What is Burgundy Farm Country Day Community/Administration Like?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:9:07 - I think your comments are very fair and right on target.

If some of us seem defensive about Burgundy, it is because we want it to be a different kind of school. In many ways, it is more similar to other independent schools that we may care to admit. But, the school has always strived to set a different path than traditional schools.

More like this - http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/10/the-joyful-illiterate-kindergartners-of-finland/408325/

Point well taken. However, IMHO, everyone would be better served if the knee jerk defensiveness of some parents was toned down a bit as it doesn't always project the school in a positive light and leads to statements like cult-like and group-think. As a former Burgundy parent, I know that the school wants to project an image of warmth, inclusivity and kindness. Sadly, in a rush to defend the school from any criticism people sometimes project the exact opposite. No school is perfect and there is nothing wrong with people sharing experiences both good and bad. In the long run, I believe it is better for the community for people to have an accurate understanding of the environment, expectations and policies in actual practice to ward off misunderstandings and dissatisfaction down the road.

[Anonymous]

Agree with the poster who divided Burgundy into three "phases." I couldn't have asked for a better start to schooling for my two kids than in the Early Childhood program. It was a joyful time, they had a lot of time to learn through play and do hands-on science (sorely lacking in public school in the younger grades, in our experience), and it felt like tuition money well spent. For elementary, our experience was different and resulted in us withdrawing our children to attend public school. For 2/3, there were two sets of teachers and two different classrooms; my son got one set and they were very competent and organized, though not necessarily joyful. Our daughter had the other set of teachers and let me say, the perception that the administration did nothing to address our concerns with the teacher is accurate. The teacher sent a kid to the corner "because you're not fit to learn," and scared our daughter to the point that she was wetting the bed and refusing to go to school. The wonderful, multi-page narrative report card that we'd gotten in 1st grade? The 2/3 teacher showed me uninspiring worksheets and when I asked for more information about my DD, they said that she was too shy and that they didn't have anything to tell me.

There is no differentiation. The implication when we applied was that the 2/3 grouping would allow for kids who were more academic or quick to learn to have some fluidity in placement. Not so. The 2nd graders stay with 2nd graders and the 3rd graders stay with 3rd graders, no matter how academically advanced. Our child was sent to read on his own or to help other children when he finished quickly; both are great things to do but not every day as the sole way to handle an advanced learner.

The switch to FCPS was a good move and our kids today remember EC at Burgundy very fondly but when asked if they wish they'd stayed, they both say no. Our daughter has commented that she prefers the structure of a more traditional classroom for the older grades. Can't speak to the Middle School as we did not attend.

Pros: Beautiful campus, stellar science program with the Cove, impressive library, really positive Early Childhood program, some incredible teachers who our kids will always remember, and kids who stay have a very strong bond.

Cons: Admin is self-important and doesn't address the weak links in terms of teaching, no differentiation, and we never felt super comfortable with the parent community.

[Anonymous]

Some PPs have commented on a lack of differentiation at Burgundy, and on the later years there being less than ideal. Anyone else feel the same way?

[Anonymous]

The lack of differentiation is a feature not a bug at Burgundy. The lack of differentiation for advanced students was an issue in the early years. DC was an early reader and 1st-3rd was a test of patience. Teachers consistently emphasized social development when we brought up academic achievement. While it was frustrating to DC then, I think it made DC a far better team player and developed strong skills for class discussions and group projects in high school.

But, the situation was very different in middle school. The math classes are paced very differently, but the algebra teacher is very focused on building a strong foundation and does not like accelerating the content. Many students going on to public high schools breeze through geometry over the summer before 9th to "catch up" with the public middle schoolers who took it in 8th grade. My DC found algebra II at a private super easy because the math foundation was so strong and so much had been covered at Burgundy. And, we felt the English teachers handled the variation in abilities well. Science is not differentiated at all.

[Anonymous]

Another Burgundy PP here, but one who definitely thinks the lack of differentiation is a bug, not least because Burgundy pitches itself as offering differentiated instruction.

I take the PP's point that social skills matter, especially in the early years, but I am not coming at this from the "please offer my kid advanced calculus" perspective. Instead, I am coming at it from the "my kid is smart but has a mild LD, please considering some small adjustments in homework loads and in the presentation of material."

Burgundy really can't do this. Some individual teachers were wonderful and worked with us to figure out how to help DC learn most effectively; other teachers meant will but did not follow through or just lacked the ability to do it; a few (language teacher) were outright resistant even to very minor accommodations that are standard at most schools. It was very frustrating.

Burgundy is a wonderful school in many ways, but if you are considering it, be aware that because of its size, it is very much one-siz-fits-most. If you kid is not "most," you should consider looking elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

I'm not getting the use of the word bug in the last two posts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can parents who have had kids attending for several years or who graduated recently speak to what the community and administration is like?

