Our family has had a wonderful experience at WES. Our children are happy (and one had the teacher that people refer to as "mean").

I suggest that OP go to the school, get a feel for it, and decide for yourself. No school is perfect for everyone, all the time. The sad thing about this site is that you only get one side of the story (whether good or bad), you can't "consider the source".

I would hate for someone to miss a wonderful experience based on something a stranger said on an anonymous forum.

I'm a different poster than the above one. In our experience at WES, there was a lot of busy-work homework, projects that were mostly done by parents, and teachers that were yelling/rigid/impatient.

Please! The problems are still the same at WES. Leaving last week or 10 years ago, it doesn't matter. The problems are the same. That's what people are communicating on this board. Bad teachers. Yes, some of them have left due to "natural causes' and some of them remain to this day. Rote learning,same thing is still ongoing. Admitting LD dcs and then failing to serve them. Not to mention failing other students due to uneven class placement. Families who transfer away from the school; still happening. Resistance to change,tepid HOSs, insular and small. It's all still there. A new HOS can make big changes there quickly.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DS was at WES - it was a disaster because of the mean teachers - we left. The kids are bullied by the teachers, not the kids. I would not recommend it for a boy or a girl. Go and visit - look closely and you might notice how rigid it is.

We know. You have been posting for a long time now... sorry you had a poor experience but it would be nice to hear new voices and stories. It is hard to know if you are for real or someone who has lost perspective when you post on every thread about WES and have created several threads so that you can negatively reply.

+1000

That poster is unable to move on and surface every other month... In a way it is quite sad...

Not the above, unhappy poster. Many people had bad experiences at WES. Saying it is one person doesn't make it so, any more than saying that all the deniers are one person. Instead, focus on the positive, like the new principal and the good MS. There is hope for WES, but by confronting issues and addressing them, not denying they exist.

I am one of the posters with a DC who had a bad experience at WES. I know that I have not posted every negative comment. There are several people. There are problems at the school, which I hope they're able to correct. In the meantime, I was not willing to pay over $30k while waiting for solutions.

How long ago did you leave?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DS was at WES - it was a disaster because of the mean teachers - we left. The kids are bullied by the teachers, not the kids. I would not recommend it for a boy or a girl. Go and visit - look closely and you might notice how rigid it is.

We know. You have been posting for a long time now... sorry you had a poor experience but it would be nice to hear new voices and stories. It is hard to know if you are for real or someone who has lost perspective when you post on every thread about WES and have created several threads so that you can negatively reply.

+1000

That poster is unable to move on and surface every other month... In a way it is quite sad...

Not the above, unhappy poster. Many people had bad experiences at WES. Saying it is one person doesn't make it so, any more than saying that all the deniers are one person. Instead, focus on the positive, like the new principal and the good MS. There is hope for WES, but by confronting issues and addressing them, not denying they exist.

I am one of the posters with a DC who had a bad experience at WES. I know that I have not posted every negative comment. There are several people. There are problems at the school, which I hope they're able to correct. In the meantime, I was not willing to pay over $30k while waiting for solutions.

Norwood's new head is fantastic. The current vibe and energy at the school is fantastic. He is extremely student centered - you see this is in the way he interacts with children and some of his decisions. As far as Norwood for a boy, the varied program, hands on approach to learning, commitment to PE and recess (amazing outdoor space and gyms), art and music programs that don't just cater to girls (lots of ceramics, textile art and in 7/8 a boys choir) are all reasons that I think it is a wonderful place to grow up for a boy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, you just want positive reviews of WES? There are several long threads about many people's experiences and most are negative. Checkout the old threads about WES if you want details. I vote for Norwood.

In this anonymous forum one disturbed and persistent negative voice can overwhelm many positive views unfortunately. Hence the illusion of many. I would suggest OP to ignore implicit voting in this forum where one can vote early and often and rather rely on school visits.

Unfortunately THIS is the real issue at WES, and it's not unique to that school. By THIS I mean that many of the old guard are not very open to critiques or new ideas. They truly believe one person is posting...it is ridiculous.

However, wrt to the complaints about "mean" teachers, they've taken concrete action in terms of proactively reaching out to parents when there is an issue with a child and asking permission to address the issue in a specific way. I've heard various staff say things along the lines of "We wanted to check with you..." ... "Would it be okay if we ...." A few times I have been surprised that they felt the need to check with me before addressing a situation with my DC and have told them so. They have responded that not every parent feels as we do. Given these interactions, I think they have taken the criticism of "meanness" seriously and realize that not all parents agree on appropriate disciplinary responses by teachers. In fact, I would say they have overreached a bit and are getting a bit "too soft," but that is only my opinion, and clearly, others would differ. I'm sure it is a hard balance in this area where every parent has a strong opinion! But truly, I do think they have changed and they are really on the upswing. And the exmissions from WES are excellent. They pride themselves on having students at just about every private in the area. They have a great program that works to your child's strengths. After reading the posts about this season's 9th grade placement results, I am very glad to have their backing when the time comes for our DC.