Anonymous wrote:It's ludicrous that people are saying if their child doesn't get in to HGC they'll "just go private." The non-parochial private schools in this area are over $30k a year -- and in case you can't grasp it, that's $200 each day for every single day they go to school. To me and to most parents, this is massive. Sure private may be demonstrably better in some cases, but it is literally not even an option for most of us to spend money like this.

Anonymous wrote:Accept the fact that perhaps your child isn't HGC material?

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:
+100

Privates are not just for the wealthy. Financial aid is available. If someone is willing to make the effort, think out of the box, and make some sacrifices, they can send their child to private school. I think people are just closed to the idea because of the "Why pay for something you can get for free?" attitude. And that is fine...just don't mock those who chose the route of private just because you can't/don't want to afford it.

How many non-wealthy people are at your child's private school? Not non-wealthy by the DCUM standard of trying to make ends meet on $250,000 a year. Actually non-wealthy. For reference, the median annual household income in the US is about $50,000.

Define wealthy. There is no definite measurement for wealthy. This is a ridiculous request.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
+100

Privates are not just for the wealthy. Financial aid is available. If someone is willing to make the effort, think out of the box, and make some sacrifices, they can send their child to private school. I think people are just closed to the idea because of the "Why pay for something you can get for free?" attitude. And that is fine...just don't mock those who chose the route of private just because you can't/don't want to afford it.

How many non-wealthy people are at your child's private school? Not non-wealthy by the DCUM standard of trying to make ends meet on $250,000 a year. Actually non-wealthy. For reference, the median annual household income in the US is about $50,000.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Maybe because those parents know how to motivate their kids to learn. After all, higher SES status, usually equals higher level of education. I am not the one pushing my DC in school (me with the lone bachelor degree). It is my husband, who has multiple Ivy League degrees who does this. We are well off, but not wealthy (well I guess that is relative).

I feel like this analysis misses a lot of folks. There are plenty of highly educated people, particularly in the DC area, who are not high SES because they chose public service or nonprofit work rather than the private sector. It also misses highly motivated immigrants, who may not be high earning but who care deeply about their kids' academic success. I'm a highly educated nonprofit worker, with a boss with double Ivy degrees, and coworkers from some of the best graduate programs in the country. None of us are high SES unless we are married to someone in the private sector, but all of us have high achieving kids (in public school, no less).

+1

If you are highly educated, you are high SES, even if you work in public service or the nonprofit sector.

Anonymous wrote:
+100

Privates are not just for the wealthy. Financial aid is available. If someone is willing to make the effort, think out of the box, and make some sacrifices, they can send their child to private school. I think people are just closed to the idea because of the "Why pay for something you can get for free?" attitude. And that is fine...just don't mock those who chose the route of private just because you can't/don't want to afford it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Maybe because those parents know how to motivate their kids to learn. After all, higher SES status, usually equals higher level of education. I am not the one pushing my DC in school (me with the lone bachelor degree). It is my husband, who has multiple Ivy League degrees who does this. We are well off, but not wealthy (well I guess that is relative).

I feel like this analysis misses a lot of folks. There are plenty of highly educated people, particularly in the DC area, who are not high SES because they chose public service or nonprofit work rather than the private sector. It also misses highly motivated immigrants, who may not be high earning but who care deeply about their kids' academic success. I'm a highly educated nonprofit worker, with a boss with double Ivy degrees, and coworkers from some of the best graduate programs in the country. None of us are high SES unless we are married to someone in the private sector, but all of us have high achieving kids (in public school, no less).

+1

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Well for us, it is a data point that matters. It says a lot about a school. The students test higher for a number of reasons. Better teachers. Better learning environment. Better parent involvement. Maybe this doesn't matter to you. That is fine too. Some people are totally fine with mediocrity. That is what makes us so diverse.

You're not fine with mediocrity; you don't believe in settling; you put your kid in private school; and yet here you still are, arguing on the MD Public Schools forum with people who have chosen to settle for mediocrity. Why?

Because I know from experience. I am just trying to help those who are looking for other options.

How kind of you. Thank you for your concern!

Awe, don't mention it. It's a pleasure!

Anonymous wrote:

Maybe because those parents know how to motivate their kids to learn. After all, higher SES status, usually equals higher level of education. I am not the one pushing my DC in school (me with the lone bachelor degree). It is my husband, who has multiple Ivy League degrees who does this. We are well off, but not wealthy (well I guess that is relative).

I feel like this analysis misses a lot of folks. There are plenty of highly educated people, particularly in the DC area, who are not high SES because they chose public service or nonprofit work rather than the private sector. It also misses highly motivated immigrants, who may not be high earning but who care deeply about their kids' academic success. I'm a highly educated nonprofit worker, with a boss with double Ivy degrees, and coworkers from some of the best graduate programs in the country. None of us are high SES unless we are married to someone in the private sector, but all of us have high achieving kids (in public school, no less).