<p>Enjoyed the article. When boarding school came to son’s math class at a public urban school for a presentation they defiantly mentioned need blind financial aid and that it could come with a free laptop if admitted. To low income kids a free laptop is a good hook. In looking at another online newspaper for a top ten school, I noticed several articles that all had the general theme of a lack of inclusion in one form or another. At first I thought the stereotype is true and this boarding school thing is not a great idea, but on reflection all the articles were available to the public online because the school recognized the issue and was take substantive long term steps to correct. It sounds like Andover and other schools are taking the lead to make top boarding schools a welcoming environment for all. Although from the article it sounds like the $120 suit we got on sale at JC Penny for the interview may have been frowned upon by some!</p>
<p>While I’m thrilled the schools are starting to recognize the difficulties the financial aid students encounter upon matriculation, I feel they all have a LONG way to go if they truly want to minimize the culture shock. </p>
<p>I think including new students in a summer session is great, however, sensitivity training for the parents and students who come from a much more opulent background is also greatly needed. The complete lack of awareness from this segment of the school population is simply astounding at times.</p>
<p>And please, get rid of the laptops. Seriously, Andover! Why not just give the FA students a scarlet F to pin on their clothing? I’d really like to see a hefty clothing allowance (or even access to a lending clothing closest) included with the financial aid awards. These students already feel different enough. Anything to help them blend in a bit would be so welcome.</p>
<p>Pops2017, I suspect the laptops might be purchased by the school at a discounted price with the partnership with certain vendors, or from some donors to whom it’s more convenient to donate specific items. I am not sure clothing allowance is a good idea. While it might help ease the pain in the short run, what message does it send and what is it that the school is promoting by doing so? And I believe they do have a program in place so kids can borrow formal attires if needed for certain occasions. </p>
<p>I like the idea of “sensitivity training for the parents and students who come from a much more opulent background”. Of course, these are teenagers so you can’t expect them to be “politically correct” at all times especially when they are together 24/7. The good news is that by and large, the majority of them are indeed “nice kids” (there are some jerks of course like in any community), so while it can get rough to some FA kids (and individuals’ tolerance level differs as well. Things or words that may not be offensive to one may be very much so to another…), the big picture is that few if any of them should feel they get picked on or excluded on purpose by others because of their humble background. </p>
<p>Here’s a tiny URL for the article:</p>
<p><a href=“http://■■■■■■■.com/lhdaalg”>http://■■■■■■■.com/lhdaalg</a></p>
<p>“When boarding school came to son’s math class at a public urban school for a presentation they defiantly mentioned need blind financial aid and that it could come with a free laptop if admitted.”</p>
<p>Why would they be ‘defiant’ about that? I don’t get it…it DEFINITELY doesn’t make sense…nosiree!</p>
<p>
I come from humble roots. Nevertheless, I have “sensitivity training” fatigue…</p>
<p>Right or wrong, the affluent kids are just being who they are. Unless a student is going out of their way to offend or hurt someone- let them be. There are bad apples no matter where you go. Are people (schools) going to impose sensitivity training on people because of them? I think that’s giving the idiots (whose parents have obviously failed them) too much power. I find that most BS kids shun peers who engage in judgmental/offensive behavior of any sort. This is how the kids who don’t get it learn. My biggest hope is that they return home after their epiphany and teach their parents something… I’d also like to think that some kids can also go home and say, My friend wears pink shorts, but he’s really cool and I’d like for you to meet him someday…</p>
<p>Yeah. It’s that simple. To me anyway…</p>
<p>I was going to post one more thing and ran out of time… I have no idea how to delete a post, so I’ll just apologize and scoot. Sorry!!! </p>
<p>
.
That’s true. And comments like “why do you all have the same laptops?” sound honestly innocent. It doesn’t mean though they shouldn’t make efforts to learn to be more understanding and better at communicating. This is part of what they should expect from an Andover education after all. The FA kids in the article did their share of learning and reflection.
</p>
<p>+1 PhotoMom. Often, the rich kids don’t actually realize they’re acting rich. They’ve been raised that way… The best we could do is help them be more aware of others (not themselves).</p>
<p>I hear what you’re saying, but I think we’re talking about a small population of kids who have a sensitivity chip missing. BS kids who flaunt wealth and privilege suffer major blowback from their peers. I’ve seen it on many different occasions (on campus and off). Kids are much more aware today- so much so that many go to great lengths to conceal how they live, where they travel, what dad does for a living, etc. I find kids are really low key compared to when I was at BS. Talk about an ARMS RACE. </p>
<p>All schools have a code and standards. They apply to everyone. Appropriate and kind behavior isn’t requested ( or optional) - it’s mandatory. I find that the vast majority of kids rise to the occasion, but sadly there’s always going to be a few who won’t… or perhaps can’t. (See poor parenting) </p>
<p>I have one son who works and volunteers in the adaptive sports world. You would think with all the awareness people wouldn’t use certain words or make fun of someone with a disability… but they still do. One time at a school sporting event a kid was using a certain (wildly inappropriate) word over and over. I watched my kid silently boil until he finally took the kid aside and (very calmly) told him to knock it off… while the kid’s parents ( and everyone else in close proximity) listened and looked on. Trust me- there are many kids who aren’t afraid to call out their peers. It just depends on how severe the offense is. </p>
<p>Thanks for sharing the article, Benley. It’s an excellent topic. </p>
<p>NEWS FLASH to the middle class and working class kids who are applying for admission w FA: it’s a private club full of a lot of rich kids. It’s not a socialist utopia. </p>
