Public School Forum

[Anonymous]

OP: my DC was at out local public for ES, then moved to private for HS. We loved out public and the school prepared DC for the private HS perfectly. He was academically ahead of most of his classmates, include those that have been in private since K. We loved the private DC attended too EXCEPT parents like you!

Go take your med!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone ever go on there to read the posts? When you see the issues discussed there, does that reaffirm your committment to private school?

Just went in the PS forum and right away I saw posts discussing my biggest concerns about public schools, overcrowding and quality control. One poster wrote how useless the Spanish class at her child's ES school is and another wrote that after 4 years of Spanish instruction in the school, the child knew nothing. I see many PS parents post here in the private school forum praising their schools and trashing private, but I have never until today ventured on to the public school forum of this blog. From what I read on there today, I am convinced that private is the best way to go at least until 8th grade. I am still not sure if private highschool is worth it so will continue researching and asking parents with older kids. My kids are in 3rd and 1st grade.

Out of curiosity and in light of the latest tuition hike (our school was hit with 4.5%), I have started to quietly look into public schools in our neighborhood in VA. My husband grew up around here, but I did not so I do not know much about the public schools in this area other than what he tells me, which is that they are all terrible and that this is a non-negotiable no discussion issue for him and he will send kids to private no matter what the cost. I went to private where I grew up so when the kids came along, I didn't know any better so I just went along with him, and I am ok with continuing with private until 8th grade, but these tuitions scare me to death. Our HHI is $220k, but we live in an inherited home so we have no mortgage. For the moment we are ok, but we are in professions in which we have reached the upper limit of earnings so while we are able to manage at the moment, I am not sure once tuition hits 40k per kid, if that is something we can do and my husband is not even open to discussing this possibility, which is scary for me as I am a total planner and
worrier.

I am with you OP. I have two kids and plan to do private through 8th. Our HHI is similar and with two children, private through high school is not a wise financial decision. I find some helpful tidbits about public school there too. I also toured our local elementary to get information before deciding to go private K-8. There are some very good benefits to public for sure. For our family, a smaller private in the early years and a public high school makes the most sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Plenty of people with younger kids tour high schools, PP, particularly when they are choosing where to live.

If you say so. I do not know anybody who has ever done this.

No dog in the fight, but why do people assume it is easy to move. Especially in a place like Mclean where a 7 figure house is a huge comittment so people want to make sure they are making the right decision. I probably wouldn't take a tour, but I would certainly ask around and read up on the highschool zoned for the house that I am about to make an offer on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Plenty of people with younger kids tour high schools, PP, particularly when they are choosing where to live.

If you say so. I do not know anybody who has ever done this.

No dog in the fight, but why do people assume it is easy to move. Especially in a place like Mclean where a 7 figure house is a huge comittment so people want to make sure they are making the right decision. I probably wouldn't take a tour, but I would certainly ask around and read up on the highschool zoned for the house that I am about to make an offer on.

It's not easy to move! It's horrible, so OP is smart to be thinking this far out. If her local HS is no good, she's got lots of time to consider moving to a different area with a different HS that she does like. She's thinking about all her options and I think it's smart.

[Anonymous]

Right but a lot of things can change and you don't know what your 7 year old will want/need in a high school. I have a rising freshman at at W school - it is the perfect fit for him. He is a hardworker. loves music (they have a huge music program) and likes having friends from different walks of life. He joins clubs, likes big groups and likes school with a basketball team. All good.

My rising middle school kid is in private school. He needed smaller nurturing classes and is doing great. I think his school is a great fit for him, even though I thought differently when he was 7.

The truth is there are options here and you can't really figure that out now. Just worry about what is right now and it will all work out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone ever go on there to read the posts? When you see the issues discussed there, does that reaffirm your commitment to private school?

I read posts on the public school board for my neighborhood's schools, partly because I am curious about the topics my friends and neighbors discuss, and partly because I am keeping an eye on things in case we ever need an alternative to my children's private school. Yes, many of the discussions there reinforce my decision to send my children to private schools, because my local public schools have significant problems not found in my children's private schools. No, I am not suggesting my children's private schools are perfect, but the types and tenor of problems are lots more manageable. No, I am not suggesting my local public schools are bad schools. In fact, they are quite good when compared to other public schools in the area. But nevertheless, they face significant difficulties. My family is very lucky to be able to afford to avoid those problems and to receive the benefits of private schools.

That's like deciding that the restaurant is terrible, after only reading the bad restaurant reviews. People don't typically post on DCUM about how everything is fine and there is nothing to complain about.

I disagree. What I see in the public school forums is roughly 4-in-5 posts are people complaining about their own kids' schools. In the private school forum, when someone is posting about her own school, 4-in-5 posts are positive. Most negative posts about private schools come from people bashing someone else's school.

