Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Another Montessouri ad

I just saw another bench today that compares to the one I previously posted advertising for Montessouri Schools. I am going to skip details about the school, but I do have a class analysis at the previous link, which was further discussed here.


Sorry about the image quality, but it was taken from a cell phone camera in a moving vehicle. The ad reads
1 to 8 VS. 1 to 30.
You do the Math. Our students can.
This refers to class size and student teacher ratios... Of course, it doesn't mention that they can afford to have extra teachers because parents are paying for their children to attend these schools, where as the government has been cutting funds to public schools.

This suggests that public school classes are too big and public school teachers are overworked, I agree so far. But rather than actually doing anything about it or trying to get additional funding to public schools, middle to upper class families should merely put their children in a private school and leave the large class sizes for the children whose families cannot afford this "better" education...

Who needs social mobility when the status quo is so much more advantageous to the elite who write our social policy and decide how much funding to put into our schools... all while sending their children to private institutions.

And, to add insult to injury, they need to include a comment implying that public school students cannot do simple math.

14 comments:

  1. Oh, how I wish I felt the way I did 7 years ago. I did. I felt exactly like you do. I still do, theoretically. And the ad is, of course, flat out offensive and stupid. For what it's worth, that's very not-Montessori (maybe you already know that, forgive me if that sounds condescending).

    When we were looking at learning options for our first daughter I assumed until she was 4 that she'd go to public schools. Of course she would! I'd never abandon public schools. I object to the notion that those with resources leave the system, etc.

    But, she's my daughter.

    And even though the public schools around here are quite good (Maine), they're not the same as the alternative school we ended up having her attend. She's homeschooling officially until the school becomes licensed.

    I'm telling you, I still believe all those other things and find that ad ten steps beyond offensive. But when it was my daughter, I couldn't "prove a point" with her life.

    To be fair, what I was doing was protecting her from the consumer culture. The education element I wasn't concerned about, she'll learn what she needs to because she's got us as parents. But, Hannah Montana? No. I won't expose her to that until I absolutely have to.

    Thanks for the good blog, by the way.

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  2. Just wanted to say I love your blog! My sister works at a Montessouri school, but I've never given the school much thought before.

    I was wondering if I could post a link to your blog? Here's mine: http://exposingableism.wordpress.com/

    If you're in Toronto, perhaps we know each other :)

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  3. Who needs social mobility when the status quo is so much more advantageous to the elite who write our social policy and decide how much funding to put into our schools... all while sending their children to private institutions.

    THIS. This all the way.

    And, to add insult to injury, they need to include a comment implying that public school students cannot do simple math.

    And parents, too. Yes, I'm well aware that the local Montessori school has a better student-to-teacher ratio. I'm also aware that my income isn't enough to cover the cost (Montessori education around here is more than double my housing cost for the year).

    Private school and homeschooling are just different versions of white flight.

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  4. Thank you for the great commentary on this post.

    SereneBabe, I absolutely do not disagree with putting your own children in private school... I'm not sure if I would, personally, but when you do have the privilege of affording private school, it is difficult to use your own children's education as part of a protest. Private school education looks better on a college application, and they have the funding for better teaching materials. They are also more likely to teach your children how to think, whereas public school tends to prepare them for mundane work by teaching children to be obedient.

    Thanks Mel, and I'm a few hours away from Toronto.

    And La Lubu, I am in the same situation as far as the education being more than double my housing costs. I hadn't thought of private school in relation to white flight (although I have thought about them in the context of who gets to go, which includes race but is not the same thing). It doesn't entirely fit for my particular city because we have a very small population that is non-white, and from my experience a lot of non-white, especially immigrants, here are doctors, surgeons, lawyers and other professionals who can afford private school tuition, however, I can see that as a real possibility in bigger cities, and I think it is a trend that we will begin to see in my hometown as well in the coming years.

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  5. My son is not quite 22 months and is starting a Montessori pre-school/daycare program. As part of the phase-in process, parents sit and observe the classroom and then progressively leave their children for longer periods over a week or so. What I hadn't thought about at all until I read this: the "white" students are a minority in the class. They are NOT the minority in our neighborhood (which is the same as that of the school).

    So, while yes, the ad is offensive, I think that the overarching statement that private school = white privilege is false. I also don't think that people should feel bad about working hard to pay for a good education for their child. We should all work for better public education (btw, I'm a public school teacher), but we can't make people feel bad for wanting their children to not have to deal with a broken system.

    I would also check to see if this school offers scholarships or accepts assistance. I'm unfamiliar with Canadian education, but all of our local Montessori schools take assistance if families qualify, as do our 4 largest/most expensive private high schools.

