Why do people think Beauvoir is any more conservative than say Maret or Sidwell? Honestly, I think even though you might get "artsy", you're getting the same general NW Washington-Business-As-Usual social behavior.

I actually like cotillion. I don't think it's turning the children into mini adults. If my son hated going I wouldn't make him, but truth be told, he likes it. He likes seeing all his friends there, and he likes the cookies and lemonade. I don't know, maybe I'm not looking around as much as I should.

All right, this is going to sound ignorant, but it's just my way of emotionally venting.

The third grade capital cotillion thing is the stupidest, STUPIDEST idea ever. Why the heck are we trying to turn these kids into mini grown-ups at the age of 8 or 9? It makes me think if NCS didn't have cutesy uniforms and STA didn't have all their boys wearing spiffy coats and ties that applications would drop at least 10-20%. Such superficiality.

I know all sorts of people will disagree with me (obviously), so I'll just put on my flame-retardent suit. But really... I can't imagine many things more hifalutin, excessive, and "developmentally inappropriate"(to use a Beauvoir term) than third grade cotillion. Only in Washington. I think some of these parents only enroll their kids so they can enjoy the parent social hour at Guapo's or wherever their particular grade's group does the pre-dinner. (Sometimes I wonder if that kind of calculus isn't even sometimes a part of where parents choose to enroll their students.) At least it's not as bad as Mrs. Simpson's. That begins to border on really scary.

If you have a Beauvoir third grader, you should try to see if you can get an honest answer out of your DC's teacher about what she/he thinks about cotillion. My DC's could barely refrain from cracking up when I mentioned the idea. Though, the English one would probably think it's a "fine idea!"

I only mean that even though there is this conservative undercurrent, it's not to the exclusion of diversity. There are kids who don't fit the norm. And they seem to do just fine. But knowing what that norm is is inescapable. It feeds into extra-curricular activities (for boys that means sports: rec soccer beginning in K, basketball in 1st grade, NWWLL baseball...you will not hear a lot of talk about piano lessons), into cars (mentioned above), into summer activities, into restaurants (the Beauvoir PTA could easily have a second home at 2 Amys or Cafe Deluxe), into politics, and into social engagements (3rd grade cotillion is almost mandatory). And nothing is really bad about that. It's just really homogenious.

Anonymous wrote:Yes, that conservative description was a riot!

For the new parents coming in, don't worry. There is absolutely nothing unpleasant about all of this conformity. It's totally voluntary. and there actually are many kids and families "off the grid", so to speak. And these people are always embraced in the Beauvoir community (perhaps precisely for their novelty!).

New Beauvoir parent here not sure what the above quote means? I do not want to assume so would you please elaborate?

Yes, that conservative description was a riot!

For the new parents coming in, don't worry. There is absolutely nothing unpleasant about all of this conformity. It's totally voluntary. and there actually are many kids and families "off the grid", so to speak. And these people are always embraced in the Beauvoir community (perhaps precisely for their novelty!).

And, tongue in cheek or not, the poster is right about the death-march to St. Albans and NCS. Those bastions of traditional rectitude cast a large shadow over little Beauvoir's lawn. I happen to know that MOST parents come in at Pre-K/K without even a thought about those two schools. They're just happy to have found such a nice elementary school. So it's not as if these people enter with a life strategy (I know I didn't). However, there is something intoxicating about those cathedral schools which begins to envelop parents midway through 2nd grade year. And then it's all parents can do not to sell their kidneys to make sure their kids get in.

Anonymous wrote:This was very funny, and I will say it rings true in sentiment, if not exact facts.

So very well put. I think the same can be said for those other nuggets wrapped up in the original riff (it was tongue in cheek, right?) on the word conservative.

This was very funny, and I will say it rings true in sentiment, if not exact facts.

No, not everyone comes in pearls or khakis. But I will say, even when they come in sweats with no makeup on, they come in BMWs or Volvos. I was acutely aware of this lack of car diversity as I chugged up every morning in my 1996 Pontiac Grand Am.

