NOVA Private Schools (Mount Vernon, Leesburg, Fairfax: homes, universities, live in)

[EuroExpat]

Originally Posted by claremarie

Please don't assume that all parents who opt for private schools are elitist, or seeking an edge in Ivy League college admissions.

Thank you for saying that. Our son is still a toddler but we've already decided to put him in a private school for many reasons, some of which you mentioned (small class sizes etc.). We're far from being elitists...

[MovefromFla]

Originally Posted by claremarie

We moved our kids from public schools in McLean to a private, all-boys' Catholic school and have never regretted it, despite the huge expense. We started out at the excellent neighborhood elementary school, which worked fine for our oldest, who began there just after the SOL test madness had begun. When he entered middle school, we discovered that students who were not extremely gifted, learning disabled, or behavioral problems were largely ignored and definitely not challenged. The school treated students as numbers and parents as unwelcome intruders. We switched him to the Catholic school, and sent his brothers to join him several years later.

At our sons' current school, the lower grades are taught in log cabins, set in a valley with woods all around. There are fewer than 20 students per class, all male teachers, three recess periods each day, and absolutely no standardized tests. Though some children at a neighboring Fairfax elementary school are forbidden to play tag lest someone get hurt, our boys play football, "murderball", and "thud." They are allowed to play with sticks and climb trees, and the occasional ankle sprain or broken bone is accepted as the risk of letting boys be boys. (When one of our sons broke his leg playing football at recess at his public school, football was promptly banned at recess.)

The chapel is the center of the school, with Mass and confession available every day. There is a dress code, with dress shirts and ties for all grades and sports jackets required for high schoolers. The headmaster knows each student by name, and stands at the front of the carpool line each morning to greet the boys. The buildings have the look and feel of a comfortable family home rather than an institution. There is a minimum of silly rules and regulations, and parents are treated as the primary educators of their children. Boys who cannot be picked up immediately after school are free to roam the campus and play or study until their ride arrives.
We have friends who are incredulous that we've pulled our kids from one of the top pyramids in Fairfax County. Unlike them, we cannot take fancy vacations, buy a second home, or drive an expensive new car, but it's definitely been worth every penny.
Please don't assume that all parents who opt for private schools are elitist, or seeking an edge in Ivy League college admissions.

Thank you so much for your email. My husband and I have been going back and forth about whether or not to send my son to Catholic School. Your email was right on target. We are going to send him to Catholic School.
Thanks again

[springfieldva]

Clairemarie and others - Although I'm *very* happy with the public schools in my area, I can see why some might choose private schools for their kids. It sounds as though you've made the best choices for your kids/family.

[chequerido]

We live in Clarke County, Va(Berryville). We chose to send our 9th grader to Notre Dame Academy ( private co-ed catholic school) in Middleburg, VA versus sending to the public high school here because of MANY issues the high school faces right now. We have one option out here as there is only one HS here. Our child is thriving beautifully at private school and when she talks to her old friends about the high school and how much they do not like it, we know we made the right choice for our child. smaller class sizes, more one on one with the teacher. Private was the best option for us. If you knew about the public school system here, you would understand our decision.

[dwiggin3]

Originally Posted by claremarie

We moved our kids from public schools in McLean to a private, all-boys' Catholic school and have never regretted it, despite the huge expense. We started out at the excellent neighborhood elementary school, which worked fine for our oldest, who began there just after the SOL test madness had begun. When he entered middle school, we discovered that students who were not extremely gifted, learning disabled, or behavioral problems were largely ignored and definitely not challenged. The school treated students as numbers and parents as unwelcome intruders. We switched him to the Catholic school, and sent his brothers to join him several years later.

At our sons' current school, the lower grades are taught in log cabins, set in a valley with woods all around. There are fewer than 20 students per class, all male teachers, three recess periods each day, and absolutely no standardized tests. Though some children at a neighboring Fairfax elementary school are forbidden to play tag lest someone get hurt, our boys play football, "murderball", and "thud." They are allowed to play with sticks and climb trees, and the occasional ankle sprain or broken bone is accepted as the risk of letting boys be boys. (When one of our sons broke his leg playing football at recess at his public school, football was promptly banned at recess.)

