Reply to Fact versus Fiction re: GDS

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Most of the GDS students that I know are anything but competitive. [/quote]

Too kumbaya to develop competitive spirit, even in sports or test taking.  That will have to be developed elsewhere or by parents. 
The meeting children where they’re at includes not pushing students who don’t push themselves. [/quote]

Wanted to emphasize this post, b/c this is a big GDS Fact (and why we ultimately did not send one of our DC’s to GDS). GDS is *great* for a self-starter. In fact, that’s kind of the learning model. One of our DC’s was self-starting for some things, but for a lot of things, we felt like it would be failure to launch if we left it up to DC. We’re all for growing the plant you have, but some plants will shoot up out of the ground on everything no matter what, and others need more fertilizer. GDS is a dream for a kid who is brimming with self-motivation, because the sky’s the limit. Less so for a kid who needs a little nudging and structure to meet their potential.  [/quote]

I am the PP who said GDS meets kids where they are at, and I don't disagree with either comment above. I will say however, that another way to look at this is that some top schools push every kid as if they are going to Harvard, when most are not.  I would not necessarily say that less motivated kids are not pushed. They are pushed by the work product they are expected to produce  and by the cohort they are part of, which includes many, many hyper-motivated, and yes, competitive kids. Also the teachers have the bandwidth to get to know the kids and suss out their strengths so that maybe a kid is not an A student, but he or she has other great qualities that should be acknowledged. What GDS does not do is make the less motivated (or less capable) kids feel bad about themselves or like they are failures. Russell likes to say that they are trying to raise healthy thirty-five year olds, and its one of my favorite Russellisms.  It's an acknowledgment that while some 17 and 18 year olds are ready for lift off, others are still percolating, but that does not mean they don't have potential to do great things. [b]I have a DC at a different top school whiich they love, but the whole ethos is to push, push, push constantly with a refrain of "this was good, but why wasn't it better?" [/b]That works for some kids and my kid loves it, but there must be kids at that school who feel crushed by the expectations.  I think GDS balances that well. [/quote]

Which DMV area top private school pushes students like you described?  I am not aware of any of them like that.  Please name it, or you are a troll.
[/quote]

Um… Sidwell. Duh[/quote]

Sidwell is most definately note a "push push push" school. Are you sure your kid isn't feeling peer pressure rather than from teachers or the administation? It has been our experience that the kids are self-motivated and self-starters, and the faculty guide via group projects, class discussion etc.

Please define what you mean by the push push push thing.[/quote]

I’m the PP and its not Sidwell. Accusing me of being a troll was a weirdly aggressive response, whomever did that.  To be clear, my DC really loves the second school and we love it for them.  It was not a criticism. My only point is that you need to be suited to a school like that, but you need to be suited to any school you are in.  As several previous posters have noted, GDS does not work if you are not suited to its approach either. [/quote]

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