Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HB is not some mystical place with elves and magic. If you are inclined to be angry and unhappy before you apply, you will continue to be angry and unhappy when you are there. If the size of WL is just the latest in a long string of issues that OP is mad at APS about, getting her child into HB would not solve OP's issues.

True, I will still be angry about what they are doing to WNL because I care about Arlington even if my kid gets to go to HBW. They are jeopardizing the entire school system, and with it all of our collective well-being and home values (and I say that because impact on taxes is only thing CB cares about).

Arlington County (with the overwhelming consent of its voters) has made the decision to pursue high-density development. They haven’t “abandoned” public education, but it’s not a priority. They can do this without penalty because the land is so valuable here for reasons that have nothing to do with the school system. If I were starting out today, I wouldn’t send my kids to APS, so I do feel for younger families. But nobody’s property values are going to tank.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HB is not some mystical place with elves and magic. If you are inclined to be angry and unhappy before you apply, you will continue to be angry and unhappy when you are there. If the size of WL is just the latest in a long string of issues that OP is mad at APS about, getting her child into HB would not solve OP's issues.

True, I will still be angry about what they are doing to WNL because I care about Arlington even if my kid gets to go to HBW. They are jeopardizing the entire school system, and with it all of our collective well-being and home values (and I say that because impact on taxes is only thing CB cares about).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HB is not some mystical place with elves and magic. If you are inclined to be angry and unhappy before you apply, you will continue to be angry and unhappy when you are there. If the size of WL is just the latest in a long string of issues that OP is mad at APS about, getting her child into HB would not solve OP's issues.

True, I will still be angry about what they are doing to WNL because I care about Arlington even if my kid gets to go to HBW. They are jeopardizing the entire school system, and with it all of our collective well-being and home values (and I say that because impact on taxes is only thing CB cares about).

Arlington County (with the overwhelming consent of its voters) has made the decision to pursue high-density development. They haven’t “abandoned” public education, but it’s not a priority. They can do this without penalty because the land is so valuable here for reasons that have nothing to do with the school system. If I were starting out today, I wouldn’t send my kids to APS, so I do feel for younger families. But nobody’s property values are going to tank.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^is that really true. I hear a lot about turnover and staffing issues and unexperienced teachers teaching advanced courses that are not in their background at all.

Also, the crowding effects so many different aspects of the school, from hallways to lunch room to sports and activities to attention from counselors and help during college application time.

I get trying to make the best of a rotten situation, but some people are really in denial. And, many of the people that I know that were happy have kids that have already graduated from college--or there now. The clogged pipe that is rumbling is about to burst in the next few years. The real problems haven't arrived yet. Take a look at the coming years. Next year's entering class is just the tip of the very large iceberg set to emerge.

Don’t expect ANY help. The counselors are beyond awful even now. I can’t imagine how bad it will be in a few years.

Public school counselors are not hand-holders in the college process. If you aren't going to get educated so you can provide direction or have a go-getter kid, you should look into private counseling.

While I agree that public school counselors are not hand-holders in the college application process, my 4th DC is a senior at WL and we have now gone through the process at WL 3 times. As a whole, the counseling office has an excellent system in place for explanations of the process, financial aid, deadlines, expectations of parents v. kids and Saturday morning help for students who need help applying to college. I have also been pleasantly surprised at individual counselor's availability to meet with parents and how well they knew most of my DCs. But if you're expecting the counselor to help strategize over SAT v. ACT, content of personal essays and spend hours helping your DC figure out where to apply, that is not going to happen in public school. It also did not happen at my one DC's excellent private HS.

You kind of missed the point. Your kids were all outside the population bubble. Each year starting with entering Freshmen, the number of students is exponentially rising. 200+ next year and so on. The biggest classes are not in MS yet.

But they have staffing ratios based on student size so more students = more counseling staff.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HB is not some mystical place with elves and magic. If you are inclined to be angry and unhappy before you apply, you will continue to be angry and unhappy when you are there. If the size of WL is just the latest in a long string of issues that OP is mad at APS about, getting her child into HB would not solve OP's issues.

True, I will still be angry about what they are doing to WNL because I care about Arlington even if my kid gets to go to HBW. They are jeopardizing the entire school system, and with it all of our collective well-being and home values (and I say that because impact on taxes is only thing CB cares about).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^is that really true. I hear a lot about turnover and staffing issues and unexperienced teachers teaching advanced courses that are not in their background at all.

Also, the crowding effects so many different aspects of the school, from hallways to lunch room to sports and activities to attention from counselors and help during college application time.

I get trying to make the best of a rotten situation, but some people are really in denial. And, many of the people that I know that were happy have kids that have already graduated from college--or there now. The clogged pipe that is rumbling is about to burst in the next few years. The real problems haven't arrived yet. Take a look at the coming years. Next year's entering class is just the tip of the very large iceberg set to emerge.

Don’t expect ANY help. The counselors are beyond awful even now. I can’t imagine how bad it will be in a few years.

