The All Boys School Conundrum

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP what’s your point? Why do you GAF what people say? My son is applying to several schools that had some concerns about toxic masculinity etc and he’s kind and so nice. And all of his friends who went to these schools are really nice.

Why do you listen to people trashing these schools? Don’t be a sheep. It’s not like your son is going to join the klan after going to one of them. He’ll likely be athletic and get a good education and make lasting friendships in a rigorous academic environment. Usually they profess to understand boys as well.

That’s quite a statement! Don’t worry about all-boys’ schools; they aren’t the kkk.

Surely there’s a more measured response to be had here.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Is there any all-boys school in this area that isn't a lightning rod for criticism by seemingly everyone on this message board? There are 18 receent pages as of now dedicated to STA's anti-equality issues. On any other given day it could easily be trashing Landon , Prep, or Gonzaga. If someone wants to send their daughter to an all-girls school, it seems to be praised as giving these girls a place to "shine, take center stage, and fill every role", but the boys' schools are more often criticized than applauded. Why is this? And what is a parent to do around here if they seek an all-boy education for their son? Is it like this with all boys' schools in other cities?

NP. I think the problems have increased in recent years because Conservative parents that want to send their kid to an elite school are choosing the all boys schools over schools such as Sidwell, GDS, or Maret because they deem those schools to be too liberal and quite frankly I think they think they are too diverse – too many black and Jewish families for them. So the more conservative all boys schools become their first choice and they get admitted. Many are nice normal families but many bring with them their conservative views which can be racist, anti Jewish/Muslim, and against LGBTQ. The most egregious incidents of racism and acts against Jewish students were done by very conservative students. It is documented and true.

Can you cite where this is all "documented and true"? Only documented incident I recall was the swastika at Sidwell's student meeting. But I'm sure your vast knowledge of all the local schools can produce a ton of documentation.

Wow. The least knowledgeable always sound the most confident. You need to do some research. Start with the boys who thought photoshopping the faces of diverse classmates on Holocaust victims was funny... two years ago. That is just the beginning of the many documented things you don’t know about, despite knowing everything.

Oddly, the only thing that comes up on the internet about photoshop of faces in a local private school is another post in this forum. Likely also from you and your false accusations. But I'm sure you are well aware of everything that goes on in all the other schools so keep posting your BS. Fool.

NP. If you cannot find documentation about the expulsion of a student at a local school for sending around this picture, then I hope you are not in a research field. I’m sorry the only thing your search engine supports, or that your brain processes, is dcum. This was a public incident and a public expulsion. There were many public statements about it. Good lord, I hope you don’t have a real job.

[Anonymous]

If you care so much about what other people think-- homeschool.

I read an article that said " boys are defective girls". That pretty much sums things up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP what’s your point? Why do you GAF what people say? My son is applying to several schools that had some concerns about toxic masculinity etc and he’s kind and so nice. And all of his friends who went to these schools are really nice.

Why do you listen to people trashing these schools? Don’t be a sheep. It’s not like your son is going to join the klan after going to one of them. He’ll likely be athletic and get a good education and make lasting friendships in a rigorous academic environment. Usually they profess to understand boys as well.

Actually two friends’ sons have become alternative right after starting at one of these schools. Peers are more influential than parents. They started watching Ben Shapiro and other right wing shows casually with friends and now they are full blown right wing.

Are you willing to share which school? Alt right? Oh dear.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there any all-boys school in this area that isn't a lightning rod for criticism by seemingly everyone on this message board? There are 18 receent pages as of now dedicated to STA's anti-equality issues. On any other given day it could easily be trashing Landon , Prep, or Gonzaga. If someone wants to send their daughter to an all-girls school, it seems to be praised as giving these girls a place to "shine, take center stage, and fill every role", but the boys' schools are more often criticized than applauded. Why is this? And what is a parent to do around here if they seek an all-boy education for their son? Is it like this with all boys' schools in other cities?

