private or Whitman schools

[Anonymous]

We live in the Whitman district. I know that it is a great school district but I just cannot decide whether to go public or private for my dc. She is still very young and we have some time ahead of us. I would be very happy to know if there are people who send their kids to private schools and how they made that decision. Also were you all private or switch between public and private? Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I'm in the Whitman district too, and I would also love to hear thoughts on this.

[Anonymous]

We are in the whitman district and chose private for both kids. Initially it had to do with lack of pre-k and full day kindergarten. I am a WOHM and couldn't do the coop pre schools and kindergarten complement and all the other things required to put together a school day. Both kids are close to the birthday cut-off so on the older side and needed to move into a school structure. We were also concerned about large class sizes at Wood Acres (at the time I think it was 25+ kids with one teacher, which is double what our private school had. When we visited it just had a very different feel and we didnt think it would be the best fit for child 1. Once we were in the private school (a K-8 school) we liked it so much we didn't want to leave. That being said, the younger one may go to Whitman for high school (currently in middle school). The older one goes to a private high school.

[Anonymous]

It comes down to a personal choice about size. I live in the District and kept telling my DH "We need to move into the Whitman district, we need to move into the Whitman district." Finally, he turned around and actually asked me if I wanted that big of a school for our kids. The answer is no. So, that is that......

[Anonymous]

I am one of four children who grew up in the Whitman district. This was close to 20 years ago, but I don't think its really changed that much. My older sister and I both went to Whitman. She was the typical oldest child/overachiever. She loved Whitman, and did very well, and got an excellent education. She was also mature enough/motivated enough to handle the relative lack of supervision.

I was less mature, but very smart. I loved Whitman, and despite myself, I still think I got a great education there. My parents might beg to differ. I know my mother was horrified when I went an entire semester and didn't turn in a single math homework assignment, and she NEVER knew a thing about it until I came home with the D on my report card. That really just floored my mom, and it was one example (of many) where I'd say the oversight in public schools (including Whitman) is lacking. Skipping class was easy, etc. I really think the place functions more like a college than a high school. Its great, in that when I went to college (even a good college despite my hiccups), I was pleasantly surprised that I was not in over my head. But I think Whitman also assumes that most of its students are mature and highly motivated (which most are). If you can handle that level of independence/non-supervision, its a great school.

Interestingly, my mother sent both of my younger siblings to private school. In the case of my brother, he had pretty severe learning disabilities, and was clearly not managing in his public elementary school. My sister also has some more minor LD, but my mom felt that she would benefit from a much smaller class size, and more supervision. I wonder how much of that decision was based on her frustration with the lack of communication from school officials at Whitman about my own struggles.

So, at the end of the day, here's my advice. You are in one of the top school systems in the country. Take advantage of it. There are no more/less drugs/violence/alcohol/sex at Whitman than there is at any of the other top private schools. The education is just as good. What isn't as good is the supervision. I think this can be great for mature kids, as they get to start handling their own schedule, make their own decisions. But its not good for a kid who doesn't have the maturity/self-confidence or self discipline to navigate the waters.

[Anonymous]

FWIW, here's what Jay Mathews has to say on the subject:

http://themorechild.com/2009/03/10/jay-mathews-live/#comment-1357

"As for my family’s school choices, my wife and I are both public school products and would prefer public schools, but we have made different choices with each kid, depending on where we were. While in Pasadena Calif., where the public schools, particularly the high schools, were bad, we went private. In Scarsdale, NY, where the opposite was the case, we went public. In Bethesda, with one kid left, I voted for the public school, Whitman, but my wife and daughter liked Sidwell, so I lost. I am quite convinced that she would have gotten just as much at Whitman as at Sidwell, and I regularly goaded the Sidwell people about their laid-back attitude toward AP, and their refusal to release their AP data. They liked Katie, who got a lot out of the school because of its athletic program, a surprise to me, but they were happy to see me go."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am one of four children who grew up in the Whitman district. This was close to 20 years ago, but I don't think its really changed that much. My older sister and I both went to Whitman. She was the typical oldest child/overachiever. She loved Whitman, and did very well, and got an excellent education. She was also mature enough/motivated enough to handle the relative lack of supervision.

I was less mature, but very smart. I loved Whitman, and despite myself, I still think I got a great education there. My parents might beg to differ. I know my mother was horrified when I went an entire semester and didn't turn in a single math homework assignment, and she NEVER knew a thing about it until I came home with the D on my report card. That really just floored my mom, and it was one example (of many) where I'd say the oversight in public schools (including Whitman) is lacking. Skipping class was easy, etc. I really think the place functions more like a college than a high school. Its great, in that when I went to college (even a good college despite my hiccups), I was pleasantly surprised that I was not in over my head. But I think Whitman also assumes that most of its students are mature and highly motivated (which most are). If you can handle that level of independence/non-supervision, its a great school.

Interestingly, my mother sent both of my younger siblings to private school. In the case of my brother, he had pretty severe learning disabilities, and was clearly not managing in his public elementary school. My sister also has some more minor LD, but my mom felt that she would benefit from a much smaller class size, and more supervision. I wonder how much of that decision was based on her frustration with the lack of communication from school officials at Whitman about my own struggles.

So, at the end of the day, here's my advice. You are in one of the top school systems in the country. Take advantage of it. There are no more/less drugs/violence/alcohol/sex at Whitman than there is at any of the other top private schools. The education is just as good. What isn't as good is the supervision. I think this can be great for mature kids, as they get to start handling their own schedule, make their own decisions. But its not good for a kid who doesn't have the maturity/self-confidence or self discipline to navigate the waters.

I am a Whitman grad, 25 years past. I agree with this poster totally.

