Anonymous wrote:Private: Uniforms, spoiled kids, higher HHI with often a single earner and a SAH parent; club sports, travel lacrosse participation; travel (any sport) participation; big trips for most breaks; kids not as quick to grow up (girls don't wear makeup or questionable clothing); lack of socioeconomic and racial diversity, with the exception of children of Asian MDs.

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Anonymous wrote:I don't know how your kid mingling with some of the dregs of society helps "build character" or whatever DCPS parents try to spin. DCPS parents bend over backwards to rationalize their choice but if they had the dough we all know their kids would be in privates. If you have the means there is no more fulfilling way to spend your money than a quality private education.

Dregs of society? Looks like you could do with some character-building yourself.

PS. Don't come back here crying when your kid's rich private school classmate sells him coke.

Anonymous wrote:I don't know how your kid mingling with some of the dregs of society helps "build character" or whatever DCPS parents try to spin. DCPS parents bend over backwards to rationalize their choice but if they had the dough we all know their kids would be in privates. If you have the means there is no more fulfilling way to spend your money than a quality private education.

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Anonymous wrote:I am a longtime primary grade teacher in MCPS and I am looking for a "different" experience for my son for kindergarten next year. Different meaning something more developmentally appropriate--more play, maybe rest/quiet time for a few minutes in the afternoon, less "rigor". I LOVE my job, but just know that if I can afford it, I'd like something different for my kids. (Do I wish that I could change the system for all the kids in public school? Sure! But nobody is asking me what I think!)

So...are private schools any different in the younger grades? Or is there a lot of academic push there too? We are definitely planning to do the open houses this fall but just curious what the general thought about it is here.

Yes definitely different. One major way is the studio to teacher ratio. Many public schools have 30 children with one teacher. Privates have a lower ratio and can break up into groups. Public school has a much larger range generally speaking of academic abilities and behavioral abilities and this makes it challenging at times to teach. Not saying these are not at privates but not nearly as many students falling into this category. Many other differences I can't elaborate on.

Where is this true?

Most public schools have close to 30 kids per class after 2nd grade; some high school classes exceed that number.

Not around here.

Yes, around here. I'm a FCPS teacher and I routinely have 30+ students in my classes. The numbers look different because we often have a "coteacher"" who is actually a resource teacher managing the insane numbers of IEPs. But those people aren't really co-teaching. They are handling paperwork. So maybe it looks like a 17-1 student teacher ratio, but I am responsible for all 34 of my students.

In DC, the public school classes are smaller than that, as is the actual student teacher ratio. Even in an off year where a class gets over 25, the schools make arrangements to keep the ratio low.

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Anonymous wrote:I am a longtime primary grade teacher in MCPS and I am looking for a "different" experience for my son for kindergarten next year. Different meaning something more developmentally appropriate--more play, maybe rest/quiet time for a few minutes in the afternoon, less "rigor". I LOVE my job, but just know that if I can afford it, I'd like something different for my kids. (Do I wish that I could change the system for all the kids in public school? Sure! But nobody is asking me what I think!)

So...are private schools any different in the younger grades? Or is there a lot of academic push there too? We are definitely planning to do the open houses this fall but just curious what the general thought about it is here.

Yes definitely different. One major way is the studio to teacher ratio. Many public schools have 30 children with one teacher. Privates have a lower ratio and can break up into groups. Public school has a much larger range generally speaking of academic abilities and behavioral abilities and this makes it challenging at times to teach. Not saying these are not at privates but not nearly as many students falling into this category. Many other differences I can't elaborate on.

Where is this true?

Most public schools have close to 30 kids per class after 2nd grade; some high school classes exceed that number.

Not around here.

Yes, around here. I'm a FCPS teacher and I routinely have 30+ students in my classes. The numbers look different because we often have a "coteacher"" who is actually a resource teacher managing the insane numbers of IEPs. But those people aren't really co-teaching. They are handling paperwork. So maybe it looks like a 17-1 student teacher ratio, but I am responsible for all 34 of my students.

Anonymous wrote:Get your child into private early rather than later. Honestly the private school lifer crowd has deep friendships that make it hard to penetrate past teens. A lot of private school students are best friends from primary school through adulthood and it's not surprising for most of the best men to be friends from primary school.

Anonymous wrote:YES!! in the dc metropolitan area it is WAY WORSE for your child's emotional stamina and confidence than public school, where point for point DCPS kids gain acceptance to equal if not more prestigious colleges and universities. Spare the kids the pain and spare yourselves the $$$. Go public.