Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it a very PC kind of place? Ultra liberal?

Yes, the AD lectured me on why I should switch my DC to "sun butter" instead of peanut butter when all I asked her was ," if my child has to bring his own lunch for her visit day, are there any allergies to peanuts?" as that is what I usually pack is PB&J. Her response to my question was to lecture me on the health benefits of soy butter. eye roll.

I didn't have the heart to tell her that soy butter is genetically modified, but had I spent 5 minutes on that we would have been "in" for sure. LOL

We did not apply for our DC.

Actually, sun butter is made from sunflower seeds (not soybeans) and it contains no GMOs.

Oh, in that case the AD should just continue right along trying to shove it down every parent's throat as part of her "healthy food choices sanctioned by the GDS admissions team". Yuk.

It's a question of credibility. When a poster asserts something that's just plain wrong and yet does so in a way that's condescending and dismissive, the thought crosses your mind that that poster isn't really a trustworthy source of information. And when the same poster tells a personal story in which she can't seem to decide/remember the gender of her own DC, then you wonder whether the anecdote is for real or whether this is just someone with an axe to grind making stuff up.

I am the PP. It is real. The AD of for the lower school campus spent 5 minutes lecturing me on what I should be feeding my child during the parent admissions interview. LOL this was prior to my being asked to sign up for a visit day for my child ( I later declined) You seem to find the AD's behavior difficult to defend and therefore , instead of defending lecturing a parent applicant on the meals she feeds her DC, you are attacking the poster. This reminds me of the type of convenient boxes GDS likes to put people in. My question is : are you employed by GDS. Please answer with some integrity as you are attacking this in others.

So, are basically saying that :

A) lecturing a stranger on what they feed their child is not aggressive "PC" behavior and , furthermore:

B) for the GDS AD to engage in this in an admissions interview does not at all suggest that GDS has a heavy "PC" culture. Perhaps they just gave the AD position to this one fluke type person and did not train her or advise her on how to carry an interview with an applicant parent.

Option B leaves me stumped because on a prior thread some one assoc. with GDS proudly posted that, " when GDS built its lower school they had a room especially built for removing the sticks from parent's asses". Sounds like a place that thinks " it is our way or the highway" to me.

When I was in HS , the kids who used drugs the most were the kids who could afford to buy them AND who also had low self -esteem. Lots of free time with few friends, poor relationships with and little connection to parents and their own supply of money.

I think the best antidote to drug or alcohol abuse is a happy kid, who has goals, feels connected to his community of friends as well as his family and like him/herself.

Drugs( whether they be illegal or legal in form of MAOI's and Ritalin) are a pain killer for kids in pain. A teen could be at a wonderful school and still have emotional and self -esteem issues.

As for participation in athletics deterring drug use: having been an athlete with ambitious athletic goals in HS, I would never have used drugs or smoked. I would have viewed it as destructive to my body and ultimately my ability to reach my potential and all my dreams in my sport. To that end, involvement in a sport is good , provided it is one that demands a high level of fitness. Football , for example, does not. You can be fat and incapable of running a mile in under 7 minutes ( my definition of an out of shape person)and still be a linebacker . And , yes, football players drink, but I do not think that translates to swimming, running, crew or other highly aerobic and physically demanding sports.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:13:33, did you also post at 9:42?

No, I do not have any info about drug use at GDS or interest in that subject. My post was a response to the question as to whether GDS is a place with a heavy "PC" culture. It struck me that way and it was a turn off. I hate to burst your bubble but there might be actually more than one person with a negative impression of GDS. Opinions are as numerous as people and not liking GDS does not make you a lock step, right wing, racist republican. Though GDS Admin who I have met tend to put people in these convenient camps. That was a big turn off .

Actually, the bubble you burst was about NCS moms. The few I know are thoughtful, generous people. Not belligerent types who have strong opinions when they don't know WTF they're talking about. Since both 9:42 and 13:33 had that vibe, I wondered if they shared an author.

Sorry to bust your stereotype, but I am not a "NCS Mom"

The studies I've seen involved HS students (and, in at least one case, 8th graders) -- it's not just a college issue.

But, yes, I agree it's not a question of athletics per se. Which is why the "no required sports" = "druggier school/kids" equation doesn't make any sense to me.

Anonymous wrote:There have been a number of studies over the years suggesting that athletes consume more alcohol than their peers (and interventions programs designed to address the problem). Re drug abuse, don't know if it's higher but there have been enough scandals re performance-enhancing drugs to suggest that it's an issue. And the comment you've quoted is just a rebuttal of the PP's assumption that mandatory participation in a school sport prevents drug and alcohol abuse. There's no good reason to believe that.

