GDS...is it as good as its reputation?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know that people are very happy with the school. However, hearing about the head of the school badmouth rival schools at a dinner party left a sour taste in my mouth.

You heard the remark, yourself, or you heard that it happened? Two very different things.

[Anonymous]

GDS needs to stop comparing itself to other schools. No other school has the keeping up with the jones' jones like GDS. It's a good school with a unique personality and fills a critical need. Stop worrying about other schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a son in K at GDS - started this year. We were deciding between 3 privates and I think our decision was the right one. There are three things I've been incredibly impressed with: 1) The K classroom is amazing - the teacher, the materials, the curriculum, etc. my son comes home happy and tired every day, The focus is on the right things, as I see them - social development, learning how to function in a classroom setting, kindness. 2) Despite what others on this thread have said, I think the administration is doing a great job of keeping the new campus development stuff separate from the operation of the school - that was a pleasant surprise. and 3) in the 3 months we've been in school, I've found virtually every parent of my son's peers to be warm, kind, interesting and someone I'd like to be friends with.

I really couldn't be happier (and there were things I was nervous about going in, so i'm probably more critical than some others.

Thanks! What where the other 2 privates you where considering?

Sidwell and WIS. We were leaning towards Sidwell, initially, but the K child is our oldest (of 3) and I know too many families that have been split up by 1 or more kids not getting into Sidwell - I just wasn't interested in that. We went back to GDS after getting in and spoke with several families who were at the school and I felt like we fit really well there. I loved WIS for the language, but felt that the school just didn't compare academically or socially (for the kids) to GDS or Sidwell.

Thanks. We are also applying to Sidwell, but not to WIS...we decided on Beauvoir instead. I also have a younger child and ideally would like for them to be at the same school. The one thing I did pick up on at the open house was that GDS is a school where children of different learning styles and personalities could flourish. I can't say for certain that is true of Sidwell. My two definitely have very different personalities.

What things where you nervous about? Regarding foreign language at GDS is it true they don't introduce foreign language until the third grade? If so, what's your take on why? Given that you applied to WIS I would imagine foreign language instruction is important to you. It is really important to us, and I don't understand why GDS would choose to wait till third grade when studies show the earlier you introduce foreign languages the better.

Foreign language is very important to us. Once we decided against immersion, it didn't really matter to me whether they offered language in K or not. I like that GDS gives you a language choice at 3rd and I love the rest of the curriculum. For the record, they are considering starting language earlier, but that obviously comes at the expense of other things. I'm now pretty convinced that I'd prefer to have the current curriculum than have Spanish once or twice a week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Actual GDS parent here. Obviously, we're partial to GDS and the quality and depth of its high school academics are a good fit for our child. But, your child will be well served at all the schools mentioned already. There are differences among them, but they are all excellent. But, because of their selectivity and huge number of applicants, odds are that you will not be choosing among multiple acceptances.

What's important at the consideration stage of the process is figuring out where you think your child will thrive. Open houses are a piece of the process, but they are like cattle calls filled with lots of families that may or not be serious about attending the school. That's why they are a little cursory. The real sense of the school will come when you do a tour and play date and interview. Your child will come home with opinions to consider with yours. It is also perfectly appropriate to decide not to proceed with the application if the tour and play date didn't feel right.

Thanks. Of course I will be choosing from multiple acceptances - my child is about as good as they come . Seriously, you are absolutely correct which is why I hesitate to not see the process through because I want to maximize our options of getting into at least one of our top choices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a son in K at GDS - started this year. We were deciding between 3 privates and I think our decision was the right one. There are three things I've been incredibly impressed with: 1) The K classroom is amazing - the teacher, the materials, the curriculum, etc. my son comes home happy and tired every day, The focus is on the right things, as I see them - social development, learning how to function in a classroom setting, kindness. 2) Despite what others on this thread have said, I think the administration is doing a great job of keeping the new campus development stuff separate from the operation of the school - that was a pleasant surprise. and 3) in the 3 months we've been in school, I've found virtually every parent of my son's peers to be warm, kind, interesting and someone I'd like to be friends with.

I really couldn't be happier (and there were things I was nervous about going in, so i'm probably more critical than some others.

Thanks! What where the other 2 privates you where considering?

