Anyone know what is going on a Woodson?

[Anonymous]

His friend said to was "due to school stress and his life as a junior in high school."

Wake up, people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^ PP above. The post I reported contained a line that said something like (paraphrasing) "Students should up in the name of Larlo and demand that the administration make changes". Again, no issue with the content. But by plugging the first name and Woodson into google, I was able to get the full name, etc.

If that wasn't your post, carry on.

The name is all over social media.

If you received the email from the principal, you would know Woodson kids were posting on social media before the email even went out to the community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

His friend said to was "due to school stress and his life as a junior in high school."

Wake up, people.

But remember- Woodson is one of the few acceptable schools for the "elite" families of the region.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let's not turn this into an immigrant bashing thread. I don't have the energy.

I don't think it's immigrant bashing. I think it's a fact that, as a whole, Asians are more focused on academics than the average nonAsian American. When you have a high concentration in an area, which we do, that affects the overall culture of the schools. There's no putting the genie back in the bottle at this point.

First generation asian Americans are not more focused than some subgroups of multi-generational Americans. The difference is, they grew up in a culture where, if you failed to meet spec once, you were out; no second chances. In the US, there are so many onramps to success. But, in India, if you do not do well on the early placement tests, you will never get a chance. And there are several other places. So, prep for AAP exams, make sure you pass the SOL's, and all other exams, TJ is a must....SAT prep begins early. etc.

Woodson does not have a large Indian population. The same holds in Korea or China though, I imagine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have some friends whose kids go to Woodson. They've told me that the environment there is like a pressure cooker. Because the school is known for its high test scores, it's ingrained in the culture that it is very important that it be maintained. Test scores are everything.

That doesn't stand up to the logic test. If that were true, then schools like Langley, McLean, Madison, Oakton and others in the DMV area would also have a lot of suicides... but as far as I know, they don't. Something is going on. I suspect that when it happens once, there is a sense that it's a possibility for other kids. But, something needs to be done.

I don't know about Madison or Oakton, but in the years that my DCs have attended McLean- both McLean and Langley have had suicides nearly every year- some years more than one. Some have not been covered by the media or even here on DCUM.

I hit submit too soon. I don't mean to make it a competition, but just to note that the "pressure cooker" theory could have merit. My own theory is that the pressure cooker is really in the home and not as much in the school. That mixed with mental illness is a recipe for it.

We're at Fairfax HS. I'm glad that we are not in a pressure cooker environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^ PP above. The post I reported contained a line that said something like (paraphrasing) "Students should up in the name of Larlo and demand that the administration make changes". Again, no issue with the content. But by plugging the first name and Woodson into google, I was able to get the full name, etc.

If that wasn't your post, carry on.

The name is all over social media.

If you received the email from the principal, you would know Woodson kids were posting on social media before the email even went out to the community.

It doesn't need to be on DCUM, and I respect Jeff for keeping it off of here.

[Anonymous]

We're at Fairfax HS. I'm glad that we are not in a pressure cooker environment.



It is naive to think that any FCPS (or MCPS) school is immune from these pressures; they are endemic to the region, and to upper middle class communities all over the country. But I understand that it comforts people to think that the problem is limited to a specific high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

We're at Fairfax HS. I'm glad that we are not in a pressure cooker environment.

It is naive to think that any FCPS (or MCPS) school is immune from these pressures; they are endemic to the region, and to upper middle class communities all over the country. But I understand that it comforts people to think that the problem is limited to a specific high school.


I agree. LCPS has the same issue. They've lost 2 this year and 4 the year before. There have been recent pushes to educate people on the issue, but the pressure filled, competitive lifestyle isn't going away any time soon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

We're at Fairfax HS. I'm glad that we are not in a pressure cooker environment.

It is naive to think that any FCPS (or MCPS) school is immune from these pressures; they are endemic to the region, and to upper middle class communities all over the country. But I understand that it comforts people to think that the problem is limited to a specific high school.


I agree. LCPS has the same issue. They've lost 2 this year and 4 the year before. There have been recent pushes to educate people on the issue, but the pressure filled, competitive lifestyle isn't going away any time soon.

It's not just the schools, people. Wake up! We are in and out of DC every five or six years. I can compare it to the many other places we have lived. It is a cancer that is endemic to the entire area. This shit starts at home. Unfortunately, it seeps into the lives of the kids with normal parents too. The reason? These hyper competitive, materialistic, power-driven parents are the ones demanding that the schools squeeze their kids till they burst.

Read this forum. It permeates nearly every thread. It's nauseating to those of us who can see it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

We're at Fairfax HS. I'm glad that we are not in a pressure cooker environment.

It is naive to think that any FCPS (or MCPS) school is immune from these pressures; they are endemic to the region, and to upper middle class communities all over the country. But I understand that it comforts people to think that the problem is limited to a specific high school.


I agree. LCPS has the same issue. They've lost 2 this year and 4 the year before. There have been recent pushes to educate people on the issue, but the pressure filled, competitive lifestyle isn't going away any time soon.

It's not just the schools, people. Wake up! We are in and out of DC every five or six years. I can compare it to the many other places we have lived. It is a cancer that is endemic to the entire area. This shit starts at home. Unfortunately, it seeps into the lives of the kids with normal parents too. The reason? These hyper competitive, materialistic, power-driven parents are the ones demanding that the schools squeeze their kids till they burst.

