Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes we are zoned for One of these and went private.

Very poor handling of pandemic education.

Poor communication between home and school.

Hard to get on the sports teams unless you are top athlete.

Bureaucratic approaches that lack common sense.

Academics and writing more rigorous so we fell student will be better prepared for college.

We prefer private although college outcomes are probably similar or better at the public due to grade inflation.

Our DC prefers private.

Same here, all of the above reasons. Will stay and graduate from private

No snark but I would really like to know what private has better academics and more specifically writing than public here. That was touted at my child’s school and it is not better and has a reputation of a well-respected private.

This is the only area I have lived in that people actually think publcs are any good. It is shocking to me.

NP. It is a peculiarly DC area thing. I think it’s because there are so many people with government ties here. They are very invested in this belief. Even Massachusetts parents don’t sound like this.

Thank you! You provided an interesting answer. I have lived/traveled all over the US, and while the vast majority of people could never afford private-- they certainly don't brag about their public schools.

It’s definitely a little weird. The odd thing is that many DC area parents persist with this belief even in the face of educational data. The belief in the universal excellence of the public schools in the DC area is not always tethered to reality.

Neither is the belief in the universal excellence of the private schools in the DC area (or other areas)always tethered to reality.

+1. Everyone here thinks their private is outstanding and don’t dare say otherwise.

I'm sorry, did you miss the previous ELEVEN PAGES filled with someone's gripes about their kid's school?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes we are zoned for One of these and went private.

Very poor handling of pandemic education.

Poor communication between home and school.

Hard to get on the sports teams unless you are top athlete.

Bureaucratic approaches that lack common sense.

Academics and writing more rigorous so we fell student will be better prepared for college.

We prefer private although college outcomes are probably similar or better at the public due to grade inflation.

Our DC prefers private.

Same here, all of the above reasons. Will stay and graduate from private

No snark but I would really like to know what private has better academics and more specifically writing than public here. That was touted at my child’s school and it is not better and has a reputation of a well-respected private.

This is the only area I have lived in that people actually think publcs are any good. It is shocking to me.

NP. It is a peculiarly DC area thing. I think it’s because there are so many people with government ties here. They are very invested in this belief. Even Massachusetts parents don’t sound like this.

Thank you! You provided an interesting answer. I have lived/traveled all over the US, and while the vast majority of people could never afford private-- they certainly don't brag about their public schools.

It’s definitely a little weird. The odd thing is that many DC area parents persist with this belief even in the face of educational data. The belief in the universal excellence of the public schools in the DC area is not always tethered to reality.

Neither is the belief in the universal excellence of the private schools in the DC area (or other areas)always tethered to reality.

But nobody is saying that. What PP observed is that the DC area is a little weird in the insistence on how good the public schools are. Even in other areas of the country where there are public schools that are good, parents don’t talk the way DC parents do about the public schools. It is a little weird tbh.

I live in a city with very poor public schools that is right next to a city with very good public schools. I also grew up in a city (on the west coast) with very poor public schools that was right next to a city with very good public schools.

In both cases, the cities with poor public schools have a plethora of private schools, and the cities with good public schools have fewer or no private schools.

In DC, you have both good public schools AND a ton of private schools, so I think it makes for more defensive posturing on the part of BOTH sets of parents - those who send their kids to public and those who send their kids to private.

My parents never had to "justify" sending me to private school. No one ever questioned why they did it, because clearly our public schools weren't a good choice. I have also never had anyone question why I send my kids to private, given our local public schools. But on DCUM and probably in the DMV in real life as well, the choice between a good public and a private is a closer call so people are questioned more so they are more defensive.

That's just my two cents. I could be wrong.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes we are zoned for One of these and went private.

Very poor handling of pandemic education.

Poor communication between home and school.

Hard to get on the sports teams unless you are top athlete.

Bureaucratic approaches that lack common sense.

Academics and writing more rigorous so we fell student will be better prepared for college.