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  6. Thanks... in my community, there are not a lot of racial implications in who accesses private education either, but I understand that is not the case in a lot of places, and I see my community moving in that direction.

    I also agree with you about putting your own children in private school (see my comment to SereneBabe). If I made you feel bad for wanting your children to be in private school, I do apologize... I just think we should live in a society where public school is not a less desirable option.

    There probably are scholarships, and I know that children under 5 can get assistance based on parents' income levels, however, I am of the belief that we shouldn't have to use a charity to get the best education; it should be there for everyone regardless of ability to pay for private schooling. I just think that we need to make sure that public school system can keep up with the standards that private schools are able to set.

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  7. This particular Montessori school does have a subsidy as a friend of mine did send her son there for daycare. Which also might be an interesting point to make about this particular school. As far as I know it is only pre-school and kindergarten, and there is not really any other private schools in this city so after getting their children the best early education that money can buy (for 3-5 year olds) they have to send their children to the scary public or catholic system unless they are going to be home schooled. However, if you are home schooled you can have your own advertisement. "1 to 1 Vs. 1 to 8 Vs. 1 to 30, you do the math. My kid can."

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  8. "Private school and homeschooling are just different versions of white flight."

    Private school maybe, not homeschooling. There are a lot of reasons people keep their kids out of schools-sometimes because the kids are disabled, have language issues, or are gay or trans and not safe there. Homeschooling is not expensive but it does require someone to stay with the child if they're young, which can make it difficult for a lot of people.

    The Montessouri tuition costs seem to vary by school/area. I imagine they're quite high in some areas. Nonetheless, the tuition paid per student? Less, waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay less than what public schools receive for each student, even with the recent cuts. So the idea that the benefits of private school come from having more operating money... doesn't really pan out.

    It could be because the children attending have a lot of education privileges many public school students don't have (access to computer, tech, adequate nutrition, lots of books, whatever). The student-teacher ratio alone makes a huge difference, and because each parent has to pay out of their own pocket, classes and enrollment are much smaller.

    I attended a private Catholic school for a while with tuition of only $1600 a year, +$100 for any other household kids attending. It was not a well-funded school and we barely used textbooks. But the education far exceeded what I experienced in public schools. The entire school only had 56 kids, so you can guess what their operating budget was.

    There is nothing to indicate that throwing more money at public schools will improve them.

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  9. Very good point about homeschooling... I have a neighbor who has considered homeschooling because of racism her children experience within the school system when it comes to discipline.

    What you paid for tuition was way less than what the schools here are charging, but it is interesting that they were able to have a good program with that little money. Tuition here costs more than $7000 per child for preschool, and can be as much as three times that as the children get older.

    I also agree that throwing more money at public schools will not necessarily improve them, as there is far more going on than a low budget... I think that the entire purpose of public schools, which historically (and still currently) has been to train students to become workers is what needs to change... but I also believe that without more funding, very little of value will be accomplished.

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  10. but we can't make people feel bad for wanting their children to not have to deal with a broken system.

    Oh? Why not? Because the status quo of "this broken school isn't good enough for my child, but it's good enough for yours" sounds like upper-class sneering to me. I work hard, too. Damn hard. Do you have any idea how irritating it is to hear a lifetime of "hard work" invoked as the reason some folks have privileges that I don't? As if I sit on my ass all day? I can turn my head to that---but to hear that my daughter, and other working-class and poor parents' kids deserve a substandard education because our income level isn't respectable enough (or inferences that we must be lazy) is putrid.

    There is nothing to indicate that throwing more money at public schools will improve them.

    Except....folks went broke trying to buy more house than they could afford, in order to get their children into wealthy suburban schools where more money from the budget pie actually trickles down to on-the-ground education (you are aware that the typical comparison of money spent per student isn't an accurate measurement of what gets spent on education, right? That inner city schools in older, energy-inefficient, dilapidated buildings have higher maintenance costs that eat the hell out of a district's budget, right?).

    So, apparently....throwing more money at the public schools does buy a better education. The suburbanites in Illinois sure seem to think so. They want their children attending a school with a wide selection of sports and arts programs, brand-new school buildings, several foreign languages, tons of extracurriculars, well-stocked and functional labs, AP courses, experienced teachers....the works.

    I don't blame them. Not at all. My point is only that every.single.child. should have access to facilities like those. Period.

    (for Canadian and other non-USian readers---many places in the US fund schools primarily via local tax dollars. The wealthier the area, the better the schools. Kids in Naperville, IL get "the works". Kids in East St. Louis are lucky if they have indoor plumbing. No, I'm not kidding.)

