My Kid Can Relax Better Than Yours
Overachieving Students
Children's Hospital Campaign
The Washington Post is raising money for the Children's National Medical Center. You may make a tax-deductible contribution online anytime between Nov. 26 and Jan. 18. Online Resources
Column Archive: Read other columns by John Kelly.
Live Discussion: John Kelly takes questions on his recent columns, life in the Washington area and more.
|
Hear a New Message: Lighten Up
Schools, Parents Seek to Dial Back
Academic Demands
-- headline in The Washington Post
The Time: The Present. A Wednesday afternoon.
The Setting: The spacious eat-in kitchen of a McMansion located in what is known as "the Whitman Cluster." Although it sounds like a candy bar ("Introducing the new improved Whitman Cluster -- now with more cashews and nougat!") or a section of deep space ("Scientists yesterday detected a quasar in the Whitman Cluster, 160 million light years from Earth"), the Whitman Cluster is actually the group of public schools that feeds into what many believe to be Montgomery County's finest high school: Walt Whitman. Every county in the Washington area has its own Whitman Cluster.
