Moving to NYC during "non-entry" year

[Anonymous]

Yeah save your money and go public, especially with small class sizes. supplement with Russian school of math, sports, music. I cannot figure out the value proposition for private elementary except getting in early to guarantee the high school spot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yeah save your money and go public, especially with small class sizes. supplement with Russian school of math, sports, music. I cannot figure out the value proposition for private elementary except getting in early to guarantee the high school spot.

Agree except for Russian math. I think that is a joke. Whoever started it and convinced parents to do it is an incredible business person. I think half of Anderson goes there because all of the parents have been hoodwinked and have the Stuy mentality. Your kids are fine. Let them go roll in the dirt rather than doing extra math - they need the social development more than extra math.

We looked into it and ran away. And DC is excelling at math. Plus they are a lot happier and more normal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah save your money and go public, especially with small class sizes. supplement with Russian school of math, sports, music. I cannot figure out the value proposition for private elementary except getting in early to guarantee the high school spot.

Agree except for Russian math. I think that is a joke. Whoever started it and convinced parents to do it is an incredible business person. I think half of Anderson goes there because all of the parents have been hoodwinked and have the Stuy mentality. Your kids are fine. Let them go roll in the dirt rather than doing extra math - they need the social development more than extra math.

We looked into it and ran away. And DC is excelling at math. Plus they are a lot happier and more normal.

Agree. Russian Math is a cult.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I were to raise kids in NYC all over again, I would totally do a good zoned public for elementary school and apply to private for middle. I feel that all the money spent for K-5 in my kids' private schools was probably not necessary.

Except for Horace Mann, none of the other top privates have an official entry point for middle school. So no, this most likely wouldn’t have worked out well for your family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Except for Horace Mann, none of the other top privates have an official entry point for middle school. So no, this most likely wouldn’t have worked out well for your family.

Riverdale and Dalton both have 6th grade entry points, and IIRC so does at least one of the girls schools. Not as many slots as kindergarten or 9th grade, but a significant number.

It can be a bit of a crapshoot maturity-wise though - 5th graders vary wildly in their interviewing and standardized test skills, you might have a kid who’s smarter than 2/3 of the kids at HM but isn’t at a place in 5th where they can demonstrate that. Of course kindergarten admissions are also a crapshoot for different reasons; OTOH, with 9th grade, not only do you have a lot of spots and a better prepared kid but also the SHSAT option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah save your money and go public, especially with small class sizes. supplement with Russian school of math, sports, music. I cannot figure out the value proposition for private elementary except getting in early to guarantee the high school spot.

Agree except for Russian math. I think that is a joke. Whoever started it and convinced parents to do it is an incredible business person. I think half of Anderson goes there because all of the parents have been hoodwinked and have the Stuy mentality. Your kids are fine. Let them go roll in the dirt rather than doing extra math - they need the social development more than extra math.

We looked into it and ran away. And DC is excelling at math. Plus they are a lot happier and more normal.

Agree. Russian Math is a cult.

Can you guys speak a bit more about Russian Math? I was about to look into it for my rising kindergartner....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I were to raise kids in NYC all over again, I would totally do a good zoned public for elementary school and apply to private for middle. I feel that all the money spent for K-5 in my kids' private schools was probably not necessary.

Except for Horace Mann, none of the other top privates have an official entry point for middle school. So no, this most likely wouldn’t have worked out well for your family.

And I believe the few schools that have 6th grade spots have very few. So your odds are bad and your kid is one of very few newbies among kids who have been together for 6 years, which isn’t easy socially.

During Covid there were more 6th grade seats as a lot of kids left the city plus there was a ton of demand so I think the privates expanded a bit. Some schools were willing to take any kid with a pulse if they could write the check, when normally they were more competitive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah save your money and go public, especially with small class sizes. supplement with Russian school of math, sports, music. I cannot figure out the value proposition for private elementary except getting in early to guarantee the high school spot.

Agree except for Russian math. I think that is a joke. Whoever started it and convinced parents to do it is an incredible business person. I think half of Anderson goes there because all of the parents have been hoodwinked and have the Stuy mentality. Your kids are fine. Let them go roll in the dirt rather than doing extra math - they need the social development more than extra math.

We looked into it and ran away. And DC is excelling at math. Plus they are a lot happier and more normal.

Agree. Russian Math is a cult.

Can you guys speak a bit more about Russian Math? I was about to look into it for my rising kindergartner....

Math is for nerds! Rolling in dirt (and heroin needles) is cool!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can you guys speak a bit more about Russian Math? I was about to look into it for my rising kindergartner....

Honestly, there are only two types of kid I'd recommend outside math instruction to:

a) Kids who struggle with math and can't get enough help at school;

b) Kids who have a specific, concrete reason to need to go above their current grade level in math; for example, if you're switching to a new school that has an accelerated program you'd like to catch up with.

