Anonymous
Post 07/13/2010 11:14     Subject: To those who struggled to send their kids to a Big 3-like school - did it turn out to be "worth it."
Maybe it's time to report this troll or these trolls to Jeff. Unless they answer SAM2 with something that validates their posts.

If somebody who doesn't have kids at a school identifies their post as either anecdotal or second-hand, that's OK with me. For example, saying "I know x number of families at the school and their experience is..." is evidence of a sort. But a post that implies that you *know for sure*, when you don't, is misleading.
SAM2
Post 07/13/2010 11:04     Subject: To those who struggled to send their kids to a Big 3-like school - did it turn out to be "worth it."
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Same post could be written about Sidwell, esp. the part about the LS and MS resting on the reputation of the US.

Actually, I think it's more true of Sidwell than GDS wrt the Lower School.

Sorry to butt in here, but do either of you have any basis for your claims about GDS & Sidwell lower and middle schools being less strong than the upper schools? I've seen similar claims on DCUM a few times in the past but no one ever backs them up with much support, so it's impossible to judge whether the comments are valid or just pure snark. I've never been able to prove/disprove them with research. The closest I've come is finding some reports on how different middle school students (6th-8th) fare in math contests. Here is a link to a report from 2009-10: http://www.themathleague.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=125&Itemid=84 (follow the Maryland link). It seems Sidwell and several other area private schools are doing fine, but it doesn't look like all schools are part of the competition.

Do either of you have children at these schools? If so, I guess that's valid anecdotal evidence, for whatever that's worth.

Thanks for your responses. Sorry to distract further from the discussion.
Anonymous
Post 07/13/2010 10:59     Subject: Re:To those who struggled to send their kids to a Big 3-like school - did it turn out to be "worth i
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We are at a Big 3 school. We have been disappointed with our experience so far. Teachers have been not been of high quality, administration has been unresponsive. When we started asking around, it turned out that there were other disappointed parents. There are also a lot of uninvolved parents who don't notice how bad the teachers were. These parents show up for events but aren't thinking about their kid. There are parents who don't dare complain about the teachers, even in their own heads, because they think public school is just a terrible choice for various reasons. And I will say that the school really does seem to work for some kids and families, so everyone is not disappointed. Trying to figure out what to do about all this!


``These parents show up for events but aren't thinking about their kid. There are parents who don't dare complain about the teachers, even in their own heads, because they think public school is just a terrible choice for various reasons.''

How do you know what people are thinking about at events and are denying ``even in their own heads''

I know what you are thinking now. I know who you are.
Anonymous
Post 07/13/2010 10:30     Subject: To those who struggled to send their kids to a Big 3-like school - did it turn out to be "worth it."
Anonymous wrote:Same post could be written about Sidwell, esp. the part about the LS and MS resting on the reputation of the US.


Actually, I think it's more true of Sidwell than GDS wrt the Lower School.

And no one said the middle school at GDS was coasting. It may be the most impressive part of GDS. Not that it's downhill after MS but just that it's much easier to pull off a great HS than a great MS.
Anonymous
Post 07/13/2010 10:27     Subject: To those who struggled to send their kids to a Big 3-like school - did it turn out to be "worth it."
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:the new head at gds has three children, two in the lower school. i think the lower school will be amazing next year. can't wait.


He can't make it amazing just with his presence. He will first need to replace some key staff and create an attitudinal shift.


I think that the lower school at GDS is already quite good and that faculty hires in recent years having generally been very strong. And I don't see an attitudnal problem among the teachers.

RE communication I'm not sure that the problem is bad communication as opposed to resistance to doing certain things some parents want done. When you aren't going to get what you want out of the lower school, rather than a clear statement to that effect (We hear you; we disagree; we won't be doing what you ask) what you tend to get is stonewalling. Which generally creates at least some period during which you wonder whether they're listening and/or what, if anything, they're doing.

Otherwise, in my experience, there's plenty of school-initiated communication generally (re what the kids are doing and why), as well as outreach when the school thinks that a kid has a problem. Of course, sometimes parents see problems (or have concerns) that the school doesn't see, in which case, the communication has to be parent-initiated. (And, of course, in that situation there's always the risk that the school doesn't agree with the parent's assessment, which lands us back in the scenario described above.)

