A-List Schools

You’ve told me you only want to apply to schools on the A-list.  Why?
Is your child an A-list child?  Is he old enough for you to be able to tell?  Consider the possibility that he may not turn out to be an A-list child -what happens then if he goes to an A-list school?  Will he do well?How will he feel about himself if every day is a struggle in school? How will you feel about him if he is unsuccessful? What else in his life and yours will be affected as his self esteem plummets?What will your days be like if he needs to be tutored every afternoon when his friends are having play dates and playing sports?  When your friends’ children are engaged with this team and that activity?  Do you want to sit with him every day and watch to make sure he is doing his homework?  And rewrite his work so that it measures up to your standards? Do you want to catch him in a series of lies when he says he has no work, has done it in school, is finished?Was there a price you had to pay to get him into the A-list school? Are there favors you have to return?  Did you make a monetary contribution? Is someone watching your son’s performance which is now a source of embarrassment to you? Are you angry with the school?  Are the requirements too difficult? Do they give too much homework?  Are the teachers unreasonable?  Do they not try hard enough to accommodate children who have difficulty maintaining their grades?  Are you one of the parents who say they would never send another child to that school?Try to remember why this was so important – wasn’t it to get your son into the best college?  Wasn’t the A-list school a means to an end?Will those colleges look at him with the grades he is getting?  Can he still get in now, lacking motivation, though he doesn’t care about hisschoolwork, even if doesn’t seem to care about anything at all?Was the A-list school about him or about you?  Was it worth it? Eric