And I think the lack of socioeconomic diversity really is something you would feel. I don't think you'll ever have a conversation with a Beauvoir parent where they are trying to impress you with their money. On the contrary, you'll have these pleasant conversations where other parents will also be complaining about grocery prices, or they'll tell you they buy their kids' clothes secondhand since the kid only gets them stained within an hour. And you will walk away feeling like you're among friends. And you are. But these friends live in $2 million houses.

The above post concerning Beauvoir is funny. We are a recently admitted family and that description is so far from what our family resembles.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In particular, Beavoir is often described as more "conservative" than Sidwell & GDS. Could you comment on what you think that means and what your experience in this area has been? Thanks.

I agree with the other replies to your query regarding the meaning of "conservative." But there are other layers to "conservative" as it pertains to Beauvoir. It also applies to the dress of both the parents and their kids. Pearls are not quite de rigueur, but even at the morning drop off, the pearls (and diamonds, and Tiffany baubles) can be dazzling, or dizzying, or daunting, depending on your perspective. For the men, Brooks Brothers might as well open up an outpost at the school, and Beauvoir men seem to be doing their best to bring back the bow tie. And as for the wee ones, polo shirts, oxford shirts, and other preppy regalia vastly outnumber the t-shirt look seen most elsewhere.

Okay, that's "conservative" in a lower case "c" type way. But you will find upper case instances of "C" as in "Conservative" here. You'll like find more true Republicans here than in any other of the private schools. You can't throw a rock without hitting a former Hucakbee supporter (not that this die-hard Dem is suggesting such a thing, mind you). I suppose in such a politically liberal city (I'm talking about the politics of those who actually live in DC), this is a diversity of sorts! And yes, I fear that at times "Conservative" applies to the world view of so many Beauvoir parents. Life for a fair number, dare I say the overwhelming majority of Beauvoir families, seems to be distilled down into a simple formula -- Beauvoir + NCS/St. Albans = IVY = $ = Happiness. Deviating in any way from this tried and true formula is anathema. "Question Authority" is not in their vocabulary. Creative thinkers, rebels, and "artsy types" might have a hard time fitting in. I'm not saying impossible. Just hard. But once you get past that, once you convince such parents that you're not about to rally the peasants for a charge up Mt. St. Alban to take over the school and turn it into a homeless shelter or abortion clinic, it's a lovely place, with lovely teachers, and lovely parents (Big C or Little C or Non-C).

Are you a Beauvoir parent - because as a first year parent at Beauvoir I could not disagree more with this generalization more. I see ALL types of parents at drop off - a lot on their way to work wearing professional attire, a lot in sweats, and everything in between. The kids are just like kids at every school I have ever seen - jeans, T's, Disney T shirts, Gap sweatshirts. I don't know what you are talking about. Dazzling and Dizzying diamonds and baubles???? You crack me up! Of course, there are some well-off, nicely dressed moms and dads - but no more than anywhere else. This isn't Beverly Hills!
Anyway - ou just crack me up - you couldn't possibly be a parent there!

Anonymous wrote:In particular, Beavoir is often described as more "conservative" than Sidwell & GDS. Could you comment on what you think that means and what your experience in this area has been? Thanks.

I agree with the other replies to your query regarding the meaning of "conservative." But there are other layers to "conservative" as it pertains to Beauvoir. It also applies to the dress of both the parents and their kids. Pearls are not quite de rigueur, but even at the morning drop off, the pearls (and diamonds, and Tiffany baubles) can be dazzling, or dizzying, or daunting, depending on your perspective. For the men, Brooks Brothers might as well open up an outpost at the school, and Beauvoir men seem to be doing their best to bring back the bow tie. And as for the wee ones, polo shirts, oxford shirts, and other preppy regalia vastly outnumber the t-shirt look seen most elsewhere.

