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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I really like that so many of the teachers and other employees at my kids' school send their own children. [b] It shows me they think as highly of the school as I do! [/b] Also, they're some of the most fun people to talk to at school events, because they're got good stories.

And remember, they're parents too just like all of you.  They're often anxious about how other non-teacher parents will treat them, about whether other parents might think their children are not as qualified, about whether their children will do well at the school, and about whether having both child and parent at the school is too close.

It's all the same issues you worry about, plus several extra complicated ones.  So give them a break, willya?

-- not a teacher[/quote]
Sure, but who is going to refuse a free or discounted education in DC given the extreme tuition and ability to drop off and pick up your kid from work?  Who would say no to that? I don't make the leap that it's fully about thinking highly of the school or feeling that it is a great fit for your child.
Ultimately, I think that prospective parents want to feel like the process of admission is fair!  The notion that spots are going to wealthy donors, board member kids, employees, etc. upset the rest of the parents out there that are going about the process without employee connections or extreme wealth.  The glossy brochures from private schools talk about cultivating an ideal study class body for the particular school.  But when you hear about all of these kids that get in due to the above reasons, it makes you question that a bit.  [/quote]
It's 3:59 again. You've got a lot of points packed in there.  Here are some responses.
1. I take your point that many teachers might choose a school for convenience and low cost rather than particular desire. But at least at my kids' school, most of the teachers I know who send their children there are pretty outspoken about their positive feelings. I get that many people will say positive things about their employers just to maintain job security, but the boosterism many exhibit goes far beyond just lip-service.  Also, I've heard there's no specific tuition break for the teachers, so if that's true, that's a pretty big sacrifice for them to make if they don't feel strongly about the school. I'm not saying you're wrong -- surely there may be some who view it like you describe -- but I don't think your view is what's motivating most of them.
2. Whether the admissions process is fair or not depends on what you mean by fair, and who you're trying to be fair to.  For better or worse, my kids' school doesn't really claim to be constructing the "ideal study [student?] class body," and although it does well on academics, it stated focus is more about building community and respect for others.  As a result, the school puts a lot of emphasis on making sure families in the school's community are protected and respected by the school.  That may mean some younger siblings (or some alumni children, or some employees' children) get admitted even though their WPPSI test scores might be less stellar than other applicants, because the school wants to respect and do right by the families who are part of the community.  Is that fair?  It's hard to say.  Maybe it's not viewed as fair by applicant families who want a completely merit-based process.  But a completely merit-based process might not be fair to families who have committed their time and attention (and yes, their money) to the school.

I'm not trying to say these things about my kids' school as a way of bragging on it.  I'm just trying to point out that a lot of teachers -- at all private schools, I'm sure -- have those jobs because they're fully committed to the school community.  They supposedly are making less money than they might make teaching at public schools, and even at schools where there are tuition breaks, they're likely spending a proportionally large amount of HHI to send their children.  So if some schools "reward" the teachers by giving their children an admissions hook comparable to what younger siblings and alumni get, that makes a lot of sense to me.  I get that it may be frustrating when you're applying to schools, but you've got to look at it from other perspectives.

HTH[/quote]

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