Why does every thread about Hill schools get so grumpy?

[Anonymous]

Seems like every thread about Hill schools devolves really quickly into fighting over stupid stuff -- who is a booster, who is racist, etc. why is this? Can we avoid it? Is it just the Hill school threads, or is it the whole site?

[Anonymous]

It is the whole site.

[Anonymous]

Because most people on the Hill are grumpy, though they pretend not to be. The stress of always worrying whether your car will be broken into, or whether your packages will be stolen, or whether there will be a home invasion gets to people over time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is the whole site.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because most people on the Hill are grumpy, though they pretend not to be. The stress of always worrying whether your car will be broken into, or whether your packages will be stolen, or whether there will be a home invasion gets to people over time.

\

Oh, please, get over yourself. I've lived on the Hill for almost 30 years and have never had my car broken into, have had 1 package stolen and it was recovered around the block, and have never been the victim of any sort of purse snatching or home invasion. I did have my car broken into in Kalorama and my tire stolen off my car in Wesley Heights. I see a lot of Hill school threads broken down by people who obviously don't live on the Hill now, if they ever did.

Most of us on the Hill are happy with the choices that we've made, accept that there are risks inherent in every life style (how many people are killed in car accidents on highways each year?), and are excited about the improvement of our schools and the expansion of our opportunities. Have a lovely evening.

[Anonymous]

Because on the hill there are the "haves" and the "have-nots". People want to stay here. They want to send their kids to their neghborhood schools and half of those schools are great and the other half struggle with some very serious issues. There's gray area - for two hot seconds - and then those gray schools become the haves and the schools become impossible to get into.

The situation makes people lose their minds and their humanity because there is no easily affordable private option and there is no charter option. Eventually, the hill will have some of the strongest schools in the entire metro area if not the east coast, but right now it's tough - it's tough for those that want to stay but don't feel they can and its tough for those that feel they're being usurped and pushed out. And those that are in schools they like get lambasted becaude of jealousy or the parents coming into those schools have ridiculous expectations because they payed a mint for thier homes or the school are supposed to have amazing reps.

PStents of elementary kids in this city are diseased. Lottery sickness

[Anonymous]

I think there are many different factors. But my current theory is that on the Hill we are faced to confront income inequality in a way the rest of the nation doesn't have to, because we have to share this vital public resource with everyone (neighborhood schools).

[Anonymous]

It's gentrification - that's happenin everywhere. I think it's more complicated. It's gentirifcation among one of the most liberal, educated, ambitious, not-profit-working populations in the country. How do you say what you think without the PC police freaking the f--- out? How do you balance you Child's needs against your politics? When you have nothing but compassion for the kids in DC General but don't neccessarily want to send your 5 year old into a classroom wih kids from said shelter - a "grass roots movement" for Mandarin immersion takes on a lot of underlying BS

[Anonymous]

Really- I highly doubt your claim about best schools in east coast, ever in fact. Not the public schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because on the hill there are the "haves" and the "have-nots". People want to stay here. They want to send their kids to their neghborhood schools and half of those schools are great and the other half struggle with some very serious issues. There's gray area - for two hot seconds - and then those gray schools become the haves and the schools become impossible to get into.

The situation makes people lose their minds and their humanity because there is no easily affordable private option and there is no charter option. Eventually, the hill will have some of the strongest schools in the entire metro area if not the east coast, but right now it's tough - it's tough for those that want to stay but don't feel they can and its tough for those that feel they're being usurped and pushed out. And those that are in schools they like get lambasted becaude of jealousy or the parents coming into those schools have ridiculous expectations because they payed a mint for thier homes or the school are supposed to have amazing reps.

PStents of elementary kids in this city are diseased. Lottery sickness

LOL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Really- I highly doubt your claim about best schools in east coast, ever in fact. Not the public schools.

Nor the non-public ones on the Hill.

[Anonymous]

Initiative 71 seems to played a role here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's gentrification - that's happenin everywhere. I think it's more complicated. It's gentirifcation among one of the most liberal, educated, ambitious, not-profit-working populations in the country. How do you say what you think without the PC police freaking the f--- out? How do you balance you Child's needs against your politics? When you have nothing but compassion for the kids in DC General but don't neccessarily want to send your 5 year old into a classroom wih kids from said shelter - a "grass roots movement" for Mandarin immersion takes on a lot of underlying BS

Observing this dynamic is one of my favorite parts of reading DCUM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's gentrification - that's happenin everywhere. I think it's more complicated. It's gentirifcation among one of the most liberal, educated, ambitious, not-profit-working populations in the country. How do you say what you think without the PC police freaking the f--- out? How do you balance you Child's needs against your politics? When you have nothing but compassion for the kids in DC General but don't neccessarily want to send your 5 year old into a classroom wih kids from said shelter - a "grass roots movement" for Mandarin immersion takes on a lot of underlying BS

Observing this dynamic is one of my favorite parts of reading DCUM.

+1

Added to this ^^, I have observed as a really long-time dcum partcipant that Hill parents -- alone -- combine this cognitive dissonance with the sincere belief that if they just use their mad operative skills will get them what they want out of dcps -- laws, customs, equity and the other 7 Wards be damned.

It would be funny if it wasn't so insufferable and classist. Being special counsel to the committee on ABC doesn't always translate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think there are many different factors. But my current theory is that on the Hill we are faced to confront income inequality in a way the rest of the nation doesn't have to, because we have to share this vital public resource with everyone (neighborhood schools).

Wait- you think that people on the hill are the only folks that have to share public schools? I think that used to be the case, but now folks actually live in SW (hello VNPG) and other areas of the city. The hill does not have a monopoly on gentrification or confronting diversity. However, I do agree that you all THINK that you do.