Parents often tell me that paying for tutoring and test prep services, admission consulting services, and private school tuition is a sacrifice for them. I understand this, I have been there myself.
When my son was in elementary school he was having trouble reading. Knowing how critical reading skills are to success, I knew I had to do something. I was a single mother at the time, with very little disposable income. I found a series of programs (tutoring, a reading workshop, writing classes and speed reading classes) that I signed my son up for over the course of the next 4 years, most of which I financed on my credit cards at 18% interest. I started hosting foreign language school students in my home, and I used the income from this venture to pay for the classes and programs for my son.
I got creative and found a way to make it work!
I once spoke to a very wise and compassionate founder of a very well respected private school in Boston. He was explaining to me why his school never gave 100% tuition aid to students, even though he has many disadvantaged students in his school. He said that the school figures out a fair amount they feel the family can contribute, and they stick to their guns. He said they often get lots of push back and complaints from the families, but very often a grandparent or other family member steps up and comes in to pay the tuition in CA$H! His school costs over $20,000 a year.
He went on to explain to me that he believes that in America, if you want something badly enough (a car, a vacation, a cell phone, etc.) you can find a way to pay for it, if you are creative. You may have to clean toilets or deliver pizza, or wash dishes, but there are people who need these jobs done, and they are willing to pay for it. You may not like what you have to do, but there is money to be made out there if you put in the effort and work hard. His words have stuck with me for many years, and I believe them to be true. This was an eye opening conversation for me.
When I started my business many years ago, I also started a program to help disadvantaged students. I obtained small grants from local community leaders and charities. I matched every dollar with an in-kind donation of my own. I helped about 5 students that first year. They all came to me with very sad stories (a father abandoning his children, a grandmother raising her granddaughter, a single mother with limit English skills, etc.).
After we invested in these students, they all did well, and they were admitted to private or exam schools, but they really did not need the charity after all. The mother with no help from her former husband told me she was paying for Catholic high school for her son, and saving for retirement. She was living rent free in her parents house, and she had a good job at an insurance company. I could not afford Catholic high school for my son at that point, and I had no money saved for retirement. She was better off than me, and she was crying poor!
The grandmother raising her granddaughter drove a convertible and took the granddaughter on a trip to Disney that summer. I was driving a 10 year old car, and my kids were not going to Disney that summer. Again, she was better off than me, and she was crying poor!
The single mother with limited English skills took a 3 week trip to her home country that summer. I was not going on a 3 weeks trip that year!
If these folks had been willing to sacrifice their savings for a while, their luxury cars, and their vacations, they could have afforded the fee for test prep. They did not need charity, but they felt entitled to it (why I do not know)! I have gotten much tougher with anyone looking for a handout since this experience. I take very seriously the monies entrusted to me for charitable work, and I want to make sure they go to the truly needy among us, and not some scammers.
The bottom line is that of all the things you can buy your children: fancy fleece jackets, brand name sneakers, expensive cell phones, boots costing more than $100 that you can’t wear in the snow, electronic devices, trips, etc., money spent on education is the best money you will ever spend on your children!
Long after the clothes are outgrown, the shoes no longer fit, the electronics are broken and outdated, and the trip of a lifetime is forgotten, the value of a good education with stick with your children.
It boggles my mind to hear people say that they cannot afford education services, especially when they pull up in a luxury car, and their child is wearing over $500 worth of designer clothes, jackets and boots, and they have a similar designer jacket and pair of pricey boots on themselves.
These people have their priorities way out of whack, and they have very poor values. We do not want to work with people who do not understand that education is not free, and it takes time, money, effort, and focus. There are no cheap and quick fixes.
As the sign in our office says: “There is no elevator to success, you have to take the stairs.”
Anne Yount Boston ISEE Prep 617-553-8083 www.bostoniseeprep.com - Test Prep for the ISEE & Latin School Exam Boston Tutoring Center 617-553-8083 www.bostontutoringcenter.com - Tutoring Grades K-12 Boston Private School Search 617-553-0540 www.bostonprivateschoolsearch.com - Your Resource for Private School Admissions Follow my Blog - http://privateschoolguru.com/blog/