Getting the GDS mojo back

[Anonymous]

I'm only posting on this so that whoever reads this lame thread hears from a parent who is happy at GDS. GDS has been a great school, and continues to be one for my family. If it's not right for you, then you have the right to leave the school--and you should. Please go. Right now you're hiding your vitriol behind your online anonymity. Get a life. Go on summer vacation and then I (and many parents who are sick of the small number of parents trying to crap talk the school) ask you to please, please take your family and go to a different school.

[Anonymous]

I can think of one parent, who lives local to the school, whose child has just graduated. I am sure she is one of the crap talkers, particularly as it relates to the development proposal.

However, if there are racial issues, given the history of the school, they should be dealt with head on, rather than telling people to leave.

[Anonymous]

The thing is, the school IS dealing with the issues raised. They've had a half dozen parent meetings (inviting all parents), communicated with parents about what's going on, and started at least two task forces to look into the issues raised. I'm sitting here seeing all the same things every one else is, and I'm at a loss as to why people think they aren't responding. Organizations and individuals make mistakes; the school is owning them, and moving forward. That's why I'm saying--if it's not enough, then why stay?

[Anonymous]

I'm sure that GDS, like most schools discussed on this board, is not quite as bad off as posters suggest.

[Anonymous]

The teachers are great; it's the leadership that's problematic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm only posting on this so that whoever reads this lame thread hears from a parent who is happy at GDS. GDS has been a great school, and continues to be one for my family. If it's not right for you, then you have the right to leave the school--and you should. Please go. Right now you're hiding your vitriol behind your online anonymity. Get a life. Go on summer vacation and then I (and many parents who are sick of the small number of parents trying to crap talk the school) ask you to please, please take your family and go to a different school.

Be careful what you wish for... Imagine the school with little or no diversity. I guess it would be a JDS in DC. I guess that is your desired result.

[Anonymous]

I guess your desired result is to ruin a good thing with your patronizing complaining anonymously online instead of making meaningful, thoughtful suggestions to the school itself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Be careful what you wish for... Imagine the school with little or no diversity. I guess it would be a JDS in DC. I guess that is your desired result.

Ahhh....how easily some folks slide into their casual anti-Semitism. FWIW the "JDS" insult also erases the existence of all the students and their families at GDS who are not Jewish.

[Anonymous]

I think GDS is learning that talk is cheap. You can talk all you want about diversity and inclusion -- both the worthiest of goals -- but making it happen requires more than talk. It is hard work. I think other schools in the area that may not seem as progressive do a better job with diversity and inclusion than GDS does.

A parent I know with children at GDS and Sidwell once said. GDS talks all the time about how they are better than Sidwell, but Sidwell never talks about GDS. I feel that someone in leadership at GDS has a chip on their shoulder about not being Sidwell. It's too bad. I think the ill-advised expansion/development project is driven by that competition as is the desire pretend everything is fine. Every school has issues; the best schools are honest about them and confront them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Be careful what you wish for... Imagine the school with little or no diversity. I guess it would be a JDS in DC. I guess that is your desired result.

Ahhh....how easily some folks slide into their casual anti-Semitism. FWIW the "JDS" insult also erases the existence of all the students and their families at GDS who are not Jewish.

Oh, lighten up. Even students refer to it as "JDS."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think GDS is learning that talk is cheap. You can talk all you want about diversity and inclusion -- both the worthiest of goals -- but making it happen requires more than talk. It is hard work. I think other schools in the area that may not seem as progressive do a better job with diversity and inclusion than GDS does.

A parent I know with children at GDS and Sidwell once said. GDS talks all the time about how they are better than Sidwell, but Sidwell never talks about GDS. I feel that someone in leadership at GDS has a chip on their shoulder about not being Sidwell. It's too bad. I think the ill-advised expansion/development project is driven by that competition as is the desire pretend everything is fine. Every school has issues; the best schools are honest about them and confront them.

This.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think GDS is learning that talk is cheap. You can talk all you want about diversity and inclusion -- both the worthiest of goals -- but making it happen requires more than talk. It is hard work. I think other schools in the area that may not seem as progressive do a better job with diversity and inclusion than GDS does.

A parent I know with children at GDS and Sidwell once said. GDS talks all the time about how they are better than Sidwell, but Sidwell never talks about GDS. I feel that someone in leadership at GDS has a chip on their shoulder about not being Sidwell. It's too bad. I think the ill-advised expansion/development project is driven by that competition as is the desire pretend everything is fine. Every school has issues; the best schools are honest about them and confront them.

This.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree that GDS has lost its way. They've lost sight of core values as they've pushed for all those Harvard acceptances. The school will recover, but they need to see the problems and not sweep them under the rug. And favoritism has to end!

It will be a challenge to focus on the school educational and management issues when the school leadership and board are all fixated on the "The Art of the Deal", trying to become big time real estate developers.

The Donald with a fig leaf of "social justice" tradition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think GDS is learning that talk is cheap. You can talk all you want about diversity and inclusion -- both the worthiest of goals -- but making it happen requires more than talk. It is hard work. I think other schools in the area that may not seem as progressive do a better job with diversity and inclusion than GDS does.

A parent I know with children at GDS and Sidwell once said. GDS talks all the time about how they are better than Sidwell, but Sidwell never talks about GDS. I feel that someone in leadership at GDS has a chip on their shoulder about not being Sidwell. It's too bad. I think the ill-advised expansion/development project is driven by that competition as is the desire pretend everything is fine. Every school has issues; the best schools are honest about them and confront them.

This.

Nope. I'm an alum parent who also served on all sorts of committees. I don't think once in my dozens of years did anyone ever mention anything about Sidwell. No one at GDS talks about this except in good fun from the sports teams. This is yet another troll trying to create problems where there are none.

[Anonymous]

How recently did your kid graduate? I would have agreed with you 10 years ago re GDS's relationship with/rhetoric re Sidwell, but things have changed since then.