Such a good post about preparing your child for the non-academic demands of kindergarten. I found that to be a bigger challenge than the academic since my daughter started kindergarten reading. For my son, it was a longer day to sit still and learn to read. (The Mom Beat on Orgeon Live)
Hilarious! Snarky In The Suburbs gives us her definitive guide to the “elementary school mother.” Recognize her? (Snarky In The Suburbs)
If you don’t follow us on Facebook, here’s what you missed! From our Facebook Page:
The venerable Pacific Oaks Preschool in Pasadena had to shut down their full-time program, leaving 44 families without a preschool (and no advance notice) and 4 teachers without jobs. Part-time program remains open. Parents are outraged. (LA Times). And,I was sent this website that has been set up anonymously by parents (most likely) to update families on the situation at Pacific Oaks. www.valuethechild.org
Excellent piece about the role of private school libraries in the digital age. Includes “What’s hot and what’s not in libraries now.” Co-authored by librarians at Viewpoint, Buckley and Brentwood schools. (NAIS)
Curious to see which city’s private elementary schools are the most expensive? Check out my latest piece for Elizabeth Street!
It’s no secret that the cost of private elementary school tuition isn’t easy on the wallet. America’s private schools educate the children of the most influential and wealthy families, including President Barack Obama, supermodel Heidi Klum and Bill Gates. These schools–and their curriculum, experienced teachers, incredible extracurricular activities–are highly coveted and hard to get into.
Not your average book club. (Photo: Southern Living.com/Pinterest)
Your kindergartner innocently asks, “Where IS our second home?”
On the first day of school, you notice a lot of moms with the coveted “It bag,” the same handbag the store told you is sold out.
A group of moms at one popular school formed a book club that is so exclusive it has a professional literary moderator, costs $250 per mom and has a wait-list.
The school has a policy requiring parents do their own volunteer work rather than send their nannies.
It’s not unusual to see a family’s chauffer driven vehicle in carpool.
A celebrity family asks the school if their own private, heavily armed bodyguards can protect the school for the “safety of all the kids.”
Moms can’t get rid of the evil gluten fast enough. One mom suggests the school should become a “gluten free zone.”
Necessities are private chefs, multiple nannies, a house manager, a driver, tutors and a masseuse.
Cotillion is an extracurricular activity.
Because their friends are having them, kids demand pricey Bat and Bar Mitzvahs even though they aren’t Jewish.
In keeping with school tradition, to celebrate a girl’s birthday, her locker is decorated with $100 bills.
Hot lunch includes only grass-fed meat, organics, vegan and non-GMO options.
There is no such thing as a single vacation home, only “winter homes” and “summer homes.”
A mom tells you she no longer likes Marc by Marc Jacobs because her daughter and all her daughter’s friends are wearing it.
You get your first glimpse of a “Manny” and you instantly know why the other mom hired him to take care of her kids.
Go big, or go home!
To decorate one of two kindergarten classrooms for Halloween, a mom brings in her entire design crew to build elaborate, ceiling-high decorations. The poor mom who decorated the other classroom without professionals was left wondering what happened when the head of school walked by and commented on the obvious differences.
Touring private schools in L.A. is very time-consuming. We’ve written about school tours previously and since the fall tour schedule will be in full swing soon, we thought we’d share our best tips to help you get the most out of each tour.
1. Arrive early. This can’t be emphasized enough. The parking at a lot of private schools is in short supply and arriving late is stressful for you and makes a terrible first impression. Avoid parking in a spot reserved for a school official or the “auction winner”. If you need to cancel, call and let the school know you’re not coming; don’t be a “no-show”.
2. Check out the school’s website before you tour. This will help you focus on areas that you may be interested in like the availability of athletic facilities or technology and it may help you formulate questions for the tour guide.
3. Take notes! Some tours are 2-3 hours long and its can be hard to remember key details. If you’re taking notes with an iPhone or iPad, as a courtesy let the tour guide know that you’re not texting. When the tour is finished, take 5 minutes to jot down notes. After the tour, it’s tempting to want to hit the nearest Coffee Bean for a jolt of something caffeinated. But, take 5 minutes to write down your impressions of the school, the best things about the school and the aspects you may have disliked. Did you hear from the head of school? Write down something compelling he/she said. All of this will be useful later.
