Classic DCUM. A thread asking about Landon devolves into bashing STA.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks to everyone for their input. My son has had a wonderful educational experience at Landon thus far. He has many years before he reaches the Upper School. This topic concerns me because we have very high college aspirations for him. I hope the school can help him achieve them...

Define top aspirations. Remember you are competing against both kids at your own school and many other schools. Top colleges, as you define them, only will take so many students from each school so you may need to change your expectations and the pressures you put on your kids. They can go to a good school and still do very well in life. You want your kids to get the very best education they can and one that they are happy at and meets their needs.

One issue to see is what is their math and science track. We have a kid in Algebra younger. We took a prep class, which was excellent this summer but they offered the prep class but not the actual class for younger students. There is absolutely no reason to push kids ahead in less they want to and are ready but if your goal is to really push them, at any school public or private, you need to look at the options available.

A happy well adjusted kid who is thriving at school has always been our priority when we move between public and private.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks to everyone for their input. My son has had a wonderful educational experience at Landon thus far. He has many years before he reaches the Upper School. This topic concerns me because we have very high college aspirations for him. I hope the school can help him achieve them...

I recommend you tour other schools in the area to get a sense of whether you think your son would benefit from a transition for HS (or MS if not there yet). You can always apply out but choose to stay (but I recommend you only do that once...since second time around, not likely to be accepted if you rejected an earlier offer).

Anonymous wrote:NP here. I don't think the PP was being combative. Just pointing out a fact. The poster has no children at STA. Only toured there and got a feeling. So, what is STA leans center right? Who cares. No one bashes Sidwell, GDS or Maret for being left leaning.

First - I'm the PP and we have no children at STA because the child didn't like the environment there. No grudges or judgement, as many of his friends DID like it, applied, and go there. We are very close friends with these families and I'm sorry, but I think I can take their word when they describe their experiences. Some are conservative and some aren't - but they all describe it in the same way.

Second - people ABSOLUTELY bash Sidwell, GDS, and Maret for being left-leaning on DCUM. (especially GDS)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks to everyone for their input. My son has had a wonderful educational experience at Landon thus far. He has many years before he reaches the Upper School. This topic concerns me because we have very high college aspirations for him. I hope the school can help him achieve them...

It sounds like you are are already setting yourself up for disappointment. You have your kid's college list picked out before he enters HS? And you think it's the school's job to get you in? Does your son share these aspirations? Even if he does, at some point he will resent you for mapping out his life and boxing him in.

Colleges are not picked out yet. We have high expectations, and he has them for himself, as well. How did you jump to us mapping out his life for him? Strange.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks to everyone for their input. My son has had a wonderful educational experience at Landon thus far. He has many years before he reaches the Upper School. This topic concerns me because we have very high college aspirations for him. I hope the school can help him achieve them...

It sounds like you are are already setting yourself up for disappointment. You have your kid's college list picked out before he enters HS? And you think it's the school's job to get you in? Does your son share these aspirations? Even if he does, at some point he will resent you for mapping out his life and boxing him in.

Much more about the kid than the school....those days are over.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks to everyone for their input. My son has had a wonderful educational experience at Landon thus far. He has many years before he reaches the Upper School. This topic concerns me because we have very high college aspirations for him. I hope the school can help him achieve them...

It sounds like you are are already setting yourself up for disappointment. You have your kid's college list picked out before he enters HS? And you think it's the school's job to get you in? Does your son share these aspirations? Even if he does, at some point he will resent you for mapping out his life and boxing him in.

OP here. Thanks to everyone for their input. My son has had a wonderful educational experience at Landon thus far. He has many years before he reaches the Upper School. This topic concerns me because we have very high college aspirations for him. I hope the school can help him achieve them...

Anonymous wrote:My son left after 2 years in the US but not because of the quality of the education. The culture of the school skews toward a White, Republican crowd, and my son who is neither White nor Republican just felt on the periphery. He had friends and was actively involved in multiple sports, but he just wasn't the quintessential Landon boy.
The quality of the education is good, however. The school educates boys -- it's not just a holding tank for jocks.

Not our experience. We are white, but my kid's peers are very diverse racially. We are not Republican, and the mix seems to be a healthy one that promotes debate and conversation on both sides. Much preferable, actually, to my other child's more politically homogeneous school!

Anonymous wrote:I agree. Keep your judgments too yourself. Send your children where you desire. MYOB people.

Whoops "to".

I agree. Keep your judgments too yourself. Send your children where you desire. MYOB people.

Anonymous wrote:NP here. I don't think the PP was being combative. Just pointing out a fact. The poster has no children at STA. Only toured there and got a feeling. So, what is STA leans center right? Who cares. No one bashes Sidwell, GDS or Maret for being left leaning.

=if

NP here. I don't think the PP was being combative. Just pointing out a fact. The poster has no children at STA. Only toured there and got a feeling. So, what is STA leans center right? Who cares. No one bashes Sidwell, GDS or Maret for being left leaning.

Anonymous wrote:Anther poster who has no children at STA. Just going on "feelings"

DP. Why must you be so combative. You give STA parents a bad rep with these posts. Please stop. I am a new poster with sons at STA and it yes it does skew very conservative in both of the grades we are in. We are conservative btw.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They've sent kids to Harvard. The education is not sub-par.

Well, every school has sent kids to Harvard.

Subpar is one word, no hyphen.

It will take many years for Landon and the newish HOS to overcome the school's terrible reputation, which includes a lot of bad boys, tacky families, a massive cheating scandal, and an alumnus who murdered his girlfriend at college. When the new HOS started, he accepted every mediocre kid from his previous school.

Landon is a special place. The newer HOS (already been there 5 years) has made tremendous efforts with the strategic plan. The PP is a troll trying to bring down Landon's current reputation with ancient stories.

I agree completely. We have no ties to its past and it doesn't inform our experience at all. The HoS is stellar.