Getting into St. Albans

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't see how you can know about the educational background of every parent in your son's grade. The school directory certainly does not list degrees, and not everyone is able to be Googled. I happen to know of parents at STA who have blue-collar jobs such as a cab-driver. I also know of some mothers who have no college degree.

Cab driver, I've not met him/her, yet. Maybe a couple of sahms didn't finish college or only has a high school diploma. Perhaps 1/2 lower-income students have a parent(s) that isn't a "professional." PP was trying to paint STA's parent body as more academically or professionally diverse than it actually is.

Agree with you. If you take the scholarship and recruited athletes out of the equation, you are talking about a very well educated (sometimes I think over-educated) group. Not to say I wouldn't mind running into a cab driver at those events. I'm sure they have better stories and are more fun than the lot I usually run into.

How can one be "over-educated"?

NP. The over-educated lack commonsense and are addicted to analyzing their meaningless "concerns" to death.

[Anonymous]

For me, over educated is relative to one's job. The Ph.D. working as a cab driver, etc.

What other blue collar jobs have you seen among the parent body, PP? I haven't seen anybody. Nurse is about as blue collar as it gets.

[Anonymous]

Over the past few years I have met nurses, police officer, mail carrier, athletic coach, custodial worker--and yes, these are the scholarship kids' parents. But there are a reasonable amount of kids on financial aid. Most parents have college and grad degrees but not all, and the Upper School parent body has more diversity than the Lower School (more kids and maybe more diversity outreach).

[Anonymous]

Agree with PP. I get the feeling that there are a variety of jobs and educational backgrounds among the STA parents, which are not stated of course about but rather inferred.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't see how you can know about the educational background of every parent in your son's grade. The school directory certainly does not list degrees, and not everyone is able to be Googled. I happen to know of parents at STA who have blue-collar jobs such as a cab-driver. I also know of some mothers who have no college degree.

I don't know the educational background of every parent, but I'm pretty sure I know MOST. I have been to the parent dinners, class get-togethers, etc and over the years I've chatted with parents about what they do. I admit there will be a stray blue collar job, but it's ridiculous to sell this as an educationally diverse parent body.

Jury duty. That's educationally diverse.

Yes, I agree with the view that it is ridiculous to try to portray the STA parent body as diverse when it comes to education (as in no college degree) and jobs (as in blue collar). I find such efforts, anyway, to reflect a subconscious defensiveness that is symptomatic of a feeling of guilt. STA is an elite institution, populated in the main by elite families. Everyone knows this going in. Some crave it. Others see it as just a necessary evil in getting the best education for their sons. Still others see it as PART of the value of the STA experience.

[Anonymous]

Me, I want a school where the average education of the parent body is no more than 11th grade. That's where I'm aiming to plop my kid. Not around a bunch of hifatin college boys, with their talk of "newspapers" and "NPR". Hell no.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't see how you can know about the educational background of every parent in your son's grade. The school directory certainly does not list degrees, and not everyone is able to be Googled. I happen to know of parents at STA who have blue-collar jobs such as a cab-driver. I also know of some mothers who have no college degree.

I don't know the educational background of every parent, but I'm pretty sure I know MOST. I have been to the parent dinners, class get-togethers, etc and over the years I've chatted with parents about what they do. I admit there will be a stray blue collar job, but it's ridiculous to sell this as an educationally diverse parent body.

Jury duty. That's educationally diverse.

Yes, I agree with the view that it is ridiculous to try to portray the STA parent body as diverse when it comes to education (as in no college degree) and jobs (as in blue collar). I find such efforts, anyway, to reflect a subconscious defensiveness that is symptomatic of a feeling of guilt. STA is an elite institution, populated in the main by elite families. Everyone knows this going in. Some crave it. Others see it as just a necessary evil in getting the best education for their sons. Still others see it as PART of the value of the STA experience.

Those who be admitted solely on merit relate well to each other based on common interests. Those who have hooks only group together and some have man crushes on their more successful comrades. The "beautiful people " group is really trashy. Sordid actions from many.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't see how you can know about the educational background of every parent in your son's grade. The school directory certainly does not list degrees, and not everyone is able to be Googled. I happen to know of parents at STA who have blue-collar jobs such as a cab-driver. I also know of some mothers who have no college degree.

I don't know the educational background of every parent, but I'm pretty sure I know MOST. I have been to the parent dinners, class get-togethers, etc and over the years I've chatted with parents about what they do. I admit there will be a stray blue collar job, but it's ridiculous to sell this as an educationally diverse parent body.

Jury duty. That's educationally diverse.

Yes, I agree with the view that it is ridiculous to try to portray the STA parent body as diverse when it comes to education (as in no college degree) and jobs (as in blue collar). I find such efforts, anyway, to reflect a subconscious defensiveness that is symptomatic of a feeling of guilt. STA is an elite institution, populated in the main by elite families. Everyone knows this going in. Some crave it. Others see it as just a necessary evil in getting the best education for their sons. Still others see it as PART of the value of the STA experience.

Those who be admitted solely on merit relate well to each other based on common interests. Those who have hooks only group together and some have man crushes on their more successful comrades. The "beautiful people " group is really trashy. Sordid actions from many.

Hey, Flamethrower, you can't throw out these teasers without any follow-up!

[Anonymous]

Don't assume that the only parents at STA are the moms from the House Tour or the dads from the lacrosse sidelines. It is more diverse than that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't assume that the only parents at STA are the moms from the House Tour or the dads from the lacrosse sidelines. It is more diverse than that.

Well, that may be true. But it also it telling that none of these diverse families, however many they may be, are noticeably absent from such events.

[Anonymous]

That's not true (I think...I've read your post 3 times and I think this is what you meant). I have worked house tour every year and they consistently ask for volunteers in the houses. It's not the hairband people who get all the slots. I know I worked with one of those rare blue collar parents suddenly getting exposure on this thread.

Lacrosse, that's another matter. I don't go near lacrosse and have no idea who populates the sidelines.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't assume that the only parents at STA are the moms from the House Tour or the dads from the lacrosse sidelines. It is more diverse than that.

Hey-you forgot the moms on the lax sidelines. They watch and assess skills very closely. Do team dinners even on school nights , some multiple times/week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That's not true (I think...I've read your post 3 times and I think this is what you meant). I have worked house tour every year and they consistently ask for volunteers in the houses. It's not the hairband people who get all the slots. I know I worked with one of those rare blue collar parents suddenly getting exposure on this thread.

Lacrosse, that's another matter. I don't go near lacrosse and have no idea who populates the sidelines.

Which rare blue collar parents did you work with, the cab driver or the custodian?

And, the rare blue collar parent working the tour was assigned to do what: docent, drive the tour bus or move furniture?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's not true (I think...I've read your post 3 times and I think this is what you meant). I have worked house tour every year and they consistently ask for volunteers in the houses. It's not the hairband people who get all the slots. I know I worked with one of those rare blue collar parents suddenly getting exposure on this thread.

Lacrosse, that's another matter. I don't go near lacrosse and have no idea who populates the sidelines.

Which rare blue collar parents did you work with, the cab driver or the custodian?

And, the rare blue collar parent working the tour was assigned to do what: docent, drive the tour bus or move furniture?

Don't be a jerk. These are nice people and don't deserve the snark, even if it is intramural snark.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't assume that the only parents at STA are the moms from the House Tour or the dads from the lacrosse sidelines. It is more diverse than that.

Hey-you forgot the moms on the lax sidelines. They watch and assess skills very closely. Do team dinners even on school nights , some multiple times/week.

What do these moms do with their "assessments"?