Private Schools and Social Security
If you’re reading this article, chances are you’re actively growing and managing your own retirement savings and you probably think it’s absurd that other post baby boomers believe social security will take care of them when the time comes.
Yet believing that private tuition you pay will take care of your children’s college choices down the road is just equally absurd. Private schools are entities, and just like our government, they too have their own agenda which hopefully is somewhat centered on your child’s education and his/her future career choices. But let’s face it, when push comes to shove, the survival of the entity itself takes precedent.
Case and point: a parent whom I met at a networking meeting brought her 8th grader in for an interactive assessment. “My daughter has been complaining about not being able to follow her math lectures,” said the mother. “But her grades look fine – all A’s and B’s.” Upon closer examination, the text book they use is what we educators refer as “watered down” pre-algebra and the students get to correct their exams for credit after the teacher had gone over the material with them in class. You get the picture, the grades are grossly inflated. From the school’s point of view, it’s hard to ask parents to write the check, volunteer their time in fundraising and flunk their kids at the same time.
“I’m a stay at home mom by choice, but attending this school has totally made me a full time volunteer!”
“Full time volunteer,” I said,”at the expense of your daughter’s education? Her math is 1 1/2 grades below where she needs to be.”
“That explains why she did so poorly on her University High entrance exam…” The mother said sadly. “But her two older brothers had done just fine and did get into University High.”
The Chinese say that you never step in the same river twice. Times have changed. Priorities have changed. Teaching methods have changed. The grading system has changed. Competition levels have changed. What remains unchanged is this: we are responsible for our kids’ education. Not our government. Not the entity where we pay our kids’ tuition. Not the homeroom teachers we volunteer for.