Anonymous wrote:what is the "white elephant?" Why mention Sidwell at all? Not possible to answer the question without naming another school?

Sounds like they were asked why they chose GDS over the other schools. Given that they are in HS, they probably answered with a contrast/comparison response. Perhaps in a few years they would only focus on why GDS as opposed to why not the other. But they are in HS, not prepping for an interview in BigLaw.

"Yes, my 2 SFS grads were well prepared for college, but your verb choice -- "forces" rather than "teaches" -- says a lot"

Excactly. My son was "forced" to be organized. It wasn't always pleasant. But at the end of the day, I congratulate Sidwell on getting him organized. We couldn't do it and now it's paying off.

For PreK this year, DD was admitted to both. And we loved both! We choose Sidwell though. Not because Sidwell is better but because it was a better fit for my DD and our family. Although this board is helpful, parents should do their homework and make the best decision for their kid and family (don't let strangers influence you from this site - me included!)

I have an A-type personality and Sidwell seemed like a tighter outfit. GDS seemed like "organized confusion" with hallways that were loud, classrooms that were messy and students who were "learning" in a looser environment. That's just my observation! No disrespect to GDS or anyone who sends their kid there.

To the OP, you have TWO Golden Tickets so you can't lose. Just don't be influenced by folks on this site. Good luck and I will see you at a play date this summer! Go Quakers!

Honestly, college doesn't put the kind of workload pressure on students that these high schools do. It's not hard to manage your time in college -- you have a lot of control, fewer courses, much less time spent in the classroom, a
minimal logistics (food, transportation), and you're functioning as an individual rather than a family member.

A simple speed reading course would probably do more to help kids manage college than the stress and overload we're subjecting them to in HS these days. It breeds cynicism and burnout and low self-esteem at a point where that's totally uncalled for and at an age where kids are impulsive and emotionally volatile.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell forces kids to be organized. Saved my kid in college

Yes, my 2 SFS grads were well prepared for college, but your verb choice -- "forces" rather than "teaches" -- says a lot.

+1 I thought exactly the same when I read that post.

DBQ = document-based question -- a format used on Advanced Placement history exams where kids are given snippets of various texts and then have less than an hour to answer a question based primarily but not exclusively on those resources.

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for asking that! Hadn't realized how it might be interpreted. I didn't mean nebulous due dates or vague assignments.

By open-ended I mean a topic that could elicit an excellent Masters' thesis or that could be written like a DBQ once the relevant texts had been chosen/read. Or elementary school assignments in which one kid ends up trying to figure out Socrates's allegory of the cave while another is researching/ drawing hairstyles in classical Greece. There's a real "choose your own adventure" quality to instruction at GDS. And a commitment to meeting kids where they're at and helping them get to where they're trying to go.

Got it. Nicely put.

Thanks for asking that! Hadn't realized how it might be interpreted. I didn't mean nebulous due dates or vague assignments.

By open-ended I mean a topic that could elicit an excellent Masters' thesis or that could be written like a DBQ once the relevant texts had been chosen/read. Or elementary school assignments in which one kid ends up trying to figure out Socrates's allegory of the cave while another is researching/ drawing hairstyles in classical Greece. There's a real "choose your own adventure" quality to instruction at GDS. And a commitment to meeting kids where they're at and helping them get to where they're trying to go.

You might find this thread from a few years ago helpful:

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/153918.page

Anonymous wrote:Depends on the kid. One thing to think about is how s/he reacts to sky's the limit assignments. And whether s/he coasts when assignments are open-ended. This is a defining aspect of GDS, IMO. There are kids who thrive under that regime, kids who slack, kids who obsess, and kids who don't even notice.

I think GDS has a solid floor -- no one gets out of there uneducated! -- and no ceiling. Which means that how stressful and how challenging it is depends a lot on a kid's personality and motivation.

In what sense are assignments at GDS HS open ended? My kids went there, and the assignments that I was aware of were clearly defined and had fixed due dates, just like assignments anywhere else, so while I'm not saying you are wrong, I'm not sure what you mean or what you may have noticed that I missed.

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell forces kids to be organized. Saved my kid in college

Yes, my 2 SFS grads were well prepared for college, but your verb choice -- "forces" rather than "teaches" -- says a lot.

As a GDS parent, I find the Harvard comments pretty silly. And, of course, there is no way of verifying the source or veracity of those comments.

I will say, however, that the comments about the sounds of pure joy and happiness ring true to me. It's by no means a quiet and "proper" school, so if that is what you are looking for, you will be sorely disappointed. For those parents who want an environment where kids' exuberance and excellence are not viewed as at odds with one another, then it may very well be the school for you. It's also a place where teachers and administrators work extremely hard to instill a sense of social justice into the community and the curriculum, so if that appeals to you, I would also recommend GDS.

Both schools are excellent, so you will very likely be happy with either choice. Good luck.

Agree with PP. Ignore the endless bragging about GDS college acceptances.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have a similar choice to make. I went to the talkat GDS and have to say what impressed me most was the kids. They really own thenplace and they are very happy. One of my other kids went to a big three and got a great education. Joy? Not so much.

The kids and their passion for learning was what impressed me the most about GDS as well (LS in our case). The fifth grades were amazing, so nice, happy about the school and about their teachers, so passionate about learning. As I said, very impressive. The principal's speech was awesome too. Well, in fact, I liked everything!

GDS is awesome! And the graduating seniors usually turn in an amazing performance in being admitted to Harvard and other top Ivy schools.

Pay no mind, this is just the "GDS" CAT* again (*college acceptance troll). Some nut with too much time on his/her hands who trolls every GDS-related thread and makes comments like this about Harvard. Almost certainly not GDS-affiliated because the comments are so obnoxious. People always react to them, though, so the CAT keeps on comin' round.

Boy am I tired of the "GDS sends more kids to Harvard" poster And the fact that this is a claim I've never heard made at GDS makes me wonder whether this poster is just being deliberately annoying. She's omnipresent here but invisible there and I spend more time there than here.