Some threads here on DCUM suggest an intolerant community mired in group-think. A friend whose child is also applying this year had a very negative experience with the administration. This is someone I've known for a long time and she is not prone to exaggeration. Now I'm concerned.

We were so impressed during our visit, but are now wondering if we saw a Stepford facade. In particular, we're wondering how the administration deals with parents if there is challenging situation, for example, a specific situation concerning DC or maybe with an issue like bullying or perhaps a child who is consistently disruptive? Are parents' input sought or are parents expected to shut up and accept whatever the administration decides?

We are coming from a preschool where the administration is just amazing. They treat parents as partners and work in a very cooperative way with them. Based on what happened to my friend, I got the sense that the Burgundy administration is more "our road or the high road." I would not want DC to attend if that is the attitude.

I did talk to other friends with children there, but they've only been ther a year or two, are very gung ho Burgundy, and very defensive about what happened to our other friend. Frankly, their defensiveness reinforces the sense of a group-think that makes it wrong to be critical in any way of Burgundy.

Hoping to get more measured responses here.

We applied to BFDS this school year and the administration has been absolutely great. Lori Adams has been amazing. She even sent a thank you card to my DC teacher for providing a recommendation. She has been nothing short of great customer service so I would interested in knowing exactly what happened with your friend.

[Anonymous]

I'm weighing into this thread very, very late. I was a Burgundy parent for six years (grades 3-8, 2008-2014) after public school. My child was what one previous poster described as smart (98th percentile IQ) but unmotivated. (In fact, child is motivated, just not in respect to academics. Has a very strong outside area of interest, which I won't detail for privacy reasons.) Burgundy was a great place for this kid.

Our child emerged from Burgundy with solid academic skills. Read a lot of literature that is just now being tackled again in high school. Benefited from small-group instruction in math, our child's weakest subject. Has ADHD and received some extra time on assignments and decent one on one attention from teachers to help with study skills, organization, etc. Received HUGE support from the head of academic support, who has since moved to Sheridan or Lowell, not sure which one, as head of the lower school.

This kid is in high school now and is still struggling to focus on academics. That was an issue before Burgundy, and Burgundy didn't "fix" that. Starts every school year earning straight As but manages to blow up the grades by mid-year. It has taken us years to internalize that it is the kid, not the educational setting. (We have younger kids who are NOT like this, which is what helped us see it.) But child had a GREAT elementary experience at Burgundy, and in middle school gained excellent self-advocacy skills, ability to work directly with adults, and lots of other strengths. Sophisticated understanding of history and literature. Really good thinking skills. Excellent writer and researcher (something that we give FULL credit to Burgundy for -- public school did nothing for the child in this respect.) Just has trouble pulling it all together and being consistent.

I also want to stress that this kid was not typical at Burgundy. There were a couple kids in the grade who really struggled to learn -- that was not my kid. There were a number of kids who were very advanced academically -- also not my kid! I have a kid who is smart but doesn't fit the mold. Who loved the adult engagement (being on a first name basis with teachers DOES change something!). Who never really saw self as bright and capable, but realized that was wrong.

Burgundy went through lots of upheaval during our years there -- the entire 4/5 teaching team turned over in two years, and then the middle school teaching staff went through a purge. The fabulous head of the middle school left to go to Georgetown Day in 2011, was replaced by a disastrous choice who was let go after a year or two, and in my opinion the middle school hadn't rebounded by the time my child graduated.

EVEN SO -- it was a great and magical place for learning. So many pluses for our child and classmates. The outdoor campus. Cooper's Cove, the nature campus in WV. Many fantastic teachers who loved the kids. Dedicated teachers who took endless time to work with our kid on the things that didn't come easily. Most of all, low pressure for kids before the pressure cooker that is HS. And better prepared than most public school peers upon arriving in public HS. Most Burgundy kids transitioned to HS and did great -- ours, as I mentioned at the outset, still struggles, but I truly don't think that's a reflection on Burgundy. The child's abundant strengths, on the other hand, were nurtured there.

Burgundy is really a special place. If you like it, you probably love it. If you don't, you'll have very strong views on why. But if you have a kid for whom it works, this school is an incredible place to be a student.

Someone earlier mentioned people flaunting wealth. That is NOT part of the Burgundy culture as we experienced it -- our child agrees on this. Many of the class of 2014 actually were not that well off financially. Those who were, were generally modest, though there are always one or two exceptions. The wealthiest family that I knew during our time at the school (the Gardners, who founded Motley Fool and whose kids graduated a few years ago) were actually models of humility. They are tremendous donors to this day, but I would have never realized they were well off by simply interacting with the.)