I just returned from my first two hour round trip school commute for the day.
I never imagined our son would attend the �rich� school where he began this fall. Because it is so far away, I haven�t attended any of the Mother�s Club events yet, but my husband and I did chaperone the junior high dance recently and met a few other parents. I found the parents and teachers to be extremely genuine and the kids (boys from the school and many girls from the community and other private schools) were respectful, courteous, self assured and did not strike me as overly materialistic.
Just as I never looked down on families (that I knew of) who received financial assistance at our last, more moderately priced school, I assume any one worth their salt is not going to snub our family if they learn we receive financial aid at this 15K+ school. In my opinion, the most pretentious and materialistic individuals are often more �posers� than truly the �haves� anyway. The reality is that just the gas to get him there, in combination with my lost work day availability for my part time career, is quite a financial sacrifice for us. (I wish I could get comp time as my work responsibilities have not decreased.)
So far, this private school is well worth the effort and sacrifice. Most of the teachers treat the students with what I can best describe as �professional courtesy� and mutual respect even when addressing negative situations. The teachers and administrators don�t have to be autocrats in order to establish they are in charge. This grown-up treatment, in addition to the very high academic intensity for most classes and his high ability classmates make this school the absolute best environment for ds to spend his days. Also, he loves it.
