Help deciding between Maret and WIS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look, the WIS union doesn't allow bad teachers to get fired.
C'mon, a good private school needs to be able to get rid
Of teachers if the parents complain about the same
teachers year after year.
WIS can't get rid of the bad apples due to the Union.
So no, it's not fair to students. & at the $$$
Of WIS, or any private, that shouldn't be the case

Can you substantiate this claim? What's the nature of your affiliation with WIS? Given the excellent academic level of that school, I can't see them having a "bad teacher" problem. Everyone I've spoken to before deciding to apply raves about the teachers.

Former wis parent here: its true they can't get rid of some awful teachers at wis. But send DC in lower school until 3 or 4 and then apply out. Your child will have the best of it by then

No pan in this fire, but as someone experienced with collective bargaining, the PP statements don't ring true and they reflect little understanding of how CB works. Any collective bargaining agreement would have to include a professional discipline outline and a termination clause. And, there is not a school in Washington that does not operate on a year by year one year contract for everyone with exception of maybe the HOS.

The difference between union and non-union is one is " at will" employment and with collective bargaining you have to follow the "verbal warning" , written warning" sequence. Now, if a parent lobbied to have a teacher fired , I could see many a principal saying "well that's not the way it works here, we have procedures we must follow and we have a CB agreement", but that may have been Amin just trying to find a way to no "no" to a pushy parent.

Honestly, there are some overbearing folks in this town. Ever been cut off in traffic ? Now imagine the issue is their dear snow flake. Its a wonder these schools have ANY teachers and I hope they are well paid !

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How much does Maret raise at their annual auction?

What a very odd comment on this thread. Why? Need it to be rich enough for your taste?

OK, I have lived in DC for 20 or so years so I'll bite on this one.

OP, Maret used to be the "reject school" among DC Privates back in 1970's 1980's . Think Field.

And they embraced their role of being a " supportive school" for kids who either could not get into STA, Sidwell or GDS , got kicked out, or knuckled under . An "alternative school" for rich kids if you will ( there was little to no FA in the 60's /70's) Embracing theirr role meant hiring engaging , supportive , think outside box kid of teachers ( nothing wrong with that )

Then, a King& Queen decided that their children would do better there than at X school , partially because said Queen had attended X school. And a few Kennedy family members followed. Then in typical DC fashion, a new "IT" school was perceived and, as it got more and more , applicants it became harder to get into , harder to get into + more perceived exclusivity.

Basically, its still a good school filled with lots of very dedicated, creative think outside the box teachers , but the rest is, well , the rest.

PP above: I believe that the purpose of the Auction is to raise funds for FA. Maret has a big comittment to provide an opportunity for talented and low/ middle class income DCPS kids. That is great, but they lack the kind of endowment to do so, so they fund raise, They also sold some of their land off. So... you heard the one about glass houses, right.

What land did they sell off?

Some years back Maret sold the land behind what is now their only on campus athletic field ( the soccer field) . As a result, now that they have more students wanting different athletic pursuits, they had to enter into a partnership with Jellef way over on Wisc Ave to use their sports facilities on a lease basis . So, if you kid wants to go out for a sports team like swimming, baseball, track, they have to ride a shuttle every day to get to where they can practice and they can never have a home meet. Lots of time lost shuttling around.

Maret is a nice, but small school and their facilities are limited . Not knocking it . I just think that the last thing a Maret booster should be emphasizing as a reason to go there is money. Maret was nearly forced to close a few decades ago at a time when other DC privates already had endowments above the 50 million mark.

Judging form the format of his/her type face the Maret booster and the WIS basher are the same person and they really don't seem to know what they are talking about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How much does Maret raise at their annual auction?

What a very odd comment on this thread. Why? Need it to be rich enough for your taste?

OK, I have lived in DC for 20 or so years so I'll bite on this one.

OP, Maret used to be the "reject school" among DC Privates back in 1970's 1980's . Think Field.

And they embraced their role of being a " supportive school" for kids who either could not get into STA, Sidwell or GDS , got kicked out, or knuckled under . An "alternative school" for rich kids if you will ( there was little to no FA in the 60's /70's) Embracing theirr role meant hiring engaging , supportive , think outside box kid of teachers ( nothing wrong with that )

Then, a King& Queen decided that their children would do better there than at X school , partially because said Queen had attended X school. And a few Kennedy family members followed. Then in typical DC fashion, a new "IT" school was perceived and, as it got more and more , applicants it became harder to get into , harder to get into + more perceived exclusivity.

Basically, its still a good school filled with lots of very dedicated, creative think outside the box teachers , but the rest is, well , the rest.

PP above: I believe that the purpose of the Auction is to raise funds for FA. Maret has a big comittment to provide an opportunity for talented and low/ middle class income DCPS kids. That is great, but they lack the kind of endowment to do so, so they fund raise, They also sold some of their land off. So... you heard the one about glass houses, right.

What land did they sell off?

