Is HB Woodlawn right for my son?

[Anonymous]

Please help me decide if HB Woodlawn would be a good fit for my son!

We are Arlington residents currently living overseas. We were planning to return to Arlington, so I entered my son in the Woodlawn lottery and he got in. However, we may have the option to stay overseas for an additional 1-2 years. The pros and cons to staying here are pretty evenly split. I'm currently weighing if HB Woodlawn would be a good fit for my son, and if so, how strong a factor. (If we stay overseas and later return to Arlington, then I assume he would go to our neighborhood schools, Swanson then Yorktown)

DS is a complex kid. He is really bright--scoring in the 95th percentile or above on math and reading aptitude tests. He reads constantly (especially when we force him to be done with screen time) and his vocabulary is ridiculously large. He can be very witty, and when he puts effort into it, he is a really talented writer.

On the other hand, he's not a terrific student. If he likes an assignment, he'll do an outstanding job. But if he doesn't like it--like math worksheets-he'll generally do an OK, but not great, job. We've been lucky to be able to place him with teachers who get him and will nudge him to work up to his potential. He's also pretty disorganized--forgetting homework, his clarinet, gym uniform, etc. So much about HBW is about being a self-motivated, disciplined student. Are those skills that HBW helps students build in the early years, or is it assumed that they come in having them already?

I think he would love the small school environment and the ability to have input into school rules. He is not athletic, so the lack of sports teams at HBW would be more of a relief than a downside for him.

Does having more freedom/flexibility at school, mean more freedom to design projects, assignments, etc to meet requirements? I think he might be more engaged if he could decide within very broad limits how to demonstrate mastery of a topic. (I can imagine him, for example, building a Lego scene of a famous battle or recruiting friends/family to act in a first-person-shooter style video about it, rather than necessarily writing an essay about it.)

Thanks for any thoughts about whether or not he'd be a good fit for HBW and any other info about the school!

[Anonymous]

My spouse, a long-time teacher at HB, would say that any kid can do well at HB. Although there is a lot of freedom/flexibility at HB, it's size and structure/philosophy means that it's difficult for kids to fly under the radar. Kids get a lot of personal attention.

As to whether the freedom/flexibility means more interesting and creative assignments, etc., that depends very much on the teacher and the subject.

There is absolutely no expectation that kids will come in with good self-discipline, good organization skills, etc. Some kids do, some kids don't, just like at any school.

One thing that really shines at HB is the arts. There is a long tradition of kids writing, casting, and directing their own plays, for example.

To me, it sounds like your son would fit right in. You are lucky--there is no preference given to children of faculty, and our children did not get in. They ended up at W-L for high school, and we were very pleased with their experiences there. But I do think the HB experience is unique.

[Anonymous]

Ugh. I wish they'd give priority to students that have been in APS since K.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ugh. I wish they'd give priority to students that have been in APS since K.

That and I wish they'd give priority to children who haven't already won a lottery seat in elementary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ugh. I wish they'd give priority to students that have been in APS since K.

Not OP, but how ridiculous and churlish. I'm guessing they are government employees who have been paying their taxes all these years and getting not much in return. Maybe those people should go to the top of the list.

[Anonymous]

OP here--Yes, indeed, I am a government employee currently serving overseas and we have been paying taxes for years.

20:10, thanks for the support. I don't know that we deserve to be at the top of the list, but I do appreciate that we have the same shot as everyone else.

Another reason I think HBW could be a good fit is because when we have lived in Arlington, everyone in our family has found it challenging to make friends. It seems like many folks have been in Arlington for years, got to know each other when kids were little and in playgroups together, etc. Breaking in to the community with older kids is hard. (And because my spouse and I both work full-time, we have less time to be involved in school/community events etc that would lend themselves to getting to know others.) By going to HBW, my son wouldn't have to break in to established cliques, he'd be meeting a bunch of new faces just like everyone else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ugh. I wish they'd give priority to students that have been in APS since K.

I disagree with that. However, under the current overcrowding conditions, I do think there should be a policy that if you win a lottery in ES, you're not eligible to win one for MS/ES. It's not like ATS students belong at H-B, anyway -- talk about 180 degree turn in educational philosophy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ugh. I wish they'd give priority to students that have been in APS since K.

I disagree with that. However, under the current overcrowding conditions, I do think there should be a policy that if you win a lottery in ES, you're not eligible to win one for MS/ES. It's not like ATS students belong at H-B, anyway -- talk about 180 degree turn in educational philosophy.

