Anonymous
Post 04/13/2016 09:16     Subject: Re:Most down-to-earth schools?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OP, come back and please define "down-to-earth" for us!

I'm afraid you might need to leave the DC metro area entirely for this.


OP back. Ha ha, that's what I'm afraid of! I guess by "down-to-earth" I mean not extremely wealthy, not extremely fixated on Ivy colleges, not focused solely on outward experiences. My high school experience was maybe unique in that I went to school in a small down dominated by a land-grant public research university specializing in the sciencies, so my classmates were kids of physicists, ranchers, and migrant farmworkers. Very little pretension, but academically very sound. I may have to get in my time machine and return to the 80s as well, I realize.

I guess the ONE thing that freaks me out the most is the wealth that seems to correlate with the "good" school clusters ... i.e. Bethesda. I have no problem with material success, but I'm just unfamiliar and alienated by the idea of my kid being surrounded mainly by the children of law firm partners, etc.


The children of law firm partners don't go to the public schools - they go private. Children of feds (and there are alot of them) are in public.
Anonymous
Post 04/13/2016 08:55     Subject: Re:Most down-to-earth schools?
Anonymous wrote:
Well, yes, the wealth correlates with the "good" (i.e., Wealthy/White) school clusters, because wealth/SES and test scores are correlated. But it doesn't necessarily correlate with the actually good schools. There are plenty of us in the Ganglandia and Bumfuckistan parts of MCPS who are perfectly happy with the education our kids are getting, and also plenty of people (at least judging from DCUM) in Wealthy/White who are very unhappy with the education their kids are getting.

They will say it's because we have low expectations.
Anonymous
Post 04/13/2016 08:53     Subject: Re:Most down-to-earth schools?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OP, come back and please define "down-to-earth" for us!

I'm afraid you might need to leave the DC metro area entirely for this.


OP back. Ha ha, that's what I'm afraid of! I guess by "down-to-earth" I mean not extremely wealthy, not extremely fixated on Ivy colleges, not focused solely on outward experiences. My high school experience was maybe unique in that I went to school in a small down dominated by a land-grant public research university specializing in the sciencies, so my classmates were kids of physicists, ranchers, and migrant farmworkers. Very little pretension, but academically very sound. I may have to get in my time machine and return to the 80s as well, I realize.

I guess the ONE thing that freaks me out the most is the wealth that seems to correlate with the "good" school clusters ... i.e. Bethesda. I have no problem with material success, but I'm just unfamiliar and alienated by the idea of my kid being surrounded mainly by the children of law firm partners, etc.


Well, yes, the wealth correlates with the "good" (i.e., Wealthy/White) school clusters, because wealth/SES and test scores are correlated. But it doesn't necessarily correlate with the actually good schools. There are plenty of us in the Ganglandia and Bumfuckistan parts of MCPS who are perfectly happy with the education our kids are getting, and also plenty of people (at least judging from DCUM) in Wealthy/White who are very unhappy with the education their kids are getting.
Anonymous
Post 04/13/2016 08:48     Subject: Re:Most down-to-earth schools?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This thread is cracking me up.

I send my kid to an on-paper "bad" school in Silver Spring. But now that the wealthier families have caught on that it's not actually the seventh circle of hell and some send their kids there, it's become harder to dodge conversations about organic produce, screen time (specifically, how it is evil), and what teachers are doing wrong.


I can identify. My kids went to East Silver Spring years before there was a wellness committee bitching about sugar content in the cafeteria yogurt.


Ohh ... the infamous Trix yogurt scandal?
Anonymous
Post 04/13/2016 08:47     Subject: Re:Most down-to-earth schools?
Anonymous wrote:OP, come back and please define "down-to-earth" for us!

I'm afraid you might need to leave the DC metro area entirely for this.