Okay, that's "conservative" in a lower case "c" type way. But you will find upper case instances of "C" as in "Conservative" here. You'll like find more true Republicans here than in any other of the private schools. You can't throw a rock without hitting a former Hucakbee supporter (not that this die-hard Dem is suggesting such a thing, mind you). I suppose in such a politically liberal city (I'm talking about the politics of those who actually live in DC), this is a diversity of sorts! And yes, I fear that at times "Conservative" applies to the world view of so many Beauvoir parents. Life for a fair number, dare I say the overwhelming majority of Beauvoir families, seems to be distilled down into a simple formula -- Beauvoir + NCS/St. Albans = IVY = $ = Happiness. Deviating in any way from this tried and true formula is anathema. "Question Authority" is not in their vocabulary. Creative thinkers, rebels, and "artsy types" might have a hard time fitting in. I'm not saying impossible. Just hard. But once you get past that, once you convince such parents that you're not about to rally the peasants for a charge up Mt. St. Alban to take over the school and turn it into a homeless shelter or abortion clinic, it's a lovely place, with lovely teachers, and lovely parents (Big C or Little C or Non-C).

Anonymous wrote:One of the PP suggested that Beauvoir has a great deal of teacher turnerover each year; please comment on the reasons this happens and when you state turnover do you mean one or two teachers or over 5 teachers. Why are some teachers more effective than others (do they plan together as a team to ensure students are receiving the same instruction) and what does administration do to solve this? What role does the Associate Teacher play in the Beauvoir classroom?

The school also has a teacher-training program. Each teacher is paired with a recent college graduate to co-teach. Most of the latter leave after 1 or 2 years to pursue other things. It may actually be structured as temporary employment. That may account for the "high turnover" among the teachers.

To the person(s) who was interested in the "rewriting" of the Beauvoir math curriculum, I'm happy to amswer any questions you might have privately. Beauvoir is not rewriting the math curriculum per se, but there have been some fairly substantive modifications at most grade levels. Believe me or not, I know a fair amount about the Beauvoir math curriculum.


And for the record, a couple of other quick, random responses to questions/issues raised by people:

Whether or not Beauvoir has a weak program I'll refrain from commenting on, but I will say this: The school(s) which most loudly prcolaims such weaknesses has a different approach and different set of math objectives/priorities than Beauvoir does.

Beauvoir and NPS are not really all that similar (though they're certainly not radically different either) in my opinion.

The Beauvoir experience is not a particularly Christian one. Chapel services are once a month, and as someone else mentioned, they tend to be about general moral/ethical topics and not so much about Christian-specific ones. There are a number of non-Christian students at the school who seem to feel quite comfortable, and the Cathedral itself markets and lives the motto of: "A House of Prayer for All." Just to give you a sense, the school chaplain is currently doing a series of chapel services on Beauvoir's Life Rules (Honesty, Respect, Kindness, and Responsibility). Third graders are writing and presenting the service on honesty. There is no religious education at Beauvoir, and there is no mandatory or "strongly encouraged" prayer really. The only thing that comes close is that some grades to a grace at lunch. These are moments of silence or fun, snappy graces (like the Adams Family or Johnny Appleseed graces) that don't mention Jesus. As an example: "We thank the Lord for giving, the things we need for living, for food for fun for friendship, we thank you now oh Lord." The children do learn the occasional chapel hymn in music class. These are fun songs that they all pretty much enjoy singing and are pretty light on the "doctrine." Popular ones include "I Sing a Song of the Saints of Gof" and "All Things Bright and Beautiful." You can google these names and find the lyrics. The school actively teaches students about the religious traditions of a variety of different faiths and cultures. Parents often come in to present on topics such as Diwali, Hanukkah, Rosh Hashanah, and Ramadan.

Regarding diversity, about 1/3 of Beauvoir's students are non-Caucasian.

Beauvoir has a special admissions process for siblings. I'm sure Margaret Hartigan, the admissions director, would be happy to discuss that with anyone who is interested.

Hats off to the person who asked about the school's reading instruction. If you have specific questions you would like to ask I'm happy to answer them (if they relate to me) at the above e-mail address or forward them on to others who can.

The vast majority of students seem to have plenty of playdates and receive all kinds of birthday invitations. (The teachers, too, sometimes!)

Associate teachers play different roles in different classrooms, primarily based on their experience and comfort level. Most, perhaps all, of them do at least some active instruction -- and some do quite a bit.

***Please note that this post represents solely the opinion and observations of the poster.

Bump. I'm interested in the sibling policy at Beauvoir. Does the school have a strong sibling preference policy?

One more question to add: How strong is the sibling preference? What percentage of sibs who apply get in?