Some years back Maret sold the land behind what is now their only on campus athletic field ( the soccer field) . As a result, now that they have more students wanting different athletic pursuits, they had to enter into a partnership with Jellef way over on Wisc Ave to use their sports facilities on a lease basis . So, if you kid wants to go out for a sports team like swimming, baseball, track, they have to ride a shuttle every day to get to where they can practice and they can never have a home meet. Lots of time lost shuttling around.

Maret is a nice, but small school and their facilities are limited . Not knocking it . I just think that the last thing a Maret booster should be emphasizing as a reason to go there is money. Maret was nearly forced to close a few decades ago at a time when other DC privates already had endowments above the 50 million mark.

Judging form the format of his/her type face the Maret booster and the WIS basher are the same person and they really don't seem to know what they are talking about.

You mean land across the street that has been houses for dozens of years? Maret never owned that. The 7.5acres is what they've had for at least the past 40 years. You have no idea what you are talking about.

[Anonymous]

No, the land behind the land behind the school where the icky condos are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, the land behind the land behind the school where the icky condos are.

What icky condos are you talking about? Behind the soccer field is Garfield St. Where are there icky condos?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, the land behind the land behind the school where the icky condos are.

What icky condos are you talking about? Behind the soccer field is Garfield St. Where are there icky condos?

They must be thinking of the land across from Aidan that was just turned into a huge apartment building. Maret never owned that.

[Anonymous]

This thread has jumped the shark, but ask the AD if you want "proof" . The school was almost forced to close in the late 70's and they sold a large part of their land in rear behind the school, which is why they are now stuck not having enough space for sports facilities.

Not worth four posts on this thread , but just saying' PP should not have her nose in the air about " Auction $$$$ " .

[Anonymous]

The original question: wis or Maret...
Don't have info on Maret, but as an ex WIS parent; left after 4 years. PK 3 and 4 at the spanish side was warm and nurturing, that was great for my child. K,1st, 2nd...not challenging enough for my kid, and teachers were way too harsh. Punishments were shaming and demoralizing. Pulled kid out. Wish I had not waited for so long, but just kept hoping next year would be better. As a Latino family we speak the language at home and spend the Summer in Latin America.
Family style is very important, if you run a tight ship, ultra discipline, WIS has this. Our family is more relaxed, there is no shouting in the house (we try our hardest) and respect is a two way street.
Good luck, remember you are not married to a school, if it doesn't work, find greener pastures!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The original question: wis or Maret...
Don't have info on Maret, but as an ex WIS parent; left after 4 years. PK 3 and 4 at the spanish side was warm and nurturing, that was great for my child. K,1st, 2nd...not challenging enough for my kid, and teachers were way too harsh. Punishments were shaming and demoralizing. Pulled kid out. Wish I had not waited for so long, but just kept hoping next year would be better. As a Latino family we speak the language at home and spend the Summer in Latin America.
Family style is very important, if you run a tight ship, ultra discipline, WIS has this. Our family is more relaxed, there is no shouting in the house (we try our hardest) and respect is a two way street.
Good luck, remember you are not married to a school, if it doesn't work, find greener pastures!

If you don't have info on Maret, why have you made several posts as if you do? Busted!

OP, you and your DH should go with your gut and try to ignore boosters and bashers. The schools are very different and difficult to compare.

[Anonymous]

Oh Dear, PP here...I have not posted anything about Maret, as I don't know the school. I do however know WIS. Shared what I know from the school we were enrolled. Don't understand all the aggression on your part, this is a forum to share experiences and thoughts, not to invalidate anyone's experiences.
Moving on...

[Anonymous]

Posters, OP has clearly exited the discussion. After being invited on the thread to post any follow up questions about either school, she has refrained from doing so. I think that there us much information to consider in the posts on this thread already. No need to belabor the point, they are both very good schools, each in its own way. Good night and (hopefully) goodbye to this thread. And good luck to you OP.

[Anonymous]

Our DC was admitted to 6th but we are going elsewhere. Just too limited in the campus/athletics dept. Also, as a native Washingtonian I just can't let go of the old Maret stereotype as an "alternative" school for kids who couldn't get into the top tier privates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our DC was admitted to 6th but we are going elsewhere. Just too limited in the campus/athletics dept. Also, as a native Washingtonian I just can't let go of the old Maret stereotype as an "alternative" school for kids who couldn't get into the top tier privates.

Why did you apply then? You must be a troll or stupid. Wasting time and money for a school you regard as less than.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our DC was admitted to 6th but we are going elsewhere. Just too limited in the campus/athletics dept. Also, as a native Washingtonian I just can't let go of the old Maret stereotype as an "alternative" school for kids who couldn't get into the top tier privates.

Boy or Girl for 6th?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our DC was admitted to 6th but we are going elsewhere. Just too limited in the campus/athletics dept. Also, as a native Washingtonian I just can't let go of the old Maret stereotype as an "alternative" school for kids who couldn't get into the top tier privates.

Why did you apply then? You must be a troll or stupid. Wasting time and money for a school you regard as less than.

Sorry to ruffle your feathers PP. We applied bc any school is better than Hardy.