Toggle navigation
Toggle navigation
Home
DCUM Forums
Nanny Forums
Events
About DCUM
Advertising
Search
Recent Topics
Hottest Topics
FAQs and Guidelines
Privacy Policy
Your current identity is: Anonymous
Login
Preview
Subject:
Forum Index
»
Private & Independent Schools
Reply to "St Albans vs Sidwell"
Subject:
Emoticons
More smilies
Text Color:
Default
Dark Red
Red
Orange
Brown
Yellow
Green
Olive
Cyan
Blue
Dark Blue
Violet
White
Black
Font:
Very Small
Small
Normal
Big
Giant
Close Marks
[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]We have a daughter at Sidwell and two boys at STA. Both schools are high pressure and extremely rigorous but STA has a more supportive, tight-knit vibe. The boys compete but the ethos is to acknowledge and appreciate each others’ strengths. Teachers are generally warmer and more engaged. This is a godsend during the high school years because the supportive environment helps mitigate the extreme demands kids face. [b]Sidwell has the extreme pressure but without as much supportive bonds. Students are competitive with one another. There are pockets of kids who support each other and are good friends. However, there’s more free form anxiety. Teachers are less warm. It’s up to students to find them if they need help. [/b] I know my STA boys have been told countless times by teachers,”Come see me and we can talk about that some more” or something to that effect. Teachers invite you to engage with them.[b] At Sidwell the teachers seem more distant and you have to be more entrepreneurial about getting help.[/b] Sidwell has an edge in the sciences. STA has the edge in sports with the notable exception of basketball. For a boy, I think STA is better. Our daughter chose Sidwell over NCS because Sidwell is less of a pressure cooker than NCS. She’s still in touch with Beauvoir friends who went to NCS, and she is happy that she did not go there. [/quote] This is all very true about Sidwell in Upper School. Hopefully the new principal will try to change this, he was an outlier in this respect and was warm as teacher and warm in his administrative role. It would take time though...Sidwell teachers have far too much autonomy. The have lacked good leadership and have had few tangible expectations with regards to being supportive mentors to students. It's really a shame that the school is so devoid of this - some kids seek it out and find the adults that will engage on this level - but there are others that do not get this. [/quote] The autonomy that the Sidwell teachers have is a strength of the school. It’s why they have the best teachers in the DMV. [/quote] The level of autonomy that Sidwell teachers have isn’t a strength. My 9th grade son, who attends Sidwell, has two teachers (physics and English) who are decidedly, NOT “the best.” His English teacher has been particularly disappointing. She isn’t easily accessible, and she doesn’t seem to like teaching (or dealing with students). She was only available remotely during Reading Day (“email me if you have questions”), and she once canceled class because she had something in her eye. My son said that he will try to avoid having her as a teacher in the future. I don’t blame him![/quote]
Options
Disable HTML in this message
Disable BB Code in this message
Disable smilies in this message
Review message
Search
Recent Topics
Hottest Topics