The chapel is the center of the school, with Mass and confession available every day. There is a dress code, with dress shirts and ties for all grades and sports jackets required for high schoolers. The headmaster knows each student by name, and stands at the front of the carpool line each morning to greet the boys. The buildings have the look and feel of a comfortable family home rather than an institution. There is a minimum of silly rules and regulations, and parents are treated as the primary educators of their children. Boys who cannot be picked up immediately after school are free to roam the campus and play or study until their ride arrives.
We have friends who are incredulous that we've pulled our kids from one of the top pyramids in Fairfax County. Unlike them, we cannot take fancy vacations, buy a second home, or drive an expensive new car, but it's definitely been worth every penny.
Please don't assume that all parents who opt for private schools are elitist, or seeking an edge in Ivy League college admissions.

Well stated.

I am a product of the FFX Co. public schools from middle school forward. However, I must digress to explain why I am not entirely on the FFX Co. bandwagon. I was born and raised in AK where the schooling is not purported to be as good as FFX Co. I cannot say if it has improved or not since the 80’s but I can share my experience.

I was diagnosed as LD in first grade - extremely dyslexic. The first diagnosis was mildly autistic but my parents fought it. I was immediately placed in what were called Sylingerland classes - very much like today's phonics-based learning. I was in Sylingerland up through the 7th grade, where it was not offered. My classes were small, my teachers knew me well, knew my strengths, weaknesses and how to encourage me in such a way as to build up self-esteem and the joy of learning. While those of us in the Sylingerland classes knew we were in a “special” class, we were always told that it was not because we were slow, stupid or dumb. We just learned differently and that was it. The teachers would often cite statistics to remind us that most children with LD’s often had higher IQ’s. This explanation of our differences in learning styles and the need for different classes was phrased in an age-appropriate manner and we regularly had joint classroom time with our peers in the “regular” class. My best teachers were in AK – in a so-called “backwoods” state. When I began Junior high (the first year I was without the Sylerland class), my teachers were made aware of my dyslexia and I was allowed to be given extra time on tests if needed. Of the seven periods in each day, (one was lunch), I had a homeroom class that helped with my homework. A lot of individualized attention was given, but I was NEVER made to feel self-concise about it. In fact, I felt special in a good way and was encouraged to try new things and that even if it was hard or I was not very good at it, it was ok. I was taught coping techniques (which I proudly still use) to help me learn and they were celebrated and reinforced.

I moved to FFX Co. in 8th grade. My parents were told specifically that if they lived in DC their kids needed to be in private schools. If they lived in VA, Arlington and FFX CO had great schools. We were all very excited about the new school system and all the new opportunities I was going to be presented with. When school began, I immediately fell behind in math and reading. My classes were huge, my teachers had no idea who I was, had no idea how to teach a child with a LD (even though they were notified) nothing. My coping techniques were discouraged and were once referred to by one teacher as “primordial”. I was not the only kid who struggled, but those of us who did were ignored. It was assumed that we were not interested in school, so we were an acceptable casualty. My parents finally stepped in and I saw the school psychologist and underwent all this testing to confirm what had already been clearly stated in my records, I was dyslexic, needed extra help but was very bright, willing and able the learn. The problem was, my grades were too high for the special services available to Co. students with LD’s. My grades were C’s and low B’s. This kind of treatment persisted until I graduated from HS. I did not get into a great college but it was not for lack of trying. In hindsite, I value my undergraduate education more because I did not attend a big name school. I had a few teachers along the way who knew I was struggling but rejected the notion that I was an accepted casualty of the system. They worked with me, I worked with them, and my grades improved. Notes were placed in my file and memo’s to principals and superintendants were written. Even unsolicited private letters to colleges were written on my behalf and without my knowledge [at the time] encouraging the school to look past the grades and scores and to believe them when they said I was worth the “risk” because the school system I was in was the real problem. I had a math teacher that went so far as to ensure that he taught a section of whatever level of math I was at each year just so he could be my math teacher all four years of HS.

