Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Landon.

Oh. Wait. Did you say DOWN TO EARTH? Never mind.

Actually, I was wondering what "Down to Earth" meant. If it means having the most realistic appreciation of how the world works and how to navigate one's journey through society I would say Sidwell and the Cathedral Schools.

Sidwell?

I thought that Liberal thinking was all about the way the world ought to be and not at all about the world that actually exists.

That's poor liberals. Most folks need to have to have a pretty good knowledge of how to work the system to get into the Top 3/5.

Is there such a thing as a "poor liberal"? I thought liberal thinking was a luxury of the monied folks.

Stop hijacking the thread because you have a political axe to grind.

A question that you don't like, or perhaps don't understand the meaning of, is not a hijack. Its just a question relevant to the title, if you define "down to earth" as a school where there is a student body coming from liberal families.

Is it possible to have a wealthy, down to earth family? A lot of people have said that this is the very contradiction of "down to earth"

Which if you can keep up, and follow the train of thought here, is why I asked if you can have poor liberals.

Got it now, sweetheart? I know if its too much for you go back to reading tabloids and drinking cheap wine.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Landon.

Oh. Wait. Did you say DOWN TO EARTH? Never mind.

Actually, I was wondering what "Down to Earth" meant. If it means having the most realistic appreciation of how the world works and how to navigate one's journey through society I would say Sidwell and the Cathedral Schools.

Sidwell?

I thought that Liberal thinking was all about the way the world ought to be and not at all about the world that actually exists.

That's poor liberals. Most folks need to have to have a pretty good knowledge of how to work the system to get into the Top 3/5.

Is there such a thing as a "poor liberal"? I thought liberal thinking was a luxury of the monied folks.

Stop hijacking the thread because you have a political axe to grind.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Landon.

Oh. Wait. Did you say DOWN TO EARTH? Never mind.

Actually, I was wondering what "Down to Earth" meant. If it means having the most realistic appreciation of how the world works and how to navigate one's journey through society I would say Sidwell and the Cathedral Schools.

Sidwell?

I thought that Liberal thinking was all about the way the world ought to be and not at all about the world that actually exists.

That's poor liberals. Most folks need to have to have a pretty good knowledge of how to work the system to get into the Top 3/5.

Is there such a thing as a "poor liberal"? I thought liberal thinking was a luxury of the monied folks.

Anonymous wrote:I realize this is a strange question, but I'm looking for a down-to-earth school that is also very academically rich and treats students like individuals. I'd prefer not to spend $40k/year -- but it's just barely possible for us to do that (with significant sacrifice). I've toured some schools and felt that the environment of wealth was so unusual that I worried what it would mean for my kids socially as they got into the pre-teen and teen years (e.g. social status being based on clothes, cars, fancy trips to Europe, newest Iphones, etc.) We are very fortunate in the grand scheme of things, but we do not travel in those circles and we don't want to. We come from public school backgrounds in middle class environments, and both enjoyed great academic success, so we have some fear of spoiling our kids.
But, we have a child who is very bright and unhappy in her large public elementary school. We need some more attention for her -- she probably could use some serious acceleration in many areas, but not others. She's never going to be the first kid with her hand up. She's smart, and a deep-thinker, but cautious and tentative. She would be happiest as a big fish in a small pond, we think. And we have another child who seems to be as academically inclined as kids get -- she could probably benefit from as challenging an environment as possible. She would probably also do well long-term in public, but we think we'd like them to go to school together if possible.
I'm open to suggestions. We're in Upper NW, but have some geographic flexibility.

Well you've described Barnesville to a T. But that depends on what you mean by "geographic flexibility." If it means you might consider moving, then it could work. If it means you are willing to make a trek from where you currently live, well it's probably too far even by that standard. The school doesn't tend to draw from further south than Rockville or northern Potomac because of its location.