Most of those studies are at the college level, from what I recall. Again, the issue in high school isn't really athletics per se, it is having a supervised activity in the afternoons. A student taking ballet in the afternoon or going to play or orchestra practice (if that were five days a week) is also not hanging around looking for stuff to do to kill time and perhaps killing a few brain cells to do it.

2.5 questions:

1) What percentage of kids at your private high school are drinking or have tried pot. (don't bother identifying the school please, it will just lead to another forum riot)

2) Do you think/know if your kid has tried alcohol or drugs? (no names please)

3) If your kid is in middle or lower school, do you expect that they will experiment in 9th or 10th grade?

Wait, so you think it's ok to do drugs in your 20's?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid definitely does fewer drugs and drinks less during the athletic season.

how old's your kid? he shouldn't be drinking or doing drugs in any season unless he's in his 20s.

I'm thinking that was a joke post.

Anonymous wrote:My kid definitely does fewer drugs and drinks less during the athletic season.

how old's your kid? he shouldn't be drinking or doing drugs in any season unless he's in his 20s.

My kid definitely does fewer drugs and drinks less during the athletic season.

There have been a number of studies over the years suggesting that athletes consume more alcohol than their peers (and interventions programs designed to address the problem). Re drug abuse, don't know if it's higher but there have been enough scandals re performance-enhancing drugs to suggest that it's an issue. And the comment you've quoted is just a rebuttal of the PP's assumption that mandatory participation in a school sport prevents drug and alcohol abuse. There's no good reason to believe that.

Anonymous wrote:Interesting. So you think the perception is rooted in a high school clique-style approach to dividing the world? i.e., you've got your jocks, your stoners, etc. You might be right. Kind of ironic though given the amount of drug/alcohol abuse among athletes. (Just not during practice, I guess.) But I do think that the kid in the blazer is seen as clean-cut and on the straight-and-narrow whereas the kid in the t-shirt and unkempt hair is most likely into drugs. It's just silly.

Do athletes abuse drugs and alcohol more than other students? I doubt it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it a very PC kind of place? Ultra liberal?

Yes, the AD lectured me on why I should switch my DC to "sun butter" instead of peanut butter when all I asked her was ," if my child has to bring his own lunch for her visit day, are there any allergies to peanuts?" as that is what I usually pack is PB&J. Her response to my question was to lecture me on the health benefits of soy butter. eye roll.

I didn't have the heart to tell her that soy butter is genetically modified, but had I spent 5 minutes on that we would have been "in" for sure. LOL

We did not apply for our DC.

Actually, sun butter is made from sunflower seeds (not soybeans) and it contains no GMOs.

Oh, in that case the AD should just continue right along trying to shove it down every parent's throat as part of her "healthy food choices sanctioned by the GDS admissions team". Yuk.

It's a question of credibility. When a poster asserts something that's just plain wrong and yet does so in a way that's condescending and dismissive, the thought crosses your mind that that poster isn't really a trustworthy source of information. And when the same poster tells a personal story in which she can't seem to decide/remember the gender of her own DC, then you wonder whether the anecdote is for real or whether this is just someone with an axe to grind making stuff up.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:13:33, did you also post at 9:42?

No, I do not have any info about drug use at GDS or interest in that subject. My post was a response to the question as to whether GDS is a place with a heavy "PC" culture. It struck me that way and it was a turn off. I hate to burst your bubble but there might be actually more than one person with a negative impression of GDS. Opinions are as numerous as people and not liking GDS does not make you a lock step, right wing, racist republican. Though GDS Admin who I have met tend to put people in these convenient camps. That was a big turn off .

Actually, the bubble you burst was about NCS moms. The few I know are thoughtful, generous people. Not belligerent types who have strong opinions when they don't know WTF they're talking about. Since both 9:42 and 13:33 had that vibe, I wondered if they shared an author.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it a very PC kind of place? Ultra liberal?

Yes, the AD lectured me on why I should switch my DC to "sun butter" instead of peanut butter when all I asked her was ," if my child has to bring his own lunch for her visit day, are there any allergies to peanuts?" as that is what I usually pack is PB&J. Her response to my question was to lecture me on the health benefits of soy butter. eye roll.

I didn't have the heart to tell her that soy butter is genetically modified, but had I spent 5 minutes on that we would have been "in" for sure. LOL

We did not apply for our DC.

Actually, sun butter is made from sunflower seeds (not soybeans) and it contains no GMOs.

Oh, in that case the AD should just continue right along trying to shove it down every parent's throat as part of her "healthy food choices sanctioned by the GDS admissions team". Yuk.