My experience with the school system was that I was an accepted casualty and was not worth the time and money to help. I believe I would have gotten a better education in AK of all places than FFX Co. schools. It was only because of a few good teachers who saw I was smart, but learned differently, that I graduated from high school and even had the courage to apply to college. I came into FFX County schools a hard worker, eager to learn and willing to put the time/energy into my studies even though it took me longer to learn than most. After I left FFX Co. schools, I was defeated, drained and lacked the confidence in myself that I once had. I believed the message that had been not so subtlety conveyed to me – it did not matter what the problem was; drugs, family issues, laziness, LD – if you could not keep up under our system, then you were an accepted loss.

It took many years for me to deal with the wounds that were created and my lack of confidence in my ability to continue in school. However, eventually the spark that my teachers in AK helped instilled, and that nearly went out when I came to FFX Co was reignited. I earned my MS in Environmental Science and Policy and next year I will begin a PhD program at a school that not even the brightest kids in my HS class were admitted too.

FFX County is not always the best option. There are good schools and good teachers and perhaps I was in the worst performing school, but my parents did not know what there options were (i.e. put me in a new school) because they were told they had no options. I am not saying that the system as a whole is broken, but I am saying it fails more students more often than anyone is interested in hearing. Every child is different and learns differently. What may work for one child may be the curse of death for another. If all my parents had to do was pay the cost of private school tuition for 4 years in HS to avoid what happened with me, they would have gladly paid it a hundred times over.

[dod236]

Funny you say that slim04. You have to do more research. Some of the private schools we researched for our daughter have highly dgreed teachers, some of which left the public schools.

Originally Posted by slim04

It's like comparing apples to oranges. They just don't value master's degrees in private schools like they do in public schools. In public schools getting promotions and raises are often dependent on whether you have a master's degree. So many teachers take these online or correspondence master's degree programs through colleges like Baker or Argosy.

These programs are not the same as say a master's degree program in mathematics or chemistry at University of Maryland. Many of the teachers who takes these classes just go through the motions to get the additional credential.

Private schools just don't care about these types of degrees. Also, they will credit a person's professional experience outside of teaching in terms of promotion and salary. So an experienced journalist with a degree from Columbia might be able to teach English right away in a private school, but in public school they would have to try to get certified first and start at the bottom (maybe subsitute teach first).

Which way is better? I'm not sure, as the best teachers I've ever been around were in public schools. However, in private school, my best teachers didn't fit the profile of a public school teacher and probably would have never chosen the profession if they had to. I've also noticed that public schools had more teachers dialing it in than in private school, where they can usher poor teachers out more easily.

[leighland]

Originally Posted by claremarie

We moved our kids from public schools in McLean to a private, all-boys' Catholic school and have never regretted it, despite the huge expense. We started out at the excellent neighborhood elementary school, which worked fine for our oldest, who began there just after the SOL test madness had begun. When he entered middle school, we discovered that students who were not extremely gifted, learning disabled, or behavioral problems were largely ignored and definitely not challenged. The school treated students as numbers and parents as unwelcome intruders. We switched him to the Catholic school, and sent his brothers to join him several years later.

At our sons' current school, the lower grades are taught in log cabins, set in a valley with woods all around. There are fewer than 20 students per class, all male teachers, three recess periods each day, and absolutely no standardized tests. Though some children at a neighboring Fairfax elementary school are forbidden to play tag lest someone get hurt, our boys play football, "murderball", and "thud." They are allowed to play with sticks and climb trees, and the occasional ankle sprain or broken bone is accepted as the risk of letting boys be boys. (When one of our sons broke his leg playing football at recess at his public school, football was promptly banned at recess.)