For standardized tests, you're generally much better off with tutoring focused on test prep, since they seldom go much above grade level (even the fabled Hunter test doesn't really implicate any math a reasonably bright 6th grader wouldn't know, it just leans heavily on their problem solving skills). For "math at school is too easy," they're going to be even more bored if they get ahead of their classmates, and they'd be better off spending their time on some other STEM / applied math thing - or even on, say, a class to improve their writing skills, since those aren't tethered by what's taught in class like math is and it's impossible to get 100% on an admissions essay - rather than grinding through whatever arithmetic they teach the next grade up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Can you guys speak a bit more about Russian Math? I was about to look into it for my rising kindergartner....

RSM offers community, math competitions, and classes. It is an extracurricular activity.

Introducing academic rigor at an early age can help build the foundation to be competitive in admissions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Can you guys speak a bit more about Russian Math? I was about to look into it for my rising kindergartner....

RSM offers community, math competitions, and classes. It is an extracurricular activity.

Introducing academic rigor at an early age can help build the foundation to be competitive in admissions.

So does having a well-rounded kid who does sports, arts, etc. And one who can look other people in the eye, have a firm handshake, make small talk, and socialize like a normal person. My kid has learned that at the neighborhood playground and is doing just fine in advanced but not hyper-accelerated math. It will take him a lot further in life. I was super smart as a kid at math (placed in national competitions, etc), as was my spouse. Neither of us did the equivalent version of this that existed back then. We have four ivy league degrees. And we are well-adjusted adults who enjoy life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
So does having a well-rounded kid who does sports, arts, etc. And one who can look other people in the eye, have a firm handshake, make small talk, and socialize like a normal person. My kid has learned that at the neighborhood playground and is doing just fine in advanced but not hyper-accelerated math. It will take him a lot further in life. I was super smart as a kid at math (placed in national competitions, etc), as was my spouse. Neither of us did the equivalent version of this that existed back then. We have four ivy league degrees. And we are well-adjusted adults who enjoy life.

.

Picking and choosing extracurricular activities is for families on a limited budget. Above a certain level, you can have it all. The well-roundedness comes with spending money. Fluency in foreign language, signing and piano lessons, niche sport that top schools recruit for, etc…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
So does having a well-rounded kid who does sports, arts, etc. And one who can look other people in the eye, have a firm handshake, make small talk, and socialize like a normal person. My kid has learned that at the neighborhood playground and is doing just fine in advanced but not hyper-accelerated math. It will take him a lot further in life. I was super smart as a kid at math (placed in national competitions, etc), as was my spouse. Neither of us did the equivalent version of this that existed back then. We have four ivy league degrees. And we are well-adjusted adults who enjoy life.

.

Picking and choosing extracurricular activities is for families on a limited budget. Above a certain level, you can have it all. The well-roundedness comes with spending money. Fluency in foreign language, signing and piano lessons, niche sport that top schools recruit for, etc…

You sound like a social climber who has watched a lot of TV but has not experienced any of these things. Don't try so hard. Let me guess - Russian Math, Viola (because violin is too cliche), fencing lessons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Can you guys speak a bit more about Russian Math? I was about to look into it for my rising kindergartner....

RSM offers community, math competitions, and classes. It is an extracurricular activity.

Introducing academic rigor at an early age can help build the foundation to be competitive in admissions.

So does having a well-rounded kid who does sports, arts, etc. And one who can look other people in the eye, have a firm handshake, make small talk, and socialize like a normal person. My kid has learned that at the neighborhood playground and is doing just fine in advanced but not hyper-accelerated math. It will take him a lot further in life. I was super smart as a kid at math (placed in national competitions, etc), as was my spouse. Neither of us did the equivalent version of this that existed back then. We have four ivy league degrees. And we are well-adjusted adults who enjoy life.

Is your child in public or private? Sounds like they are having a nice childhood!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Can you guys speak a bit more about Russian Math? I was about to look into it for my rising kindergartner....

RSM offers community, math competitions, and classes. It is an extracurricular activity.

Introducing academic rigor at an early age can help build the foundation to be competitive in admissions.

So does having a well-rounded kid who does sports, arts, etc. And one who can look other people in the eye, have a firm handshake, make small talk, and socialize like a normal person. My kid has learned that at the neighborhood playground and is doing just fine in advanced but not hyper-accelerated math. It will take him a lot further in life. I was super smart as a kid at math (placed in national competitions, etc), as was my spouse. Neither of us did the equivalent version of this that existed back then. We have four ivy league degrees. And we are well-adjusted adults who enjoy life.

Is your child in public or private? Sounds like they are having a nice childhood!

Public K-8. He is far from perfect - sorry if I was making my life look perfect - hate when people do that. But he is a nice, normal, smart, well-rounded, kind kid. He has some awkward, nerdy tendencies (as did I) and by letting him be a "normal" kid those have not come to the forefront. He works really hard and is naturally very smart, but not off the charts smart - does not need Russian Math, herds of tutors, or any of the other garbage that obsessed tiger parents load on their kids. I know off the charts smart kids - they are very, very rare and 99% of the kids whose parents think they are off the charts aren't. And based on my personal and professional experience, I think that having good people skills, empathy, and emotional intelligence will take him a lot further in life than spending hours being super accelerated. YMMV.