4. Don’t judge a school by your tour guide. People giving school tours are typically admissions directors and school parents. Its hard not to form instant impressions of a school based on a tour, but try to stay neutral about the person leading the tour. They are a representative of the school, but not the entire school, which is filled with many other families and administrators.
5. Look for school literature. Pick up a copy of any school materials that are available at the front desk like the annual report, brochures, upcoming events. Add these to your file so when you get ready to write applications and prepare for your interviews, you have these documents that may not be available on the web.
6. Stay neutral about other touring parents. Try not to let other parents on the tour influence your opinion of the school. Stay neutral when it comes to observing other parents on your tour. They are touring, but may or may not end up at the school. Assuming that this might be your child’s incoming class isn’t accurate.It’s only one tour of many. Notice a complete nut-case? Assume the tour guide does too.
7. Create categories. Try approaching a tour by thinking various categories. For example, practical issues like whether the school has a bus or hot lunch could be placed in one category. Educational issues like the type of school, class size, student/teacher ratio and the amount of homework could go in a separate category. This can help organize your thoughts as you compare schools and go through the admissions process. Becoming overly focused on logistics can hinder your ability to take a comprehensive look at a school. And, focusing only on educational elements may cause you to omit consideration of other matters. Anne Simon discusses key considerations families should think about in a previous post.
8. Tour a LOT of schools. We repeat this frequently since it is the only way you can determine which schools are the right ones for your child. If you plan to apply to 5 schools, tour 8 or more! You’ll be able to cross a few off your list, most likely. And, you’ll have a good idea of what is available geographically and in terms of educational philosophies.
Kindergarten. Centro Infantil Municipal in El Chaparral, Granada, Spain. Photo: Timbuktu Magazine
I know, we’ve talked about this before, and I am constantly being asked which school I consider to be “the best.” It can be frustrating for parents to figure out what is “the best” school for their child, be it preschool, elementary, middle or high – or even college. But the reality is that there is no unilateral “best.” Beauty really is in the eye of the beholder.
For those of you who need a definitive answer (all of us!) I know this can be maddening. For those of you who have high-performing children, who would tear their hair out with boredom if in an undemanding environment where the norm falls far below their abilities and there is little or no differentiation for high ability kids, well, your path is clear. Your child will be happy in an academically demanding, highly structured environment.
If you are not that parent, but you have that child, well, good luck there. Not every school is a perfect fit for the whole family. If you go with your preference, your high ability kid may start acting out in ways that make it look like they are struggling. They are struggling – and might need a classroom where that same energy is being used to master more demanding material. Their brains are hungry for that finely ordered style of learning.
There are some less structured, more child-driven educational environments that have the same level of high expectations as the more structured classroom – but you might not see them that way. What they’re doing in the classroom is hands-on, no one is memorizing a thing, parents seem to love the school but you have no idea what your child is actually doing day-to-day – this might be a fit for your child but it might not be a school for you.
Whatever your choice is in schools, you really do need to “drink the Kool-Aid”™ or the whole experience will not be a match for you.
If you have a task-driven child, it goes without saying that you want to give them those tasks. If you have a deep or original thinker, or a “creative kid,” the mundane tasks of learning – repetition, memorization, detail – may hold no interest whatsoever. If they are in a school environment that is less structured, they might thrive. For some, though, they will need to “do the detail” in order to keep their lofty ideas grounded. Figuring out what might be the right match is not as easy as it seems.
So that notion of “best”? It’s really a moving target, based on too many inconsistent factors.
The key here is to make sure that you’re offering your child the school that fits who they are, not just who you are. Sometimes that’s an easy guess; sometimes not. Take a look at the variety of schools out there, and make your best choice. That’s all that any parent can do.
If you need help with any part of this process, that’s why I’m here. Trying to decide between “progressive” and “traditional”? Considering a move from public to private? Are you concerned that your child might have some learning issues which did not surface until they started school? We can help you with all of your school-related questions.
Sandy Eiges is the founder of LA School Scout, one of LA’s premier educational consulting firms.
