lake braddock vs robinson vs woodson

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't have a dog in this fight (no kid at any of these four high schools), but I've been a visitor at sports events at Woodson and West Springfield, and the Woodson parents were far nicer to guests and respectful of the officials than the West Springfield parents. Seriously, it wasn't even close. West Springfield seems to have a lot of military parents who expect their kids to win at all costs. I've seem several parents scream at the referees and get ejected from gyms. I've never witnessed anything similar at Woodson.

I think West Springfield also had an incident with a band director who was abusing children, if I'm recalling correctly.

The point, OP, is to take what you read here with a grain of salt. A lot of parents are very invested (or over invested) in promoting a particular image of their schools.

That is an absolutely incorrect stereotype of military parents.

I'm sharing what I've observed first-hand, so I don't know how that could be a "stereotype."

How do you know they were military?

You don't.

That area, the oarents of high scoolers are going to be lt. Colonels and colonels. They are not going to be causing scenes at high school sporting events, especially not to the pint of being escorted out of the games.

In fact, the military parents tend to fall into two categories at their kids events: laid back and fun, or helpful and supportive. They are not screaming at sporting events telling their kids to win at all costs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't have a dog in this fight (no kid at any of these four high schools), but I've been a visitor at sports events at Woodson and West Springfield, and the Woodson parents were far nicer to guests and respectful of the officials than the West Springfield parents. Seriously, it wasn't even close. West Springfield seems to have a lot of military parents who expect their kids to win at all costs. I've seem several parents scream at the referees and get ejected from gyms. I've never witnessed anything similar at Woodson.

I think West Springfield also had an incident with a band director who was abusing children, if I'm recalling correctly.

The point, OP, is to take what you read here with a grain of salt. A lot of parents are very invested (or over invested) in promoting a particular image of their schools.

That is an absolutely incorrect stereotype of military parents.

I'm sharing what I've observed first-hand, so I don't know how that could be a "stereotype."

How do you know they were military?

You don't.

That area, the oarents of high scoolers are going to be lt. Colonels and colonels. They are not going to be causing scenes at high school sporting events, especially not to the pint of being escorted out of the games.

In fact, the military parents tend to fall into two categories at their kids events: laid back and fun, or helpful and supportive. They are not screaming at sporting events telling their kids to win at all costs.

No, just no. Sorry if this bursts your bubble.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can't go wrong with West Springfield, Lake Braddock, or Robinson. All three are great schools - excellent academics, low pressure, enough diversity (ethnic, social, economic, personality) that your kids will find their place.

Woodson has a rep of being a pressure cooker of overscheduled kids, hyper-involved parents, and suicides. I'm sure type-A, super driven, competitive types are very very happy there. If your kid doesn't fall into that category, probably not the best environment.

Meh. You trade in crude stereotypes.

You could just as easily claim that West Springfield, Lake Braddock and Robinson are second-tier schools where middle-brow types who can't afford homes in the top school districts, but are scared of majority-minority schools with too much (as opposed to "enough") diversity, congregate to pat each other on the back and compare notes on Virginia Tech and JMU.

I went to an Ivy League college from a public school and live in the Robinson / LBSS / WSHS area. I think we consider ourselves to be down to earth and people who are professional like doctors and lawyers but for work life balance reason chose to work for the government or work part time. I think we think our schools are awesome. My kids are only in ES and I think the older kids I see at our local HS are awesome and going to great colleges so much so that I don't see a reason to think it would be "better" if my kids went to TJ.

I think you think we think Woodson should be avoided if you trash it and then say some generically nice things about your school that could be said about any school in the county, but you're wrong.

I don't have any thoughts on Woodson nor did I share any in my response.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have DS at Woodson and DD at TJ. Both are doing great. Kids are all different but generally schools in theses area are all good.

+1000

[Anonymous]

Have two at Robinson and one at Woodson. All are happy and well adjusted. iMO Woodson parents are a little more intense about everything which funnels down to the kids and contributes to the stress. We prefer, and are more involved, at Robinson. love the teachers and the coaches. Nice community vibe

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The vast majority of Woodson parents and students are happy with the school, and the school's "reputation" for being overly competitive is largely perpetuated by some parents in neighboring districts and a handful of parents with kids there years ago who had bad experiences.

When FCPS decided to move a Woodson attendance island in Fairfax Station from Woodson to Robinson a few years ago, the Fairfax Station parents were virtually unanimous in asking that they be allowed to remain at Woodson. They didn't all have super Type A kids, but they really liked the school and didn't want to be moved to a primarily IB school.

PP with a son who attended Woodson. He graduated three years ago, so our experience wasn't too long ago and was in the midst of the awful suicides.