We prefer private although college outcomes are probably similar or better at the public due to grade inflation.

Our DC prefers private.

Same here, all of the above reasons. Will stay and graduate from private

No snark but I would really like to know what private has better academics and more specifically writing than public here. That was touted at my child’s school and it is not better and has a reputation of a well-respected private.

This is the only area I have lived in that people actually think publcs are any good. It is shocking to me.

NP. It is a peculiarly DC area thing. I think it’s because there are so many people with government ties here. They are very invested in this belief. Even Massachusetts parents don’t sound like this.

Thank you! You provided an interesting answer. I have lived/traveled all over the US, and while the vast majority of people could never afford private-- they certainly don't brag about their public schools.

It’s definitely a little weird. The odd thing is that many DC area parents persist with this belief even in the face of educational data. The belief in the universal excellence of the public schools in the DC area is not always tethered to reality.

Neither is the belief in the universal excellence of the private schools in the DC area (or other areas)always tethered to reality.

But nobody is saying that. What PP observed is that the DC area is a little weird in the insistence on how good the public schools are. Even in other areas of the country where there are public schools that are good, parents don’t talk the way DC parents do about the public schools. It is a little weird tbh.

Indeed!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s really hard to say academically which one is better. I posted previously and I’ll amend it. I will say Wootton offers harder classes. By far. However, the class sizes are also larger and kids fall through the cracks. My kid got some as and clearly did not know what is going on in the class. Privates are smaller classes, move slower and maybe not progress as fast, but fewer kids fall through the cracks. My private kid for example learned Algebra thoroughly whereas MCPS I felt just tries to push them through as fast as possible in math. I personally would rather move slower and really understand it. Some kids can do both. Mine couldn’t.

+ 1 Spot on with breadth Vs. depth. Most of the time my kids were in MCPS, it felt like they rushed through the curriculum. Since No Child Left Behind, it became very rote with too much testing. My naturally inquisitive kids became bored and jaded. We found a private K-8 where they quickly came to love school again. We were even able to take our child off of anxiety meds. Private schools just focus more on the kids versus bureaucracy. It’s more like public was back in the 70s and 80s in Mass, NY, and NJ, three top school systems.

This was my husband (MCPS) and me (private). Hence why we sent our kids to private. We're in VA so they don't go to the terrible horrible no good very bad school in DC that someone keeps griping about but we love our school and haven't regretted a penny of tuition we've paid. And no, we don't have inherited wealth, we both work to pay tuition.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree many parents have cause to be unhappy with their private school.

However, angry poster above is notorious for hijacking threats and sock puppeting to such a degree the DCUM mod has had to occasion to delete her posts.

It is ironic that her negative posts have prompted more positive responses about the school then probably would have otherwise been posted.

No school is a good fit for every student. Fortunately for all concerned, she seems to have realized this and is changing schools next year.

This must be the assumptive post who “knows” that only one person is unhappy and no other unhappy parents posts on here. The irony is this poster is exactly like the poster they complain about.

NP. The problem with the poster that PP identifies is that they post so prolifically that it’s hard to know if there are others with similar views. It’s naive to think there aren’t but one starts to wonder if it’s the same poster repeating their complaints. The poster does actually does a disservice to those who may want insight because it now sounds like all the complaints are coming from the same person.

NP. I agree with this. I can spot that poster from a mile away. The obsession is real.

And I don’t even live in the DC area. I only opened this thread because it kept coming up in Recent Topics and I was curious as to why. I should have guessed it was the crazy obsessed poster. Idk, I feel like that poster is not really doing DC area public school parents any favors. The private school is probably so relieved they are leaving.

You know nothing about the schools, you don’t live here, you don’t know who any poster is, you don’t know if someone is leaving a school, or if a school is happy someone is leaving. It seems to me you are the crazy obsessed poster. You are also not doing DC public school parents any favors.

