What is even the point of private schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are many schools in lower Montgomery County that are no longer the gems they were. Your kids are only middle school / high school students once; when the public option only focuses on troubled / special needs kids, you can either roll the dice and move or pay for private. Pretty simple.

I feel like privates also somewhat cater to special needs kids, no? Or do they counsel them out under certain circumstances?

Some private schools do. Others, only accept the best and brightest and keep out the kids with disabilities or that are disruptive. That’s the school my kids are at

Possibly at ninth but any school that starts before ninth takes kids that are not the best and brightest. Hard to tell at 5 yrs old. Lifers don’t need to get in on merit so they don’t need to be the brightest. Other hooks get kids in in the upper grades who are not the best - see GDS US last year.

Many schools start before 9th but well after age 5.

[Anonymous]

The kids coming in at 9th from public are much less prepared than their private school peers. It could be that Covid was just so detrimental to public learning.

[Anonymous]

My kid is coming in at 9th from public and loves private school. The teachers on average are more engaged. The classes are more intellectually stimulating and challenging in a good way. Her educational experience in high school is worth the price of admission for us, regardless of college outcome. We have not yet experienced any problems of overwokeness mentioned by the OP, even though her school is known to be liberal.

The only thing DD misses from public are her old friends, who were a lovely, kind crowd of nerds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid is coming in at 9th from public and loves private school. The teachers on average are more engaged. The classes are more intellectually stimulating and challenging in a good way. Her educational experience in high school is worth the price of admission for us, regardless of college outcome. We have not yet experienced any problems of overwokeness mentioned by the OP, even though her school is known to be liberal.

The only thing DD misses from public are her old friends, who were a lovely, kind crowd of nerds.

Which school, if you don’t mind sharing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The kids coming in at 9th from public are much less prepared than their private school peers. It could be that Covid was just so detrimental to public learning.

We have been one of these kids. I’m very curious about your post. It does feel like his very excellent public school lagged behind the private school in prep. It also feels like there is insane curiosity and fear about their academic prowess. Like, they’ve actually taken standardized tests and done well. So I’m confused as to whether you think they shouldn’t let in public school kids, you are fearful that they are smarter than you DC, or whether you have any evidence that they perform worse/better than the lifers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:with how it is nearly impossble for kids to get into Ivys unhooked.

with the insane woke brainwashing and the inbedding of politics into the circirulum and the loss of traditional learning

with schools and universities disregarding objective measures like SAT scores, AP test scores.

with top universities graduates having problems paying off their student loans and getting jobs


It all just feels pointless.

Not every private school has woke brainwashing. Most Catholic schools are
pretty solid. And giving your kids a chance to go to school and focus on academics and not a potpourri of sexual and racial identity political fads is, for many, “the point” of private school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:with how it is nearly impossble for kids to get into Ivys unhooked.

with the insane woke brainwashing and the inbedding of politics into the circirulum and the loss of traditional learning

with schools and universities disregarding objective measures like SAT scores, AP test scores.

with top universities graduates having problems paying off their student loans and getting jobs


It all just feels pointless.

Not every private school has woke brainwashing. Most Catholic schools are
pretty solid. And giving your kids a chance to go to school and focus on academics and not a potpourri of sexual and racial identity political fads is, for many, “the point” of private school.

The focus on and racial identity political fads is well and alive in private schools. Just look at Maret, GDS, Sidwell and many others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:with how it is nearly impossble for kids to get into Ivys unhooked.

with the insane woke brainwashing and the inbedding of politics into the circirulum and the loss of traditional learning

with schools and universities disregarding objective measures like SAT scores, AP test scores.

with top universities graduates having problems paying off their student loans and getting jobs


It all just feels pointless.

Not every private school has woke brainwashing. Most Catholic schools are
pretty solid. And giving your kids a chance to go to school and focus on academics and not a potpourri of sexual and racial identity political fads is, for many, “the point” of private school.

The focus on and racial identity political fads is well and alive in private schools. Just look at Maret, GDS, Sidwell and many others.

*sexual and racial

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The kids coming in at 9th from public are much less prepared than their private school peers. It could be that Covid was just so detrimental to public learning.

We have been one of these kids. I’m very curious about your post. It does feel like his very excellent public school lagged behind the private school in prep. It also feels like there is insane curiosity and fear about their academic prowess. Like, they’ve actually taken standardized tests and done well. So I’m confused as to whether you think they shouldn’t let in public school kids, you are fearful that they are smarter than you DC, or whether you have any evidence that they perform worse/better than the lifers?

No, not at all. The public school kids are more than capable. However, based on what my teenager's friends say and what my friends say, the private school kids on average did not struggle as much early on in high school. Just better prepared. The public school kids end up successful, but it seems to be more of an adjustment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:with how it is nearly impossble for kids to get into Ivys unhooked.

with the insane woke brainwashing and the inbedding of politics into the circirulum and the loss of traditional learning

with schools and universities disregarding objective measures like SAT scores, AP test scores.

with top universities graduates having problems paying off their student loans and getting jobs


It all just feels pointless.

Not every private school has woke brainwashing. Most Catholic schools are
pretty solid. And giving your kids a chance to go to school and focus on academics and not a potpourri of sexual and racial identity political fads is, for many, “the point” of private school.

The focus on and racial identity political fads is well and alive in private schools. Just look at Maret, GDS, Sidwell and many others.

That’s why I specially pointed out Catholic schools; aside from perhaps a few outliers, most are very good at keeping woke brainwashing out of school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The kids coming in at 9th from public are much less prepared than their private school peers. It could be that Covid was just so detrimental to public learning.

We have been one of these kids. I’m very curious about your post. It does feel like his very excellent public school lagged behind the private school in prep. It also feels like there is insane curiosity and fear about their academic prowess. Like, they’ve actually taken standardized tests and done well. So I’m confused as to whether you think they shouldn’t let in public school kids, you are fearful that they are smarter than you DC, or whether you have any evidence that they perform worse/better than the lifers?

No, not at all. The public school kids are more than capable. However, based on what my teenager's friends say and what my friends say, the private school kids on average did not struggle as much early on in high school. Just better prepared. The public school kids end up successful, but it seems to be more of an adjustment.

Fair point, and I think I agree with you.

[Anonymous]

private schools suck but public schools are absolute hellholes, so here we are

[Anonymous]

I see that "woke brainwashing" is now the dog whistle du jour.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The kids coming in at 9th from public are much less prepared than their private school peers. It could be that Covid was just so detrimental to public learning.

We have been one of these kids. I’m very curious about your post. It does feel like his very excellent public school lagged behind the private school in prep. It also feels like there is insane curiosity and fear about their academic prowess. Like, they’ve actually taken standardized tests and done well. So I’m confused as to whether you think they shouldn’t let in public school kids, you are fearful that they are smarter than you DC, or whether you have any evidence that they perform worse/better than the lifers?

No, not at all. The public school kids are more than capable. However, based on what my teenager's friends say and what my friends say, the private school kids on average did not struggle as much early on in high school. Just better prepared. The public school kids end up successful, but it seems to be more of an adjustment.

Fair point, and I think I agree with you.

DP: I have seen this too, but the adjustment is not so much smarts or ability; rather it is a wholly different system of expectations and grading, so they have to learn a new way of proving themselves, right down to the expectations of turning in homework, no retakes, they types of things that are tested, and what counts in grading. It's very different from school to school sometimes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I see that "woke brainwashing" is now the dog whistle du jour.

only for that guy