Частные школы, советы

[inostranka]

Разрыв шаблона - ходила с коллегами на ланч, речь зашла о школах, все! кроме одного (у которого трое детей) говорили о том, что их дети либо уже в частных школах, либо они сильно об этом думают/планируют.
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В Schindler's List есть сцена: девушка-еврейка говорит начальнику конц-лагеря о том, что они неправильно строят здание, фундамент плохой, а

Comments

[ant_fugue]

FWIW, I think public and private schools serve different models of parenting.

In our area, public is all about survival. We have more than 1000 kids in our school. We have 9 trailers outside. Kids take turns eating lunch, Valya's class is last and eats at 2 PM, so they get a snack. Recess is 20 minutes, there is no room to run, so kids do hoola hoops. Valya can do 1000 turns in one recess, she says. I have not checked if it's true, the number seems kind of extreme.

If you want to be in advanced classes, you need to take tests, and sometimes you need to apply. If you fail the test, you don't get into the class. If your application is not chosen, you don't get into the class. We have stayed in the school so far because Valya is able to get into her classes. If your kid does not "get it", you find a tutor or spend extra time helping at home. If your kid forgets homework, it's 50% off the grade the next day. IF the kid misspells three words on a two-page report, they just got a C for their spelling. Kids are nine years old. It's a cut-throat competitive world out there.

If your kid handles this sort of stuff fine, I think this public school is amazing. I mean, after this getting through hazing in medical school will feel like a vacation. Plus, their academic standards have got to be in line with anyone else in the nation, possibly with the exception of science - we don't really have the funds for cool labs, so Valya takes a little extra in the summer and at home on the side.

Of course, not all public schools are like that. I think that most good high schools are like this, however. Elementary public can be a lot more relaxed, independent of GreatSchools scores.

If you have a child who is sensitive, does not test well every single day of the year at the drop of the hat, does not want to compete in a 20%-60% "Tiger Mom" environment, and may need a longer recess, then you pay money for private school. If we had another kid tomorrow, I would not count on them being able to make it through public schools in Maryland. I am not actually saying that public school prep is "good for life", especially since most of our ruling elites are educated in much softer and considerate private model. However, it is great for the family's bottom line, and it's a good choice for us.

[inostranka]

Wow - thanks for the detailed writeup, I am always curious about other people's experiences. That's totally different from the Boston area schools, as far as I know. First of, we don't even have advanced classes in elementary schools - none whatsoever ;) So, no stressful tests, etc. Schools are smaller, too - our local elementary schools have either 2 or 3 classes per grade, so elementary schools are 200-300 students, with indoor gyms and outside playgrounds. The private schools we visited and liked did have more gyms and more playgrounds and more playtime/gym time on a daily basis, which is a factor, but the difference is not as stark as what you are describing.

[ant_fugue]

Valya is taking mathematics 2 years ahead of schedule, putting her on track to finish Calculus BC and another year of mathematics (multivariable calc and linear algebra would be logical choices) by the time she graduates HIgh School if she stays with the program. They only teach the 6th grade program three times a week; twice a week they prepare kids for math olympics. I actually think that is exceptional and hard to find nationwide. We get all that for buying a townhouse in the right location. Folks who can afford houses a little closer to our high school and attend different elementary schools get the same treatment, but less overcrowding and more resources.

In addition, Valentina takes enrichment classes in school. These have about 15 students per class, and child needs to be in the GT program and submit an application. Different classes are offered, so kids pick in their area of interest. So far this semester, Valya collaborated with 2 other students to do an in-depth report on the space elevator. Valentina made a Scratch model showing how a space elevator worked.

Right now they are doing a unit of Chesapeake Bay pollution. She is writing a report and making a model of containing animal waste from the farms. For both of those projects, she needed to do internet research and submit references. At the end of each unit, students present their reports and models / posters to the class in a seminar atmosphere, followed by a few questions.

Valya skipped the "Cinderella in world cultures" class because she is not into princess fairy tales, but there kids needed to design a shoe that reflects their personality, and who they are. During the county GT fair, kids presented on that project and were very pleased with that experience, too.

In other words, I don't think that we are losing anything academically by choosing a public model for now, but it's a pressure cooker.

[ant_fugue]

Oh the math program opened based on the child's SCAT score at the end of 3rd grade. IF a child scored poorly, parents had the right to file an appeal based on the child's grades, but test is considered more important.

Next year, the school will use the verbal SCAT to determine who gets into the GT classes for science, social studies, and English in Middle School, so I plan to spend the summer studying vocabulary with my kid. Same system - test is required, if the score is low parents can appeal and then it's up to the school... so grades COUNT as back-up as well.

Lots of opportunity, but pressure cooker.