Tiferes Chaya Lakewood

amother

Tue, Aug 26 2014, 1:50 pm

amother wrote:

I personally was not happy with the school, but there are many ppl who are.
It really depends on what you are looking for in a school and the kind of girls you have.

Can u elaborate w/o l''h? Its for someone who does not have access to imamother. I'm gathering info for her.

amother

Wed, Aug 27 2014, 1:00 am

Well that's the problem- it's hard to elaborate when I know nothibg about ur friend, her expectations or the type of person she is.
So she might very likely be ok w certain things that bothered me& it will be L"h

amother

Wed, Aug 27 2014, 1:05 am

I have two friends who go there and they both hate it. Some of their reasons are and you can decide this wont bother youat all:
1. There is only one class. The problem here is that if your daughter is having issues with some girls in the class there is nowhere for her to switch to so for ten years she is forced to be with these girls. Also there is only one teacher per grade so if you have an issue with a teacher for your older daughter you have no choice but to get that same teacher for your next daughter.
2. The administration does not know how to deal with issues.

amother

Wed, Aug 27 2014, 3:16 am

I know a lot of people that send there. If your friend will match all her children's clothing or at least color-coordinate them then she will be fine. If none of her children need special help or have a problem in school then she'll be fine. If she's comfortable putting her kids in a school where everyone tries to live up to the Joneses then she'll like it. If she has any desire for them to learn good middos and ehrlichkeit or to have an appreciation for non-materialistic things and to love davening then she's looking in the wrong place.

amother

Wed, Aug 27 2014, 9:19 am

amother wrote:

Doesn't this school have a uniform? It's very materialistic? What other Yiddish speaking chassidish school is appropriate then? She is happy with the idea of only 1 class.

Chayalle

Wed, Aug 27 2014, 9:42 am

Schools don't have uniforms on non-school days. Kids pick up their classmates' standards out of school very quickly.

I know a few families who send to TC and all of them are on the fancy side. I disagree with the last bit about middos though - they are very nice people.

About the 1 class thing, I have heard this being an issue before. I remember a close friend of mine switched her kids out of Kaminetz for that reason.

debsey

Wed, Aug 27 2014, 11:02 am

amother wrote:

I vehemently disagree about the administration. They are wonderful and work very hard at accommodating people's needs. They hire professionals and work with them, they have a wonderful middos and tznius curriculum, and they are very involved with the kid's needs.
Yes, it does get a very upscale, kind of Boro Park-ish crowd. That's just who the crowd is. But it's not at all a school that encourages materialism or that kisses up to the wealthier parents. Just the opposite, if anything.......
No I don't send there, but I have friends who do.

amother

Wed, Aug 27 2014, 11:20 am

Original amother here- agree w all of the assessments regarding fancy clothes and behavior, as well as lack of ability to deal w out of the box girls and lack of Middos. I found the emphasis on materialism to b rediculous ( which is y my dd didn't fit in) and the school really mishandled the situation.
Also, they don't use text books for certain secular subjects & a lot of teachers are misinformed/give over erroneous information.

debsey

Wed, Aug 27 2014, 12:21 pm

amother wrote:

Maybe your friends kids are the typical good kids but a kids out of the box the administration cannot deal with and they will make the parents life miserable.

Just the opposite. My friend is so appreciative BECAUSE her kid had problems and they brought in people to work with her kid.

amother

Wed, Aug 27 2014, 7:27 pm

debsey wrote:

Just the opposite. My friend is so appreciative BECAUSE her kid had problems and they brought in people to work with her kid.

My DD had some issues, and they worked with me to resolve it. It is an amazing school

amother

Wed, Aug 27 2014, 10:53 pm

amother wrote:

Are the last few amothers the same? I know many parents in that school and every single one has tried to get in elsewhere and have no choice but to stick it out.

Where is elsewhere? What chassidish options do you see as better?

amother

Wed, Aug 27 2014, 11:39 pm

New amother here. I know several people that send their kids there and most are unhappy. The rest are pareve but I never heard anyone rave about what an amazing school it is. They do not deal with bullying problems effectively (ex: when a girl was bullied the principal suggested the mother go out and buy her the same ridiculously expensive briefcase and shoes the other girls have instead of dealing with the bullying). Money does not buy happiness, contrary to the values present in Tiferes Chaya.

amother

Wed, Aug 27 2014, 11:43 pm

amother wrote:

Where is elsewhere? What chassidish options do you see as better?

Bais Tova is more heimish but not necessarily shtreimlach while Bais Rochel is pretty much the more eidel chassidish school. The most chassidish is Bnos Bina but their academic level is extremely low. All of these schools have *effective* middos programs and stress derech eretz and being nice to other people.

amother

Wed, Aug 27 2014, 11:46 pm

amother wrote:

Maybe your friends kids are the typical good kids but a kids out of the box the administration cannot deal with and they will make the parents life miserable.

The Yiddish principal was in my class in school and the reason I don't send there. Being smart and nice and having a father that's in chinuch for years does not a great principal make. I wanted a knowledgeable principal that is a little older and understands teenagers.