I stand by my opinion. From an academic standpoint, Woodson is great. From an emotional/social standpoint, Woodson was a fairly cold place where there was an emphasis from top (admin) to bottom (students) to sweep issues under the rug. There definitely was a sense of "Penn Face" that my son experienced and there was a lot of pressure to achieve for achievement's sake.

Robinson despite it being massive was a much more nurturing learning environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The vast majority of Woodson parents and students are happy with the school, and the school's "reputation" for being overly competitive is largely perpetuated by some parents in neighboring districts and a handful of parents with kids there years ago who had bad experiences.

When FCPS decided to move a Woodson attendance island in Fairfax Station from Woodson to Robinson a few years ago, the Fairfax Station parents were virtually unanimous in asking that they be allowed to remain at Woodson. They didn't all have super Type A kids, but they really liked the school and didn't want to be moved to a primarily IB school.

PP with a son who attended Woodson. He graduated three years ago, so our experience wasn't too long ago and was in the midst of the awful suicides.

I stand by my opinion. From an academic standpoint, Woodson is great. From an emotional/social standpoint, Woodson was a fairly cold place where there was an emphasis from top (admin) to bottom (students) to sweep issues under the rug. There definitely was a sense of "Penn Face" that my son experienced and there was a lot of pressure to achieve for achievement's sake.

Robinson despite it being massive was a much more nurturing learning environment.

I didn't say anything to contradict your opinion, but it is just that - your personal opinion.

When FCPS proposed to move part of Woodson to Robinson, many parents asked not to be moved, and when FCPS proposed to move part of Annandale and Fairfax to Woodson, many parents welcomed the move. Those are facts, documented in the correspondence received by FCPS during the respective boundary studies.

[Anonymous]

"many parents" doesn't mean anything. "many" people voted for Trump, but not the majority of voters.

All you know based on what is documented by FCPS is that parents interacted with FCPS officials at the meetings to voice their opinions about the proposed changes. For every vocal parent, there were probably at least a dozen who didn't bother attending the meetings because they didn't have strong opinions.

All your anecdote does is reinforce the stereotypes of these different schools - that parents at Woodson tend to view Robinson as inferior. It doesn't mean it IS inferior.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"many parents" doesn't mean anything. "many" people voted for Trump, but not the majority of voters.

All you know based on what is documented by FCPS is that parents interacted with FCPS officials at the meetings to voice their opinions about the proposed changes. For every vocal parent, there were probably at least a dozen who didn't bother attending the meetings because they didn't have strong opinions.

All your anecdote does is reinforce the stereotypes of these different schools - that parents at Woodson tend to view Robinson as inferior. It doesn't mean it IS inferior.

Actually, your response speaks more towards parents at Robinson potentially having an inferiority complex than parents at Woodson having a superiority complex, since the most logical inference to be drawn from the recent redistricting was that many Woodson parents in the affected area were happy at WTW and wished to stay, not that they viewed Robinson as inferior.

However, if those parents were unhappy at Woodson, the redistricting gave them a perfect opportunity to express their support for the redistricting, and this did not happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"many parents" doesn't mean anything. "many" people voted for Trump, but not the majority of voters.

All you know based on what is documented by FCPS is that parents interacted with FCPS officials at the meetings to voice their opinions about the proposed changes. For every vocal parent, there were probably at least a dozen who didn't bother attending the meetings because they didn't have strong opinions.

All your anecdote does is reinforce the stereotypes of these different schools - that parents at Woodson tend to view Robinson as inferior. It doesn't mean it IS inferior.

Actually, your response speaks more towards parents at Robinson potentially having an inferiority complex than parents at Woodson having a superiority complex, since the most logical inference to be drawn from the recent redistricting was that many Woodson parents in the affected area were happy at WTW and wished to stay, not that they viewed Robinson as inferior.

However, if those parents were unhappy at Woodson, the redistricting gave them a perfect opportunity to express their support for the redistricting, and this did not happen.

Honestly, the redistricting made people mad because they didn't want their kids to go to a 7-12 school. That was the main complaint at the meetings I attended having been a parent in that area. Some people were worried about property values, impact of IB on the attractiveness of their homes, etc. Some people bitched because they didn't like change period ("we have always been a Woodson family and no our youngest can't go...etc").

I don't think the small island is a ringing endorsement or addresses some of the real issues other posters have raised.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"many parents" doesn't mean anything. "many" people voted for Trump, but not the majority of voters.

All you know based on what is documented by FCPS is that parents interacted with FCPS officials at the meetings to voice their opinions about the proposed changes. For every vocal parent, there were probably at least a dozen who didn't bother attending the meetings because they didn't have strong opinions.

