what is the biggest diffenerence between sidwell and gds?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In my experience, both here on DCUM and in real life, a number of GDS parents carry a chip on their shoulders and constantly look for ways to tell everyone around them how much better GDS is than other area schools. Parents I know from Sidwell exhibit more confidence. I'd like to think that difference is just one between parents, and is not reflected in the students too, but know more parents than students. As far as I can tell, GDS is a very good school, so I'm not sure why the GDS parents act that way.

It's DCUM so I'm fairly sure some GDS parent will attack me for expressing this opinion. But I'm pretty confident this difference I've observed over many years and many people is not my imagination.

To repeat, this is not a criticism of GDS, but rather an observation about how some GDS parents conduct themselves.

I completely agree with this.

Correct

Definitely true. GDS parents are tying to convince someone of something. Probably themselves.

O.k. we get it. Some GDS parent somewhere rubbed you the wrong way. Sorry.

But you've now bumped your comment six times in this chain. Time to let it go, sweetheart.

And for anyone else who wants to meet the GDs community, the GDS lower school has Country Market Days this weekend. It's a fair that's open to the whole community. Stop by with your kids and have some fun. And I promise that the parents will not be annoying. Or no more annoying than everyone else in DC can be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In my experience, both here on DCUM and in real life, a number of GDS parents carry a chip on their shoulders and constantly look for ways to tell everyone around them how much better GDS is than other area schools. Parents I know from Sidwell exhibit more confidence. I'd like to think that difference is just one between parents, and is not reflected in the students too, but know more parents than students. As far as I can tell, GDS is a very good school, so I'm not sure why the GDS parents act that way.

It's DCUM so I'm fairly sure some GDS parent will attack me for expressing this opinion. But I'm pretty confident this difference I've observed over many years and many people is not my imagination.

To repeat, this is not a criticism of GDS, but rather an observation about how some GDS parents conduct themselves.

I completely agree with this.

Correct

Definitely true. GDS parents are tying to convince someone of something. Probably themselves.

O.k. we get it. Some GDS parent somewhere rubbed you the wrong way. Sorry.

But you've now bumped your comment six times in this chain. Time to let it go, sweetheart.

And for anyone else who wants to meet the GDs community, the GDS lower school has Country Market Days this weekend. It's a fair that's open to the whole community. Stop by with your kids and have some fun. And I promise that the parents will not be annoying. Or no more annoying than everyone else in DC

Did you really just condescendingly, and passive aggressively, refer to a poster as "Sweetheart," and assume that critiques of a school that are similar must be from a single poster? I have friends of kids at school across the city, and have many friends who are parents of GDS kids. They are perfectly reasonable, kind and interesting people. You, however, are a piece of work

[Anonymous]

What are the main expansion years for both GDS and Sidwell? And when both schools finish their consolidated campuses, will that change? For example, will the number of middle school students at GDS go up, so that there won't be an expansion in 9th grade?

I have a third grader at a K-8, and just am trying to figure out whether expansion years change?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are the main expansion years for both GDS and Sidwell? And when both schools finish their consolidated campuses, will that change? For example, will the number of middle school students at GDS go up, so that there won't be an expansion in 9th grade?

I have a third grader at a K-8, and just am trying to figure out whether expansion years change?

This is a great question. This could really have a big impact on a lot of people. Does anyone know the answer?

[Anonymous]

Man the main troll on this thread sucks! Come on, you can do better!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:it seems to me that gds and sidwell are kind of similar in quality of education. what is the biggest difference between the two schools? For parents to chose sidewell, not gds, what is the main reason for you to choose sidwell?

Sidwell is Quaker. This is a cultural difference that is worth noting. We love the Quaker education there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:it seems to me that gds and sidwell are kind of similar in quality of education. what is the biggest difference between the two schools? For parents to chose sidewell, not gds, what is the main reason for you to choose sidwell?

Sidwell is Quaker. This is a cultural difference that is worth noting. We love the Quaker education there.

How does that play out in day-to-day experience of students? And is there any worship or chapel?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell is Quaker. This is a cultural difference that is worth noting. We love the Quaker education there.

How does that play out in day-to-day experience of students? And is there any worship or chapel?