[Anonymous]

We are Whitman and have gone with Catholic school for elementary/middle purely because of school size. Our kids are shy and we thought they'd be lost in an elementary school of nearly 700 kids. Finances may have us send them to Whitman for HS but I'm not thrilled. 1,800+ kids is just huge to me. But then again, the reputation is top notch.

[Anonymous]

If college placement is something one is assessing, would you recommend private or Whitman, for an above-average (not superstar) student.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If college placement is something one is assessing, would you recommend private or Whitman, for an above-average (not superstar) student.

Private schools generally will provide more individualized college placement services, and also will tend to offer more opportunities for an above average non-superstar student to develop leadership skills, play on sports teams, etc.

[Anonymous]

It's a tough call. Some privates in the area have good, but not great, college placement. Other privates have much better college placement, but these privates are much harder for a nice, above-average-but-not-superstar kid to get into in the first place. The entrance odds for the most competitive privates can be as high as 12-1. Plus, once your kid is in a really competitive private, they will be competing against basically the entire class of above-average or superstar kids, with influential parents who are Ivy legacies to boot, for those 2-3 slots at Yale.

On the other hand, if you read "The Overachievers" about Whitman HS in Bethesda, there seem to be a lot of competitive kids there too. Although it was hard to tell if 20 kids were overachievers, or 50, or 90. The book only followed about 5-6 kids, and these kids were captains of the soccer team or debating team stars or whatever, and there can only be so many team captains at a given school.

[Anonymous]

OP, IMHO, the only privates worth leaving Whitman for are Holton, NCS, and Sidwell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, IMHO, the only privates worth leaving Whitman for are Holton, NCS, and Sidwell.

Op here. Thanks for all the comments. I have a pretty independent mature social and smart kid (first kid--so overachiever thing is there), so I know that she will be fine wherever she goes. I just want to make sure that I am giving the best decision for her.

What about GDS, Maret or Norwood, are they not good?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am one of four children who grew up in the Whitman district. This was close to 20 years ago, but I don't think its really changed that much. My older sister and I both went to Whitman. She was the typical oldest child/overachiever. She loved Whitman, and did very well, and got an excellent education. She was also mature enough/motivated enough to handle the relative lack of supervision.

I was less mature, but very smart. I loved Whitman, and despite myself, I still think I got a great education there. My parents might beg to differ. I know my mother was horrified when I went an entire semester and didn't turn in a single math homework assignment, and she NEVER knew a thing about it until I came home with the D on my report card. That really just floored my mom, and it was one example (of many) where I'd say the oversight in public schools (including Whitman) is lacking. Skipping class was easy, etc. I really think the place functions more like a college than a high school. Its great, in that when I went to college (even a good college despite my hiccups), I was pleasantly surprised that I was not in over my head. But I think Whitman also assumes that most of its students are mature and highly motivated (which most are). If you can handle that level of independence/non-supervision, its a great school.

Interestingly, my mother sent both of my younger siblings to private school. In the case of my brother, he had pretty severe learning disabilities, and was clearly not managing in his public elementary school. My sister also has some more minor LD, but my mom felt that she would benefit from a much smaller class size, and more supervision. I wonder how much of that decision was based on her frustration with the lack of communication from school officials at Whitman about my own struggles.

So, at the end of the day, here's my advice. You are in one of the top school systems in the country. Take advantage of it. There are no more/less drugs/violence/alcohol/sex at Whitman than there is at any of the other top private schools. The education is just as good. What isn't as good is the supervision. I think this can be great for mature kids, as they get to start handling their own schedule, make their own decisions. But its not good for a kid who doesn't have the maturity/self-confidence or self discipline to navigate the waters.

What a helpful post! We're in the BCC district and I wonder if these observations hold true for BCC as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am one of four children who grew up in the Whitman district. This was close to 20 years ago, but I don't think its really changed that much. My older sister and I both went to Whitman. She was the typical oldest child/overachiever. She loved Whitman, and did very well, and got an excellent education. She was also mature enough/motivated enough to handle the relative lack of supervision.

I was less mature, but very smart. I loved Whitman, and despite myself, I still think I got a great education there. My parents might beg to differ. I know my mother was horrified when I went an entire semester and didn't turn in a single math homework assignment, and she NEVER knew a thing about it until I came home with the D on my report card. That really just floored my mom, and it was one example (of many) where I'd say the oversight in public schools (including Whitman) is lacking. Skipping class was easy, etc. I really think the place functions more like a college than a high school. Its great, in that when I went to college (even a good college despite my hiccups), I was pleasantly surprised that I was not in over my head. But I think Whitman also assumes that most of its students are mature and highly motivated (which most are). If you can handle that level of independence/non-supervision, its a great school.

Interestingly, my mother sent both of my younger siblings to private school. In the case of my brother, he had pretty severe learning disabilities, and was clearly not managing in his public elementary school. My sister also has some more minor LD, but my mom felt that she would benefit from a much smaller class size, and more supervision. I wonder how much of that decision was based on her frustration with the lack of communication from school officials at Whitman about my own struggles.

So, at the end of the day, here's my advice. You are in one of the top school systems in the country. Take advantage of it. There are no more/less drugs/violence/alcohol/sex at Whitman than there is at any of the other top private schools. The education is just as good. What isn't as good is the supervision. I think this can be great for mature kids, as they get to start handling their own schedule, make their own decisions. But its not good for a kid who doesn't have the maturity/self-confidence or self discipline to navigate the waters.

What a helpful post! We're in the BCC district and I wonder if these observations hold true for BCC as well.

I went to Whitman, my only concern about BCC is that there are somewhat more unmotivated students there, than Whitman. My nephew goes to BCC, and I am very much involved with the school. Whitman had very few of these students. The pressure to succeed at Whitman is intense.