NP. I think the problems have increased in recent years because Conservative parents that want to send their kid to an elite school are choosing the all boys schools over schools such as Sidwell, GDS, or Maret because they deem those schools to be too liberal and quite frankly I think they think they are too diverse – too many black and Jewish families for them. So the more conservative all boys schools become their first choice and they get admitted. Many are nice normal families but many bring with them their conservative views which can be racist, anti Jewish/Muslim, and against LGBTQ. The most egregious incidents of racism and acts against Jewish students were done by very conservative students. It is documented and true.

Can you cite where this is all "documented and true"? Only documented incident I recall was the swastika at Sidwell's student meeting. But I'm sure your vast knowledge of all the local schools can produce a ton of documentation.

Wow. The least knowledgeable always sound the most confident. You need to do some research. Start with the boys who thought photoshopping the faces of diverse classmates on Holocaust victims was funny... two years ago. That is just the beginning of the many documented things you don’t know about, despite knowing everything.

Oddly, the only thing that comes up on the internet about photoshop of faces in a local private school is another post in this forum. Likely also from you and your false accusations. But I'm sure you are well aware of everything that goes on in all the other schools so keep posting your BS. Fool.

Are you actually doubting this happened? It was major news in any DC private school community when it went down and in most NW DC parenting circles. Have you been living under a social rock?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP what’s your point? Why do you GAF what people say? My son is applying to several schools that had some concerns about toxic masculinity etc and he’s kind and so nice. And all of his friends who went to these schools are really nice.

Why do you listen to people trashing these schools? Don’t be a sheep. It’s not like your son is going to join the klan after going to one of them. He’ll likely be athletic and get a good education and make lasting friendships in a rigorous academic environment. Usually they profess to understand boys as well.

That’s quite a statement! Don’t worry about all-boys’ schools; they aren’t the kkk.

Surely there’s a more measured response to be had here.

I won’t even try to respond to that creation of a straw person. If you didn’t get the point you aren’t worth debating.

And I highly doubt any boys from Gonzaga, STA, or Landon to name three have become “alt right” due to the influence of their s hook as another poster mentioned. If this is true it is more likely because they are teen boys growing up in turbulent times and kids often try on different view points at different stages in their lives. They would likely be the same if they went to Wilson.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP what’s your point? Why do you GAF what people say? My son is applying to several schools that had some concerns about toxic masculinity etc and he’s kind and so nice. And all of his friends who went to these schools are really nice.

Why do you listen to people trashing these schools? Don’t be a sheep. It’s not like your son is going to join the klan after going to one of them. He’ll likely be athletic and get a good education and make lasting friendships in a rigorous academic environment. Usually they profess to understand boys as well.

That’s quite a statement! Don’t worry about all-boys’ schools; they aren’t the kkk.

Surely there’s a more measured response to be had here.

Its actually prefect and show why so many don’t want their kids at those schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you care so much about what other people think-- homeschool.

I read an article that said " boys are defective girls". That pretty much sums things up.

Homeschool? How about go to a school that’s not toxic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP what’s your point? Why do you GAF what people say? My son is applying to several schools that had some concerns about toxic masculinity etc and he’s kind and so nice. And all of his friends who went to these schools are really nice.

Why do you listen to people trashing these schools? Don’t be a sheep. It’s not like your son is going to join the klan after going to one of them. He’ll likely be athletic and get a good education and make lasting friendships in a rigorous academic environment. Usually they profess to understand boys as well.

That’s quite a statement! Don’t worry about all-boys’ schools; they aren’t the kkk.

Surely there’s a more measured response to be had here.

Its actually prefect and show why so many don’t want their kids at those schools.

The PP does not represent the typical parent at either of the all boys schools my sons have gone to. Don’t make decisions based on an anonymous message board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some of the schools OP mentioned are affiliated with a specific religion. Gonzaga and GP are likely going to have a similar diversity of the K-8 parochial schools. Low. Although, they are, in fact, higher in diversity than the K-8 schools collectively (maybe not individual schools).

