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Anyone else trying to decide between WES, Norwood, and MOCO public?
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Anonymous
| Would love some insights as we struggle with this decision. Thanks. |
Anonymous
| Which public school? That makes a significant difference... |
Anonymous
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Agree with PP. Which public school it is matters. I guess I think that if you can do Norwood or WES, you should. Not a knock on public schools. I went to them myself. Just think that the level of attention privates offer is hard to beat. I know that at Norwood there is always an administrator outside to shake the students' hands when they arrive in the morning. Norwood's facilities are incredible, and they seem to have really strong arts, science, music. WES doesn't have Norwood's facilities, but I really liked their Head when I met him. Level, thoughtful, interesting. Must set a good tone for the school, and their program looked pretty expansive. My sense was that WES is a little more traditional than Norwood. Norwood's exmissions are stronger, but maybe you are thinking of investing early and switching to public later, in which case it wouldn't really matter.
So if it were me, I would choose Norwood over the others, but either Norwood or WES over public. |
Anonymous
| Thanks. OP Here. Let's say it is one of the better public elem. in Bethesda. |
Anonymous
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If you can swing tuition, then choose whichever private school is closest to you. Having said that, there are so many Potomac families who drive straight past Norwood to come to WES. The ones that I know well say that they chose WES over Norwood because it seemed more international, more diverse, and more traditional.
I think you have 3 great choices. Go with your gut. |
Anonymous
| I teach at a Big 3, husband is a lawyer -- we have 2 kids in Bethesda public schools despite that fact that we could "get by" sending them to my big 3 school(no tuition remission/discount at school). Ill say this, our public school has been great, granted I think the education at the Big 3 school is somewhat better Absolutely more attention/more pull if you want kid put in a higher level class/different sort of "love of education and each other" vibe at the big 3. If we were paying 60k + aftercare, sports camps, summer international trips(like all their friends go on) we'd prolly go crazy even though we were getting by a-ok. 60k+ a year is a HUGE amount and really any school you are going to in Bethesda is going to be really really really good. By not doing private youll be able to easily afford doing extra enrichment stuff for your kids, nice family trips, heck even a bigger house in the nicest area of town if you were willing to sink the 60k back into a mortgage. Id say go for the private school if you were in a public system that was not top notch, but Bethesda is great! Just be involved in the school, youll love it. |
Anonymous
| OP, the extra enrichment can wear you out. There is no way that I could supplement what Norwood does with music, PE, Spanish, and art. That school will bring out your child's talents. That said, if you just don't want to spend the money, go public, and forget it. Your kids might be better off in a home where no one stresses about money. |
Anonymous
I meant that taking your child around to the extra enrichment can be taxing on both you and your child. I like the fact that Norwood is one stop shopping. |
Anonymous
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I have a child in one of the private schools you mention, and the main things I like about it are:
- The classes are smaller--not radically smaller, but smaller. - I feel the teachers are well supported and hope--but cannot say definitively--that that translates into better teaching. - I like the fact that art/music/PE are an important part of instruction and integrated into the school day. It breaks up the day; it communicates the message that these activities are an integral part of education, not just add-ons; and it means that my child is in an environment where everyone does music, not just those who receive independent enrichment. Good luck with your decision. |
Anonymous
| I have a childhood friend who is a faculty member at Norwood. This faculty member loves the school but does say that Norwood competes with area public schools more than area privates. This is not a statement of judgement or value regarding Norwood, it is just an observation from a school insider. Apparently, the statistics at the school are such that the many of the people who chose not to attend Norwood did not turn it down in favor of another private school, but rather for public school. |
Anonymous
That is because the local privates are so good, and that any other private is a painful drive for Potomac families. |
Anonymous
I meant, the local publics[i] are so good. |
Anonymous
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Our son went to an MCPS public, then moved to Sidwell at middle school (he's now in high school); our daughter is now at the same MCPS public. Both kids have had a great experience -- educationally and socially -- in public school, and our family has benefitted greatly from being part of our school community. The teachers at my children's elementary school are excellent -- dedicated, kind and smart . The curriculum is strong in math, reading and writing, though the downside is that there is virtually no science or history. Nonetheless, our son was well-prepared to enter a challenging academic program as a middle schooler, and has excelled even in subjects he wasn't exposed to at all or very much in elementary school -- i.e., Spanish, science and history.
While private schools offer more classtime in the arts and physical education, our children had wonderful teachers in these subjects. In particular, the MCPS curriculum is very strong in visual arts (Also, supplementing in the arts and sports is not that taxing. In fact, most children in this area participate in sports or arts activities outside of school regardless of whether they attend a public or independent school.) In terms of social life, our children have enjoyed having friends in the neighborhood, and I've enjoyed not driving them to far-away playdates. Finally, even in more affluent neighborhoods, the public school culture is much less materialistic and ostentatious than private school culture tends to be. |
Anonymous
| Unless you have a reason to think your particular child would do better in private (e.g., very shy, reluctant to speak up in class, learns best with more one-on-one time), I would go with the public school. The advantages of the privates (more art, science, music, p.e.) are balanced by the advantages of the publics (neighborhood friends, plugged into the community, monetary savings). You can always look again at privates for sixth grade. |
Anonymous
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OP, we have one child at Norwood, but will probably put the other in public for financial reasons. The one who is in private benefits from the extra enrichment without a doubt. I will try to get the younger one all of the language classes and music lessons that we can do, but I suspect that there will be less success than we get at Norwood , because at Norwood, it is not an option, and the classes are nearly every day.
If my younger child protests the drive to language classes and we find that once a week does not cut it, I will regret not going to Norwood. If my younger child dislikes music because of one teacher who can't make it fun, I will regret not going to Norwood. However, if we make lots of fun neighborhood friends, maybe it will be worth using the public schools. |