Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Am I really the only one so far, as of page 4, who understands that a lot of these DCPS "by choice" parents in actuality cannot readily afford $70,000 - $104,000 after tax for private school for 13 years?

Several acknowledged that. I am a Sidwell alum and we are public (MoCo) by choice so it's not a money thing for everyone.

Of course for all those people anxious to get their kids into Sidwell and other popular schools to put them on the path to the Ivy league and prosperity, what does it say when many of the alums can't afford to send their kids there?

Some of us also went to Ivy after prep school... and grad schools, etc yadi yada... so would like to do the same for our kids. Much harder to do than for our parents but that still doesn't assuage the guilt. My DH likes to joke that we are downwardly mobile...

Anonymous wrote:Am I really the only one so far, as of page 4, who understands that a lot of these DCPS "by choice" parents in actuality cannot readily afford $70,000 - $104,000 after tax for private school for 13 years?

Several acknowledged that. I am a Sidwell alum and we are public (MoCo) by choice so it's not a money thing for everyone.

Of course for all those people anxious to get their kids into Sidwell and other popular schools to put them on the path to the Ivy league and prosperity, what does it say when many of the alums can't afford to send their kids there?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Am I really the only one so far, as of page 4, who understands that a lot of these DCPS "by choice" parents in actuality cannot readily afford $70,000 - $104,000 after tax for private school for 13 years?

This good point has been mentioned in the other "when does private matter" thread. The costs of private school and college have probably quadrupled since we went to private school (for us it was the 80s), so it is definitely a factor for some.

Some? I can't think of a single person I knew in high school who sends their kids to a DC or NYC private school. The ones who could probably afford it chose not to have kids.

I went to Head Royce in the SF Bay Area and my DDs go to DCPS. Parents sent me to private school during HS for the academic challenge. Great academic experience at private - small classes, high expectations, beautiful facility, no stabbings in the locker rooms - but the kids who went there K-12 were really really sheltered.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC independent means a private school like Sidwell.

If you are asking about "DCI" - DC International School - that is a charter middle and high school starting in 2014 in the old Walter Reed campus by a consortium of immersion language charter schools. Do a search.

Doubt very very seriously it will start by 2014.

It most definitely will start by 2014, but not in the WR space.

Anonymous wrote:Am I really the only one so far, as of page 4, who understands that a lot of these DCPS "by choice" parents in actuality cannot readily afford $70,000 - $104,000 after tax for private school for 13 years?

This good point has been mentioned in the other "when does private matter" thread. The costs of private school and college have probably quadrupled since we went to private school (for us it was the 80s), so it is definitely a factor for some.

Anonymous wrote:DC independent means a private school like Sidwell.

If you are asking about "DCI" - DC International School - that is a charter middle and high school starting in 2014 in the old Walter Reed campus by a consortium of immersion language charter schools. Do a search.

Doubt very very seriously it will start by 2014.

My oldest went thru GDS and off to college. Second child goes to BasisDC charter and we have better vacations now. (also donate liberally). He will have a great story to tell when applying to college.

Am I really the only one so far, as of page 4, who understands that a lot of these DCPS "by choice" parents in actuality cannot readily afford $70,000 - $104,000 after tax for private school for 13 years?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I graduated from Sidwell. I feel very lucky to have kids attend Mundo Verde.

Are you planning on staying with MV all the way?

+1 Curious too. Are you planning to stay for DCI?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's no way somebody who started taking a Chinese language class in high school is mistaken for a native speaker. Complete baloney!

The posted did say that he looks 100% native (whatever that means)-maybe that is what is throwing them off.

meant to type "100% Chinese"

Doubt it. It's impossible to tell if someone is Japanese, Chinese, Korean, etc. just by looking at them. I can't and I'm Asian. My guess is people are being polite.

I have friends who learned Mandarin in high school and college who work in Asia. While they are bilingual in Mandarin (and get told all the time how "great" their Mandarin is), they do not sound like native speakers. Chinese people have much lower expectations for what constitutes "perfect" Mandarin for non-Chinese.

Anonymous wrote:I graduated from Sidwell. I feel very lucky to have kids attend Mundo Verde.

Are you planning on staying with MV all the way?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's no way somebody who started taking a Chinese language class in high school is mistaken for a native speaker. Complete baloney!

The posted did say that he looks 100% native (whatever that means)-maybe that is what is throwing them off.

meant to type "100% Chinese"

Anonymous wrote:There's no way somebody who started taking a Chinese language class in high school is mistaken for a native speaker. Complete baloney!

The posted did say that he looks 100% native (whatever that means)-maybe that is what is throwing them off.

I graduated from Sidwell. I feel very lucky to have kids attend Mundo Verde.