OP back. Ha ha, that's what I'm afraid of! I guess by "down-to-earth" I mean not extremely wealthy, not extremely fixated on Ivy colleges, not focused solely on outward experiences. My high school experience was maybe unique in that I went to school in a small down dominated by a land-grant public research university specializing in the sciencies, so my classmates were kids of physicists, ranchers, and migrant farmworkers. Very little pretension, but academically very sound. I may have to get in my time machine and return to the 80s as well, I realize.

I guess the ONE thing that freaks me out the most is the wealth that seems to correlate with the "good" school clusters ... i.e. Bethesda. I have no problem with material success, but I'm just unfamiliar and alienated by the idea of my kid being surrounded mainly by the children of law firm partners, etc.
Anonymous
Post 04/13/2016 08:30     Subject: Most down-to-earth schools?
My kids go to Forest Knolls. It's very down to earth and a great school.
Anonymous
Post 04/13/2016 07:12     Subject: Re:Most down-to-earth schools?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This thread is cracking me up.

I send my kid to an on-paper "bad" school in Silver Spring. But now that the wealthier families have caught on that it's not actually the seventh circle of hell and some send their kids there, it's become harder to dodge conversations about organic produce, screen time (specifically, how it is evil), and what teachers are doing wrong.


I'll admit that I laughed at this, because I'm pretty sure I'm one of those people. Middle class, crunchy, priced out of historic Takoma Park and into Silver Spring. Probably annoying the old timers with my "concerns." I can see it, and will try to tone it down.


This is why Silver Spring is such a great place to live: the people tend to be self-aware and can laugh at themselves.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2016 21:13     Subject: Re:Most down-to-earth schools?
Anonymous wrote:This thread is cracking me up.

I send my kid to an on-paper "bad" school in Silver Spring. But now that the wealthier families have caught on that it's not actually the seventh circle of hell and some send their kids there, it's become harder to dodge conversations about organic produce, screen time (specifically, how it is evil), and what teachers are doing wrong.


I'll admit that I laughed at this, because I'm pretty sure I'm one of those people. Middle class, crunchy, priced out of historic Takoma Park and into Silver Spring. Probably annoying the old timers with my "concerns." I can see it, and will try to tone it down.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2016 21:06     Subject: Re:Most down-to-earth schools?
Silver Spring for sure. Great sense of community. Indian Spring and Forest Glen communities are particularly strong I think.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2016 21:04     Subject: Most down-to-earth schools?
Anonymous wrote:Agree with 20853 in Rockville. It's a small cluster with a real sense of community.


Another vote for 20853 / Rockville!
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2016 20:32     Subject: Most down-to-earth schools?
Anonymous wrote:"Churchill cluster is down to earth. At least from our view (we have 2 at Potomac ES and love it)," said the nanny and au pair to the maid.


Anonymous
Post 04/12/2016 17:14     Subject: Re:Most down-to-earth schools?
Anonymous wrote:This thread is cracking me up.

I send my kid to an on-paper "bad" school in Silver Spring. But now that the wealthier families have caught on that it's not actually the seventh circle of hell and some send their kids there, it's become harder to dodge conversations about organic produce, screen time (specifically, how it is evil), and what teachers are doing wrong.


I can identify. My kids went to East Silver Spring years before there was a wellness committee bitching about sugar content in the cafeteria yogurt.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2016 16:33     Subject: Re:Most down-to-earth schools?
OP, come back and please define "down-to-earth" for us!

I'm afraid you might need to leave the DC metro area entirely for this.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2016 16:27     Subject: Re:Most down-to-earth schools?
This thread is cracking me up.

I send my kid to an on-paper "bad" school in Silver Spring. But now that the wealthier families have caught on that it's not actually the seventh circle of hell and some send their kids there, it's become harder to dodge conversations about organic produce, screen time (specifically, how it is evil), and what teachers are doing wrong.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2016 16:08     Subject: Most down-to-earth schools?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OP again - what schools for Silver Spring?


Lots of options: Highland View, Forest Knolls, Montgomery Knolls/Pinecrest


Also Flora Singer.


And Woodlin.

High schools: Blair, Einstein, Northwood.