Diff poster. The most obvious comparison is a weekly "meeting for worship" which translates to sitting together in a group in silence for about 30 minutes, with occasional short statements by kids speaking their minds. But I assume what PP mean by the "Quaker education" is much broader than that. Quaker values are woven throughout the lesson in subtle ways. Those values are not much different from the basic human respect preached by many other religious and secular philosophies, so it's not like the kids are being indoctrinated into some strange cult. Quakerism IMHO is a lot lighter on ceremony than most other religions, so it's not too obvious until you know what to look for. It also has a lot of non-authoritarian elements in the teachings (because Quakerism grew in part in reaction against the authoritarian nature of other religions). One sometimes frustrating way you see that at the school is an emphasis on getting the sense of the whole community before making any decision, which can be maddening if you just want the school to act quickly on a policy position. If you're interested in the specific values promoted, a quick search of the Sidwell website or the internet generally for "Quaker SPICES" will bring them up. HTH

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell is Quaker. This is a cultural difference that is worth noting. We love the Quaker education there.

How does that play out in day-to-day experience of students? And is there any worship or chapel?

Diff poster. The most obvious comparison is a weekly "meeting for worship" which translates to sitting together in a group in silence for about 30 minutes, with occasional short statements by kids speaking their minds. But I assume what PP mean by the "Quaker education" is much broader than that. Quaker values are woven throughout the lesson in subtle ways. Those values are not much different from the basic human respect preached by many other religious and secular philosophies, so it's not like the kids are being indoctrinated into some strange cult. Quakerism IMHO is a lot lighter on ceremony than most other religions, so it's not too obvious until you know what to look for. It also has a lot of non-authoritarian elements in the teachings (because Quakerism grew in part in reaction against the authoritarian nature of other religions). One sometimes frustrating way you see that at the school is an emphasis on getting the sense of the whole community before making any decision, which can be maddening if you just want the school to act quickly on a policy position. If you're interested in the specific values promoted, a quick search of the Sidwell website or the internet generally for "Quaker SPICES" will bring them up. HTH

I find GDS to be more Quaker in spirit than Sidwell these days.
-Quaker school alum

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I find GDS to be more Quaker in spirit than Sidwell these days.
-Quaker school alum

OP asked about differences. Do you really need to turn the discussion into a contest?

[Anonymous]

The roundabout Queries are a bit philosophical, trying to pull a message or question query out at the end of a freewheeling hour of talking.

[Anonymous]

The drugs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are the main expansion years for both GDS and Sidwell? And when both schools finish their consolidated campuses, will that change? For example, will the number of middle school students at GDS go up, so that there won't be an expansion in 9th grade?

I have a third grader at a K-8, and just am trying to figure out whether expansion years change?

This is a great question. This could really have a big impact on a lot of people. Does anyone know the answer?

There will always be expansion in 9th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The roundabout Queries are a bit philosophical, trying to pull a message or question query out at the end of a freewheeling hour of talking.

Is this required? Is it the Quaker version of chapel?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In my experience, both here on DCUM and in real life, a number of GDS parents carry a chip on their shoulders and constantly look for ways to tell everyone around them how much better GDS is than other area schools. Parents I know from Sidwell exhibit more confidence. I'd like to think that difference is just one between parents, and is not reflected in the students too, but know more parents than students. As far as I can tell, GDS is a very good school, so I'm not sure why the GDS parents act that way.

It's DCUM so I'm fairly sure some GDS parent will attack me for expressing this opinion. But I'm pretty confident this difference I've observed over many years and many people is not my imagination.

To repeat, this is not a criticism of GDS, but rather an observation about how some GDS parents conduct themselves.

I completely agree with this.

Correct

Definitely true. GDS parents are tying to convince someone of something. Probably themselves.

O.k. we get it. Some GDS parent somewhere rubbed you the wrong way. Sorry.

But you've now bumped your comment six times in this chain. Time to let it go, sweetheart.

And for anyone else who wants to meet the GDs community, the GDS lower school has Country Market Days this weekend. It's a fair that's open to the whole community. Stop by with your kids and have some fun. And I promise that the parents will not be annoying. Or no more annoying than everyone else in DC can be.

r

God I hated Country Market Day.

Former GDS parent (DC graduated — Country Market Day didn’t cause us to leave, LOL! But really NOT a selling point.)