Are we all fooling ourselves?

[Anonymous]

I'm not fooling myself, I understand the reality of my choices.

I understand that my non-JKLMMO WOTP school is giving my child a good basic education, which will be enhanced by the fact that she lives with educated parents. I understand that a lot of what I learned about the world, the universe, current events, etc. came from talking with my parents, visiting museums with them, taking nature walks, watching them read, etc. and my kids will do the same.

I understand that DPCS may not be the best school system in the country, but neither was the urban Catholic school filled with lower income kids that I attended. And yet I went to a private university and graduate school (both on academic scholarships) and felt completely prepared. In fact, I graduated at the top of my class in both undergrad and grad, ahead of many many people from private schools. I attribute this in part to the practical, non-academic skills I learned in my lowly school system.

I understand that my kids benefit from our choices by getting plenty of sleep (they wake up at 7:30) and being able to walk to school. They also get to eat breakfast and dinner with their parents and know that their parents will be at almost every major school/sport event because they sacrificed higher paid jobs (which could have paid for private schools) in favor of short commutes and flexible schedules.

I understand that my kids are part of a economically and economically diverse student body, which will teach them lessons and prepare them for real life in a much different way than private school or all-white suburban schools will.

I accept that they are not getting a private school education but I am fine with that. I also have no illusions that they are the smartest kids in the world, nor do I aspire for them to attend Ivies. I hope that they find interests and talents and follow whatever path necessary to achieve their goals.

So no, I'm not fooling myself in any way, but maybe that's because I have realistic expectations for DCPS and for my kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not fooling myself, I understand the reality of my choices.

I understand that my non-JKLMMO WOTP school is giving my child a good basic education, which will be enhanced by the fact that she lives with educated parents. I understand that a lot of what I learned about the world, the universe, current events, etc. came from talking with my parents, visiting museums with them, taking nature walks, watching them read, etc. and my kids will do the same.

I understand that DPCS may not be the best school system in the country, but neither was the urban Catholic school filled with lower income kids that I attended. And yet I went to a private university and graduate school (both on academic scholarships) and felt completely prepared. In fact, I graduated at the top of my class in both undergrad and grad, ahead of many many people from private schools. I attribute this in part to the practical, non-academic skills I learned in my lowly school system.

I understand that my kids benefit from our choices by getting plenty of sleep (they wake up at 7:30) and being able to walk to school. They also get to eat breakfast and dinner with their parents and know that their parents will be at almost every major school/sport event because they sacrificed higher paid jobs (which could have paid for private schools) in favor of short commutes and flexible schedules.

I understand that my kids are part of a economically and economically diverse student body, which will teach them lessons and prepare them for real life in a much different way than private school or all-white suburban schools will.

I accept that they are not getting a private school education but I am fine with that. I also have no illusions that they are the smartest kids in the world, nor do I aspire for them to attend Ivies. I hope that they find interests and talents and follow whatever path necessary to achieve their goals.

So no, I'm not fooling myself in any way, but maybe that's because I have realistic expectations for DCPS and for my kids.

Sorry, that should say racially and economically diverse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not fooling myself, I understand the reality of my choices.

I understand that my non-JKLMMO WOTP school is giving my child a good basic education, which will be enhanced by the fact that she lives with educated parents. I understand that a lot of what I learned about the world, the universe, current events, etc. came from talking with my parents, visiting museums with them, taking nature walks, watching them read, etc. and my kids will do the same.

I understand that DPCS may not be the best school system in the country, but neither was the urban Catholic school filled with lower income kids that I attended. And yet I went to a private university and graduate school (both on academic scholarships) and felt completely prepared. In fact, I graduated at the top of my class in both undergrad and grad, ahead of many many people from private schools. I attribute this in part to the practical, non-academic skills I learned in my lowly school system.

I understand that my kids benefit from our choices by getting plenty of sleep (they wake up at 7:30) and being able to walk to school. They also get to eat breakfast and dinner with their parents and know that their parents will be at almost every major school/sport event because they sacrificed higher paid jobs (which could have paid for private schools) in favor of short commutes and flexible schedules.

I understand that my kids are part of a economically and economically diverse student body, which will teach them lessons and prepare them for real life in a much different way than private school or all-white suburban schools will.

I accept that they are not getting a private school education but I am fine with that. I also have no illusions that they are the smartest kids in the world, nor do I aspire for them to attend Ivies. I hope that they find interests and talents and follow whatever path necessary to achieve their goals.

So no, I'm not fooling myself in any way, but maybe that's because I have realistic expectations for DCPS and for my kids.

Do you feel a strong need to justify yourself to other people? I can't imagine typing all of this out (although I might feel the same way), for the validation of a group of strangers.

Evidence of the insecurity that most parents feel these days, especially in a city like DC. I don't mean to single you out PP, but it is kind of ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

DCPS the worst school system in the nation? Are you kidding me? Have you been in a DCPS classroom? Do they not have teachers who are held strictly accountable for performance? Do they not have books to read? Do they not have new books to read at that? Do their teachers not receive any professional development? Are the principals not held accountable in a way few other school systems are to ensure that the students are actually learning? Hasn't DCPS developed a new curriculum in line with national standards--which you may or may not like--but they can definitely point to what they have in place? Do high school students not have access to Advanced Placement courses in abundance? Dual enrollment programs with local universities? Universal pre-K? Hasn't there been significant modernization taking place in the buildings so that fewer and fewer kids have to go to a dingy old school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not fooling myself, I understand the reality of my choices.

