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Judy Batalion's child was barely six months old when she started getting peppered with questions about preschool admissions.
It was a shock to the Canadian native, a writer, and her British husband when their New York friends would ask if they had signed their daughter, Zee, up for preschool prep classes, if they were donating to a school's charity or if they had hired a pricey private counselor to guide them through the process.
These parents should ask themselves how they got into the top 1%, was it some fancy preschool or natural talent and a stable home? If your child has natural gifts, you only have to worry about providing her a good home and everything else will work itself out. If your child is mediocre, you can pay your way into getting her into a fancy school but you'll probably have to keep paying the rest of her life just to keep her special to make up for her innate mediocrity.
This is a major reason why I'm leaving for the burbs in the future. Its not the ridiculous cost of private pre-k/daycare (which I am willing to pay for). Its the endless wait lists, the WTF pre-k prepping. Its become comical. I think I did less prep for Med school, and my med school tuition in the 90's was cheaper than private pre-k now... insane. All this so my kid can take naps and eat cookies.
And I am not even talking about the super elite manhattan pre-k the article references. This insanity is a problem in regular, non-filthy rich dumbo/brooklyn heights where I live.
This is really a sad look when it comes to education, inequality and two faced liberal elitism that has gripped NYC but also in DC and San Francisco in recent years since the economic crisis. It's disgusting that pre kindergarten for toddlers cost more than a generic liberal arts 4 year institutions. How does sending your toddler to a grade A pre school equates to going to Harvard, Yale, Georgetown or Stan Ford? If one is concerned about future opportunities for their kids just move to the suburbs and pay high property taxes which goes to education and a good tranquil environment.
Last edited by Bronxguyanese; 06-10-2014 at 01:24 PM..
These parents should ask themselves how they got into the top 1%, was it some fancy preschool or natural talent and a stable home? If your child has natural gifts, you only have to worry about providing her a good home and everything else will work itself out. If your child is mediocre, you can pay your way into getting her into a fancy school but you'll probably have to keep paying the rest of her life just to keep her special to make up for her innate mediocrity.
There are a lot of talented kids out there--they aren't rare at all. Providing a good home is of course essential but not enough.
This is really a sad look when it comes to education, I equality and two faced liberal elitism that has gripped nyc but also DC DC and San Francisco in recent years. It's disgusting that pre pre kindergarten for toddlers cost more than a generic liberal arts 4 year institutions. How does sending your toddler to a grade A pre I school equates to going to Harvard, Yale, Georgetown or Stan Ford? If one is concerned about future opportunities for their kids kids just move to the suburbs and pay high property which goes to education.
two faced liberal elitism is right. I've experienced first hand talking to some. On the one hand they think this test is racist against this race and equality this and that, but deep down they only believe equal outcomes so long as it's for the people below their own economic class. Just the other day I was talking to some liberal with a PHD who always hints at the inequalities in our society. Then when the topic of how Brooklyn is becoming more trendy came up, she immediately disagreed and stated that Brooklyn is for only those that can't handle Manhattan and went on talking about the great restaurants in Chelsea where she lives in. I was like geez what a self righteous butthead.
This is a major reason why I'm leaving for the burbs in the future. Its not the ridiculous cost of private pre-k/daycare (which I am willing to pay for). Its the endless wait lists, the WTF pre-k prepping. Its become comical. I think I did less prep for Med school, and my med school tuition in the 90's was cheaper than private pre-k now... insane. All this so my kid can take naps and eat cookies.
And I am not even talking about the super elite manhattan pre-k the article references. This insanity is a problem in regular, non-filthy rich dumbo/brooklyn heights where I live.
Good for you. I think of my family and a friend of ours. Both our older children are super-smart, and both are younger children are, at best, average academically. No tutoring in the world was going to make our younger children get on the Ivy League track. It is what it is. And every public school, no matter how well regarded, has kids that are average or below average academically.
I would love to have heard the conversations you must have had with these crazed parents.
Getting one's child into any of the top Manhattan/NYC pre-school programs such as the 96th Street Y has always been an ordeal. You can search the Internet for stories both from the past and recent memory of the things wealthy and or upper middle class parents have done to influence admission decisions.
Why all this nonsense? Because parents of that socio-economic/demographic set believe that the *right* pre-K and or kindergarten is just as important as getting their child into the right prep school. The right prep school of course leads to the right high school and then onto Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Georgetown, etc....
Years ago when white flight was in full swing pre-k, k and even prep-school spots at top schools may have been slightly easier to secure. But now that NYC in particular Manhattan has turned into Greenwich on the Hudson *all* the top and even mid-tier private schools are bursting. From pre-K on up competition is keen and often cut throat. New schools are opening such as he one Tom Cruise's ex wife placed their daughter, but there aren't enough of them yet and some parents worry about a lack of track record.
Some parents who are only "well off" but not making NYC bank try to cheap out by sending their children to one of the better NYC public schools for say P-K through elementary. This allows them time to decide what to do about prep/high school, that is to move out of the City or whatever.
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