<p>“The typical liberal New Yorker wants the best Hamptons summer rental, the ideal Sunday brunch table, a perfect nanny, and prefers to dress wearing the most articulate, Ivy-educated companions at his side.”</p>
<p>I don’t know what part of New York Y0UR from, but I never knew anybody like that (of course I only lived in Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx). Where talking millions of people. How can that be “typical”?</p>
<p>Public schools are more highly regarded than you think, spideygirl. I go to Hunter College High School (the NYC education system’s best-kept secret) and most adults I know (yes, even the WASPy Upper East and Upper West Siders) assume I’m a genius when I tell them where I go.</p>
<p>I don’t think this is particular to New Yorkers. Whether you are a Democrat or Republic, no one wants to experiment when it comes to your own kid’s education. You will do whatever is necessary to give your kids the best education. I would say most people in Short Hills, NJ are Republicans, but most of them have their kids in publics schools because they have one of the top high schools in the state.</p>
<p>Hunter is available to most NYers. You have to be close to a genius to get into it. Its focus is not for everyone either.</p>
<p>You dont have to be a genius to get into Hunter. You just need to test like one. That means 2/3 yrs of constant tutoring for the 7th grade admission, and a lot of prep for the kindergarden.</p>
<p>I meant Hunter is NOT available to most NYers.</p>
<p>Spideygirl who ARE you? What a bunch of stereotypical hyped-up dribble! Clearly you’ve been reading too much propaganda and experienced too little New York. Every community has some of the kind of people you describe, no doubt, but that certainly doesn’t create a full community. I’m not going to get into a debate but boy are you angry and ignorant.</p>
<p>There are folks who fit your description everywhere, Spideygirl, but they may well be more prevalent in NYC. My brother lives there and he is a conservative, voted Republican all the way. Strangely enough NYers are have elected many conservatives in local government, as mayor, as governor, etc. Though Bloomberg is independent, he has more of an affiliation with the Republican party. </p>
<p>I don’t blame parents for wanting their kids in the best school possible and for getting upset when the neighborhood school is full and the other options are not so good. Most of us are not interested in sticking our kid in a school that is sub par with the idea of improving it. Many families are just too busy with work and other things to be able to take on such a project. Many of us lean a bit on the schools to provide their mission, education so we can go about our lives and supplement, but not worry about the cores. Not at all a hypocritical stance. There have been times in my life that I had to depend heavily on the schools for teaching the kids what they need to know at their grade level.</p>
<p>I will say that I am disappointed at some of the Obama luxuries that have been show cased even as he tells us to sacrifice. Nothing new, as presidents have always had it pretty cush, but still it would have been good PR to have lived a bit more as he is espousing.</p>
<p>cpt - Mike has been a Democrat most of his life. He switched to the Republican Party shortly before he declared his first run for Mayor because he would never have gotten in competing with long-time Democratic politicians.</p>
<p>The element of assumption from people disconnected with the actual situation here is quite large. Some of what spidy said was accurate, but the motivations were not. Liberal New York City residents would love to see great public schools like their Nassau and Westchester County counterparts. However, for the most part, we don’t have them, and the private schools, on average, are better (I think we can generally accept this without debate), so those who can take advantage of this option.</p>
<p>I went to one of the private high schools that spidy mentioned. For the MOST PART, it was not about social advancement, but about superior education. I know a bunch of “Gossip Girl”-watching nuts who have never stepped foot in one of these schools are going to try to argue this, but make of it what you will.</p>
<p>It is no different than in NJ. I support our local public schools, but I know our kids’ private schools is better and that’s where they are. Our D2 went through the exact same test, interview as our D1 in NYC to get into kindergarten.</p>
<p>The interviewer asked D2 if she had a pet. D2 said, “No. I would really like to have a puppy, but mommy hates animals. Do you think you could talk to her about getting a puppy for me?” </p>
<p>I prepped D2 a bit (some inside info from some friends) to make sure she knew our address, home phone number. Of course, the interviewer didn’t ask her. Our D2 was not going to let that little information go to waste, as we had to practice for quite some time. D2 said, “You didn’t ask me this, but mommy said you were suppose to. Our phone # <em>__. We live </em>”</p>
<p>As a resident of NYC, I too resent spideygirl’s broad brush. The parents who are upset about the fact that their kids can’t get into kindergarten at their local public school are, with very few exceptions, NOT the same people who are applying to Collegiate or Brearley–both of which, BTW, are fine schools academically. District 2 is HUGE. It ranges up to 59th Street on the West Side and 97th on the East Side and includes Chelsea ,the West Village and Roosevelt Island. It could take over an hour to travel on public transportation from some neighborhoods within District 2 to some of the schools. </p>
