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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She clearly is not too bright. This is typical of many private school parents desperately trying to gain for their kids "a private school mirage" of what they never had. Unfortunately, private schools today are not what they were in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s ... no matter how hard this crowd pretends and tries.

Ah, I see, your objection to the poseurs isn't that they're getting by on pedigree rather than talent and hard work. It's that they don't have the right pedigree.

If anything, private schools are more meritocratic today than they were in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s when race/ethnicity/religion and social status played an even greater role in admissions.

[Anonymous]

NP here, what I find most interesting is the fact that public school parents stay on the Private school threads lurking, waitng to pounce on any one who makes a comment against public school. It is funny! When my child was in public I went to the public school threads and when I put my kid in private I started to go to the private school threads. I do not see the purpose in going to the public school thread anymore. Of course if you have a kid in both...

[Anonymous]

While I'm enjoying the troll-fest. . .

I live in Fairfax County, and ended up sending my DD to a private in MD. The reason I did it was because the private offered a specialized academic curriculum that the public schools in my district simply couldn't match. If I had no choice in the matter, I would feel very comfortable sending my DD to the excellent local public. However, the programs that the private school offers trumped the programs (and convenience) that the public school offers, so I chose the former.

Alternatively, my sister sent her two children through the Arlington County public school system, and both kids have done spectacularly well. The one who is in college was easily accepted into a top-ranked Ivy where he is rubbing elbows with the kind of "elites" that would be the wet dream of some of the social climbers on this forum, and the one who is still in high school will likely get a full athletic scholarship to whichever college she ultimately chooses.

As one PP noted, education is not a one-size-fits-all enterprise. Privates are better for some kids (and apparently some parents), while publics are better for others. Using words like "never" or "always", or "better" and "worse" in relation to what is good for children is a fool's errand.

[Anonymous]

Ah, I see, your objection to the poseurs isn't that they're getting by on pedigree rather than talent and hard work. It's that they don't have the right pedigree.

If anything, private schools are more meritocratic today than they were in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s when race/ethnicity/religion and social status played an even greater role in admissions.

2011: Oh really, why don't you sell the pre-K/K snake oil to WPSSI, educational consultants, Washingtonian money donors and siblings.

[Anonymous]

NP here, what I find most interesting is the fact that public school parents stay on the Private school threads lurking, waitng to pounce on any one who makes a comment against public school. It is funny! When my child was in public I went to the public school threads and when I put my kid in private I started to go to the private school threads. I do not see the purpose in going to the public school thread anymore. Of course if you have a kid in both...

Interesting. I went to an elite NE prep school (as did spouse). I have kids in both private and public. I know private school trash when I hear and see it. You are not part of the private school community even if you have somehow managed to put your kid in a "private" school. For how long?

[Anonymous]

I'm here because I used to have kids in private. Now both are in public. In fact, we turned down NCS for a MoCo magnet (go figure!).

I do think this makes me better qualified than the snooty PP to comment -- whether on public or private school threads -- about the relative merits of each.

LOL - I like the term "private school trash," it's like Eurotrash. It sums up the arriviste attitudes of some private parents.

[Anonymous]

Not sure MoCo magnet really counts as public - it's more exclusive than private.

Would you have sent your kids to that same school - not magnet?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not sure MoCo magnet really counts as public - it's more exclusive than private.

Would you have sent your kids to that same school - not magnet?

No, I probably wouldn't have sent my kids to that particular school. However, I would be fine with other MoCo schools like BCC or Whitman. In fact, for a while we were looking for houses in those districts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure MoCo magnet really counts as public - it's more exclusive than private.

Would you have sent your kids to that same school - not magnet?

No, I probably wouldn't have sent my kids to that particular school. However, I would be fine with other MoCo schools like BCC or Whitman. In fact, for a while we were looking for houses in those districts.

Yea - I think most people would send their kids to BCC or Whitman - still - pretty exclusive - how about something in a zip code that is a little less exclusive.

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure we're arguing about whether I would send my kids to Ballou.

I think the point is that there are some very good public schools, both magnets and non-magnets like BCC and Whitman and several others. I jumped into this debate to make this point against the private school trash who was saying that (a) a good private is universally better than a good public, and that (b) there are no redeeming features to public schools. And I do think that, by having kids in both, I'm better qualified than she is to make these comparisons.

