Originally posted by Pollyanna
View Post
HATED the competitiveness among...the parents. Seriously. Insane. So not into that.
DH didn't learn to read until first grade, and wasn't much of a student until middle school. And he became a neurosurgeon. I really don't think that it is necessary to take your kid from full day pre-K to after-school tutoring to learn to read. You're just going to stress them out, I think. Be involved, be encouraging, LIMIT TV, and READ A LOT YOURSELF, and the kids will be fine. But that's just me. I was really in the minority at DS's pre-K school.
I confided to a friend of mine here about my concerns--but worried that my feelings were going to be read as though I was setting low expectations (or that my kid would look "stupid"--which is NOT the case--DS is actually very bright). My friend totally understood and tipped me off to a Catholic parish school that is kind of a "best kept secret" sort of thing. I went there and fell in love. Not only did it provide the religious education I was looking for, and had strong academics, but things seemed significantly more...me. No one was talking about having their kids start Cantonese after their fencing lessons, and no one was talking about starting to contribute to the Harvard alumni fund, to "reserve" a spot for their tot in 2020. I've got my fingers crossed for kindergartner this August.
But, I have to tell you, I was treated like a social pariah for having switched DS from the private school to the parochial school. People were puzzled, if not outright rude. Why on earth would you do that? One woman said, "Oh, well, the school is pretty expensive. Of course, we prioritize education first..." As if (1) I couldn't afford to continue DS's education at that school, or (2) even if I could, I was too selfish to fork out the dough!! Um, no. That's not it. Yeah, there's a big difference in tuition (about $12K a year), but if I was certain that the private school was a better choice for DS, I would pay for it over the parish school. It's like she was putting me down so that she could feel better about her choice.
Finally, I just started telling people, "We're switching him because a religious education is a priority to us." Most people have enough couthe to keep any negative thoughts on this reasoning to themselves. Except for one woman, who said, "Oh! That's really quaint! Err...cute. Uhhh...I just didn't know anyone did that anymore--pick a school for religious reasons. I mean, education is so important. We wouldn't sacrifice that." DS's pre-K private school was very...?? exclusive??, I guess. So, I think what she meant was that she wouldn't change to a religious school and sacrifice the status. And there's no doubt, it is a lowering of social status in this town.
Comment