All your anecdote does is reinforce the stereotypes of these different schools - that parents at Woodson tend to view Robinson as inferior. It doesn't mean it IS inferior.

Actually, your response speaks more towards parents at Robinson potentially having an inferiority complex than parents at Woodson having a superiority complex, since the most logical inference to be drawn from the recent redistricting was that many Woodson parents in the affected area were happy at WTW and wished to stay, not that they viewed Robinson as inferior.

However, if those parents were unhappy at Woodson, the redistricting gave them a perfect opportunity to express their support for the redistricting, and this did not happen.

I think it is fair to say that parents with kids in decent school districts are generally against the disruption of rezoning, especially in high school, even if the school is equivalent (Woodson to Robinson for example).

It is also fair to say tha parents are usually pro rezoning if they are in a poorer performing district and their kids are getting moved into a higher performing district (such ae Annandale to Woodson or Lee to West Springfield).

Few people are upset with going somewhere that is perceived as much better than what they have. Most people do not want to disrupt their high schoolers by moving them from one decent school to a more or less equal quality school.

You are comparing apples to oranges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"many parents" doesn't mean anything. "many" people voted for Trump, but not the majority of voters.

All you know based on what is documented by FCPS is that parents interacted with FCPS officials at the meetings to voice their opinions about the proposed changes. For every vocal parent, there were probably at least a dozen who didn't bother attending the meetings because they didn't have strong opinions.

All your anecdote does is reinforce the stereotypes of these different schools - that parents at Woodson tend to view Robinson as inferior. It doesn't mean it IS inferior.

Actually, your response speaks more towards parents at Robinson potentially having an inferiority complex than parents at Woodson having a superiority complex, since the most logical inference to be drawn from the recent redistricting was that many Woodson parents in the affected area were happy at WTW and wished to stay, not that they viewed Robinson as inferior.

However, if those parents were unhappy at Woodson, the redistricting gave them a perfect opportunity to express their support for the redistricting, and this did not happen.

Honestly, the redistricting made people mad because they didn't want their kids to go to a 7-12 school. That was the main complaint at the meetings I attended having been a parent in that area. Some people were worried about property values, impact of IB on the attractiveness of their homes, etc. Some people bitched because they didn't like change period ("we have always been a Woodson family and no our youngest can't go...etc").

I don't think the small island is a ringing endorsement or addresses some of the real issues other posters have raised.

Combine it with the positive reaction of the Wakefield Forest and Fairfax Villa parents when they were moved from Annandale and Fairfax, respectively, to Woodson and a pattern emerges where people expressed favorable views about Woodson that run counter to the DCUM party line, which is to bash WTW.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"many parents" doesn't mean anything. "many" people voted for Trump, but not the majority of voters.

All you know based on what is documented by FCPS is that parents interacted with FCPS officials at the meetings to voice their opinions about the proposed changes. For every vocal parent, there were probably at least a dozen who didn't bother attending the meetings because they didn't have strong opinions.

All your anecdote does is reinforce the stereotypes of these different schools - that parents at Woodson tend to view Robinson as inferior. It doesn't mean it IS inferior.

Actually, your response speaks more towards parents at Robinson potentially having an inferiority complex than parents at Woodson having a superiority complex, since the most logical inference to be drawn from the recent redistricting was that many Woodson parents in the affected area were happy at WTW and wished to stay, not that they viewed Robinson as inferior.

However, if those parents were unhappy at Woodson, the redistricting gave them a perfect opportunity to express their support for the redistricting, and this did not happen.

I think it is fair to say that parents with kids in decent school districts are generally against the disruption of rezoning, especially in high school, even if the school is equivalent (Woodson to Robinson for example).

It is also fair to say tha parents are usually pro rezoning if they are in a poorer performing district and their kids are getting moved into a higher performing district (such ae Annandale to Woodson or Lee to West Springfield).

Few people are upset with going somewhere that is perceived as much better than what they have. Most people do not want to disrupt their high schoolers by moving them from one decent school to a more or less equal quality school.

You are comparing apples to oranges.

Woodson and Robinson aren't equivalent. Woodson has a higher academic profile, and is viewed as punching above its weight, with scores similar to schools like Langley and Madison, whereas Robinson is often viewed as punching below its weight, with test scores below what one might expect for a school with so few low-income kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"many parents" doesn't mean anything. "many" people voted for Trump, but not the majority of voters.

All you know based on what is documented by FCPS is that parents interacted with FCPS officials at the meetings to voice their opinions about the proposed changes. For every vocal parent, there were probably at least a dozen who didn't bother attending the meetings because they didn't have strong opinions.