    Homeschooling is only an option if you have (a) a well-to-do spouse or parents to financially support you and your child(ren) while you don't work, or (b) a trust fund. (I think (c) "a winning lottery ticket" would be hyperbole.) Those aren't options that are workable for most people. I agree with this: I am of the belief that we shouldn't have to use a charity to get the best education; it should be there for everyone regardless of ability to pay for private schooling.

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  11. La Lubu, I do agree with your first point, that it is hard to fight for a good education for your children and not be able to get it... I am 100% in agreement, but I don't blame privileged families for putting their kids in private schooling either.

    I also agree that every child deserves that education. We also have schools funded by tax dollars here in Canada (both public and Catholic schools are funded through tax dollars). All schools should get the same amount of funding per child, theoretically, however I'm not entirely sure how the breakdown works in practice. What I do know is that when J attended the inner city school, there were no children being bussed in from middle-to-upper class neighborhoods and a large proportion of the school was made up of aboriginal children, the education that she received was substandard in comparison to the school she currently attends (which is also frequented by my lawyer's kids, my pediatrician's kids, and I have seen several profs from psychology and sciences picking up their children).

    The assignments are different (currently involving more independent and creative thinking, rather than merely following instructions like the assignments at the inner city school- even though they have the same curriculum), the hallways had a different atmosphere (more colorful, less institutional/ prison-like), and the school fundraisers and field trips are vastly different (grade 8 trip is a 5 day ski resort 8 hours away, as opposed to a day trip to the closest theme park). The current school even has a mobile laptop program, where a cart full of laptops travels from classroom to classroom, whereas the old school only had a couple of outdated computers in each class (but a really good security system at every entrance). Both have indoor plumbing, and it takes more than a surface look to see the differences, but they are there. I have never been to a private school- never seen one from the inside, nevermind curriculum information, but I would guess the differences are even more pronounced... I hear that it is also the case with Catholic schools where I am from even though they are also publicly funded.

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  12. I don't blame privileged families for putting their kids in private schooling either.

    I do, because of the way it plays out here. With schools funded by local tax dollars, when wealthier families leave for the suburbs it depletes the tax base in the schools. Schools aren't funded equally. Private schooling is prohibitively expensive here; $5000 for the cheaper elementary schools, and more for Montessori and the more expensive Catholic schools (high school private tuition starts around $15,000 a year). This is in a geographic area where the average household income is around $40,000.

    It's very much a class thing. I probably wouldn't be angry if the common US reaction of people who found alternatives for their own children were strongly supportive of public schools (enough to vote for tax increases), but that isn't the case. It's all..."not my problem" and "well, if you really cared about your kids you'd find a way." There's a growing expression of..."well, not every child deserves a good education." Op-eds that extol some of the practices of Huxley's Brave New World. It really is that ugly here.

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  13. Sorry it took me a few days to respond, I've been out of town at a union conference.

    I completely support your point of view here... if more people thought that way, we would likely have a much better public school system. And I agree with you as a group or systemic issue. I simply meant that I do not blame individual families for making that choice because I have seen how bad public schools can be, and I'm sure they get much worse than what I've seen.

    It is based almost entirely on social class. Curriculums are also based on class (poor schools teaching children how to be good workers, and private schools teaching them how to be a "good" boss).

    This might be a more Canadian sentiment, but I find that the dominant belief is that every child deserves a good education, at least through highschool. The problem is that the belief is also that public school provides a good education, when the reality is that we do have a two-tiered (at least) educational system right now.

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  14. La Lubu wrote "It is based almost entirely on social class. Curriculums are also based on class (poor schools teaching children how to be good workers, and private schools teaching them how to be a "good" boss)."

    Exactly. That's why I feel like a jerk for putting my daughter in private school. I know all those other children at the taxpayer supported free school just a few blocks away are learning how to stand in line, move when the bell rings, and stay still for long periods of time. My daughter, on the other hand, is running around in the woods, planning curriculum with her classmates, calling class meetings when there are personality issues to be settled, learning all sorts of very "high level" emotional skills. I'm grateful she's doing it and am willing to keep working myself literally sick for it, but it's very hard to be part of the problem not part of the solution.

    For what it's worth, we do a lot of work around here talking about (playing out, telling stories about) class struggle issues. I could go on, but I won't. Maybe I'll blog about it. It's tough, though, since I have friends who have their children in public school and if I say anything negative about it they think I think I'm better than they are. UGH, it's a no win issue on so many levels.

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