GDS...is it as good as its reputation?

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Having observed GDS as a step parent…

Save your money. Seriously. The public schools around here are great and would be even better if highly motivated academically focused kids like those at Maret, Sidwell, GDS etc attended them. Parents, instead of throwing wads and wads of cash at private schools, send your kid to a public school, volunteer there and put the money you'd save on tuition towards college or, gasp, give it to charity.

Not a single kid in my family went to private school and we all did fine (Princeton, Harvard, Penn, VPI and various law and med schools). WHY would you start paying $30K per year in grade school? Think if you saved that money for a down payment on a house for your kid or set up a fund or donated it to charity!

I guarantee if my step kid went to Wilson she would be doing exactly as well as she is doing now in college.[/quote]

1. I don't live in an area with good public schools (your response seems to imply everyone does).
2. You sound bitter that your spouse is paying for your step kid to go to private school.
3. Having gone to public school there are things a child receives at an IS they don't at a public school which is more than just the ability to read, write and do math. Good IS focus on the whole child, public schools don't.
4. Unless some the focus isn't just on going to Harvard. It's being adequately prepared for college and public schools are failing at that...I went to a top 20 undergrad and I have a profession degree so I know it can be don't me with a public school education. However, I also know the kids who came from IS at my undergrad where much better prepared and had an overall better four years than others.
5. This post isn't about whether IS are worth it -- I have already concluded they are - it's whether GDS is as good as its reputation. [/quote]

1. She doesn't sound bitter, she sounds balanced, which for DCUM is quite an anomaly.
2. I don't like your lists
3. You need to learn how to quote things, at the moment its not appearing correctly on screen. Press the Quote button and then scroll down to where the original post ends. Write after that.

[Anonymous]

I have a son in K at GDS - started this year. We were deciding between 3 privates and I think our decision was the right one. There are three things I've been incredibly impressed with: 1) The K classroom is amazing - the teacher, the materials, the curriculum, etc. my son comes home happy and tired every day, The focus is on the right things, as I see them - social development, learning how to function in a classroom setting, kindness. 2) Despite what others on this thread have said, I think the administration is doing a great job of keeping the new campus development stuff separate from the operation of the school - that was a pleasant surprise. and 3) in the 3 months we've been in school, I've found virtually every parent of my son's peers to be warm, kind, interesting and someone I'd like to be friends with.

I really couldn't be happier (and there were things I was nervous about going in, so i'm probably more critical than some others.

[Anonymous]

I recommend Sheridan over GDS for the younger years- I have had kids in both and I think the real ticket would be to switch into GDS for HS. Sheridan is a bit harder to get into because they only have one class but it is worth a shot. Visit both, meet the teachers, observe some classrooms and most importantly - meet Sheridan's middle schoolers. Our kids both took that path and were well prepared - one at a coveted "ivy" and the other at gtown.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Having observed GDS as a step parent…

Save your money. Seriously. The public schools around here are great and would be even better if highly motivated academically focused kids like those at Maret, Sidwell, GDS etc attended them. Parents, instead of throwing wads and wads of cash at private schools, send your kid to a public school, volunteer there and put the money you'd save on tuition towards college or, gasp, give it to charity.

Not a single kid in my family went to private school and we all did fine (Princeton, Harvard, Penn, VPI and various law and med schools). WHY would you start paying $30K per year in grade school? Think if you saved that money for a down payment on a house for your kid or set up a fund or donated it to charity!

I guarantee if my step kid went to Wilson she would be doing exactly as well as she is doing now in college.[/quote]

1. I don't live in an area with good public schools (your response seems to imply everyone does).
2. You sound bitter that your spouse is paying for your step kid to go to private school.
3. Having gone to public school there are things a child receives at an IS they don't at a public school which is more than just the ability to read, write and do math. Good IS focus on the whole child, public schools don't.
4. Unless some the focus isn't just on going to Harvard. It's being adequately prepared for college and public schools are failing at that...I went to a top 20 undergrad and I have a profession degree so I know it can be don't me with a public school education. However, I also know the kids who came from IS at my undergrad where much better prepared and had an overall better four years than others.
5. This post isn't about whether IS are worth it -- I have already concluded they are - it's whether GDS is as good as its reputation. [/quote]

1. She doesn't sound bitter, she sounds balanced, which for DCUM is quite an anomaly.
2. I don't like your lists
3. You need to learn how to quote things, at the moment its not appearing correctly on screen. Press the Quote button and then scroll down to where the original post ends. Write after that.[/quote]

And I should care about what you like because???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a son in K at GDS - started this year. We were deciding between 3 privates and I think our decision was the right one. There are three things I've been incredibly impressed with: 1) The K classroom is amazing - the teacher, the materials, the curriculum, etc. my son comes home happy and tired every day, The focus is on the right things, as I see them - social development, learning how to function in a classroom setting, kindness. 2) Despite what others on this thread have said, I think the administration is doing a great job of keeping the new campus development stuff separate from the operation of the school - that was a pleasant surprise. and 3) in the 3 months we've been in school, I've found virtually every parent of my son's peers to be warm, kind, interesting and someone I'd like to be friends with.

I really couldn't be happier (and there were things I was nervous about going in, so i'm probably more critical than some others.

Thanks! What where the other 2 privates you where considering?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a son in K at GDS - started this year. We were deciding between 3 privates and I think our decision was the right one. There are three things I've been incredibly impressed with: 1) The K classroom is amazing - the teacher, the materials, the curriculum, etc. my son comes home happy and tired every day, The focus is on the right things, as I see them - social development, learning how to function in a classroom setting, kindness. 2) Despite what others on this thread have said, I think the administration is doing a great job of keeping the new campus development stuff separate from the operation of the school - that was a pleasant surprise. and 3) in the 3 months we've been in school, I've found virtually every parent of my son's peers to be warm, kind, interesting and someone I'd like to be friends with.

