We Don’t Talk About It- Specialized High Schools Aren’t For Everyone. And That’s Ok.
I was in the 4th grade when I first heard of the NYC specialized high school entrance exam:the SHSAT. My homeroom teacher introduced it to us because her son was applying to high school. It was expected that most of my fancy private school classmates would make it into one of the nine specialized NYC high schools… Yet there we were, FOUR years away from the exam, taking a look at the SHSAT sample practice problems and seeing who could get the most right (our class was also the class that read classics for fun in their original versions so…).
There has always been and still is a stigma of prestige associated with getting in and attending one of these specialized schools. I can’t even wear my SITHS alumni hoodie to the local supermarket because curious parents will flock to me with questions: “Excuse me, I’m sorry, but do you mind if I ask you a few questions about Staten Island Tech? My son, he has been going to tutoring for two years now, and I really want him to go there for high school.” And it’s ok, I understand why these parents want to ask me about the environment at one of the best schools in the country. It must be rather reassuring to know that your teenager will be too busy to do anything but school work and a few extracurriculars; that keeps them out of trouble and on track to future success right? (wrong, this is high school, not a babysitting service) However, these aren’t the questions the parents need to be asking me.
Let’s backtrack a bit: Your son has been going to tutoring for 2 years for this test? Is he still not scoring high enough to make the cut for admission? Then maybe, SITHS isn’t the place for him. If you have given him the resources to succeed and he still isn’t quite making it, then it’s time you realize that he probably won’t succeed in the specialized high school environment because it really is not for everyone. If he does by some chance make it, he will be starting his high school career off at a disadvantage. Surely this is where the adolescent’s character comes into play and he can choose to either sink or swim… From my experience, those that didn’t originally belong sunk to the bottom rather quickly; they usually transferred out.
Next question: You said that YOU want him to attend the school, but does he? Staten Island Tech specializes in the sciences and engineering. But what if your son doesn’t care about robotics or physics? What if he wants to do journalism or law? I’m sorry, but Staten Island Tech definitely isn’t the place for either of those. ***DISCLAIMER: Other Specialized High Schools do offer a larger variety of classes. This was just the reality of my experience at SITHS. This is because SITHS is known to be largely STEM based; many students choose this school for THIS exact reason.*** The school has a plethora of athletic teams and many great classes and teachers, but those aren’t the main reasons that students choose to attend this school. Majority of Techies (yes, that is the nickname for anyone that attends this school) love science and/or math! That is the real secret behind the school’s success! A pursuit of reputation rather than passion will ruin an individuals high school experience... So don’t do that to your teenager!
Which leads me to the next point where a parent may say “Well, my son is 13 years old, he doesn’t know what he wants.” In that case, by all means, Tech is one of the best environments for self exploration and discovery. There are plenty of things to try in your four years there. For me personally, it was more of picking out what I hated rather than finding my passion, but that too was a powerful lesson.
With all this being said and specialized high school decisions being released right around the corner, please keep in mind that a specialized high school environment isn’t for everyone. It can get rather toxic (which I will address in one of my future posts) for those who don’t belong there to begin with. The competition gets immensely cutthroat as students try to out do one another in hopes of scoring higher marks or creating a more impressive resume.
Not making it into one of these schools isn’t a projection of failure- it just means there is a better environment out there for you. And quite honestly, you will have your own set of advantages: a more mentally stable environment, a better chance at a higher GPA, and more time to explore interests outside of STEM.
This isn’t a goodbye, it’s a see you later.
A.V.S.
