by NYC Private Schools on March 7, 2010
There is an unending supply of stories and news articles about the admissions and application rates to private school amidst the backdrop of the economic recession. It is almost being used as a litmus test of the determination of parents who have been so vocal about Private School. In a recent article in slate.com, the author polled readers about their Private School choices; who was keeping their kids in Private, who was switching and their reasoning for each.
When I asked readers if they’d recently transferred their children from private to public school or vice versa, or were thinking of doing so, I got a flurry of like e-mails from parents going public.
Many of them were forced to pull their children out of private schools because they could no longer afford it, and, more than Alex, they expressed mixed feelings.
One of the most interesting aspects of this article, and what makes it different than many others, is the realistic response covered here that is usually not discussed in many articles. Most reports tell you how many parents are taking their kids out of Private School or how many parents are keeping their kids in Private School. This article was able to follow up with parents who had made a decision and the repercussions of that decision.
They lamented the loss of sparkling curricula and enviable amenities. Some simultaneously confided happy surprise at all that’s available at their local public schools for free. Others decried unresponsive administrators and tattered textbooks. (I also heard from parents who stopped at the brink of making the switch and detailed the extreme lengths they’d gone to in order to keep their children in private schools—for instance, raiding their own retirement savings.)
This is, realistically, what many parents will find when the leave their chosen schools. Some will be able to place their children in excellent public schools that surpass their expectations; others find their children learning in sub-standard educational facilities with tired and outdated equipment.
The realities of leaving private school are uniquely dependent on what public alternatives your child has available.
by NYC Private Schools on February 18, 2010
The relationship of a student with their teachers and school faculty are a vitally important link in the quality of that student’s education. We stress so often that one of factors that enables Private Schools to be so incredibly effective is the simple fact that they choose students who are a good match for the school. When a student has a supportive, respectful and mutually agreed upon relationship with their teachers and school staff, there is almost no limit to what they can do.
What happens when a student and a teacher simply don’t see eye to eye, however? What happens when they outright do not get along?
Then a high school senior and an honor student, Ms. Evans repeatedly clashed with Ms. Phelps, her English teacher, over assignments, Ms. Evans has said.
She turned to Facebook to vent her frustration. At home on her computer, Ms. Evans created a Facebook page titled “Ms. Sarah Phelps is the worst teacher I’ve ever had” and invited past and current students of Ms. Phelps to post their own comments.
Learning to properly and effectively deal with difficult people and situations is one of the many jobs that parents and other supportive adults must help children learn. Respectfully dealing with others, even when we don’t necessarily agree with them, is a part of becoming a social leader.
The former student mentioned in the NY Times article discussed here resorted to public name calling during a disagreement with her teacher, with an online equivalent to spray-painting graffiti about the woman on a public building. The State of Florida has ruled that her suit against her former school for suspending her can move on, however.
A South Florida teenager who sued her former principal after she was suspended for creating a Facebook page criticizing a teacher can proceed with her lawsuit, a federal judge has ruled.
The student, Katherine Evans, is seeking to have her suspension expunged from her disciplinary record. School officials suspended her for three days, saying she had been “cyberbullying” the teacher
One of the lawyers, Maria Kayanan, associate legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, said the judge’s decision had clearly extended the protection of First Amendment rights to online writings of a nonthreatening manner.
“This is an important victory both for Ms. Evans and Internet free speech,” Ms. Kayanan said, “because it upholds the principle that the right to freedom of speech and expression in America does not depend on the technology used to convey opinions and ideas.”
If you are a parent with a child in school, talk with them about the ways in which you do and do not expect them to handle conflict in their lives and become a role model of respect and discipline.
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