Mrs. Simpson's Classes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It costs $300/year. Cheaper than music lessons and actually most of the other activities my kids are involved in.

Obviously you aren't going to change my mind and I am not going to change yours so no point in continuing this debate.

Seems super cheap depending on what price you put on your conscience.

[Anonymous]

Apparently I can be bought for a mere $300. And the knowledge that something that was not open to me because of exclusionary policies is open to my children because those policies no longer exist. I see that as progress.

[Anonymous]

There you go then; enjoy! Lots of people still feeling excluded from "Mrs. Simpson's" though apparently if you read this board...

[Anonymous]

My community, in Prince George's County, has a junior cotillion for 7th and 8th graders. It's by invitation, because there are a limited number of openings and the volunteers who run the program want to select children, and parents, who won't ruin the experience of the other participants. So you could say it's exclusive, but it's exclusive for the right reasons. Racially and ethnically, the group is as diverse as the community.

If your child is invited to participate in a cotillion program, you should take it as a compliment and either accept or decline the invitation graciously. If you don't know how to do that, then perhaps your child really isn't learning good manners at home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My community, in Prince George's County, has a junior cotillion for 7th and 8th graders. It's by invitation, because there are a limited number of openings and the volunteers who run the program want to select children, and parents, who won't ruin the experience of the other participants. So you could say it's exclusive, but it's exclusive for the right reasons. Racially and ethnically, the group is as diverse as the community.

If your child is invited to participate in a cotillion program, you should take it as a compliment and either accept or decline the invitation graciously. If you don't know how to do that, then perhaps your child really isn't learning good manners at home.

You are not real. You are a figment of my imagination. I'm going to close and open my eyes and you will be gone.

*poof*

[Anonymous]

We are an african-american family and we let both our children (one in middle school and one in lower school) attend Mrs. Simpson's dances. Our kids are starting their third year this fall. They like to go because their friends also attend. We had some initial reservations but we are comfortable with it now since they enjoy each dance that they attend and have fun with their friends (who run the gamut in terms of racial/ethnic diversity).

[Anonymous]

I'm not a big fan of Mrs. Simpson's manners. My child attends (Jewish, invited by African-American friend, big 3, chose it over CC, 3rd year), and we left the choice to the child, given that this profile was midway between supporting a racist throwback and rubbing her nose in it by making the class more diverse.

But:
a) All correspondence is addressed to "Mr. and Mrs." in spite of the fact that my surname is different, so that's just wrong (and, nowadays, bad manners).

b) We know directly of a child with a mild handicap requiring special shoes who was harassed, really, by Mrs. Simpson about the shoes being insufficiently dressy - again, in my book, appalling manners.

c) Parents and caregivers are prohibited from entering the lobby for pickup unless appropriately dressed in evening wear - so we stand out there are freeze. Again, not a shining example of good manners.

On the dancing itself - they are taught a rigid box step version of a waltz, and as a result no one can do a normal waltz with my kid until we undo the damage.

On the overall diversity - child reports it is hard to tell many of the kids apart because so many are blond. I personally know two African Americans, an Indian (Asian), a couple of Persians, an Hispanic, and another Jew. It's a sprinkling, they're all big 3 private schools, and everyone else I've met while standing there freezing is white (or whitish, anyway, didn't check details) and from a private school.

So if you do choose to let your child attend, you'll probably want to save time for discussions about what good manners mean to different people and why, or how in your family good manners are defined as making people feel welcome and comfortable, etc. Mrs. Simpson is an anachronism and a half; caveat emptor.

[Anonymous]

I don't know whether you're accomplishing the nose rubbing you're seeking. If you are falling in line to the same rigid anachronistic rules, you're simply Uncle Tomming it in my book.

[Anonymous]

18:17, thanks for a candid post.

[Anonymous]

BuckeyeAXO wrote:I recently heard about "Mrs. Simpson's", a finishing school in Potomac. They apparently don't have a web site and there is little information about this school on line. Does anyone have any information? Anyone sent their kids there?

hello!
I sent my child kicking and screaming to this hell hole. It whips them right into shape!

[Anonymous]

Is this the same as "Shippins" (sp) I remember from my Holton days in the 80's?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is this the same as "Shippins" (sp) I remember from my Holton days in the 80's?

yes - it is the successor the Mrs Shippen's

[Anonymous]

I go there, and it's a great way to get a girlfriend. Just to clarify, it's a dance class one saturday a month. kids dress up and spend an hour and a half learning ballroom dancing and ettiquette. It's quite enjoyable.

[Anonymous]

Independent School teacher here. Curious now, does the feeling for the class change with age? (reference above post). My elementary students hate it. They are distraught at the process. they grumble, moan and a few are truly bitter. I understand that parents sometimes want children to do activities 'anyway'--but is Mrs. Simpson's worth it? What values does it teach? Isn't it rather exclusive? Maybe the children should lead here...sometimes they have a wisdom adults have lost, no?
I am smitten by the idea of white gloves and etiquette and old world manners; are there any other more egalitarian ways to learn this in the DC area?

[Anonymous]

Sorry, capital "T" for they above.