[Anonymous]

So for the original poster - there are many schools in MoCo - here is a list of HS - basically the ones with stars most people would send their kids to but the zip code is very expensive - though Montgomery County tries really hard to zone some kids in. The public school advocates are usually in one of those schools or in the magnet programs in Blair, RM or Poolesville. The rest are good schools but often very large schools - each has it's own issue. If you look at each school individually there are some awesome programs - Damascus has a CISCO certification program, Clarksburg has an advanced learning program (don't know the name), Blake has an arts program. If you child has special needs there is an immense amount of support. If you kid is super smart they will be put in the IB and AP programs but otherwise you are really rolling the dice. If your child don't fit into the special program and can't afford the other zip codes you have the option of private.

Bethesda-Chevy Chase *
Montgomery Blair
James Hubert Blake
Winston Churchill *
Clarksburg
Damascus
Thomas Edison HS of Technology
Albert Einstein
Gaithersburg
Walter Johnson
John F. Kennedy
Col. Zadok Magruder
Richard Montgomery
Northwest
Northwood
Paint Branch
Poolesville
Quince Orchard *
Rockville
Seneca Valley
Sherwood
Springbrook
Watkins Mill
Wheaton
Walt Whitman *
Thomas S. Wootton *

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure we're arguing about whether I would send my kids to Ballou.

I think the point is that there are some very good public schools, both magnets and non-magnets like BCC and Whitman and several others. I jumped into this debate to make this point against the private school trash who was saying that (a) a good private is universally better than a good public, and that (b) there are no redeeming features to public schools. And I do think that, by having kids in both, I'm better qualified than she is to make these comparisons.

Maybe a good private is universally better than a good public. This is a point that can't be proved - hence impossible to really debate.

No redeeming - so you are right - public has many redeeming qualities but for many kids it does not. Unfortunately - because I rather have a beach house then a tuition but that is not an option right now because a public school could never meet my kids needs.

You are only qualified to comment on your particular private school and your particular experience with the magnet program. I am sure it looks pretty peachy. Take an average kid with LD's that don't qualify for help in the public school and I wonder if your opinion would be the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

NP here, what I find most interesting is the fact that public school parents stay on the Private school threads lurking, waitng to pounce on any one who makes a comment against public school. It is funny! When my child was in public I went to the public school threads and when I put my kid in private I started to go to the private school threads. I do not see the purpose in going to the public school thread anymore. Of course if you have a kid in both...

Interesting. I went to an elite NE prep school (as did spouse). I have kids in both private and public. I know private school trash when I hear and see it. You are not part of the private school community even if you have somehow managed to put your kid in a "private" school. For how long?

Wow you totaly proved my point even further! Private school trash that is funny! Perhaps a want to be snob like yourself would think of me as private school trash. Luckily my DD is at a Big three with parents who do not seem to think so. So your opinion does not matter. As an AA parent, I have on occasion run into the likes of you who probably think my child is only there because of diversity. I still do not understand parents who have kids in public school jumping on these threads just to try to make families feel bad about sending their kids to private schools. I never saw such a thing when I used to go to the public school boards. As for you "elite" NE prep school, you are a wanna be elitist asshole. By the way, I manged to put my kid in private school by having a very smart DD and paying the $30,000+ tuition each year!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Maybe a good private is universally better than a good public. This is a point that can't be proved - hence impossible to really debate.

Actually, parents with kids in both public and private schools, of which there are several on this board, can indeed make this comparison. Certainly we are in a better position than you, because you have never done public and have all sorts of misconceptions about it.

Anonymous wrote:
No redeeming - so you are right - public has many redeeming qualities but for many kids it does not. Unfortunately - because I rather have a beach house then a tuition but that is not an option right now because a public school could never meet my kids needs.

So now you're saying that anybody who chooses public must prefer a beach house? Give me a friggin' break. You must have missed the many posts pointing out why some parents choose public. Go back and read them.

Anonymous wrote:
You are only qualified to comment on your particular private school and your particular experience with the magnet program. I am sure it looks pretty peachy. Take an average kid with LD's that don't qualify for help in the public school and I wonder if your opinion would be the same.

Actually, MoCo provides excellent services to kids with LDs. Most private schools can't handle serious LDs because they don't have the specialized staff to handle them. If LDs are the issue for you, you may be making a serious mistake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure MoCo magnet really counts as public - it's more exclusive than private.

Would you have sent your kids to that same school - not magnet?

No, I probably wouldn't have sent my kids to that particular school. However, I would be fine with other MoCo schools like BCC or Whitman. In fact, for a while we were looking for houses in those districts.

Yea - I think most people would send their kids to BCC or Whitman - still - pretty exclusive - how about something in a zip code that is a little less exclusive.

This misses the point. They're still public schools, regardless of what zip code they are in. The OP was asking why somebody would send their kids to private, even if they're in one of these exclusive zip codes with excellent public schools. Your point does raise an interesting question, though, which I'll bring to a new thread as it's somewhat off of the original point of this thread.