If you DON'T live in DC, why did you ultimately decide to go private?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because a good private school is universally better than a good public school.

Not. MoCo magnets are better than any DC private school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are going with private school to limit his options (no snark). If he grows up having the same college and career expectations as one of the Marriott's kids, I think he'll expect more out of himself. My problem growing up was that I was exposed to both aspects of the spectrum... kids who weren't thinking about college and the Redskins owner's daughter. I wish I hadn't known about the lower end during that fragile "don't know who I am" time.

I know of kids from all of the Big 10 who have completely flopped in life, and almost all of them hung out with kids outside of their school. Is most likely not the case for everybody else.. but it was for me.

Hoping my son won't go through the same.

OK, I'm totally confused. You say the kids who flopped hung out with kids OUTSIDE of their school. So how does sending your kids to a private school immunize them from the neighborhood druggies, or druggies from some other school they meet at a party?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because a good private school is universally better than a good public school.

Not. MoCo magnets are better than any DC private school.

Only if you have a very limited view of what constitutes a good education. But hey, glad you're happy. And glad my DC has an alternative.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because a good private school is universally better than a good public school.

Not. MoCo magnets are better than any DC private school.

Only if you have a very limited view of what constitutes a good education. But hey, glad you're happy. And glad my DC has an alternative.

My kids have done private school, and they have done magnets. The magnets beat the private schools hands down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because a good private school is universally better than a good public school.

Not. MoCo magnets are better than any DC private school.

Only if you have a very limited view of what constitutes a good education. But hey, glad you're happy. And glad my DC has an alternative.

My kids have done private school, and they have done magnets. The magnets beat the private schools hands down.

Then why didn't you send them both to the magnet?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because a good private school is universally better than a good public school.

Not. MoCo magnets are better than any DC private school.

Only if you have a very limited view of what constitutes a good education. But hey, glad you're happy. And glad my DC has an alternative.

Because you have direct experience with magnets? No, I didn't think so.

[Anonymous]

Whereas you have direct experience with every DC private school. Right.

[Anonymous]

19:47/21:30, you're a total ass. An uninformed ass. Basically, an ass.

[Anonymous]

Yes, because only an ass would challenge a categorical claim like "MoCo magnets are better than any DC private school."

I've taught the products of both. The MoCo magnet kids are not better educated. It varies. It depends on the kid. It depends on the private. Depends on the subject/field.

MoCo magnets have a particular approach to education; DC privates have a variety of approaches and a variety of strengths and weaknesses. And someone who doesn't recognize this has a very limited view of education. Which is fine -- to each her own. But it's not someone whose POV is is very credible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, because only an ass would challenge a categorical claim like "MoCo magnets are better than any DC private school."

I've taught the products of both. The MoCo magnet kids are not better educated. It varies. It depends on the kid. It depends on the private. Depends on the subject/field.

MoCo magnets have a particular approach to education; DC privates have a variety of approaches and a variety of strengths and weaknesses. And someone who doesn't recognize this has a very limited view of education. Which is fine -- to each her own. But it's not someone whose POV is is very credible.

But wait - you're not going to challenge the idiot (probably a middle schooler) who started it, by saying that any private beats any public?

[Anonymous]

Because it's my responsibility to rebut every stupid statement I read on the internet (or even DCUM)? No thanks.

The first was an obviously ideological statement (hedged, you might note, by "good") and seemed likely to be read as such. The MoCo magnets vs. DC privates was a more concrete/empirical claim. Seemed worth pointing out it was specious. YMMV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, because only an ass would challenge a categorical claim like "MoCo magnets are better than any DC private school."

I've taught the products of both. The MoCo magnet kids are not better educated. It varies. It depends on the kid. It depends on the private. Depends on the subject/field.

MoCo magnets have a particular approach to education; DC privates have a variety of approaches and a variety of strengths and weaknesses. And someone who doesn't recognize this has a very limited view of education. Which is fine -- to each her own. But it's not someone whose POV is is very credible.

But wait - you're not going to challenge the idiot (probably a middle schooler) who started it, by saying that any private beats any public?

It was not a middle schooler, it was me. I am a 40-something married mother and an attorney and I do not understand why anyone who could afford private, or could qualify for financial aid, would choose public over private. Yes, I have experience with both. I would do anything I could to ensure my children were educated in private schools and would never consider putting them in a public, magnet or not. Many previous posters have explained the whys and wherefors. Bottom line, I do not want my kids to be educated in any public school system when they have the option to be educated by a good private school. I see absolutely nothing positive about a public school education and many, many negatives.

[Anonymous]

No way is 9:13 an adult. Or an attorney, unless she's posting from work.

[Anonymous]

For us, it came down to the demeanor and needs of each child. We live in MoCo (Bethesda). My DD went public from K-8 and private for high school. We selected private for her because she is a social animal and needed the structure and peer motivation that the private school provided.

My son was the opposite. He went to private schools from K-2 and public from 3-present. My son is an IEP student with diagnosed learning differences and the private schools did not have the special resources to accomodate him. He is in regular classrooms but he gets part of his OT through the school and he gets extra accomdations in the classroom. He is thriving. But he is more of a self regualting kid anyways. Mildly social but a stickler for any classroom rules.

Bottom line - given that we lived in an area with decent schools, we based our decision on the specific needs of the child.

[Anonymous]

Just curious, PP please explain why the previous poster is not an attorney.