RWMO vs yeshivish high school

amother

Mon, Oct 30 2023, 6:35 pm

DS13 is considering his options for high school. We're in the NY metro area. As a family, we're in between yeshivish and RWMO.

If you were in this position, what type of hs did your son choose? Are you happy with your decision in hindsight?

amother

DarkPurple

Mon, Oct 30 2023, 6:44 pm

amother Green wrote:

Would you prefer an emphasis on continuing on to kollel or a secular degree? Do you care about how the State of Israel is considered?

This is incredibly shallow and not true for any of the 2 options.

amother

Pewter

Tue, Oct 31 2023, 12:25 am

You have to know your child's temperament.

If they like being contrarian, expressing themselves, challenging ideas, then the rwmo might be better. It will give them more space to "breathe".

If they like to be like everyone else, copy, have to be and have the same, then yeshivish might be better because you will do away with having to participate in certain difficult influences like social media, movies ....

amother

Daisy

Tue, Oct 31 2023, 12:54 am

I think jumping straight to "kollel" is too much, but yes: a RW MO yeshiva will encourage boys to learn fro a year or two and then go to college, a yeshivish school will push learning longer, a degree on the side for parnassa.

Something to consider: the structure of the day. An MO high school will have shorter, more defined periods for all subjects (and may or may not mix secular and Jewish studies during the day). A yeshivish school may follow a different format, with all the Jewish studies first and a longer learning session.

I don't know where in the tri-state area you are, but some ideas: MTA is a RW MO school with very solid learning options (though some alumni report that it's not the best choice for weaker students and those boys can get themselves into trouble). Heichal Hatorah in Teaneck tries to bridge the gap between MO and yeshivish schools with both a solid learning program and good general studies. Yesodei Yeshurun in Queens is not modern, but prides itself on having a strong program.

Everything depends on the personality of the boy and where he sees himself going.