It’s doubtful that there are many low quality teachers at BS’s. Eccentric ( for sure) but low quality is doubtful. Not many people paying 40-70K are going to accept that. And I would also doubt there is that much variation between schools. Most have a masters. Many have stellar credentials and some could teach at the college level. If you are concerned, check. But even schools without a huge endowment can get teachers who are happy to teach small classes of able and eager students. At all the schools my kids looked at the teaching staff levels and education were about equal.
@Happytimes2001 - oh I agree about the caliber of teachers at bs. But there are teachers who are great who don’t click with your particular kid. And good teachers who are fantastic for your kid. It is good for your kid to have both, and great to have your kid experience to a teacher who they don’t like, because they will have bosses they don’t like someday.
It is hard to say sometimes what the matchup is with a kid and a teacher in the moment- especially from a distance.
@CateCAParent Yes, agree 100%. My oldest has had teachers who weren’t a great fit but it still worked out well. Learning to adjust is an important and essential skill for any student. I was thinking more of the idea that there were BS teachers who weren’t competent. We had some of those in public school and they could not be fired. It was sad as they took away from the 90% who were excellent. My reaction was to the idea that only PA/PEA had excellent teachers and the rest were not as good. LOL.
DS always said he thought all of his teachers were very good. Many had taught at the college level and were genuinely excited about "hooking " a high schooler on their field of study.
As a parent, I felt that where so many teachers really stood out was in their genuine care for the kids as people. I was really floored by how they “got” my kid and how they were able to encourage him. It is an incredible experience, as a parent, to have other adults investing themselves in your child’s growth.
I think that people who choose to teach at BS realize they are signing up for a different job than at a day school and that the connection with the students is part of the appeal.
My kids have each had one incompetent teacher at BS. Hopefully it stays at one.
My daughters was in the past but my sons is now. I’ve been wondering, how and when is it appropriate to tell the administration that the teacher is incompetent? Parents are so arms length I haven’t figured out what to do.
This. A hundred times this. I want it for all teenagers.
I would feel it out with the child’s advisor now, very gently. More in a “I am hearing things from kiddo, and I thought I should check in with you about your impressions of what is going on.” Then meet with the teacher at Spring Family Weekend, not to attack, but to form my own opinion. Maybe see if you can find out other parents’ opinions or if parents have tried to address it in the past. If your concerns are confirmed, then run it up the flag pole. They probably already know, and will want your input.
Our son had one teacher who just was so wet behind the ears it was hard to say he was incompetent, just grossly inexperienced, and the kids made fun of him because he looked like the youngest student on campus. I swear he didn’t look more than 12 or 13. He was a Choate grad, first year out of college, and back on campus teaching our son’s sophomore math class. It was a disaster–the only time ChoatieKid questioned his math ability and the first time in his life (before and after) that he just didn’t “get it.” This kid couldn’t teach, couldn’t get concepts across, and our son and several others ended up taking the textbook and working through it themselves with some online help. The teacher did not come back the next year, but he did a number on ChoatieKid’s confidence and GPA that year. Junior year, the advisor for the all-male house CK was assigned to was a petite female (also a young former Choate grad not long out of college) who had no control over or cred with the large varsity boys in her charge, any one of whom could have picked her up and tossed her across the room with two fingers. They were basically on their own and left to their own devices with zero guidance that year. So, I would say that there can be some unevenness among teachers and advisors. We never thought to try to do anything about it (hey, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right?), but those two staff members did not do Choate or the students in their charge any favors. On the flip side, our son had teachers and advisors who were as outstanding as the two I described were underwhelming. Thankfully, the majority fell into the outstanding camp, but don’t be fooled into thinking that every teacher and every advisor at a big name school will be exceptional.
^I agree that this can happen anywhere and suspect that new teachers and those closest to retirement may present the greatest “risk”. DS was lucky. I also think the schools try to address issues quickly. With that said, I do wonder how performance is assessed when most faculty have many roles. The person who is beloved in the dorm parent role who is less stellar in the classroom, for example.
@marvelcomics The REAL reason Harvard has a dedicated reader for PA/PEA applications has to do with the schools being 3-4X bigger than other BS and the sheer volume of applications to be read.
Re: Criteria… Lots of kids will bloom wherever planted, but that doesn’t mean a school culture won’t influence who they will become. Your only criteria seems to be “prestige” as evidenced by published rankings based on unknown criteria. Hopefully, your kids will learn better critical thinking skills at whichever BS they attend.
@Calimex - no need to be a jerk with personal attacks (and you should re-read my posts before making an absolute statement). Thought this a forum for people to share thoughts and comments and no place for personal attacks. You can agree or disagree. Either play nice in the sand box or leave. Wow very mature.
@marvelcomics I believe @CaliMex is losing patience because they realized that while you started and keep fueling this thread, you only want opinions confirming that your already foregone conclusion is correct. By all means send your kid to Andover or Exeter if they get in and dismiss any other less ‘prestigious’ school. Hopefully it will all work out.
As for getting into Harvard, this thread actually made me look it up and Exeter only sent 22 kids to Harvard in the last three years (2017-19), so that’s about 7 kids a year. Andover is at 30+ so anywhere from 10-12 a year. Given the size and academic and other caliber of the student body it is a very tall order to be among these kids. The numbers are even smaller for Yale and Princeton.
MODERATOR’S NOTE:
And we’re done. Sin ce we’re not going to comply with forum rules on civil discourse, I am closing thread.