<p>I suggest the schools just stick to promoting and enforcing their general code of standards. You are not doing the outreach kids any favors by forcing economic sensitivity training on the students and drawing attention to the differences. And you are not going to elicit a lot of love from the fullpay parents who are stretching their budgets thin (they are not all billionaires) to pay tuition, by ramming sensitivity training down their throats.</p>
<p>You and my husband should have drinks sometime, GMT. That’s exactly what he said when I described the topic. I couldn’t agree more. The kids keep each other in check and the schools do a good job setting the tone. </p>
<p>GMT, you have persuaded me that the “sensibility training” is not a good idea after all. I agree you have a convincing argument here.</p>
<p>As for the “news flash” to middle/working class kids, “full of a lot of rich kids” technically may be true, especially if you pool all the kids from boarding schools with a sticker price of 50K+ a year and do the count. However, the statement sounds a little intimidating, implying that the class differences would be in your face all the time and/or define the middle/working class kids’ BS experience, which I don’t agree. (I may be reading too much into your post, but bear with me and let me make a point here.) From my experience, the middle/working class families on partial FA and those who pay full tuition but share very similar lifestyle and “tastes” as those on partial FA constitute a majority of Andover community. The two ends - those on full FA from poor families and those who are very wealth are the minority. I personally know many families from the “majority” and these families and kids blend in with no difficulty at all. It’s NOT a dominating culture at all to show off one’s wealth and pressure peers to measure up in materials. Do the wealthier kids huddle together and form their own “clubs”? Maybe, but so do the students sharing other common backgrounds and interests. In that sense, it’s like America, which sometimes can be best described as a salad bowl instead of a melting pot. Do middle/working class kids experience culture shock related to class differences as the full FA kids in the article did? You bet. But is it so stressful and discouraging? I don’t think so. It’s safe to say that it’s far from a defining factor in their BS experience.</p>
<p>Having said that, I see the point of having the discussions regarding class differences. What’s good not to talk about the topic when the school purposefully draw “youth from every quarter” and form a diversified community? It would be a lost learning opportunity for every member of the community. </p>
<p>@benley,
I recognize that lower income FA kids are not cut out of the same cloth, and a subset of the kids have an immensely wider cultural gulf to navigate. The full FA kids fall into 2 groups:</p>
<p>1) Those who apply on their own initiative and receive full FA because their family income meets some income cutoff. For these kids the cultural gulf is not as wide.</p>
<p>2) Those who have been actively recruited via outreach programs like Yes for Prep (mentioned in the PA article), Prep for Prep, etc, from low socio-economic communities. The outreach kids have been mentored in these partnership programs (sometimes for years), and the prep schools court them aggressively. It’s not just athletes who are very aggressively courted, and it’s not just rich families who get pro-active guidance on how to navigate the admissions process. Surprisingly, these kids/families learn about boarding schools earlier than the middle class masses. </p>
<p>Here is more info:
<a href=“Theyesfoundation Trik Bertaruh Saat Di Situs Judi Slot Online Terpercaya”>Theyesfoundation Trik Bertaruh Saat Di Situs Judi Slot Online Terpercaya;
</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.prepforprep.org/podium/default.aspx?t=126426”>http://www.prepforprep.org/podium/default.aspx?t=126426</a>
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<p>I think the prep schools have an extra responsibility for these recruited kids and should give them dedicated emotional & social support once they are matriculated. It’s a positive step that the schools recognize there is a problem, and it is constructive that articles like this raise awareness. </p>
<p>That said, I stand by my previous statement that:
Although the reason oft cited by middle class parents/students for pursuing BS is that they are just escaping middling educational standards in public schools, these parents/students are also seeking access to social networks and the opportunity to absorb the cultural norms of the empowered —to learn to “take one’s place” in the future elite class. I suggest reading Shamus Khan’s: “Privilege: The Making of an Adolescent Elite at St. Paul’s School”
<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Privilege-Adolescent-Princeton-Cultural-Sociology/dp/0691156239”>http://www.amazon.com/Privilege-Adolescent-Princeton-Cultural-Sociology/dp/0691156239</a></p>
<p>The prep schools have practically begged (sometimes, literally begged) these mentored outreach kids to enroll; therefore, it is incumbent upon the prep school to help these students deal with the culture rather than make the culture deal with these kids. Why? Because these kids are going to be launched into the world as future leaders. The REAL world is what it is, and it is not full of people who won’t inadvertently hurt your feelings.</p>
<p>@GMT: While it might be true that the school “begged” a selected few “outreach kids” to enroll, research shows that students from humble background including first-generation and disadvantaged URM benefit most from elite education, so maybe it is a “win-win” situation? I do think the school should try to make these kids feel at home in the kind of setting that’s drastically different from where they come from, but I suspect no matter what’s being done the culture shock to them will be much stronger than to kids from middle class families and harder to overcome as well. </p>
<p>I think the discussions on “class differences” will be beneficial to students from all kinds of background and not just to the outreach kids because all of them will be launch into a increasingly diversified world. They should take advantage of the added benefit of attending a school that has kids from more than a few zip codes in their neighborhood. </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.phillipian.net/articles/2014/01/30/price-andover-education-three-students-difficult-transitions-andover”>http://www.phillipian.net/articles/2014/01/30/price-andover-education-three-students-difficult-transitions-andover</a></p>
<p>(just to test it out - the link works now!)</p>
<p>I agree with Benley. I don’t actually see the class differences as an additional “cost” of boarding school. I think it is an additional benefit. It is a “course” spanning all four years that is not actually listed in the curriculum guide. And one that will be more challenging for kids from some backgrounds. (Yay on the working link!)</p>