Best application question ever?

<p>Now that we're in preliminary "looking around" mode for SevenDaughter 2, I've looked at a few applications from different schools.</p>

<p>This question, on a School Report form, caught my eye:</p>

<p>"Is the parents' perception of their child compatible with the school's understanding of the child?"</p>

<p>My guess is that they want to weed out problem parents quickly, and are asking the current school to give them a hint in that regard.</p>

<p>ROFL at the preciousness of the question. Read it in your best old Lady Grantham (Maggie Smith) voice.</p>

<p>We are also in prelim lookaround mode for C#2 and have been filling in online requests for info.</p>

<p>Choate’s online request page is the only one I have yet seen that, for the field which asks the parent to select whether he/she is a: Mr. Ms. Mrs. Rev. Dr., also includes the option of Senator. </p>

<p>My first impression was: are there that many senators’ kids that apply to Choate? Or have our elected public servants become so full of themselves?</p>

<p>Didn’t JFK go to Choate? Maybe it’s an homage to the Kennedys. ;-)</p>

<p>When D was applying to St. Paul’s, one of the questions on the parent application asked for our “family motto.”</p>

<p>Oh I love that! ROFL is right. I’m sure there are quite a few guidance counselors who receive that and feel vindicated. I imagine there are some interesting responses.</p>

<p>Go Choate! It’s a great question!</p>

<p>When you fill out your contact information for Choate’s online directory, you have more choices than just Senator. You can select among: Monsignor, Rear Admiral, Sheriff, Sister, Venerable, Vice Admiral, Ambassador, Baron, Governor, Gunnery Sgt, His/Her Majesty, His/Her Highness, Professor, Rabbi –just to name a few. Imagine how small I felt scrolling through to find “Mrs.” sandwiched somewhere between Most Reverend and Pastor. :(</p>

<p>I would have been tempted to select Her Highness…</p>

<p>I would have selected Her Highness. :D</p>

<p>Feeling defeated, I would have selected N/A…</p>

<p>Not exactly the other 99%, is it?! Perhaps the selection of Mrs is actually more elite!</p>

<p>Actually, I think “The Venerable Neatoburrito” has a nice ring to it.</p>

<p>I think for Madeira, the options on the info request form may have included “President”. They’ve updated their site since, but I remember getting a chuckle out of that one.</p>

<p>What I love about the “compatible” question is that it’s pretty much a nice way of asking “How much of a PITA are the parents?” or “Are the parents deluded about Junior’s actual abilities/accomplishments?”</p>

<p>Most amusing to me is the presumption that the school administrator/ principal who is filling this out will </p>

<p>A) know the child;
B) know the parents; and,
c) know both the child’s capability and the parents perspective.</p>

<p>We came from a reasonably large public middle school, about 750 kids or 250/ grade for 6-8. We are in a relatively affluent suburb of a mid-western city with a top tier private university. Principal of the middle school did not know our kid, did not know us, and had never had a kid apply to boarding school.</p>

<p>Not sure if this was a question on the forms, but certainly the principal could not have filled it out particularly accurately, even with input from teachers, as we had limited contact with them (5 mins/ teacher at parent teacher conferences 2x/ year)</p>

<p>I am not sure what i could expect a school to get out of an answer to a Q like this for many kids.</p>

<p>I agree with kidsparent. As a teacher, one of the major insights I’ve developed over time is exactly how little I know about the whole student sitting in front of me. How would a principal, with even less connection, know anything really about the compatibility of the parents and the school? A question like that might identify the truly obnoxious parent, but it is much more likely, I think, to lead to unjustified criticism of parents who called once or twice with a concern or criticism but are, overall, reasonable human beings.</p>

<p>@classicalmama: I think it is intended to flag the truly “high maintenance” parent…and I recognize that there is a difference between advocating for your child and thinking that Jonny is the next Einstein when he is not.</p>

<p>I think a lot depends on where you live, honestly. In our area, I think there is a higher chance that there’s a disconnect between what the parent feels Jonny is capable of and what the school feels he/she is capable of. At least that’s the vibe I get…</p>

<p>Keep in mind that I’m also coming at this with the experience of having only 45 kids in each grade and a head of school who definitely knows my kid’s strengths and weaknesses…a head of school who I feel (and I’d argue most parents feel the same way) I have an actual relationship with. [Pardon my dangling prepositions.]</p>

<p>In the case cited by kidsparent, I’d assume the person completing the form could just write: “Not applicable.” or “Not enough information to answer question.”…which would make this a non-issue.</p>

<p>I’d love to see the response for the homeschooled applicant. ;)</p>

<p>7dad: I do see that it’s meant to peg extremes–but still…it’s a loaded question. I could see a family that would be a perfect fit for a good prep school being viewed as a pain in the behind by a public school principal. You’re probably right that the question looks different from where we are respectively sitting.</p>