All your anecdote does is reinforce the stereotypes of these different schools - that parents at Woodson tend to view Robinson as inferior. It doesn't mean it IS inferior.

Actually, your response speaks more towards parents at Robinson potentially having an inferiority complex than parents at Woodson having a superiority complex, since the most logical inference to be drawn from the recent redistricting was that many Woodson parents in the affected area were happy at WTW and wished to stay, not that they viewed Robinson as inferior.

However, if those parents were unhappy at Woodson, the redistricting gave them a perfect opportunity to express their support for the redistricting, and this did not happen.

I think it is fair to say that parents with kids in decent school districts are generally against the disruption of rezoning, especially in high school, even if the school is equivalent (Woodson to Robinson for example).

It is also fair to say tha parents are usually pro rezoning if they are in a poorer performing district and their kids are getting moved into a higher performing district (such ae Annandale to Woodson or Lee to West Springfield).

Few people are upset with going somewhere that is perceived as much better than what they have. Most people do not want to disrupt their high schoolers by moving them from one decent school to a more or less equal quality school.

You are comparing apples to oranges.

Woodson and Robinson aren't equivalent. Woodson has a higher academic profile, and is viewed as punching above its weight, with scores similar to schools like Langley and Madison, whereas Robinson is often viewed as punching below its weight, with test scores below what one might expect for a school with so few low-income kids.

To quote David Foster Wallace: "This is Water."

The PP hit on the head why Woodson wasn't a good fit for my children. Test scores at the expense of what? We have all pointed out serious cultural issues that make the school problematic. And I think the thing is, no one cares to really fix them because "test scores" are excellent (which no one disputes by the way). It's all band-aids and glossing over because looking at things critically and making some serious changes in how the school is run from top down might cut away at that achievement.

I will take the balanced education my DD got at Robinson to the one my son got at Woodson. They're both in the same college and I don't think the unhealthy environment is worth it. Other parents might feel differently, but they should at least know what they are sending their children to when they choose high schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"many parents" doesn't mean anything. "many" people voted for Trump, but not the majority of voters.

All you know based on what is documented by FCPS is that parents interacted with FCPS officials at the meetings to voice their opinions about the proposed changes. For every vocal parent, there were probably at least a dozen who didn't bother attending the meetings because they didn't have strong opinions.

All your anecdote does is reinforce the stereotypes of these different schools - that parents at Woodson tend to view Robinson as inferior. It doesn't mean it IS inferior.

Actually, your response speaks more towards parents at Robinson potentially having an inferiority complex than parents at Woodson having a superiority complex, since the most logical inference to be drawn from the recent redistricting was that many Woodson parents in the affected area were happy at WTW and wished to stay, not that they viewed Robinson as inferior.

However, if those parents were unhappy at Woodson, the redistricting gave them a perfect opportunity to express their support for the redistricting, and this did not happen.

I think it is fair to say that parents with kids in decent school districts are generally against the disruption of rezoning, especially in high school, even if the school is equivalent (Woodson to Robinson for example).

It is also fair to say tha parents are usually pro rezoning if they are in a poorer performing district and their kids are getting moved into a higher performing district (such ae Annandale to Woodson or Lee to West Springfield).

Few people are upset with going somewhere that is perceived as much better than what they have. Most people do not want to disrupt their high schoolers by moving them from one decent school to a more or less equal quality school.

You are comparing apples to oranges.

Woodson and Robinson aren't equivalent. Woodson has a higher academic profile, and is viewed as punching above its weight, with scores similar to schools like Langley and Madison, whereas Robinson is often viewed as punching below its weight, with test scores below what one might expect for a school with so few low-income kids.

To quote David Foster Wallace: "This is Water."

The PP hit on the head why Woodson wasn't a good fit for my children. Test scores at the expense of what? We have all pointed out serious cultural issues that make the school problematic. And I think the thing is, no one cares to really fix them because "test scores" are excellent (which no one disputes by the way). It's all band-aids and glossing over because looking at things critically and making some serious changes in how the school is run from top down might cut away at that achievement.

I will take the balanced education my DD got at Robinson to the one my son got at Woodson. They're both in the same college and I don't think the unhealthy environment is worth it. Other parents might feel differently, but they should at least know what they are sending their children to when they choose high schools.

We have not "all" pointed out "serious cultural issues"; to the contrary, two or three posters with an axe to grind keep trying to make their personal views sound like a consensus, when there is none. Just as there is no consensus about Robinson, a school that many families pupil place their children out of to Lake Braddock and other schools.