The chapel is the center of the school, with Mass and confession available every day. There is a dress code, with dress shirts and ties for all grades and sports jackets required for high schoolers. The headmaster knows each student by name, and stands at the front of the carpool line each morning to greet the boys. The buildings have the look and feel of a comfortable family home rather than an institution. There is a minimum of silly rules and regulations, and parents are treated as the primary educators of their children. Boys who cannot be picked up immediately after school are free to roam the campus and play or study until their ride arrives.
We have friends who are incredulous that we've pulled our kids from one of the top pyramids in Fairfax County. Unlike them, we cannot take fancy vacations, buy a second home, or drive an expensive new car, but it's definitely been worth every penny.
Please don't assume that all parents who opt for private schools are elitist, or seeking an edge in Ivy League college admissions.

What you don't mention is The Heights is around $25,000.00 a year per student. Of course its the best-because you can afford to buy it.
Also, there are teachers there who are right out of school, without the big accreditations. I've met some.
It doesn't mean the FCPS are the equivalent to Public schools in the South Side of Chicago.

[claremarie]

"What you don't mention is The Heights is around $25,000.00 a year per student."

Not quite. Tuition ranges from $14-18,000 per year, depending upon grade level.

"It doesn't mean the FCPS are the equivalent to Public schools in the South Side of Chicago."

I never made that claim. Obviously, the demographics of Fairfax County are completely different than an inner city school. My point was that not all private school parents are elitist snobs chasing Ivy League admissions. Many are people like us, who wanted to remove our children from what has become an increasingly standardized test-centered and relentlessly secular environment that is not particularly boy-friendly.

[TouchofBlarney]

A popular activity among the affluent is to throw money at problems and consider them solved. Some things just can't be bought. Self esteem and confidence come to mind. The people that overly protect their kids are not doing them any favor at all. It's probably more than a coincidence that many lesser developed areas have little to no incidence of asthma and allergies. Many kids are practically locked in a sterile environment until they turn 21. This creates an unhealthy mind and body. The public school kids are more well rounded and better at adapting to adversity.

The OP takes a swipe at standardized test and Standards of Learning. The NEA pigs from the worst school districts in the Nation have been singing this song for years. To call them organized crime, would be unfair. If that were the case; their schools would be a lot better. Let us know what they say at UVa and Wm & Mary, when you tell them Johnny can't take standardized tests.

The comments about football were especially insulting to one's intelligence. I played college football, and I have been a teacher. Allowing kids to play tackle football at recess is simply child neglect.
You need equipment, and well trained supervision.

Some of the top private schools are actually horrible places to work. I know congressional is respected, but the average teacher there could be making less than half of what they are making in FCPS.

[leighland]

Originally Posted by claremarie

"What you don't mention is The Heights is around $25,000.00 a year per student."

Not quite. Tuition ranges from $14-18,000 per year, depending upon grade level.

You're kidding right? I'm sure most parents in the area can afford the cheaper, scholarshiped 14,000.00 per year per student

Originally Posted by claremarie

I never made that claim. Obviously, the demographics of Fairfax County are completely different than an inner city school. My point was that not all private school parents are elitist snobs chasing Ivy League admissions.

So you are telling me that most of the Heights kids go on to attend "Non-Elitists" schools like, Emporia State University in Kansas for example. Please. You are sending your kids there to be with kids who have the same class level-who you hope go on to Brown or Stanford. There are no kids attending the Heights whose parents net 25 grand a year and plan to work after school.

Originally Posted by claremarie

Many are people like us, who wanted to remove our children from what has become an increasingly standardized test-centered and relentlessly secular environment that is not particularly boy-friendly.

Again, you are removing your kids from a public school, where they would need to defend precepts of their faith and deal with less affluent kids with other values.

Look you can do what you want but don't type here that you are doing it for purely empirical reasons and you'd be comfortable with your kids mingling with others not like them. Maybe you should take that to your Exam of Conscious tonight.