But the public school forum for a given location encompasses hundreds of different schools, so you never know unless someone names a school if that complaint applies to the school your child would attend. In our case, we see tons of complaints that simply do not apply to our zoned schools, so when we weigh our options, the complaints in the public forum are irrelevant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone ever go on there to read the posts? When you see the issues discussed there, does that reaffirm your commitment to private school?

I read posts on the public school board for my neighborhood's schools, partly because I am curious about the topics my friends and neighbors discuss, and partly because I am keeping an eye on things in case we ever need an alternative to my children's private school. Yes, many of the discussions there reinforce my decision to send my children to private schools, because my local public schools have significant problems not found in my children's private schools. No, I am not suggesting my children's private schools are perfect, but the types and tenor of problems are lots more manageable. No, I am not suggesting my local public schools are bad schools. In fact, they are quite good when compared to other public schools in the area. But nevertheless, they face significant difficulties. My family is very lucky to be able to afford to avoid those problems and to receive the benefits of private schools.

That's like deciding that the restaurant is terrible, after only reading the bad restaurant reviews. People don't typically post on DCUM about how everything is fine and there is nothing to complain about.

I disagree. What I see in the public school forums is roughly 4-in-5 posts are people complaining about their own kids' schools. In the private school forum, when someone is posting about her own school, 4-in-5 posts are positive. Most negative posts about private schools come from people bashing someone else's school.

But the public school forum for a given location encompasses hundreds of different schools, so you never know unless someone names a school if that complaint applies to the school your child would attend. In our case, we see tons of complaints that simply do not apply to our zoned schools, so when we weigh our options, the complaints in the public forum are irrelevant.

I agree with this. But I think the complaints are just irrelevant anyway, even if it is the same school our kids go to. People like to complain about everything and its such a waste of time.

[Anonymous]

I went to public and private open houses for middle/high schools when our children were in first and third grades. Started early reviewing our options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FWIW, I'm the person who wrote about my child being in Spanish for four years and still not knowing much Spanish. I have a child in public and a child in private, so I straddle both forums. In our case, one of our children needed the smaller class size, but our other child is absolutely thriving in public school.

While I don't think my child in public school is learning much in the Spanish class, he loves it and loves the teacher, so I don't feel the need to complain to the County. I guess I'm saying that I don't think that private is the end-all, be-all for every child and I know a number of families that have children in both public and private.

Honestly, the thread about the daughter who wants to return to public and the Queen Bee Mom who posted turned my stomach (though I realize the same types of people exist in publics, especially in our area).

Thank you for sharing. If you don't mind, can you also comment on the dynamics between the siblings with one being in private and the other in public? I am always curious with families that have one in each, do they ever make comments like why can't I got to that school to or how come my school doesn't have that? I personally would be so torn if I could only afford private for one and not the other.

I have one in each. I much prefer the private but I TRY to be sound excited/complimentary about each school. My older DD (in public) wants my younger DD (in private Kinder) to switch to her school. There is some jealousy from older DD because I volunteer a bit more at private school and they have cooler programs that they can't afford at public. But, she doesn't want to switch, so...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree with this. But I think the complaints are just irrelevant anyway, even if it is the same school our kids go to. People like to complain about everything and its such a waste of time.

Below are a few examples of complaints I see about local public school. Why are they irrelevant? Why shouldn't I consider these problems if the apply to the schools my children would attend?

1. Overenrollment. DCUM posters complaining about how over-packed the school is, and how there isn't enough space for the students. FWIW, my friends and neighbors often raise this same complaint when I talk with them. Also, related complaints about outdated and inadequate facilities.

2. Particular teachers stink. It's common talk in my neighborhood that most parents warn each other to steer away from particular classes or particular teachers. I see the same warnings on DCUM (but less often and more veiled because Jeff discourages identifying individuals).

3. Crime incidents in and around my neighborhood's schools.

Why shouldn't I pay attention to complaints about these facts? Yeah, I get that some people like to complain, and I'm not talking about someone complaining about silly stuff like when and how snow days are called. I'm talking about actual problems with the schools that are revealed by parent complaints. Tell me why those are simply "just irrelevant."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with this. But I think the complaints are just irrelevant anyway, even if it is the same school our kids go to. People like to complain about everything and its such a waste of time.

Below are a few examples of complaints I see about local public school. Why are they irrelevant? Why shouldn't I consider these problems if the apply to the schools my children would attend?

1. Overenrollment. DCUM posters complaining about how over-packed the school is, and how there isn't enough space for the students. FWIW, my friends and neighbors often raise this same complaint when I talk with them. Also, related complaints about outdated and inadequate facilities.