<p>Kindergarten assignments were done by lottery, and it doesn’t matter if you moved in a couple of months ago or you’ve lived in the district for 15 years and have 3 kids already enrolled in your local elementary school. Understandably, parents who are dedicated public school enthusiasts and who have been active in their local parent associations are annoyed when parents who have always aimed at private schools but find themselves priced out of them now win lottery places for their kids while some long-time public school families find themselves on waiting lists. In fairness, it’s also annoying to be paying $1,000 more in rent per month to live in a neighborhood with a good public school and then be told your kid can’t go to that school after all. </p>
<p>In most cases, when the “it” schools are full, the neighboring schools with a bit less luster are full too and the residents of those neighborhoods get preference over those on waiting lists for the “it” schools. In most cases, it’s NOT a matter of going to the next closest elementary school, it’s a matter of going to one at least two schools further away. </p>
<p>Reality is that the quality of education doesn’t just depend upon what the City does. It also depends upon the homes the kids are coming from. And, you can condemn us as elitist, but if your kid enters kindergarten reading chapter books, you don’t want him in a class in which 90% of the kids do not know the alphabet or the names of colors. (S)he isn’t going to get a heck of lot of attention from the teacher. (The percentage of kids with reading and math scores at or above grade level ranges from 100% at some schools to just about half at others within District 2. )</p>
<p>And, few, if any, of your kids classmates are going to live anywhere near you, so, if
(s)he does make friends, it’s hard to get together with them after school and on weekends. Meanwhile, (s)he is losing contact with friends from the neighborhood who go to school together and often leave your kid out of the loop. (S)he may also lose out on after school activities in the neighborhood, because (s)he can’t get back to the neighborhood in time to participate in them. </p>
<p>For all of the criticisms of NYers by spideygirl and others, it remains the truth that NYC public schools are better than those of most major US cities and more middle class and wealthy people choose to live in the City than in other major cities. The top public high schools like Stuy, Hunter College High, Bronx Science, Townsend Harris, etc., have a FAR more socioeconomically diverse student body than the typical suburban high school. (And yes, some kids from Staten Island travel to Manhattan, Bronx and Queens to attend them.)</p>
<p>S2 was interviewed for a Headstart program. The interviewer asked if she could take his photo. He said “No thanks” and she took the photo anyway, so he threw a lego at her. Needless to say he didn’t get in. I didn’t really mind since I was fond of the cooperative nursery school his older brother had gone to.</p>
<p>Our elementary school tests rising kindergartners. As I recall they asked about colors, had them skip and may have asked them to draw some shapes and they talked to them. I think they were mostly looking for kids with deficits who would need extra services.</p>
<p>same here, eons ag when 18 y/o started kdgn, the eye/hearing shape color testing was done pre K.
Now it is a full reading/speech/PT/OT eval done going into kdgn.
Reason for it was the kdgn teachers were OVERWHELMED with ill prepared kids as well as placement for kids that had needs for services ending up all in one class. Now they are spread out over 4 classes</p>
<p>^Is that a public school? How can they afford that? I can hardly get kids with obvious needs tested here.</p>
<p>yes public, afford, well, the district budget states it spends 11K per student in elementary and 15K per student in HS per year.
It is the screening of ability, the OT/PT part is jumping to a tape on a wall,hoping on one foot, running, stair cllimbing.</p>
<p>Speech is a basic screening, then a further if deficits show further testing is done
OT writing/cutting beading strings.
Those with issues get the services. As good as it is on paper, ALOT is overlooked but at least the school is aware of kids that need watching. </p>
<p>Yes and our district was one of the last locally to do so. It was in place back in the late 90’s at neighboring districts.</p>
<p>Every public school that we have encountered other than the city schools, have required pre kindergarten screening of sorts. They do that to get as many kids as possible in a special needs category so that they get more government money is what I was told.</p>
<p>Yes, ours is a public school. It saves money in the long run to get kids who need services identified, but we do pay for it with our school taxes. I for one don’t mind. I think good public schools are well worth paying for.</p>
<p>“If all of the kindergarten options in NYC were equitable, then parents might not be as upset that their children cannot attend the neighborhood school.”</p>
<p>They’re never going to be equitable without forced busing, because the inequity comes from the families as much as from the schools. Whether a school is viewed as “good” has a great deal to do with whose kids are going there.</p>
<p>amtc
</p>
<p>Scroll back for a reminder on where I say I LOVE New York and all New Yorkers. No anger at all (in my post, anyway).</p>
<p>I know NYC quite well, up close and personal, over a span of decades. For the type of person visiting CC, my characterization of New York is spot on and could be beneficial (as well as humorous). However, not so humorous, I guess, if the description cuts a little too close to home. Parody isn’t very fun when it acts as a mirror in which the reflection is way too scary.</p>