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Post by Queen Mamadala on Sept 6, 2018 0:54:52 GMT -6
We're in the early stages of dd1 applying to boarding schools for 9th grade. This is a first for us. Currently doing all the application questions and dd has to write essays. She's already completed a couple. Then she has to take the SSAT and in-person interviews, one we'll have to visit SoCal and the other is near-ish. She prefers the SoCal school, though.
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Post by roguelily on Sept 6, 2018 4:13:11 GMT -6
Anecdotal and secondhand, but a lot of my friends who recently went through this indicated it was almost more of a process for vetting parents than it was for children. Sorry for the extra pressure.  THANKS A LOT! 😬 I bet what soup is saying is right and I also think based on your thoughtful, humble and empathetic commentary in this thread, you are the type of parents they are looking for, not looking to screen out. My kids go to one of the top international/private schools here and a lot of the parents are intense beyond a degree of reasonableness. My son’s pre-k teacher was routinely cornered by parents who were asking without one lick of irony whether or not their 4 year old is on track for Harvard. This mentality actually doesn’t fit with the ethos of the school at all, but there are a lot of parents who see private school as a means to a very specific end OR they feel that they can treat the Teachers as personal assistants since they are paying their salary (very theoretically). So I bet they would be checking to make sure you’re putting your kids their for the right reasons. Without screening parents (my kids school is non-selective, for example), you’re essentially risking a lot of possible outcomes of the school (including busybodies who will badmouth the school the second something doesn’t go their way). Long story short, I would see this as a positive. Be yourself. |
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agm04
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Post by agm04 on Sept 6, 2018 8:46:31 GMT -6
SweetPotato can i PM you? we are starting to think about this stuff and it's giving me hives lol.
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Post by SweetPotato on Sept 6, 2018 9:08:59 GMT -6
SweetPotato can i PM you? we are starting to think about this stuff and it's giving me hives lol. Of course! |
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Taitai
Opal
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Post by Taitai on Sept 7, 2018 7:06:20 GMT -6
I live in a similar situation to @roguelilly. Schools are incredibly competitive over here, and since we are foreigners, we’re actually not allowed to send our kids to the public schools. DS1 is in the most selective school in the country, and we got him started at 18 months (their nursery school program) in order to ensure he had a spot at the school through year 12. LO is turning 1 in Oct, and we’ve already paid the deposit and gotten him on the list to start nursery school in August 2019. All that is to say - I understand how crazy these things can get. I’d say what schools like this are generally looking for is the following (very general, because school’s philosophies can vary significantly): 1) Your kid - will they bring personality and engagement to the class? Do they seem eager to learn and explore? How is she/he at expressing themselves? How about self-regulating themselves? How does the child interact with adults? How does the child interact with other children? In our case - for the nursery and pre-school ages, they will have an interactive play session with adults/teachers and also watch the child play with other kids. That in-person time/play is the most important aspect of the application for the kid. 2). The parents - They start out by giving us a long questionnaire to fill out, and it is timed - so you just need to give answers quickly, as they come to you. The idea is that they want to get your natural response - get an idea of who you truly are, make sure you don’t over-think things or game the system. There is also an interview, and I think one of the most important things they are looking for is to see if you are going to be engaged with your child’s education. Are you going to be responsive to the school? Willing to participate in the school community? Willing to partner with teachers and work on things at home if an issue or challenge arises in the classroom? Are you a genuine person who works well with others and is mature/responsible? Are you just trying to get your kid into this school for your own social status? If the school has a specific philosophy (Reggio Amelia, Montessori, etc.) - do you understand and buy into that philosophy? I would research the school mission statement and any materials they may have available on the educational philosophy, so you can ask good and thoughtful questions at the interview. Like roguelily said - the very best thing to do is to be yourself. From posting with you, I think any school would be very happy to have you. Seriously - I mean that. I think if you are yourself, you will do just fine. Excited for this opportunity for you - it’s awesome when you find a great school that you absolutely love for your child. Good luck! |
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