I hardly ever venture into the Cafe, much less post (or even comment) here. But on my drive home tonight, I heard part of an amazing This American Life podcast about the differences that exist in American education, between schools just 3 miles away from each other.
What I’d love to have happen here is for parents and students alike (maybe even teachers?) to take a listen to this podcast and share your thoughts. Looking to have a healthy dialog about the reality of the disparity among American educational experience…acknowledging that pretty much EVERY BS mentioned here falls into the extreme high end of the spectrum.
I should be going to bed, but I’ll listen to what I missed now…
@jdewey: Sorry for the duplication…finally got to listen to the rest of the piece last night. Powerful story.
We had initially tuned in via NYC public radio on our way home from the city. My younger girl was sleeping, but my older girl was greatly saddened by the piece, asking us to turn it off or give her headphones so she could listen to her own music.
For me, a product of a very integrated public school system through 7th grade then a private school from 8-12th, and now the parent of two partial FA kids at boarding school…the story was fairly familiar but nonetheless unsettling.
For the kids like the “Melanie” of the story, it’s sad to me that she didn’t see a way through. That she felt she would never get into Harvard after her early disappointment with the Posse Scholarship process, despite the fact her public school teachers encouraged her to. IMO, she probably would have had a good chance.
The piece also made me consider and appreciate anew the opportunities so many of the boarding schools make for kids whose families might not be able to afford the experience. And for the programs like ABC and Prep for Prep who open the door to it even being a possibility.
But it also made me aware for the many kids who are either shut out due to BS FA waitlists, admit waitlists, rejections, and just being unaware of the possibility of a different way than their local public school…whether that be a sub-par urban school or a sub-par rural school (and frankly, any less than ideal school situation).
As a society, we must try to do a better job for all our kids…
I listened to that piece too. Very thought-provoking. I’m always saddened by the awareness for some kids that so much more exists, and yet it is out of their grasp. It can be hard to go back to what was ‘ok’, after having a taste of ‘what could be’
Thank you for the post. I listened to it too. It is a very sad story.
I can see that Raquel is an outlier. There must be many Melanie’s and Jonathan’s. Although many programs expect the kids to become like Raquel or are content to produce one Raquel out of many, the programs are inefficient at best.
… there was a student from Andover who made some really amazing comments a few days ago. That they worked sooooo hard to get in, and yet people struggle to feel like they deserve to be there. Besides the hard journey to just get access to an elite school, that functioning inside that setting is really tough. Making spaces for special people that ignores the fact that most Americans aren’t deserving?
i saw this waiting for me in itunes this morning, i had no clue it was about boarding school. i’ll have to look it up, but from what i’m seeing it will be depressing as a person who is most likely going to public school…
Also, it’s not about boarding school…it compares a public high school in the Bronx with Fieldston, one of the NYC private day schools.
One thing that my own kids totally take for granted that I’m going to have to school them on when they go to college is leaving their backpacks/laptops unattended…
I just listened to the podcast, and I really understood and related to Melanie’s disappointment after not getting the scholarship. It can be so hard not to give up, after being rejected like that, except she had to deal with that for college, not just high school.
I just finished. Wow. It’s eye-opening, to say the least.
What they said about American optimism making us believe that Melanie’s story ends well… it’s true. I wish she hadn’t given up. I wish none of them had given up.
This isn’t something that can come from just a program. I’m so lucky to have people who’ve believed in me my entire life; I can’t remember thinking I couldn’t accomplish my dreams. As bad as my school is, it’s better than University Heights. There are so many things we take for granted.
Can we ever live in a society that’s merit-based, not money-based? Not even merit, because some people just don’t have the opportunity. There’s no way to measure potential that can be evaluated from an application.
@stargirl3 yeah, I think listening to this definitely helped me to appreciate my local public school. even when just going to public school, money can still play a large role in the quality of the education you get. In a poorer district, there is less money to go to the schools, which means so many opportunities are lost, including AP courses. Even Raquel, who made it through college, has a hard time feeling worthy of the jobs she was qualified for.
I realize this thread is a bit old, but I just wanted to add.
I am part of Prep 9 as of right now, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunities it has given me. My family and I never would have thought I would be able to get accepted to such prestigious schools, - I didn’t even know such places existed - and Prep has truly opened my eyes to an entirely different world from the concrete jungle I grew up to know as home.
If you have been accepted to ANY boarding school, always remember how much of a huge deal that is, no matter what school it is! It always saddens me when I think of how my friends are unaware of whats outside of NYC, and what they’re capable of; I even think local private schools would be a place where many of them could thrive compared to the magnet school we now attend.
I know that the people who participate in the CC community are articulate and sharp, so wherever you go you will be successful. Don’t allow rejection to consume your life or you’ll never be able advance afterwards! In order to get what you want you have to work for it; in the end you’ll be glad you did.