TA vs. TI in Baltimore

DefyGravity

Tue, Sep 20 2011, 3:25 pm

amother wrote:

obagys wrote:

Between my nephews in Baltimore (which is 20+ K"H), my friends' sons, and my own son's friends, I know of many boys in TA & many in TI. Honestly, the TA kids and the TI kids are not very different from each other. I really believe that *most* boys can flourish in either school, both in Hebrew & secular subjects. I think it is the boy's home life - his family and how the household is run - that ultimately shapes and molds him. .

I agree. As someone who has first-hand knowledge* in both schools, they are really not that different. Most boys from these schools, at age 17, if they decide to got to medical/dental/ actuarial school-- they'll be fine. I don't really think that it matters so much how many book reports they did in 5th grade.

Look at Bais Yaakov Balt. --it has a rep. for being much more "academic" than Bnos. But you can see plenty of girls who are recent grads who are not that interested in learning and are looking towards less academic seminaries and less academic careers: sheitels, day care, etc... (I'm thinking of the girls who have babysat for me within the past few years years).

So in the end, if your child is academically inclined and at age 17, 21, or 25 decides he wants to go on to a professional career, which school he went to at this age is not going to be a huge factor.

*I'm sorry,but having neighbors who went to a school 15 years ago is not "first hand knowledge."

I completely agree with both of these posts. DH and I have had many discussions lately about people that are so concerned about a school's academia. We also feel that as long as a high school teaches basic math, science, and reading comp, most kids will be able to go to college and get a diploma. It has to do more with a child's drive than minor differences between the various schools curriculum.

Tova

Wed, Sep 21 2011, 6:42 am

Hashem_Yaazor wrote:

Tova wrote:

[Now we need to talk about BY and Bnos because this time next year we'll iy"H be checking out girls' schools Wink

]

I guess we'll be in it together. I don't think I'm sending my daughter next year to school as there are wonderful playgroups for her age, and I can't see doing another carpool!!

Yeah, and I might not even send my daughter the year after next but it might depend on what school we choose. I heard Bnos wants them there the earlier year (similar to TI) but don't know if that's just a preference or a "we can't guarentee your spot the following year if you don't send the earlier year" (I don't know their terminology - N, K, Pre1A, etc. for the various years/grades.) There is something about Bnos that draws me, but a primary concern is that I want to ensure that she has friends on the block/area and if all the girls her age go to BY I couldn't have her be the only one going to Bnos. My block currently has one definate BY girl her age (the older sister goes to BY) and one definate Bnos-er her age (the mother teaches there) and about 3 or 4 girls her age that are the first girls in their family so everyone will be making the decision. On the other hand, maybe it's silly to make such cheshbonos as people can move in or out? This is one thing you probably don't have to consider as much, HY.

amother

Wed, Sep 21 2011, 10:25 am

amother wrote:

And thank you so much, everyone, for the wonderful responses! I just want to add, in case it makes any difference, that my son is very smart (isn't anyone's kid? But really, he is, and very verbal), quieter, relatively obedient, and not good at standing up for himself. Also not the best (although getting better) at making friends or playing with others, takes a while to warm up to people, doesn't do well in large groups. I don't know if one or or the other would be better for that personality, but any input would be great.

No, I don't think that personality is really/should be a factor.
The school/ ps director will, after the 1st year, try to put him into a class with a group thats good for him. For the first year, classes are usually decided by birthday, at both schools, unless you have a compelling reason for another class.

Also, I would also not discount which neighborhood you live in. As someone who doesn;t have a lot of people from the same school in our neighborhood, it definetly makes a difference. Although I probably still would have made the same decision, it makes it harder for shabbos/Y"t playdates. I wouldn't make my decision totally based on where the neighbors send, but you should definetly factor that in. Some neighborhoods are really half/half (ie- Seven mile lane area). while other neighborhoods seem to be very heavy with one school (ie-- the wellwood neighborhood seems to be very heavy TA , while the Wirt/Strathmore/Cross Country area seems to be pretty heavy TI- for example. Obviously, this is based on the people that I know, not a scientific study. Very Happy

I have said this before, too: it's unrealistic to expect that every year at every school will be great for your kid. Some years, he/she will have a teacher that he clicks with and a great group of kids in the class. other years not, and we all have to accept that sometimes will be easier, other times will be harder, and we have to daven for two things: that our child manages okay in school and for a good carpool. Very Happy

amother

Wed, Sep 21 2011, 10:31 am

one more thing: someone who is in chinuch in the midwest, but has an insider view of TI told me two things:

1) the level of learning is higher than Lakewood cheder. I have no idea how this person knows that, since he doesn't live in Lakewood, and has nothing to do with Lakewood Cheder. Surprised

But if your kid gets through TI, he can probably manage okay in college. Smile

-- Actually, after paying tuition for so many years, my kids will have to make do with CCBC if they want to go to college (or marry rich!)

2) The way TI is run can be a bit tricky. He explained it that it's like each classroom/rebbe is kind of like it's own , autonomous little yeshiva. Unless there are problems, the administration is kind of hands-off. I have no idea if that's good/bad or if it's even so true, but something to keep in mind. However, I have heard that Mrs. Hochberg, Mrs. Guilioni, and Rabbi Nissel are a pleasure to work with when a need arises.

I would take both these comments with a grain of salt, but I thought they would be worth sharing.