I've generally gotten quick/responsive feedback when I've initiated, although I tend to back off when I see that I'm not going to get what I'm after from the school. In one case, there was no direct feedback, but subsequent events suggested that the teacher probably listened and ultimately ended up on the same page as I was, but wanted time to process independently rather than to discuss.
Anonymous
Post 07/13/2010 09:40     Subject: To those who struggled to send their kids to a Big 3-like school - did it turn out to be "worth it."
My kid got beaten up at our private. The class bully saw DC as a potential rival for class "top dog" and hounded him through an entire year. The private was really unresponsive. That said, when we moved to public we had similar problems, or saw them happening for kids in other families.

Administrations in both public and private were fairly unresponsive, but for different reasons. In the private, they didn't want to rock the boat. In public, my reading was that they didn't have enough staff to deal, also they didn't have enough teachers or parent volunteers to monitor the playground.
Anonymous
Post 07/13/2010 08:34     Subject: Re:To those who struggled to send their kids to a Big 3-like school - did it turn out to be "worth i
This is the sort of thing people write about their public schools, but of course, they aren't paying $30,000. I don't get it.
Anonymous
Post 07/13/2010 08:27     Subject: To those who struggled to send their kids to a Big 3-like school - did it turn out to be "worth it."
Anonymous wrote:the new head at gds has three children, two in the lower school. i think the lower school will be amazing next year. can't wait.


He can't make it amazing just with his presence. He will first need to replace some key staff and create an attitudinal shift.
Anonymous
Post 07/13/2010 07:51     Subject: To those who struggled to send their kids to a Big 3-like school - did it turn out to be "worth it."
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Another GDS parent responding. I have more in common with the first poster, I'm afraid. We've had a lot of communication difficulties with the teacher and administration. It is true that they do call and email you back. I think the content leaves a lot to be desired though. I also found our teachers to be fine until there were more serious things to discuss. I think its somewhat well known that GDS is not focused on making parents happy. That can mean different things to different people. The lower school has also become somewhat lazy and is resting on the laurels of the upper school. There is hope that the new head will shake things up positively and will set a new tone of engagement and respectful communication.


Same post could be written about Sidwell, esp. the part about the LS and MS resting on the reputation of the US.
Anonymous
Post 07/13/2010 07:41     Subject: To those who struggled to send their kids to a Big 3-like school - did it turn out to be "worth it."
I agree. Our son has attended GDS for a few years. Last year, we drove by our local public school and two boys were banging a third boy into a fence. There was no teacher around and by the time I turned the car around, school had started. The number of students to teachers is growing each year at our local public and I worry. It is definitely worth it. The teachers at GDS are invested in creating respectful adults and our DS is excited to return to school.
Anonymous
Post 07/13/2010 06:43     Subject: To those who struggled to send their kids to a Big 3-like school - did it turn out to be "worth it."
the new head at gds has three children, two in the lower school. i think the lower school will be amazing next year. can't wait.
Anonymous
Post 07/13/2010 06:39     Subject: To those who struggled to send their kids to a Big 3-like school - did it turn out to be "worth it."
Anonymous wrote:The lower school has also become somewhat lazy and is resting on the laurels of the upper school.


What makes you say that -- i.e. what do you think that the LS is neglecting to do or not doing well?
Anonymous
Post 07/12/2010 23:26     Subject: To those who struggled to send their kids to a Big 3-like school - did it turn out to be "worth it."
JKLM = Janney, Key, Lafayette, Mann, Murch -- the affluent upper NW DCPS elementary schools that draw primarily from their neighborhoods.
Anonymous
Post 07/12/2010 23:20     Subject: Re:To those who struggled to send their kids to a Big 3-like school - did it turn out to be "worth i
Most often, when people mention a "Big 3" school, they are referring to the Cathedral Schools, GDS/Maret and Sidwell. I have no idea what JKLM is

Anonymous wrote:what is a big 3 school? What is JKLM?
Anonymous
Post 07/12/2010 23:03     Subject: To those who struggled to send their kids to a Big 3-like school - did it turn out to be "worth it."
Anonymous wrote:GDS parent here. I find no communication problems with the school and teachers. I find the teachers accessible, via telephone, in person or email, even the head of school is available. What I find head-scratching is why you have experienced such poor communication. Maybe you are not reaching out?


Another GDS parent responding. I have more in common with the first poster, I'm afraid. We've had a lot of communication difficulties with the teacher and administration. It is true that they do call and email you back. I think the content leaves a lot to be desired though. I also found our teachers to be fine until there were more serious things to discuss. I think its somewhat well known that GDS is not focused on making parents happy. That can mean different things to different people. The lower school has also become somewhat lazy and is resting on the laurels of the upper school. There is hope that the new head will shake things up positively and will set a new tone of engagement and respectful communication.