+1000

[Anonymous]

OP. how comfortable are you with letting your kid fall? Not "fail," because no MS/HS experience is going to doom your kid. But if he gets Cs because he doesn't work hard or turn things in, simply because he doesn't feel like it, are you willing to let him learn from that, or are you doing to think he needs more support? Do you currently help him with his homework, or do you tell him that's his job?

My kids aren't at HB (one wasn't interested, one didn't win the lottery), but their friends have said that the school is not that different from any other in 6th grade, then becomes very much about giving kids responsibility for what happens with their school experience. For some kids, that's been great. For others, it might have been great, but their parents couldn't bring themselves to shut up and let the scenario play out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here--Yes, indeed, I am a government employee currently serving overseas and we have been paying taxes for years.

20:10, thanks for the support. I don't know that we deserve to be at the top of the list, but I do appreciate that we have the same shot as everyone else.

Another reason I think HBW could be a good fit is because when we have lived in Arlington, everyone in our family has found it challenging to make friends. It seems like many folks have been in Arlington for years, got to know each other when kids were little and in playgroups together, etc. Breaking in to the community with older kids is hard. (And because my spouse and I both work full-time, we have less time to be involved in school/community events etc that would lend themselves to getting to know others.) By going to HBW, my son wouldn't have to break in to established cliques, he'd be meeting a bunch of new faces just like everyone else.

I was in your shoes a few years ago and had the same concerns, we went private. My kid needed more structure and he got it and a little bit of hand holding. Now, with the more nurturing environment and a little maturity, he's performing near the top of his class. This whole year so far, I have not had to remind him to do any of his work, he got straight A's last semester taking all honors classes. In the pass his grade would suffer because he forgot to turned them in. He now goes off to the study for peace and quite to so he can study - we all stand in amazement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here--Yes, indeed, I am a government employee currently serving overseas and we have been paying taxes for years.

20:10, thanks for the support. I don't know that we deserve to be at the top of the list, but I do appreciate that we have the same shot as everyone else.

Another reason I think HBW could be a good fit is because when we have lived in Arlington, everyone in our family has found it challenging to make friends. It seems like many folks have been in Arlington for years, got to know each other when kids were little and in playgroups together, etc. Breaking in to the community with older kids is hard. (And because my spouse and I both work full-time, we have less time to be involved in school/community events etc that would lend themselves to getting to know others.) By going to HBW, my son wouldn't have to break in to established cliques, he'd be meeting a bunch of new faces just like everyone else.

I was in your shoes a few years ago and had the same concerns, we went private. My kid needed more structure and he got it and a little bit of hand holding. Now, with the more nurturing environment and a little maturity, he's performing near the top of his class. This whole year so far, I have not had to remind him to do any of his work, he got straight A's last semester taking all honors classes. In the pass his grade would suffer because he forgot to turned them in. He now goes off to the study for peace and quite to so he can study - we all stand in amazement.

This is very good to hear. We are in a similar situation. Child got into HB and some privates. Decided on the private, even though it's hard to give up the HB free education that is, by all accounts, a great one. Writing that check out to the private is painful. I hope we have a similar experience to yours - it will make it worthwhile.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here--Yes, indeed, I am a government employee currently serving overseas and we have been paying taxes for years.

20:10, thanks for the support. I don't know that we deserve to be at the top of the list, but I do appreciate that we have the same shot as everyone else.

Another reason I think HBW could be a good fit is because when we have lived in Arlington, everyone in our family has found it challenging to make friends. It seems like many folks have been in Arlington for years, got to know each other when kids were little and in playgroups together, etc. Breaking in to the community with older kids is hard. (And because my spouse and I both work full-time, we have less time to be involved in school/community events etc that would lend themselves to getting to know others.) By going to HBW, my son wouldn't have to break in to established cliques, he'd be meeting a bunch of new faces just like everyone else.

I was in your shoes a few years ago and had the same concerns, we went private. My kid needed more structure and he got it and a little bit of hand holding. Now, with the more nurturing environment and a little maturity, he's performing near the top of his class. This whole year so far, I have not had to remind him to do any of his work, he got straight A's last semester taking all honors classes. In the pass his grade would suffer because he forgot to turned them in. He now goes off to the study for peace and quite to so he can study - we all stand in amazement.

We're in APS and saw this happen with both our boys over time. My DC1, a high school senior, is a straight A student taking mostly AP/IB classes and has been independently (and apparently quite easily) managing his work for several years with no input or assistance from us at all. But in 6th and 7th grades, he was a train wreck--willfully ignoring some assignments, forgetting to turn in others, missing deadlines, etc.

