Breck or Blake school? (Minneapolis, Minnetonka: fit in, renting, best schools)

[VikesOhMy]

Originally Posted by TxTnVtMn

You assume too much. I said I am not in the market to send my children to either school. I have significant professional experience working with both schools and knowing a good number of administrators at both. That poster's characterization of Blake trades in lame stereotypes, simple as that. Even your comment about "insecure parents" requires a lot of unpacking before it could be useful. Anyone who thinks that parents do not have an impact on independent education regardless of the institution probably doesn't understand the experience very well.

"lame" is your opinion. Further, it seems to me that most people would understand the idea of "insecure parents." These are the kinds of big fish in a small pond parents that show up to school in ostentatious cars and probably spend well beyond their means to show off. Blake has a rep for this. These are the kinds of parents who teach their kids young to sink themselves in debt in order to show off. Come on, this isn't rocket science.

Bottom line is that parents should check out both and judge for themselves. Very very different schools with extremely different values.

[cheddar]

Originally Posted by Teak

Breck has a better ice hockey team. Now THAT should settle it.

Blake girls often win the state championship in hockey. They are amazing.

[cheddar]

Originally Posted by Glad To Contribute

. Even more, we just didn’t find the Blake teachers to be any better than those who we met at the public option.

I'm not sure how you can assess teacher quality simply by meeting teachers. I would love to have that skill.

Originally Posted by Glad To Contribute

I asked the admissions office at Blake about how commonly kids from Breck transfer to Blake and they indicated that is was rare – kind of telling…

I doubt whether there is much mobility from any of the independent schools to the others. So not really telling.

Originally Posted by Glad To Contribute

Breck is a far better and more rounded school. It turns out children who have great values and who are strong contributors to society and extremely bright.

We don't know that this isn't true of Blake, other independent schools, or other good publics.

[Glenfield]

I know quite a few people in the Breck community. While they are justifiably proud of their school and its accomplishments, I have never heard any of them speak poorly of Blake or any of the other elite private schools. This is just something that is not done in the private school community.

[VikesOhMy]

Originally Posted by cheddar

Blake girls often win the state championship in hockey. They are amazing.

That's SO amazing! Let Blake have that over Breck! :-P

[VikesOhMy]

Originally Posted by cheddar

I'm not sure how you can assess teacher quality simply by meeting teachers. I would love to have that skill.

Years in academics, so it's easy. With even a little experience it isn't so difficult to measure the ability of a teacher, particularly when the difference is so significant. Can't disagree with other poster.



I doubt whether there is much mobility from any of the independent schools to the others. So not really telling.

It is, actually, telling in terms of the difference between the 2 schools being discussed in this thread. It's interesting, but not surprising. The trend of the thread is that Blake has gone downhill and Breck had ascended. For that reason, it would make sense that more students try and transfer to Breck rather than the opposite. Makes sense to me.


We don't know that this isn't true of Blake, other independent schools, or other good publics.

I think the trends seem pretty clear, and it's understandable after a visit to both schools.

[VikesOhMy]

Originally Posted by Glenfield

I know quite a few people in the Breck community. While they are justifiably proud of their school and its accomplishments, I have never heard any of them speak poorly of Blake or any of the other elite private schools. This is just something that is not done in the private school community.

And? We are simply comparing the schools here.

[Glenfield]

Originally Posted by VikesOhMy

And? We are simply comparing the schools here.

Most of the comments in post #144 disparaged the staff and parents at Blake. That post was in very bad taste and is not what one would typically expect from a Breck parent.

[VikesOhMy]

Originally Posted by Glenfield

Most of the comments in post #144 disparaged the staff and parents at Blake. That post was in very bad taste and is not what one would typically expect from a Breck parent.

Having read through this whole thread I'm not sure if you comment just to increase your post count (now you'll respond to add another) but the poster in #144 seems to have given a pretty accurate picture of Blake. And, if you disagree that's fine, but it is that person's opinion. This thread asks the question "Breck or Blake school?" and so the person gave his or her opinion. If I had never visited either school I'd be looking for the issues, both positive and negative, to look for in the school and I think that this poster did a nice job of pointing out issues that readers can look for during a visit. Maybe bad taste in your opinion but I think that blunt facts/opinions are most helpful as opposed to Minnesota-style (I'm Minnesotan myself) sugar coating. I understand that you post quick responses without thinking about them carefully, but to say that the poster disparaged the staff at Blake by indicating that they don't seem as strong as those at Breck certainly is not disparaging. If we can't give such opinions about the teaching quality of both schools then what is the point of this thread? Should posters only respond "Blake" or "Breck?"

[VikesOhMy]

Originally Posted by Glenfield

I know quite a few people in the Breck community. While they are justifiably proud of their school and its accomplishments, I have never heard any of them speak poorly of Blake or any of the other elite private schools. This is just something that is not done in the private school community.

"Elite". Elite, as in, expensive? Blake is "elite?" I have a suspicion that you are somehow affiliated with Blake or a parent. I was about to criticize your sweeping generalization about what is and what is not done in the private school community, but then I might sound a little hypocritical when I tell you that only a Blake parent would refer to his or her school as "elite." Silly talk.