Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Children go to MacArthur. They're going to GW. Remember, middle school sucks for everyone. If you are an active parent with capable children, you will do fine.

Your kidding yourself. Really you are.

You can be super involved and active but that doesn't matter when the kids in the class barely do work and disrupt class over and over. There are way too many kids with problems and issues that are going to flood the middle school. Realize that with the exception of maybe 3 or 4 elementary schools in the City, the remaining schools are all failing schools like - 1 and 2 on the greatschools rating.

I can guarantee you don't have kids currently at GW or TC. Yes, there are issues. Yes, sending your kid there is in some ways more complicated than private, and not for every kid. But I would recommend anyone researching this issue talk to some parents who have actual experience with the schools. OP, if you're in Rosemont, talk to your neighbors. There are some irrational GW and TC haters on this board (I'm not saying there aren't legitimate issues with these schools, just that there seem to be a couple posters who are not rational in their dislike of them) that skew every thread like this with answers like the ones above.

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I have talked to parents with kids at GW, Hammond and TC. I also have talked to graduating seniors from TC. Universally, the parents and students report a bad experience.

This is the opposite of my experience. The only negative stuff I've actually heard has been on this board. It's sort of sad to me that so many people look to DCUM and Great Schools and the Internet in general for input and advice. It's sort of liking watching the news, where everything is turned into a sound bite and sensationalized.

PP, you hit the nail on the head.

Anonymous wrote:I'll talk to you right now. DD is a senior at TC. She has had a wonderful time, with amazing experiences in the community. She was accepted at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, among other Ivy League schools. She is your average, unhooked kid, aside from taking advantage of some great opportunities presented to her in the Alexandria area. She's taken a large number of AP courses, and scored fives on all of them. I'd say her experience was anything but "bad." And she's got friends who also had a great time who've been accepted at Stanford, Penn, Columbia, Virginia (Echols scholars), MIT, Princeton, William and Mary, Georgetown, Smith, Oberlin, Chicago, and many more great schools. And the best thing about their experience is that they've really loved high school, almost without exception.

LOL!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Children go to MacArthur. They're going to GW. Remember, middle school sucks for everyone. If you are an active parent with capable children, you will do fine.

Your kidding yourself. Really you are.

You can be super involved and active but that doesn't matter when the kids in the class barely do work and disrupt class over and over. There are way too many kids with problems and issues that are going to flood the middle school. Realize that with the exception of maybe 3 or 4 elementary schools in the City, the remaining schools are all failing schools like - 1 and 2 on the greatschools rating.

I can guarantee you don't have kids currently at GW or TC. Yes, there are issues. Yes, sending your kid there is in some ways more complicated than private, and not for every kid. But I would recommend anyone researching this issue talk to some parents who have actual experience with the schools. OP, if you're in Rosemont, talk to your neighbors. There are some irrational GW and TC haters on this board (I'm not saying there aren't legitimate issues with these schools, just that there seem to be a couple posters who are not rational in their dislike of them) that skew every thread like this with answers like the ones above.

\

I have talked to parents with kids at GW, Hammond and TC. I also have talked to graduating seniors from TC. Universally, the parents and students report a bad experience.

This is the opposite of my experience. The only negative stuff I've actually heard has been on this board. It's sort of sad to me that so many people look to DCUM and Great Schools and the Internet in general for input and advice. It's sort of liking watching the news, where everything is turned into a sound bite and sensationalized.

I'll talk to you right now. DD is a senior at TC. She has had a wonderful time, with amazing experiences in the community. She was accepted at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, among other Ivy League schools. She is your average, unhooked kid, aside from taking advantage of some great opportunities presented to her in the Alexandria area. She's taken a large number of AP courses, and scored fives on all of them. I'd say her experience was anything but "bad." And she's got friends who also had a great time who've been accepted at Stanford, Penn, Columbia, Virginia (Echols scholars), MIT, Princeton, William and Mary, Georgetown, Smith, Oberlin, Chicago, and many more great schools. And the best thing about their experience is that they've really loved high school, almost without exception.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Children go to MacArthur. They're going to GW. Remember, middle school sucks for everyone. If you are an active parent with capable children, you will do fine.

Your kidding yourself. Really you are.

You can be super involved and active but that doesn't matter when the kids in the class barely do work and disrupt class over and over. There are way too many kids with problems and issues that are going to flood the middle school. Realize that with the exception of maybe 3 or 4 elementary schools in the City, the remaining schools are all failing schools like - 1 and 2 on the greatschools rating.