Public school counselors are not hand-holders in the college process. If you aren't going to get educated so you can provide direction or have a go-getter kid, you should look into private counseling.

While I agree that public school counselors are not hand-holders in the college application process, my 4th DC is a senior at WL and we have now gone through the process at WL 3 times. As a whole, the counseling office has an excellent system in place for explanations of the process, financial aid, deadlines, expectations of parents v. kids and Saturday morning help for students who need help applying to college. I have also been pleasantly surprised at individual counselor's availability to meet with parents and how well they knew most of my DCs. But if you're expecting the counselor to help strategize over SAT v. ACT, content of personal essays and spend hours helping your DC figure out where to apply, that is not going to happen in public school. It also did not happen at my one DC's excellent private HS.

You kind of missed the point. Your kids were all outside the population bubble. Each year starting with entering Freshmen, the number of students is exponentially rising. 200+ next year and so on. The biggest classes are not in MS yet.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^is that really true. I hear a lot about turnover and staffing issues and unexperienced teachers teaching advanced courses that are not in their background at all.

Also, the crowding effects so many different aspects of the school, from hallways to lunch room to sports and activities to attention from counselors and help during college application time.

I get trying to make the best of a rotten situation, but some people are really in denial. And, many of the people that I know that were happy have kids that have already graduated from college--or there now. The clogged pipe that is rumbling is about to burst in the next few years. The real problems haven't arrived yet. Take a look at the coming years. Next year's entering class is just the tip of the very large iceberg set to emerge.

Don’t expect ANY help. The counselors are beyond awful even now. I can’t imagine how bad it will be in a few years.

Public school counselors are not hand-holders in the college process. If you aren't going to get educated so you can provide direction or have a go-getter kid, you should look into private counseling.

While I agree that public school counselors are not hand-holders in the college application process, my 4th DC is a senior at WL and we have now gone through the process at WL 3 times. As a whole, the counseling office has an excellent system in place for explanations of the process, financial aid, deadlines, expectations of parents v. kids and Saturday morning help for students who need help applying to college. I have also been pleasantly surprised at individual counselor's availability to meet with parents and how well they knew most of my DCs. But if you're expecting the counselor to help strategize over SAT v. ACT, content of personal essays and spend hours helping your DC figure out where to apply, that is not going to happen in public school. It also did not happen at my one DC's excellent private HS.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^is that really true. I hear a lot about turnover and staffing issues and unexperienced teachers teaching advanced courses that are not in their background at all.

Also, the crowding effects so many different aspects of the school, from hallways to lunch room to sports and activities to attention from counselors and help during college application time.

I get trying to make the best of a rotten situation, but some people are really in denial. And, many of the people that I know that were happy have kids that have already graduated from college--or there now. The clogged pipe that is rumbling is about to burst in the next few years. The real problems haven't arrived yet. Take a look at the coming years. Next year's entering class is just the tip of the very large iceberg set to emerge.

Don’t expect ANY help. The counselors are beyond awful even now. I can’t imagine how bad it will be in a few years.

Public school counselors are not hand-holders in the college process. If you aren't going to get educated so you can provide direction or have a go-getter kid, you should look into private counseling.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^is that really true. I hear a lot about turnover and staffing issues and unexperienced teachers teaching advanced courses that are not in their background at all.

Also, the crowding effects so many different aspects of the school, from hallways to lunch room to sports and activities to attention from counselors and help during college application time.

I get trying to make the best of a rotten situation, but some people are really in denial. And, many of the people that I know that were happy have kids that have already graduated from college--or there now. The clogged pipe that is rumbling is about to burst in the next few years. The real problems haven't arrived yet. Take a look at the coming years. Next year's entering class is just the tip of the very large iceberg set to emerge.

Don’t expect ANY help. The counselors are beyond awful even now. I can’t imagine how bad it will be in a few years.

Anonymous wrote:HB is not some mystical place with elves and magic. If you are inclined to be angry and unhappy before you apply, you will continue to be angry and unhappy when you are there. If the size of WL is just the latest in a long string of issues that OP is mad at APS about, getting her child into HB would not solve OP's issues.

Anonymous wrote:HB is not some mystical place with elves and magic. If you are inclined to be angry and unhappy before you apply, you will continue to be angry and unhappy when you are there. If the size of WL is just the latest in a long string of issues that OP is mad at APS about, getting her child into HB would not solve OP's issues.

Anonymous wrote:^is that really true. I hear a lot about turnover and staffing issues and unexperienced teachers teaching advanced courses that are not in their background at all.

Also, the crowding effects so many different aspects of the school, from hallways to lunch room to sports and activities to attention from counselors and help during college application time.

I get trying to make the best of a rotten situation, but some people are really in denial. And, many of the people that I know that were happy have kids that have already graduated from college--or there now. The clogged pipe that is rumbling is about to burst in the next few years. The real problems haven't arrived yet. Take a look at the coming years. Next year's entering class is just the tip of the very large iceberg set to emerge.