Sidwell and WIS. We were leaning towards Sidwell, initially, but the K child is our oldest (of 3) and I know too many families that have been split up by 1 or more kids not getting into Sidwell - I just wasn't interested in that. We went back to GDS after getting in and spoke with several families who were at the school and I felt like we fit really well there. I loved WIS for the language, but felt that the school just didn't compare academically or socially (for the kids) to GDS or Sidwell.

Thanks. We are also applying to Sidwell, but not to WIS...we decided on Beauvoir instead. I also have a younger child and ideally would like for them to be at the same school. The one thing I did pick up on at the open house was that GDS is a school where children of different learning styles and personalities could flourish. I can't say for certain that is true of Sidwell. My two definitely have very different personalities.

What things where you nervous about? Regarding foreign language at GDS is it true they don't introduce foreign language until the third grade? If so, what's your take on why? Given that you applied to WIS I would imagine foreign language instruction is important to you. It is really important to us, and I don't understand why GDS would choose to wait till third grade when studies show the earlier you introduce foreign languages the better.

Foreign language is very important to us. Once we decided against immersion, it didn't really matter to me whether they offered language in K or not. I like that GDS gives you a language choice at 3rd and I love the rest of the curriculum. For the record, they are considering starting language earlier, but that obviously comes at the expense of other things. I'm now pretty convinced that I'd prefer to have the current curriculum than have Spanish once or twice a week.

I see. In looking at the curriculum I did see certain things specifically mentioned -- like PE and Community Service -- that I don't see as part of the curriculum at other schools.

[Anonymous]

There is a view that foreign language at a young age is kind of useless unless its immersive. Studies shows it takes about three weeks for kids who have had no foreign language to catch up with those who have had three classes a week in elementary school. GDS, like many schools, probably has foreign language in 3rd grade to placate parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is a view that foreign language at a young age is kind of useless unless its immersive. Studies shows it takes about three weeks for kids who have had no foreign language to catch up with those who have had three classes a week in elementary school. GDS, like many schools, probably has foreign language in 3rd grade to placate parents.

Interesting. I had not heard this but can see how it might be true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Having observed GDS as a step parent…

Save your money. Seriously. The public schools around here are great and would be even better if highly motivated academically focused kids like those at Maret, Sidwell, GDS etc attended them. Parents, instead of throwing wads and wads of cash at private schools, send your kid to a public school, volunteer there and put the money you'd save on tuition towards college or, gasp, give it to charity.

Not a single kid in my family went to private school and we all did fine (Princeton, Harvard, Penn, VPI and various law and med schools). WHY would you start paying $30K per year in grade school? Think if you saved that money for a down payment on a house for your kid or set up a fund or donated it to charity!

I guarantee if my step kid went to Wilson she would be doing exactly as well as she is doing now in college.

Well, your values are not everyone's, thankfully. If you think I would "give" my child money for a house, you're out of your mind. I am giving my child an opportunity to make his life what he can. That is why I am spending now, on his education. If you're planning to buy you children houses (at the age of what, 30?), will that be to get them out of your basement?

[Anonymous]

It's absolutely true. At Sidwell, new 6th graders take Spanish along with the students who have had it since PK. The new kids definitely struggle at the beginning of the year -- maybe a month or two -- but by the second trimester, they are all caught up.

[Anonymous]

NP here. All of my kids have had Spanish for a couple of days a week from pre-K through second at their school. It was the only foreign language offered, and it has been fairly useless given the approach that was taken. It was nice to be able to choose among three different languages (Spanish, French and Chinese) when we moved to GDS for 3rd grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Having observed GDS as a step parent…

Save your money. Seriously. The public schools around here are great and would be even better if highly motivated academically focused kids like those at Maret, Sidwell, GDS etc attended them. Parents, instead of throwing wads and wads of cash at private schools, send your kid to a public school, volunteer there and put the money you'd save on tuition towards college or, gasp, give it to charity.

Not a single kid in my family went to private school and we all did fine (Princeton, Harvard, Penn, VPI and various law and med schools). WHY would you start paying $30K per year in grade school? Think if you saved that money for a down payment on a house for your kid or set up a fund or donated it to charity!

I guarantee if my step kid went to Wilson she would be doing exactly as well as she is doing now in college.

