Sunday, January 25, 2015

Lottery Schools

Currently, the parents and students of Lockeland Design Center are going through the process of deciding which middle school they will be attending in the fall. This is my first exposure to “lottery schools” and the process of almost applying to a middle school and being chosen based on luck. In my home district, you went to the elementary, middle, and high school in your zone, unless you went to a private religious school or eventually a specialized high school. Although this seems like it could benefit some children and their families, I am worried about the stress it is putting on our fourth grade students. I have heard students asking one another where they will be attending next year and I have also heard students getting upset when they have to explain that they won’t be going to their first choice. The students are feeling like failures if they don’t get into their top choices and are worrying about getting into college. Can you even imagine thinking about college in fourth grade? Let me tell you, I wasn’t even thinking about college or trying to decide what I wanted to do with my life. I couldn’t even decide what I wanted for breakfast! 

When hearing the students say that if they don’t go to the right middle school, they won’t be able to get into the right high school, and then they won’t go to a good college, my heart breaks. These students are basing their college successes on their choice of middle school.  After a few discussions with my field mentor and other future teachers, I have come to the conclusion that the way that these children are feeling and thinking about this process can be blamed on somebody and that somebody is not the students. After talking to the Lockeland Reading Specialist, it has come to my attention that the parents are putting these crazy ideas and thoughts into their children’s heads. The reading specialist says that the parents are even getting catty with one another about where so-and-so’s kid is going to middle school. Children are sponges. They are going to absorb everything they hear about this process whether it’s negative or not. The parents need to put things in perspective and make sure they are not stressing their fourth graders. How can we promote a stress-free and positive attitude towards a lottery system? Is it possible? Who should we address? Parents? Or Students?
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2 comments:

  1. Mary-Lloyd HellerJanuary 26, 2015 at 6:24 PM

    I haven't heard my 6th graders talking about lottery schools, but I have experienced a similar phenomenon with private school interviews and applications. At JT Moore there is a very obvious divide in the school population. About half of the students are from the low-income population of Edgehill and then the other half are from the nearby Green Hills neighborhood. In the past two weeks, I have heard a lot of the neighborhood kids talk about their upcoming or past interviews with schools like Harpeth Hall, Ensworth and USN. It seems that they are certain they want to go there at least in high school, if not as soon as possible (in 7th grade). Although I know that those are very strong and impressive private schools and I hope that my students who want to go are accepted, I also wonder how those conversations make their peers from Edgehill feel who do not have the option of choosing their school or affording a private school. How will they feel if most of the students from the Green Hills neighborhood leave their class within the next 2-3 years?

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  2. UnknownJanuary 29, 2015 at 5:00 PM

    I completely agree, Nicole. All the talk I have heard at Lockeland has made me so sad for these students and the immense stress they are dealing with as 10-year-olds. I'm pretty sure I didn't know what the word "waitlist" was when I was that age! It's easy to blame the parents for creating a stressful environment for the children, but it's also an incredibly stressful process for the parents. For adults who are mature and comprehend the significance of a good education, the process of determining a middle school, which feeds into a high school, which determines what colleges will be options for you, is an overwhelming prospect. It's so unfortunate that the product of this system is that the most stressful decisions and times have to occur at such a young age. When most parents can't afford private school, but know the importance of attending a certain caliber of school, it can be so difficult for them to deal with these challenges without creating stress for the students.

    I also see the dynamic Mary-Lloyd mentioned in her response. There are some students whose parents are not actively seeking to get them into lottery schools, and these students are going to their normal zoned public schools. Some of these schools are a huge change from the community environment at Lockeland, and it can be awkward when some students make comments about "never wanting to have to go to East [Middle or High School]" while other student's parents are content with sending them there. I believe, for the most part, that with hard work, these smart students can have positive outcomes no matter where they end up, but it is has been so interesting to be able to observe this process in the fourth grade.

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