I have heard good and bad about almost every school in this area. And to your point about girls schools versus boys schools - maybe I am on an island but my experience as an only girl and parent to both genders, this seems very reasonable to me. Although take a look at the thread on Stone Ridge and you will find the girl's schools are without their detractors also.

Good luck OP and thanks for this thread. I may have to convince DS to do one more application to St Anselms.

This is not true. You think this because you go to a predominately white K-8. All the other schools are more diverse, there is no excuse except it’s predominantly white by design.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sometimes geography (of the school and the area) plays into the racial makeup of the school too. Not everyone is interested in 1hr+ commutes to school. Take a look at the racial makeup of the area, and note the school locations. Some of your answers are found there. Not all, of course.

https://www.dcpolicycenter.org/publications/regional-demographic-shifts/

Your argument is there are not enough black boys in DC?

Reading comprehension and critical thinking not your strong suit?

Nice try. Your made an idiot statement and can’t back it up with facts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sometimes geography (of the school and the area) plays into the racial makeup of the school too. Not everyone is interested in 1hr+ commutes to school. Take a look at the racial makeup of the area, and note the school locations. Some of your answers are found there. Not all, of course.

https://www.dcpolicycenter.org/publications/regional-demographic-shifts/

Your argument is there are not enough black boys in DC?

Reading comprehension and critical thinking not your strong suit?

https://www.dcpolicycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Race-50km-2017.png

Look at the map. Good grief. If you are AA, and live among the "green dots", what are the chances you want to drive the distance to, say, Landon--probably an hour or more every day?

I have a kid at bullis, which is arguably more diverse than most (and not part of this thread since it's co-ed). They have a bus that comes from the "green dot" area, and my kid tells me about what his friends go through to attend Bullis. Getting up by or before 5:00am, home after 8 or 9 sometimes. It's hard, and not everyone is willing to do it.

But there are plenty of black kids closer by and if schools cared they would recruit.

Plus Gonzaga is in the middle of the green area and 90% white.

Prep could find plenty of boys in Rockville.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Dcum is not real life. I wouldn’t let anything here impact your real world decisions.

The Instagram posts about racism in these schools are real though, and recent dcum discussions center on those posts. There are many lovely all-boys schools in the country. I’m not sure why the ones in dc seem particularly problematic on matters of race.

I'd guess it's because we just know more about the local schools. I went to an all boys HS for two years and can attest that without the presence of girls, boys unleash their inner lord of the flies. The racism is probably just how it expresses here, since our community is diverse. Are these lovely all boys schools you mention overwhelming white already?

Can't speak to the other schools mentioned in this thread, but St. Anselm's appears to have a real commitment to racial and economic diversity.

37% students of color at SAAS, actually pretty low for this area. So appears is probably the right word to use here.

Please note that I said that school has a commitment to racial and economic diversity. I'll evaluate my assumptions on the question of racial diversity, but just looking at my son's class, the percentage is higher than 37.

DP: Interestingly, for a school not many people talk about around here, it is one of only four all boys schools ranked in the top 10 in the nation that gets an A rating for diversity.

I like SAAS but I wouldn’t put it in the top 10 in the nation. I assume that is using the Jay Mathews AP weighted ranking

FWIW, I was searching Niche categories: top 10 boys schools in the nation and top 10 Catholic high schools in the nation nation (not top 10 overall).

[Anonymous]

Haters gonna hate, OP. You have to decide that it doesn't matter what other people say, it only matters what you think and feel is best for your kid. I couldn't give a rat's $ass about what anyone else thinks about the boys' or girls' schools that we have chosen for our children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Haters gonna hate, OP. You have to decide that it doesn't matter what other people say, it only matters what you think and feel is best for your kid. I couldn't give a rat's $ass about what anyone else thinks about the boys' or girls' schools that we have chosen for our children.

Another fine parent here.