Well, your values are not everyone's, thankfully. If you think I would "give" my child money for a house, you're out of your mind. I am giving my child an opportunity to make his life what he can. That is why I am spending now, on his education. If you're planning to buy you children houses (at the age of what, 30?), will that be to get them out of your basement?

+1. My responsibility is providing them with a good education, not a fancy wedding, a house or a trust fund for that matter...and donate it to charity? Well that's noble, but providing for my child certainly takes priority over donating money to a charity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP here. All of my kids have had Spanish for a couple of days a week from pre-K through second at their school. It was the only foreign language offered, and it has been fairly useless given the approach that was taken. It was nice to be able to choose among three different languages (Spanish, French and Chinese) when we moved to GDS for 3rd grade.

What school where your children at prior to GDS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Having observed GDS as a step parent…

Save your money. Seriously. The public schools around here are great and would be even better if highly motivated academically focused kids like those at Maret, Sidwell, GDS etc attended them. Parents, instead of throwing wads and wads of cash at private schools, send your kid to a public school, volunteer there and put the money you'd save on tuition towards college or, gasp, give it to charity.

Not a single kid in my family went to private school and we all did fine (Princeton, Harvard, Penn, VPI and various law and med schools). WHY would you start paying $30K per year in grade school? Think if you saved that money for a down payment on a house for your kid or set up a fund or donated it to charity!

I guarantee if my step kid went to Wilson she would be doing exactly as well as she is doing now in college.

Well, your values are not everyone's, thankfully. If you think I would "give" my child money for a house, you're out of your mind. I am giving my child an opportunity to make his life what he can. That is why I am spending now, on his education. If you're planning to buy you children houses (at the age of what, 30?), will that be to get them out of your basement?

+1. My responsibility is providing them with a good education, not a fancy wedding, a house or a trust fund for that matter...and donate it to charity? Well that's noble, but providing for my child certainly takes priority over donating money to a charity.

Sure you have every right to prioritize your children over charity. But if you can send your child to a good public school why would you spend 30k+ per year on a private school? Almost half a million dollars? It doesn't make a lot of sense to me. One of my step sons went to GDS and my other step kids went to Wilson - all of them are doing equally well in school (two in college one still in HS).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Having observed GDS as a step parent…

Save your money. Seriously. The public schools around here are great and would be even better if highly motivated academically focused kids like those at Maret, Sidwell, GDS etc attended them. Parents, instead of throwing wads and wads of cash at private schools, send your kid to a public school, volunteer there and put the money you'd save on tuition towards college or, gasp, give it to charity.

Not a single kid in my family went to private school and we all did fine (Princeton, Harvard, Penn, VPI and various law and med schools). WHY would you start paying $30K per year in grade school? Think if you saved that money for a down payment on a house for your kid or set up a fund or donated it to charity!

I guarantee if my step kid went to Wilson she would be doing exactly as well as she is doing now in college.

Well, your values are not everyone's, thankfully. If you think I would "give" my child money for a house, you're out of your mind. I am giving my child an opportunity to make his life what he can. That is why I am spending now, on his education. If you're planning to buy you children houses (at the age of what, 30?), will that be to get them out of your basement?

+1. My responsibility is providing them with a good education, not a fancy wedding, a house or a trust fund for that matter...and donate it to charity? Well that's noble, but providing for my child certainly takes priority over donating money to a charity.

Sure you have every right to prioritize your children over charity. But if you can send your child to a good public school why would you spend 30k+ per year on a private school? Almost half a million dollars? It doesn't make a lot of sense to me. One of my step sons went to GDS and my other step kids went to Wilson - all of them are doing equally well in school (two in college one still in HS).

This issue - of whether any school is worth $30k - comes up on almost every thread about private schools. For many, the issue just isn't about spending money on school instead of other things (like a trust fund, charity, or college). For others, their child wouldn't do just as well in public school because of any number of factors. And for others still, the school mission, teaching style, curriculum, etc. make it worth making other sacrifices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know that people are very happy with the school. However, hearing about the head of the school badmouth rival schools at a dinner party left a sour taste in my mouth.

I would cut the guy some slack. He must be under a great deal of pressure. It's enough work running a large, well-regarded private school like GDS, especially one that is planning a major campus building project. It's quite another job (which perhaps he didn't sign up for) to be thrust out there as the public face and spokesman for a very controversial, major commercial development project.