Finding the best educational opportunities for a child goes well beyond choosing the NYC Private School that looks like a perfect match or the NYC Public School that has a great G&T program. A school is more than the sum of its facilities and the philosophy that is written on its homepage. A school is very much a family of dedicated officials, teachers, families and students. When looking at simple graphs of graduate profiles, it can be easy to assume that a certain school is better than others or that a specific area has a better crop of young minds. While it seems obvious, the truth is that many people don’t really consider the impact of the teachers, no matter what school they are in.
A great teacher will be a huge influence in a student’s academic career and help shape their love of learning well into the future. For some students with difficult backgrounds, a teacher may be the only person in their lives who cares and is involved with their education.
In a recent CNN article on education, former and current students rallied in support of teachers in their failing school.
93 teachers, support staff and administrators at Central Falls High School were fired for the low performance of the school, which graduated just 48 percent of its seniors last year.
Sindy Alvisures, said, “The teachers are literally like our family. When I went through high school, I went through a lot of personal problems and my teachers were always there for me.”
Of the 800 students who currently attend Central Falls, 65 percent are Hispanic; English is a second language for most. Half the students are failing every subject, with 55 percent skilled in reading and 7 percent proficient in math, officials sayAs darkness fell at the school, the graduates who had come back said the problems at the school have been oversimplified and that the rest of the nation can’t understand the importance of the teachers in the tough environment they live.
So often the success and failure of students is measured in ways that don’t take the whole picture into account, and the students at this school have chosen to take a stand for those who appear to be the only educational influence in their lives.
When you and your child are researching and visiting with your potential NYC School, take special care to meet with and observe the teachers at the school. They may be the influence that changes the course of your child’s academic career.
{ 0 comments }
Loading ...