Read this forum. It permeates nearly every thread. It's nauseating to those of us who can see it.

It sounds like you need to take a break from DCUM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's easy to blame the parents but the schools where the student is for many hours a day, push push push the students, mainly for the teachers and especially the coaches jobs and egos.

Huh. I wonder why on earth that could be?
Why would teachers be pushing their students for better performance? Gosh, I never come on here and read post after post of which schools are acceptable. What exactly makes a school acceptable? Oh that's right! Test scores. Teachers are pushed to deliver, by administrators, pushed by parents.

It's the community and it starts in the home.

It doesn't matter how laid back you are at home. When you are in high school, even if you are looking only at state schools, grades matter. So when teachers dump too much homework on kids, it's going to impact even those who aren't from academically obsessed families. Add bullying that the school refuses to address, and that can create major stress for kids. Just because some parents demand crazy standards of the schools, doesn't mean they have to drag us all along with them with excessive homework and projects. It's not like they make it optional for those who would prefer less stress.

This is true. We are a laid back family. Dh and I graduated from Mason and work typical jobs. I am the first to say "eh...close enough" in most situations, and in our home we don't even care about grades as long as the kids are doing their work and trying, and yet my ds has literal panic attacks about homework and grades and tests and not being able to get into college. This is 100% coming from our schools, and I don't know how to stop the freight train. It would take everyone from preshoool to grad school plus parents working together.

In our house, school is a top priority for our kids. If one of our kids gets a low grade on a test or an assignment that is cause for concern because that indicates that they do not understand the material for some reason. We do what we can at home to help them - lots of times it's simply a matter of setting aside time for homework and improving study skills. It is actually way less stressful when the kids stay on top of things and nip problems in the bud before they have a chance to snowball into something insurmountable. Hopefully by the time they get into college, they will have a well rounded education and good study skills.

My heart goes out to the family and friends of this good young man. I feel for his teachers and peers. Such a tragic loss should not be compounded by blame.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: My father committed suicide and that (the fact that they shouldn't be talked about) is absolutely not true. The culture dose recy, stigma and shame around suicides is not healthy at all. The best thing to do is talk about them IN CONTEXT--what a loss they are, how horrible is order those left behind, other options and choices. Also promote resources for help.

I'm sorry for yourr loss.

Very true. I heard an interesting interview about Kurt Cobain's suicide. A challenge of suicide is that it is contagious, and more so when there's a focus afterwards on method. Apparently Courteney Love's over the top seriously angry vocal wail at Kurt for having done this to her made his suicide different was that there was actually a statistically meaningful drop in suicides after his (as compared with measurable effects after other famous cases.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have some friends whose kids go to Woodson. They've told me that the environment there is like a pressure cooker. Because the school is known for its high test scores, it's ingrained in the culture that it is very important that it be maintained. Test scores are everything.

That doesn't stand up to the logic test. If that were true, then schools like Langley, McLean, Madison, Oakton and others in the DMV area would also have a lot of suicides... but as far as I know, they don't. Something is going on. I suspect that when it happens once, there is a sense that it's a possibility for other kids. But, something needs to be done.

It's not just because they have a good test record. According to the students I've spoken with, it's the over the top culture of perfectionism and lofty standards, specific to Woodson's administration.

I do not doubt this. My daughter was brought to near emotional collapse at another FFX Cty school due to what she called, her inability to please staff and impossibly high standards. No matter what she did, no matter how high her grades were (and she was a straight A student), she felt as if they wanted her to do more and more and more. The administration of these high schools care only about their numbers it seems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's easy to blame the parents but the schools where the student is for many hours a day, push push push the students, mainly for the teachers and especially the coaches jobs and egos.

Huh. I wonder why on earth that could be?
Why would teachers be pushing their students for better performance? Gosh, I never come on here and read post after post of which schools are acceptable. What exactly makes a school acceptable? Oh that's right! Test scores. Teachers are pushed to deliver, by administrators, pushed by parents.

It's the community and it starts in the home.

Think about this: When your kid can score a near-perfect score on a standardized test, get straight As, and partake in extracurriculars and STILL not be good enough for lots of colleges (unless, of course, you are the minority flavor of the year), the parents are feeling THAT pressure as well, especially ones that are financially less fortunate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have some friends whose kids go to Woodson. They've told me that the environment there is like a pressure cooker. Because the school is known for its high test scores, it's ingrained in the culture that it is very important that it be maintained. Test scores are everything.

That doesn't stand up to the logic test. If that were true, then schools like Langley, McLean, Madison, Oakton and others in the DMV area would also have a lot of suicides... but as far as I know, they don't. Something is going on. I suspect that when it happens once, there is a sense that it's a possibility for other kids. But, something needs to be done.

It's not just because they have a good test record. According to the students I've spoken with, it's the over the top culture of perfectionism and lofty standards, specific to Woodson's administration.

I do not doubt this. My daughter was brought to near emotional collapse at another FFX Cty school due to what she called, her inability to please staff and impossibly high standards. No matter what she did, no matter how high her grades were (and she was a straight A student), she felt as if they wanted her to do more and more and more. The administration of these high schools care only about their numbers it seems.

There is a different type of stress associated with having too low of standards, too. Someone's too much is going to be someone else's too little.