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Schools and Education General Discussion
What's your end goal for your kid(s)??
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Anonymous
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I am beginning to feel that I'm in the minority in that I couldn't care less whether my child is a dr. or lawyer or investment banker, etc...I actually feel compelled lately to push her toward the arts. My 5 yr old is very creative and artsy - and I LOVE this about her!!! I know most parents will say that all of this crazy competitiveness regarding schools is so that their child can get the best start, etc - but are these parents really shelling out $30K/year so little Johnny becomes a painter or a poet? My dd is in a progressive school and is doing wonderfully.
I'm just curious to really hear what parent's goals are for their kids. What is really on the line during these admissions months? It just seems so crazy. |
Anonymous
| While I would assume that most parents are not applying to private schools for the arts programs, I think that some of these private schools will have better arts programs than public schools, with all the cuts in funding for arts and music. At pretty much every private school tour I went on, the schools would emphasize their arts and music programs and talk about how the public schools were often cutting that because of the focus on testing. |
Anonymous
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Easy question for me. My ultimate goal is to get my three-year-old into a nice nurturing school with a kind teacher and nice fellow students.DD is a bit shy and tends to get intimidated and hang back a bit. So I'm concerned about finding a place where the teacher will support her and help her come out of her shell and enjoy her first year of school.
Also, I want her to be stimulated, have fun, see that learning is fun, etc. etc. Ultimately, I don't care where she goes to college. I'm from NYC, and up there I know tons and tons of happy and successful people who didn't go to prestigious universities. (Think hedge funds!) This preoccupation with schools is such a Washington DC thing. |
Anonymous
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I'd like for my child to read a lot when she becomes and adult, have intellectual curiosity, and a love of travel/adventure. I'd like for her to make enough money not to have to be hungry, yet be happy with what she does as a career. I am hoping for college, good grades, etc - but will accept what ever she wants to become (except for a cheerleader - there is only so much I can take!!)
If there is a school out there that can challenge her, make her think for herself, and keep her curiosity to learn that would be perfect. |
Anonymous
LOL - the NYC preoccupation is far, far worse. Live in NYC now and relocating to DC in part because of the scope of the insanity here. 1200 applicants for 40 spots at the top tier schools here - and the way those schools are evaluated for "top tier" status is primarily their exmissions results to Ivy League colleges. |
Anonymous
| It would be great if my DC gets into a private school, but I'm not concerned if he doesn't. Wherever he goes to school, he'll have parents that love him and stress the importance of education, among other values. My hope is that he grows into a good and caring man, who loves whatever it is that he chooses to do in life. |
Anonymous
| Joy of learning, empathy and perspective-taking skills, creative problem solving, independence AND cooperation. Teaching him all of that is my job, but I don't want an educational environment that would undercut any of the foregoing. If he's got all the above going for him, I expect he'll succeed in life whatever career he chooses and regardless of the name of his college. I know he's a smart cookie and I expect there are plenty of schools out there that can meet his academic needs in the DC area. If he needs to stretch in any particular areas we'll figure out ways to supplement that for him (reading, our own "field trips," etc etc). I'm not sure the local public school will cut it for my list of end goals from my first sentence though, so we'll be looking at various private school options and investigating our local public further when the time comes. |
Anonymous
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I totally agree with OP, and DS is also showing strength in the arts. But he can't count past 17, and he doesn't care, and neither do I actually.
However, I wonder if any of you have this issue in your house? I'd be honestly content if DS had a McJob during the day and played music in the evenings, so long as he did it with integrity and was happy. DH on the other hand WOULD be happier if DS wanted to be a lawyer, hedge fund manager or head of global sales. I can see this being a problem as DS grows, and blows of his math worksheets until the last minute to practice guitar and paint instead. How will we respond as his parents? |
Anonymous
| that's "blows OFF." sorry |
Anonymous
Yes, I should have mentioned that I lived in the city BUT grew up in the NY burbs where the schools were amazing. So there isn't this preoccupation outside the city, at least in Westchester and southern Ct. |
Anonymous
| I am an ivy league educated lawyer married to an ivy league educated academic with a sister who is a doctor and three ex-boyfriends who are investment bankers and I can tell you what I DO NOT want my daughters to be - namely lawyers, academics, doctors or investment bankers. Life is too short to be so stressed out. If I had not dug myself into a hole of student loans and mortgages I'd give it all up and choose something I love to do. But I have made my choices and what I want for my children is to make better ones, so I will continue to work my butt off so that I can send them to private schools not the 4 so often discussed on this site but Montessori and not to get into ivys like their parents, but to let them learn at their own pace and figure out what they love to do. I would love it if they became painters or opera singers or fashion designers or artchitects. Maybe those jobs are in their own way as stressful as lawyers, academics, doctors or investment bankers but I think that people who do what they love instead of what they feel they should are much happier in the end. |
Anonymous
OP here - that's a good point. I want to instill a sense of "in life, you've gotta do what you've gotta do" and make sure she knows how to buckle down and study, etc. But I do also want to balance that with the love of painting, or music. Tough call - and for example, if a child likes/excels in science, no one is pulling that child from science and FORCING them to play an instrument. So, why is it fair for an artistically gifted child to be pulled off of their passion for yet another math worksheet?? Are there any "alternative" or art schools in the area? There were a few where I'm from (in PA) and I had a few womderful friends attend. I wonder if there are any in DC area? |
Anonymous
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My goal is to give my child the best education possible so that he/she can CHOOSE his career.
I hope that they choose something that they enjoy, AND can make a good living doing so...that does not mean filthy rich, just comfortable. |
Anonymous
| A great education gives a person opportunities. |
Anonymous
| That she does not hang off a bell tower at some college shoot up her peers... honestly the violence is schools is really getting me worried! |