I can guarantee you don't have kids currently at GW or TC. Yes, there are issues. Yes, sending your kid there is in some ways more complicated than private, and not for every kid. But I would recommend anyone researching this issue talk to some parents who have actual experience with the schools. OP, if you're in Rosemont, talk to your neighbors. There are some irrational GW and TC haters on this board (I'm not saying there aren't legitimate issues with these schools, just that there seem to be a couple posters who are not rational in their dislike of them) that skew every thread like this with answers like the ones above.

\

I have talked to parents with kids at GW, Hammond and TC. I also have talked to graduating seniors from TC. Universally, the parents and students report a bad experience.

We are zoned for Mason even though Maury is closer to us (we are a block from Lloyd's Lane). I wouldn't try to get DS into Maury if we're already in Mason automatically since Mason has a good reputation.

Agree as well. Both of my DCs went through Mason and are in GW and we and they are happy with the school. Many, many really involved families and many great teachers, programs, etc. I'm always amazed at all the negativity about GW and TC. Many families at Mason chose GW; believe me, not everyone is fleeing or wants to.

By the way, Mason is a great school but from what I hear Maury is, too - aren't you considering that if you live in Rosemont?

Anonymous wrote:Children go to MacArthur. They're going to GW. Remember, middle school sucks for everyone. If you are an active parent with capable children, you will do fine.

Agreed. We heard that GW was like the South Sudan, with heavily armed child soldiers disrupting remedial classes. All the kids there, we were told, would wind up pregnant and living in boxes by high school. We didn;t believe it, we enrolled in GW, and we were right. Middle school is difficult and undignified. Unless you're in one of those $90,000 p.a. Swiss schools, it will be awkward at times. But academically GW open-honors has been generally good (spectacular in a few departments), the general atmosphere is actually relatively calm and civil, and I think our DC has very nice, fun, supportive friends. Call GW and set up a visit and a tour.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Children go to MacArthur. They're going to GW. Remember, middle school sucks for everyone. If you are an active parent with capable children, you will do fine.

Your kidding yourself. Really you are.

You can be super involved and active but that doesn't matter when the kids in the class barely do work and disrupt class over and over. There are way too many kids with problems and issues that are going to flood the middle school. Realize that with the exception of maybe 3 or 4 elementary schools in the City, the remaining schools are all failing schools like - 1 and 2 on the greatschools rating.

Time to return to your conserva-coma on the cul-de-sac, cracker.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Children go to MacArthur. They're going to GW. Remember, middle school sucks for everyone. If you are an active parent with capable children, you will do fine.

Your kidding yourself. Really you are.

You can be super involved and active but that doesn't matter when the kids in the class barely do work and disrupt class over and over. There are way too many kids with problems and issues that are going to flood the middle school. Realize that with the exception of maybe 3 or 4 elementary schools in the City, the remaining schools are all failing schools like - 1 and 2 on the greatschools rating.

I can guarantee you don't have kids currently at GW or TC. Yes, there are issues. Yes, sending your kid there is in some ways more complicated than private, and not for every kid. But I would recommend anyone researching this issue talk to some parents who have actual experience with the schools. OP, if you're in Rosemont, talk to your neighbors. There are some irrational GW and TC haters on this board (I'm not saying there aren't legitimate issues with these schools, just that there seem to be a couple posters who are not rational in their dislike of them) that skew every thread like this with answers like the ones above.

Anonymous wrote:Children go to MacArthur. They're going to GW. Remember, middle school sucks for everyone. If you are an active parent with capable children, you will do fine.

Your kidding yourself. Really you are.

You can be super involved and active but that doesn't matter when the kids in the class barely do work and disrupt class over and over. There are way too many kids with problems and issues that are going to flood the middle school. Realize that with the exception of maybe 3 or 4 elementary schools in the City, the remaining schools are all failing schools like - 1 and 2 on the greatschools rating.

Children go to MacArthur. They're going to GW. Remember, middle school sucks for everyone. If you are an active parent with capable children, you will do fine.

We are at Charles Barrett. We will go private for middle school - if not before.

Btw there has been talk about re-merging the middle schools.

Would love to hear thoughts on this issue. We are in exact same boat but DD older.

We currently live in Rosemont and have heard good things about George Mason Elementary. Our son is 2 1/2 right now so we have a few more years until he starts elementary school, but I am curious what people do after elementary school since the middle school and high school are not rated as well. Do you move to private school, move to another district, or continue at ACPS?