I understand that my non-JKLMMO WOTP school is giving my child a good basic education, which will be enhanced by the fact that she lives with educated parents. I understand that a lot of what I learned about the world, the universe, current events, etc. came from talking with my parents, visiting museums with them, taking nature walks, watching them read, etc. and my kids will do the same.

I understand that DPCS may not be the best school system in the country, but neither was the urban Catholic school filled with lower income kids that I attended. And yet I went to a private university and graduate school (both on academic scholarships) and felt completely prepared. In fact, I graduated at the top of my class in both undergrad and grad, ahead of many many people from private schools. I attribute this in part to the practical, non-academic skills I learned in my lowly school system.

I understand that my kids benefit from our choices by getting plenty of sleep (they wake up at 7:30) and being able to walk to school. They also get to eat breakfast and dinner with their parents and know that their parents will be at almost every major school/sport event because they sacrificed higher paid jobs (which could have paid for private schools) in favor of short commutes and flexible schedules.

I understand that my kids are part of a economically and economically diverse student body, which will teach them lessons and prepare them for real life in a much different way than private school or all-white suburban schools will.

I accept that they are not getting a private school education but I am fine with that. I also have no illusions that they are the smartest kids in the world, nor do I aspire for them to attend Ivies. I hope that they find interests and talents and follow whatever path necessary to achieve their goals.

So no, I'm not fooling myself in any way, but maybe that's because I have realistic expectations for DCPS and for my kids.

Do you feel a strong need to justify yourself to other people? I can't imagine typing all of this out (although I might feel the same way), for the validation of a group of strangers.

Evidence of the insecurity that most parents feel these days, especially in a city like DC. I don't mean to single you out PP, but it is kind of ridiculous.

I think that maybe you don't understand how an online Forum works. Someone started a thread asking if we are fooling ourselves about dcps. I took 5 minutes to type a response about why I don't feel like I am fooling myself. I guess that can be considered justifying my decision but someone asked a question and I answered it. I'm not sure why that bothersyou enough to write a response. Maybe you are the one that is insecure about your choices.

[Anonymous]

...continuing from my last post directly before. "Isn't DCPS the worst in the nation?" Have you seen Philadelphia schools? Detroits? New Orleans? Newarks? Baltimores? Los Angeles? Miami? Please.

[Anonymous]

I think that just thinking of placing in ivies as the end all and be all of quality as crazy. I want a kid that contributes to the well being of the community. I want a kid with a good work ethic that is able to innovate and think on their feet wherever they work. I don't know that I see this in the well off private school kids that I work with. What I see are kids who don't know how to be kind, treat anyone of lower SES in condescending ways. There are a lot of lesson elite schools don't teach.

[Anonymous]

Also keep in mind when they calculate DC's ranking it is a small 50 square mile range, other places are ranked by the range of a state.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also keep in mind when they calculate DC's ranking it is a small 50 square mile range, other places are ranked by the range of a state.

Yeah and the more funding per student also goes to central office which has to do everything a state office of edcuation would do.

[Anonymous]

We're not kidding ourselves but more like we are being punk'd.

[Anonymous]

I think there's something impactful that is going to happen to DCPS/DC Charter in the next 5 years and I'm happy to be a part of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think there's something impactful that is going to happen to DCPS/DC Charter in the next 5 years and I'm happy to be a part of it.

+100

[Anonymous]

Philadelphia, Detroit, and maybe Baltimore have worse school systems in terms of buildings, material, etc.

But DCPS has the worst history of administration. Kaya, Rhee, all those before them, all are just awful. Compared to this, system's like Philly's that have a semi-capable administration, just without any actual money, are a walk in the park.

[Anonymous]

So, I went to a really top-notch set of schools growing up (suburb of a city out west). All rated 9s or 10s on greatschools... entirely high SES students, tons of after school activities, APs, IBs, etc.

And honestly, nobody I graduated with has gone on to do too much. Most of them still live in my hometown. Half the women never held a job, half of the men are still doing some variation of the jobs they did in high school (managing a Best Buy that they used to work at, for example). When I think back on my high school, despite that shiny "10" on great schools, there were drugs everywhere, eating disorders, drunk driving, parties out in abandoned fields, etc.

This is not to disparage anything my classmates did, I mean, hopefully they're all happy and that's what matters. Sometimes I'm just not sure why I let myself get hung up on this idea of a highly rated school when my own personal experience does not really indicate to me that it mattered all that much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So, I went to a really top-notch set of schools growing up (suburb of a city out west). All rated 9s or 10s on greatschools... entirely high SES students, tons of after school activities, APs, IBs, etc.

And honestly, nobody I graduated with has gone on to do too much. Most of them still live in my hometown. Half the women never held a job, half of the men are still doing some variation of the jobs they did in high school (managing a Best Buy that they used to work at, for example). When I think back on my high school, despite that shiny "10" on great schools, there were drugs everywhere, eating disorders, drunk driving, parties out in abandoned fields, etc.

This is not to disparage anything my classmates did, I mean, hopefully they're all happy and that's what matters. Sometimes I'm just not sure why I let myself get hung up on this idea of a highly rated school when my own personal experience does not really indicate to me that it mattered all that much.

I agree. I had similar experiences. Life skills and a passion for learning that will lead to a profession are underrated. I was inspired by one of our High Schools vocational programs to go into the field I'm in currently.