The key to your post is "a little maturity," not "went private."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here--Yes, indeed, I am a government employee currently serving overseas and we have been paying taxes for years.

20:10, thanks for the support. I don't know that we deserve to be at the top of the list, but I do appreciate that we have the same shot as everyone else.

Another reason I think HBW could be a good fit is because when we have lived in Arlington, everyone in our family has found it challenging to make friends. It seems like many folks have been in Arlington for years, got to know each other when kids were little and in playgroups together, etc. Breaking in to the community with older kids is hard. (And because my spouse and I both work full-time, we have less time to be involved in school/community events etc that would lend themselves to getting to know others.) By going to HBW, my son wouldn't have to break in to established cliques, he'd be meeting a bunch of new faces just like everyone else.

I was in your shoes a few years ago and had the same concerns, we went private. My kid needed more structure and he got it and a little bit of hand holding. Now, with the more nurturing environment and a little maturity, he's performing near the top of his class. This whole year so far, I have not had to remind him to do any of his work, he got straight A's last semester taking all honors classes. In the pass his grade would suffer because he forgot to turned them in. He now goes off to the study for peace and quite to so he can study - we all stand in amazement.

This is very good to hear. We are in a similar situation. Child got into HB and some privates. Decided on the private, even though it's hard to give up the HB free education that is, by all accounts, a great one. Writing that check out to the private is painful. I hope we have a similar experience to yours - it will make it worthwhile.

Paying for private school when HB is available for free is insane.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP. how comfortable are you with letting your kid fall? Not "fail," because no MS/HS experience is going to doom your kid. But if he gets Cs because he doesn't work hard or turn things in, simply because he doesn't feel like it, are you willing to let him learn from that, or are you doing to think he needs more support? Do you currently help him with his homework, or do you tell him that's his job?

My kids aren't at HB (one wasn't interested, one didn't win the lottery), but their friends have said that the school is not that different from any other in 6th grade, then becomes very much about giving kids responsibility for what happens with their school experience. For some kids, that's been great. For others, it might have been great, but their parents couldn't bring themselves to shut up and let the scenario play out.

This is true as far as it goes. The reality is that if parents want to continue to hover over their children at HB, and not let the scenario play out, as you put it, they can do so. Nothing at HB prevents parental involvement. In fact, HB parents tend to be very involved, to know teachers, administrators, and other kids quite well. It's much more of a community than at any other APS middle or high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here--Yes, indeed, I am a government employee currently serving overseas and we have been paying taxes for years.

20:10, thanks for the support. I don't know that we deserve to be at the top of the list, but I do appreciate that we have the same shot as everyone else.

Another reason I think HBW could be a good fit is because when we have lived in Arlington, everyone in our family has found it challenging to make friends. It seems like many folks have been in Arlington for years, got to know each other when kids were little and in playgroups together, etc. Breaking in to the community with older kids is hard. (And because my spouse and I both work full-time, we have less time to be involved in school/community events etc that would lend themselves to getting to know others.) By going to HBW, my son wouldn't have to break in to established cliques, he'd be meeting a bunch of new faces just like everyone else.

I was in your shoes a few years ago and had the same concerns, we went private. My kid needed more structure and he got it and a little bit of hand holding. Now, with the more nurturing environment and a little maturity, he's performing near the top of his class. This whole year so far, I have not had to remind him to do any of his work, he got straight A's last semester taking all honors classes. In the pass his grade would suffer because he forgot to turned them in. He now goes off to the study for peace and quite to so he can study - we all stand in amazement.

We're in APS and saw this happen with both our boys over time. My DC1, a high school senior, is a straight A student taking mostly AP/IB classes and has been independently (and apparently quite easily) managing his work for several years with no input or assistance from us at all. But in 6th and 7th grades, he was a train wreck--willfully ignoring some assignments, forgetting to turn in others, missing deadlines, etc.

The key to your post is "a little maturity," not "went private."

I'm the pp you quoted. It's hard to tell that is just maturity that has caused the turnaround. My kid needed to have a more motivated peer group so he wouldn't fall in with the slackers when he was in public. The smaller size of the private and amongst other things he's found a more motivated peer group, there are not many slackers. He had space to develop a better concept of where he wants his future go. He could've gotten lost at a bigger school. I think the person he is now would do well in public, in fact, he agrees too. But a couple years ago,we didn't want to risk it. All of his middle years was a mountain of stress for us, and you read here all the time about parents of bright HS kids not leaving up to their potential for one reason or another. We were working with a lot of unknown and made the best decision for our situation.