2. Particular teachers stink. It's common talk in my neighborhood that most parents warn each other to steer away from particular classes or particular teachers. I see the same warnings on DCUM (but less often and more veiled because Jeff discourages identifying individuals).

3. Crime incidents in and around my neighborhood's schools.

Why shouldn't I pay attention to complaints about these facts? Yeah, I get that some people like to complain, and I'm not talking about someone complaining about silly stuff like when and how snow days are called. I'm talking about actual problems with the schools that are revealed by parent complaints. Tell me why those are simply "just irrelevant."

Because most complaints are irrelevant. There's a lot of griping about hours, days off, the hot food menu, the teaching of math etc etc etc. You have isolated 3 problems which concern you. I can tell you that over-enrollment is an oft discussed topic but applies to very few elementary level schools.

Every school has a disliked teacher - public or private. In our current private the three 3rd grade teachers are ALL terrible, for different reasons.

Crime? You do know that crime is not about the school but the neighborhood you live in, right?

[Anonymous]

The overenrollment problem reminds me of the famous Yogi Berra quote about a restaurant: "Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded."

Listen, if public schools in well-off neighborhoods are bursting at the seams, it probably means they're good. Parents with options pull their children from schools that suck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with this. But I think the complaints are just irrelevant anyway, even if it is the same school our kids go to. People like to complain about everything and its such a waste of time.

Below are a few examples of complaints I see about local public school. Why are they irrelevant? Why shouldn't I consider these problems if the apply to the schools my children would attend?

1. Overenrollment. DCUM posters complaining about how over-packed the school is, and how there isn't enough space for the students. FWIW, my friends and neighbors often raise this same complaint when I talk with them. Also, related complaints about outdated and inadequate facilities.

2. Particular teachers stink. It's common talk in my neighborhood that most parents warn each other to steer away from particular classes or particular teachers. I see the same warnings on DCUM (but less often and more veiled because Jeff discourages identifying individuals).

3. Crime incidents in and around my neighborhood's schools.

Why shouldn't I pay attention to complaints about these facts? Yeah, I get that some people like to complain, and I'm not talking about someone complaining about silly stuff like when and how snow days are called. I'm talking about actual problems with the schools that are revealed by parent complaints. Tell me why those are simply "just irrelevant."

Because most complaints are irrelevant. There's a lot of griping about hours, days off, the hot food menu, the teaching of math etc etc etc. You have isolated 3 problems which concern you. I can tell you that over-enrollment is an oft discussed topic but applies to very few elementary level schools.

Every school has a disliked teacher - public or private. In our current private the three 3rd grade teachers are ALL terrible, for different reasons.

Crime? You do know that crime is not about the school but the neighborhood you live in, right?

OK, you win, I give up: All public schools are perfect, and anyone who says different is just griping about irrelevant stuff. I'll be sure to tell my friends and neighbors that next time I hear them complaining about problems their children are facing at the local school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with this. But I think the complaints are just irrelevant anyway, even if it is the same school our kids go to. People like to complain about everything and its such a waste of time.

Below are a few examples of complaints I see about local public school. Why are they irrelevant? Why shouldn't I consider these problems if the apply to the schools my children would attend?

1. Overenrollment. DCUM posters complaining about how over-packed the school is, and how there isn't enough space for the students. FWIW, my friends and neighbors often raise this same complaint when I talk with them. Also, related complaints about outdated and inadequate facilities.

2. Particular teachers stink. It's common talk in my neighborhood that most parents warn each other to steer away from particular classes or particular teachers. I see the same warnings on DCUM (but less often and more veiled because Jeff discourages identifying individuals).

3. Crime incidents in and around my neighborhood's schools.

Why shouldn't I pay attention to complaints about these facts? Yeah, I get that some people like to complain, and I'm not talking about someone complaining about silly stuff like when and how snow days are called. I'm talking about actual problems with the schools that are revealed by parent complaints. Tell me why those are simply "just irrelevant."

Because most complaints are irrelevant. There's a lot of griping about hours, days off, the hot food menu, the teaching of math etc etc etc. You have isolated 3 problems which concern you. I can tell you that over-enrollment is an oft discussed topic but applies to very few elementary level schools.

Every school has a disliked teacher - public or private. In our current private the three 3rd grade teachers are ALL terrible, for different reasons.

Crime? You do know that crime is not about the school but the neighborhood you live in, right?

OK, you win, I give up: All public schools are perfect, and anyone who says different is just griping about irrelevant stuff. I'll be sure to tell my friends and neighbors that next time I hear them complaining about problems their children are facing at the local school.

Well if you want to come to that conclusion and make sweeping generalizations, go right ahead. I'm not interested in stopping you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well if you want to come to that conclusion and make sweeping generalizations, go right ahead. I'm not interested in stopping you.

You mean sweeping generalizations like "most complaints are irrelevant"?