OMG, you are so transparent. NP.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree many parents have cause to be unhappy with their private school.

However, angry poster above is notorious for hijacking threats and sock puppeting to such a degree the DCUM mod has had to occasion to delete her posts.

It is ironic that her negative posts have prompted more positive responses about the school then probably would have otherwise been posted.

No school is a good fit for every student. Fortunately for all concerned, she seems to have realized this and is changing schools next year.

This must be the assumptive post who “knows” that only one person is unhappy and no other unhappy parents posts on here. The irony is this poster is exactly like the poster they complain about.

NP. The problem with the poster that PP identifies is that they post so prolifically that it’s hard to know if there are others with similar views. It’s naive to think there aren’t but one starts to wonder if it’s the same poster repeating their complaints. The poster does actually does a disservice to those who may want insight because it now sounds like all the complaints are coming from the same person.

This.

I come on DCUM sporadically and haven't been on much in a few weeks, and even I know who that person is. And reading through the thread you can tell it is the same person over and over again saying the same stuff. They even use the same words.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is a night and day comparison between top privates and these overcrowded public’s. MoCo public schools have been resting on their laurels for 15 years. If you have the means, and can get into one of the better privates in the area, do that.

We have been at one of the “better privates” and it hasn’t been better. Paying tuition for polish rather than academics that they successfully market to parents like myself who assume private has to be superior to public. Not so. Will return to public after foolishly wasting trusting that private has to be better.

Sorry it took you 2 years to realize that. I went private when MCPS was DL, I was so glad when MCPS announced they would be in-person the following year. I could not get back fast enough to MCPS. It was a waste of money I will never get back.
Not saying that there are not better privates, but not in the DMV.

So your kid has attended all privates in the DMV? Ok...

DC attends one of the highest rated in the area and it’s okay compared to mcps. Don’t think pp you sounded off to needs to attend all to learn this.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is a night and day comparison between top privates and these overcrowded public’s. MoCo public schools have been resting on their laurels for 15 years. If you have the means, and can get into one of the better privates in the area, do that.

We have been at one of the “better privates” and it hasn’t been better. Paying tuition for polish rather than academics that they successfully market to parents like myself who assume private has to be superior to public. Not so. Will return to public after foolishly wasting trusting that private has to be better.

Sorry it took you 2 years to realize that. I went private when MCPS was DL, I was so glad when MCPS announced they would be in-person the following year. I could not get back fast enough to MCPS. It was a waste of money I will never get back.
Not saying that there are not better privates, but not in the DMV.

So your kid has attended all privates in the DMV? Ok...

Weak counter.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is a night and day comparison between top privates and these overcrowded public’s. MoCo public schools have been resting on their laurels for 15 years. If you have the means, and can get into one of the better privates in the area, do that.

We have been at one of the “better privates” and it hasn’t been better. Paying tuition for polish rather than academics that they successfully market to parents like myself who assume private has to be superior to public. Not so. Will return to public after foolishly wasting trusting that private has to be better.

Sorry it took you 2 years to realize that. I went private when MCPS was DL, I was so glad when MCPS announced they would be in-person the following year. I could not get back fast enough to MCPS. It was a waste of money I will never get back.
Not saying that there are not better privates, but not in the DMV.

So your kid has attended all privates in the DMV? Ok...

Anonymous wrote:Guys, I think there are some haters and some overgeneralization. People who send their kids to private schools are not necessarily rich and showy. There are many unique things that private schools can offer like small class size, indivualized attention, IB programs, etc. We switched from the public school in MoCo to a private school not because I want to prove to anyone I have money (I am upper middle class not wealthy by any stretch), but I want certain things for my kids' education that are hard to get in the public system.

People have different preferences, and you know what you care about the most. But let's not judge those who send kids to private to justify your own choice of staying in public schools. No better or worse. It is a choice. When you can afford it, then you have two choices in front of you.

I do agree with you and many are pompous which irks people. Did you not see the insufferable posts about doing what the rich do, hence go to private?