I really couldn't be happier (and there were things I was nervous about going in, so i'm probably more critical than some others.

Thanks! What where the other 2 privates you where considering?

Sidwell and WIS. We were leaning towards Sidwell, initially, but the K child is our oldest (of 3) and I know too many families that have been split up by 1 or more kids not getting into Sidwell - I just wasn't interested in that. We went back to GDS after getting in and spoke with several families who were at the school and I felt like we fit really well there. I loved WIS for the language, but felt that the school just didn't compare academically or socially (for the kids) to GDS or Sidwell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a son in K at GDS - started this year. We were deciding between 3 privates and I think our decision was the right one. There are three things I've been incredibly impressed with: 1) The K classroom is amazing - the teacher, the materials, the curriculum, etc. my son comes home happy and tired every day, The focus is on the right things, as I see them - social development, learning how to function in a classroom setting, kindness. 2) Despite what others on this thread have said, I think the administration is doing a great job of keeping the new campus development stuff separate from the operation of the school - that was a pleasant surprise. and 3) in the 3 months we've been in school, I've found virtually every parent of my son's peers to be warm, kind, interesting and someone I'd like to be friends with.

I really couldn't be happier (and there were things I was nervous about going in, so i'm probably more critical than some others.

Thanks! What where the other 2 privates you where considering?

Sidwell and WIS. We were leaning towards Sidwell, initially, but the K child is our oldest (of 3) and I know too many families that have been split up by 1 or more kids not getting into Sidwell - I just wasn't interested in that. We went back to GDS after getting in and spoke with several families who were at the school and I felt like we fit really well there. I loved WIS for the language, but felt that the school just didn't compare academically or socially (for the kids) to GDS or Sidwell.

Thanks. We are also applying to Sidwell, but not to WIS...we decided on Beauvoir instead. I also have a younger child and ideally would like for them to be at the same school. The one thing I did pick up on at the open house was that GDS is a school where children of different learning styles and personalities could flourish. I can't say for certain that is true of Sidwell. My two definitely have very different personalities.

What things where you nervous about? Regarding foreign language at GDS is it true they don't introduce foreign language until the third grade? If so, what's your take on why? Given that you applied to WIS I would imagine foreign language instruction is important to you. It is really important to us, and I don't understand why GDS would choose to wait till third grade when studies show the earlier you introduce foreign languages the better.

[Anonymous]

HS parent of a lifer here. IOE, foreign language has been a real strong suit at GDS. Kids were reading and writing, as well as speaking, from an early stage and continued to develop more sophisticated vocabularies and interpretive skills throughout middle school and high school. Basically, the academic standards are high so your kid, if so inclined, comes out able to read, talk, and write about complicated texts in an intelligent and nuanced way. Not what everybody is looking for, perhaps (vs. conversational/transactional language skills), but an invaluable foundation if you anticipate your DCs using language skills for more than tourism.

[Anonymous]

GDS boosters say the same thing over and over.
They send a lot of kids to Ivies.
They are as good or better than SFS.

That attitude says a ton.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:HS parent of a lifer here. IOE, foreign language has been a real strong suit at GDS. Kids were reading and writing, as well as speaking, from an early stage and continued to develop more sophisticated vocabularies and interpretive skills throughout middle school and high school. Basically, the academic standards are high so your kid, if so inclined, comes out able to read, talk, and write about complicated texts in an intelligent and nuanced way. Not what everybody is looking for, perhaps (vs. conversational/transactional language skills), but an invaluable foundation if you anticipate your DCs using language skills for more than tourism.

Thanks for this information. This is really helpful. It is important to me that my children be fluent in a second language beyond conversational/transactional, and it's good to know that even though they don't start till third grade GDS accomplishes this.

[Anonymous]

I know that people are very happy with the school. However, hearing about the head of the school badmouth rival schools at a dinner party left a sour taste in my mouth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:GDS boosters say the same thing over and over.
They send a lot of kids to Ivies.
They are as good or better than SFS.

That attitude says a ton.

While I didn't get much out of the open house, I definitely didn't hear anything about the Ivies or comparing it to SFS (with the exception of them acknowledging they don't have a cafeteria). That being said I think all of the "top" IS boast about sending their kids to Ivies, and I think all of the top schools like to speak about being as good as or better than the others. As an outsider to the IS world looking to get in I find it all amusing to be honest. I went to public school and didn't feel adequately prepared from my top university. I am looking for my children to get a great education that will prepare them to succeed at the college of their choice whether that be Ivy or a state university. Given that I am not swayed by who is better than or not than SFS.

[Anonymous]

Actual GDS parent here. Obviously, we're partial to GDS and the quality and depth of its high school academics are a good fit for our child. But, your child will be well served at all the schools mentioned already. There are differences among them, but they are all excellent. But, because of their selectivity and huge number of applicants, odds are that you will not be choosing among multiple acceptances.

What's important at the consideration stage of the process is figuring out where you think your child will thrive. Open houses are a piece of the process, but they are like cattle calls filled with lots of families that may or not be serious about attending the school. That's why they are a little cursory. The real sense of the school will come when you do a tour and play date and interview. Your child will come home with opinions to consider with yours. It is also perfectly appropriate to decide not to proceed with the application if the tour and play date didn't feel right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know that people are very happy with the school. However, hearing about the head of the school badmouth rival schools at a dinner party left a sour taste in my mouth.

That is certainly disconcerting but not what I would use to not pick a school. I doubt the head of any particular school sings the praises of its rival.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why would a tour on a Sunday be an issue? That seems quite odd.

Because the faculty is at church that day. But seriously, that's the day faculty spends hashtagging for their favorite causes.