|
|
 |
|
| Private Education |
The Pivotal Decision
Jill Rachlin Marbaix
05/03/2004
|
Values define
individual schools; our choice of institutions, from kindergarten to middle
school, defines us, as much as the neighborhoods in which we choose to live.
“It’s a whole community, not just where you drop your kid off for the day,”
Steigler notes. She chose Carlthrop over others with more advanced technology
and grander facilities, because she liked the academic excellence and
traditional environment. “That keeps it more pure and innocent,” she says.
“There’s only so much I want my daughter to have at eight years old.”
“The level of scrutiny that schools are put through—
I subjected my spouse to
less when I married him!”
Jody Cukier Siegler |
We
should consider a single-sex institution if our child really needs to
concentrate on learning, particularly at the middle school level and beyond. Our
daughters, especially if they are shy, may benefit from a school where the
structure reflects the ways in which girls learn—in a more cooperative, less
competitive way, where they can voice their opinions without having to shout to
be heard over boisterous boys.
Also, when confronted with the choice between
an excellent K-12 school and an equally good K-8, we might well opt for the
former. Amy Berger, of Washington, D.C. chose a K-8 school for her younger
daughter; she now considers that decision a “huge mistake,” despite the fact
that her daughter enjoys the school, since her child must now undertake the
incredibly competitive quest for a spot at one of the area’s competitive private
high schools.
The extent to which the idea of living away from home appeals
to a child should be the deciding factor in determining whether that child
should attend a day or a boarding school. If the thought of the latter causes
separation anxiety for either our child or ourselves, we should opt for a day
school. Our son or daughter will have plenty of time to revel in the joys of
living elsewhere once he or she graduates from high school.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
