who will be involved. Publics can't do that. Which environment is going to lead to better outcomes -- a school full of motivated kids and involved parents, or one that's not?

Then look at funding. MCPS spends $16k per student, the 4th highest in the country ( https://foxbaltimore.com/news/project-baltimore/us-census-six-maryland-schools-among-nations-most-funded ). Our private is $45k. Sure not everyone is paying full price, but still the average spending per student is higher. Privates just have more resources available. (Yes, I realize the $16k/student does not include capital budget while privates have to cover that, but it's not such a huge difference.. and at our school the newest building, which cost $30mln, was funded entirely by donations not tuition).

Pick what's best for your family and your children. Privates have certain structural benefits over public, and those may or may not be beneficial in your particular situation.

The fact that you think privates take the best students as opposed to those who are the richest or fit their diversity criteria is hilarious. Wake up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Completely honestly – there are a lot of us on here who went to private, can afford private, and still choose public. Are you just going to tell us that we are naïve? We don’t know what we’re talking about? You’re all so much smarter? I really wonder. Because there are definitely people on the other side of this argument. Many people who went to private in this area choose public. It is the new money people that go for private. Especially if they went to public themselves.

At least in my neck of the woods, most of the people who chose private either are strongly religious and wanted their kids in a religious school, or they tried public and it didn't work for their kids.

It doesn’t work for the kids because the kids have issues. That’s one of the things I find most telling about DC privates (as an alum who sends my kids public). People think they are entering private school with the best of the best but in fact they’re entering with the students that couldn’t hack it in public for whatever reason. I know at least four families thatvsent their kids private because public wasn’t working as in they had too many issues for the public to deal with. That’s fine - I totally respect that it works for their families - but the idea that privates are for the academically exceptional is really just not the case.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to a public school in the 90s, it was one of the top public high schools in California. When I went to university, I noticed very little difference between those who went to public vs private schools. The SAT scores in DC private schools are basically comparable to the top publics. I don't get it, i mean if you got millions to burn, so be it. I rather give my kids a house.

Are you American?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people complaining about VA or MD public schools or saying that private schools are better are either ignoring or don't know the most important part of the private school education: teaching students that they're very important, more important than public schools kids, more important than most adults including their teachers. Kids learn it. Parents should know about it and decide if that's what they want. Or not.

Covid proved how very little the public school community in the DMV actually cares about kids. They do not. Me, me, me - teacher demands, parents complaints, lack of leadership, lack of outreach to kids, lack of planning. The publics were embarrassing shit shows. Disgraceful.

So your jealousy aside (and bitterness). Covid laid bare how pathetic those who run the public school systems are. Privates took care of their teachers and students.

Completely honestly – there are a lot of us on here who went to private, can afford private, and still choose public. Are you just going to tell us that we are naïve? We don’t know what we’re talking about? You’re all so much smarter? I really wonder. Because there are definitely people on the other side of this argument. Many people who went to private in this area choose public. It is the new money people that go for private. Especially if they went to public themselves.

Again - your whole post is about you - and your clear insecurity about wealth. Nothing about the children who were kept out of school buildings to their obvious detriment. Oh and FYI - Quality education is an old money value.