Guys, I think there are some haters and some overgeneralization. People who send their kids to private schools are not necessarily rich and showy. There are many unique things that private schools can offer like small class size, indivualized attention, IB programs, etc. We switched from the public school in MoCo to a private school not because I want to prove to anyone I have money (I am upper middle class not wealthy by any stretch), but I want certain things for my kids' education that are hard to get in the public system.

People have different preferences, and you know what you care about the most. But let's not judge those who send kids to private to justify your own choice of staying in public schools. No better or worse. It is a choice. When you can afford it, then you have two choices in front of you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In a word, yes. It is very common for kids in these clusters to attend private schools.

Status is big in this area and private is one way to flaunt that. Even if it’s inferior, so long as it’s private.

You get what you pay for in life….if you want your kids to go to a school with 30+ kids per class, endless testing, central office bureaucracy, and very poor facilities—-your choice.

Yes, I pay for smaller class size and decent facility. That’s about all my tuition pays for. You think there’s no bureaucracy and testing out the wazoo in private? You would be in denial to believe that. You also are a fibber for dismissing the status factor if you are dumb as a box of rocks.

I don't know about all the private schools, but the statement: "You get what you pay for in life" is not always true. I use a Range Rover as an example. It's unreliable, but rich people like to buy it because it's expensive. It's a badge, nothing more. I can afford a Range Rover, but it's a stupid buy in terms of quality and has a poor ownership cost. But because rich people can afford to keep paying for repairs, that's why they can afford to buy it.

It’s embarrassing, therefore secure and wealthy people typically don’t buy items such as that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In a word, yes. It is very common for kids in these clusters to attend private schools.

Status is big in this area and private is one way to flaunt that. Even if it’s inferior, so long as it’s private.

You seem offended the wealthy are abandoning your beloved crowded public “w” school.

And the W schools are still better than any private school in the area.

I think tap water is as good as bottled water for your health.
But my opinion doesn’t matter for the customer who wants bottled water.
Your opinion doesn’t matter for people who want private education.
You should appreciate them for making the public schools less crowded.

As one who has children in both public in mcps and private here, I can honestly say that private is not as wonderful as thought it would and should be.
Especially considering the cost, I have frequently found it difficult to justify. Of course, there are few advantages but it’s so minimal. My neighbor send her children to Catholic school only because it’s Catholic, another neighbor has an image to keep up-academics is not their primary reason for private.
I believe what rouses many parents up on here is the automatic assumption that private is inherently better in contrast to public and that is just not always true as I unfortunately learned.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In a word, yes. It is very common for kids in these clusters to attend private schools.

Status is big in this area and private is one way to flaunt that. Even if it’s inferior, so long as it’s private.

You get what you pay for in life….if you want your kids to go to a school with 30+ kids per class, endless testing, central office bureaucracy, and very poor facilities—-your choice.

Yes, I pay for smaller class size and decent facility. That’s about all my tuition pays for. You think there’s no bureaucracy and testing out the wazoo in private? You would be in denial to believe that. You also are a fibber for dismissing the status factor if you are dumb as a box of rocks.

I don't know about all the private schools, but the statement: "You get what you pay for in life" is not always true. I use a Range Rover as an example. It's unreliable, but rich people like to buy it because it's expensive. It's a badge, nothing more. I can afford a Range Rover, but it's a stupid buy in terms of quality and has a poor ownership cost. But because rich people can afford to keep paying for repairs, that's why they can afford to buy it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In a word, yes. It is very common for kids in these clusters to attend private schools.

Status is big in this area and private is one way to flaunt that. Even if it’s inferior, so long as it’s private.

You seem offended the wealthy are abandoning your beloved crowded public “w” school.

And the W schools are still better than any private school in the area.

Sounds like the proletariat is insecure about the private schools that the bourgeois kids go to…jealousy based on class is not unique to the DC area.

You try too hard.