Would you force your happy kid to switch to private from FCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone who has the means and does not take their child out of FCPS and place them in a quality private school is doing their child a disservice.

With very few exceptions FCPS does not do a good job preparing kids with the critical thinking, writing and math skills they will need for a top US or UK university.

If you stay in FCPS you will need to supplement your child’s education with tutors and outside educational activities.

As others have mentioned most of your child’s friends won’t be in classes or at lunch anyway. Make the effort to keep the friendships you want outside of school time.

There are too many kids who graduated from FCPS and are doing well in T50 undergraduate programs or T10 graduate programs for this to resonate, although there are certainly some disturbing trends within FCPS (and the ludicrous draft equity policy augurs a further push for mediocrity over excellence).

We have to stop electing flakes to the School Board. That means no more Karl Frisch, no more Melanie Meren, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone who has the means and does not take their child out of FCPS and place them in a quality private school is doing their child a disservice.

With very few exceptions FCPS does not do a good job preparing kids with the critical thinking, writing and math skills they will need for a top US or UK university.

If you stay in FCPS you will need to supplement your child’s education with tutors and outside educational activities.

As others have mentioned most of your child’s friends won’t be in classes or at lunch anyway. Make the effort to keep the friendships you want outside of school time.

There are too many kids who graduated from FCPS and are doing well in T50 undergraduate programs or T10 graduate programs for this to resonate, although there are certainly some disturbing trends within FCPS (and the ludicrous draft equity policy augurs a further push for mediocrity over excellence).

We have to stop electing flakes to the School Board. That means no more Karl Frisch, no more Melanie Meren, etc.

Good point, but FCPS has been going downhill for years, in part because of the board. Where will FCPS be in six years when the kid is set to graduate or in a dozen for kids just starting out.

[Anonymous]

You can also do an activity with his friends after school. I did that with my son when we moved him to the AAP center

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone who has the means and does not take their child out of FCPS and place them in a quality private school is doing their child a disservice.

With very few exceptions FCPS does not do a good job preparing kids with the critical thinking, writing and math skills they will need for a top US or UK university.

If you stay in FCPS you will need to supplement your child’s education with tutors and outside educational activities.

As others have mentioned most of your child’s friends won’t be in classes or at lunch anyway. Make the effort to keep the friendships you want outside of school time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who wants the work of reeducating your children? The school should do that. Instead they remove homework, reading of novels, and final exams to name a few, unless your student is taking IB or AP classes.

My student is not taking very many AP classes, mostly honors, and has much fewer expectations. I did not take AP classes in high school, yet had to read books, turn in hw on time (which included papers much longer than a couple paragraphs) and had final exams on all material I learned that year.

There was a recent article in WP I think about a father from Baltimore concerned about his younger kids after his eldest nearly straight A daughter nearly flunked out of college. This is where FCPS is headed.

Does your child go to Madison? I am only asking because they are the only high school I have heard of in FCPS that does not have final exams.

[Anonymous]

I would never force my child to leave his friends and a place where he was happy. We left FCPS for private because during covid almost all of my son's friends left, and he didn't see those that were left. It was a difficult transition although he eventually made new friends. Now we are going back to public high school and it's sad for him to leave these friends. I would not do that to a kid against his will. Honestly, it just seems cruel. Get tutoring if you want, but keep in mind that by high school they will have their choice of rigorous courses and it won't really matter anymore.

[Anonymous]

People are making too much of private school vs FCPS. I agree private is better, but unless you are aiming for Ivy and have the money for Big 3, it's not that important. I have plenty of friends with kids heading off to places like UVa and Georgetown, and they all went to public.

[Anonymous]

Any updates on what OP decided?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any updates on what OP decided?

OP here. We have decided to keep him in public for now. I think we should have forced him. We are looking to supplement with writing enrichment. He is already a strong math student.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any updates on what OP decided?

OP here. We have decided to keep him in public for now. I think we should have forced him. We are looking to supplement with writing enrichment. He is already a strong math student.

Thanks for the update. There are no right or wrong decisions and you can always send him in the future. I've kept my kids in public because the school is so close to us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who wants the work of reeducating your children? The school should do that. Instead they remove homework, reading of novels, and final exams to name a few, unless your student is taking IB or AP classes.

My student is not taking very many AP classes, mostly honors, and has much fewer expectations. I did not take AP classes in high school, yet had to read books, turn in hw on time (which included papers much longer than a couple paragraphs) and had final exams on all material I learned that year.

There was a recent article in WP I think about a father from Baltimore concerned about his younger kids after his eldest nearly straight A daughter nearly flunked out of college. This is where FCPS is headed.

Does your child go to Madison? I am only asking because they are the only high school I have heard of in FCPS that does not have final exams.

I haven’t heard of any, lol!