But you sound a LOT like us. We chose Barnesville in large part because we were looking for strong academics without some of the exclusionary and cutthroat vibes we got when visiting the schools further south in Potomac. Barnesville has small classes and a ton of individualization. And most importantly it had a nurturing, warm welcoming vibe that we picked up on upon first visit. Like you, we have been fortunate in our adult lives, both of us from public school middle class backgrounds, and the social environment at some of the high-power schools further south just wasn't ideal for us. At Barnesville we have a small class of really great kids and they are all positive social influences for each other. They're each different, a diverse mix of aptitudes and family backgrounds, but they are all sweet and bring something important and positive to the classroom.

And we couldn't be happier with the academics. Our DD is very bright academically and has been given the opportunity to have a more advanced curriculum in some areas. At the same time, when kids need extra work on something (and most do, including ours), the school provides it.

We put off visiting the school for a long while, originally thinking it was too far for us. But when we couldn't find what we were looking for further south, we decided to take a look and it was the best decision we ever made. Thereafter we discovered that driving is a lot easier when one isn't fighting traffic closer in to the city. I'd say it's a really obvious choice for you to look into, given your description, were it not for your current location.

Best of luck to you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Landon.

Oh. Wait. Did you say DOWN TO EARTH? Never mind.

Actually, I was wondering what "Down to Earth" meant. If it means having the most realistic appreciation of how the world works and how to navigate one's journey through society I would say Sidwell and the Cathedral Schools.

Sidwell?

I thought that Liberal thinking was all about the way the world ought to be and not at all about the world that actually exists.

That's poor liberals. Most folks need to have to have a pretty good knowledge of how to work the system to get into the Top 3/5.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Landon.

Oh. Wait. Did you say DOWN TO EARTH? Never mind.

Actually, I was wondering what "Down to Earth" meant. If it means having the most realistic appreciation of how the world works and how to navigate one's journey through society I would say Sidwell and the Cathedral Schools.

Sidwell?

I thought that Liberal thinking was all about the way the world ought to be and not at all about the world that actually exists.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Landon.

Oh. Wait. Did you say DOWN TO EARTH? Never mind.

Actually, I was wondering what "Down to Earth" meant. If it means having the most realistic appreciation of how the world works and how to navigate one's journey through society I would say Sidwell and the Cathedral Schools.

I recommend Sandy Spring Friends School.

Anonymous wrote:Landon.

Oh. Wait. Did you say DOWN TO EARTH? Never mind.

Landon.

montessori!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How about Norwood? We are in the process of applying. Everyone we've met seems very friendly and the children seem genuinely happy. The head of school had experience at a Friends school before Norwood and seems to focus on "Down to Earth" things--challenging curriculum, limiting homework, plenty of outdoor time, lots of art and music, and kind, caring faculty. I think tuition is $32-33k?

You should ask in more depth about how much time is spent outside and where they spend recess when its wet,where the lower school children eat their lunch etc. It may have 38 acres of rolling green grass, but actual time spent outside, is minimal.

Interesting. During my child's visit, she reported they had a long PE session plus a good amount of time for recess. She said she got way more outdoor time than in her current school. Wet days are always hard, though. Thanks for your thoughts. I'll ask some more questions.

Any time I've ever been at Norwood (there for professional reasons), I've always seen lots of kids outside doing a variety of things. I've seen them out playing and also participating in classes such as art. Really wonderful school and I agree it's down-to-Earth.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How about Norwood? We are in the process of applying. Everyone we've met seems very friendly and the children seem genuinely happy. The head of school had experience at a Friends school before Norwood and seems to focus on "Down to Earth" things--challenging curriculum, limiting homework, plenty of outdoor time, lots of art and music, and kind, caring faculty. I think tuition is $32-33k?

You should ask in more depth about how much time is spent outside and where they spend recess when its wet,where the lower school children eat their lunch etc. It may have 38 acres of rolling green grass, but actual time spent outside, is minimal.

Interesting. During my child's visit, she reported they had a long PE session plus a good amount of time for recess. She said she got way more outdoor time than in her current school. Wet days are always hard, though. Thanks for your thoughts. I'll ask some more questions.