Battered Mommy Blogger Learns Valuable Lesson

Beyond the Brochure: An Insider's Guide to Private Elementary Schools in Los Angeles (Fat Envelope Publishing), written by Christina Simon, Anne Simon, and Porcha Dodson, offers anxious Los Angeles parents an in-depth look at what it takes to get into private elementary schools throughout LA.  From setting up the school tours, filling out the applications, doing the interviews, and waiting for acceptance letters, this book walks you through the often nerve-wracking process and lets you in on some golden nuggets of very useful and helpful info that may increase your chances of getting into a private school. 

Christina Simon is the mother of two children who attend The Willows Community School in Culver City.  Having recently gone through the process of applying to highly selective Los Angeles-area schools, Christina offers her perspective as a current parent.  Her mother, Anne Simon, has more than 30 years experience as an educator in private schools in Los Angeles and nationally, spent four years heading up Wildwood Elementary School, and is also the former dean of the Middle School at Crossroads School in Santa Monica.  Anne Simon offers a true insider's view of what admissions directors and their schools look for in their candidates.  Porcha Dodson spent five years as a teaching partner and director of diversity at Curtis School in Bel Air.  

After describing the various types of elementary schools and educational philosophies that exist (traditional/academic, developmental/progressive, religious, and idealogical),Beyond the Brochure points out that applying to private schools begins one year BEFORE your child will begin school.   The book, however, encourages you to start doing your “homework” of learning about the pool of schools available to you by talking to friends, your preschool director, and that you should “Spend the time early to learn as much as possible about LA private elementary schools.”  This is sound advice, in my opinion, because the more information you have, the better armed you will be when you finally start touring schools.  

Beyond the Brochure contains many critical bits of information that are especially helpful to parents, one of which I think is especially important as you do your research is to attend the annual events that the schools put on (i.e. fairs, picnics, book sales, school plays, etc.). It's hard to get a really good idea of school from simply their school tour.  Attending a private school is a huge monetary and emotional commitment - you want to make sure the school you end up sending your son or daughter to meets all of your expectations and needs.

There are many books out there that parents can get their hands on to help them through this process.  What I like about Beyond the Brochure is that it gives examples of teacher recommendation forms (what teachers fill out during their assessments of the children), examples of what preschool directors are asked to fill out, examples of sample application questions, as well as sample tests that are given to children on their assessment days.  These are all very useful to see before you head into your tour, interview, and finally applying to the school.  In addition, the book gives sample letters of recommendation and highly recommends that if you have friends, colleagues, or “anyone who has a connection to the school” for which you are applying, letters of support for your family can be very beneficial.  

The other part of the book that I like is that it has testimonials from parents currently attending private schools in LA.  While these examples come from mostly a couple of  schools (Curtis School and Willows Community School, in particular), it is very interesting to read what other people’s suggestions regarding the application process would be.  These views certainly do not represent all experiences of parents, but it is helpful to read more intimate and, hopefully, honest reviews of the experience of applying to private schools in LA.  

One criticism that I have of the book is that it omits many of the private schools in Los Angeles (a tall order, of course), but a reader unfamiliar with Los Angeles and various communities might not become aware of other private schools in smaller communities both well-known and hidden gems.  For example, only one Pasadena-area private school is listed in the book, while there are at least a dozen or more private schools in the city of Pasadena and its surrounding communities.  Be mindful that the views expressed in the book are those of the authors and the parents that they interviewed and do not represent a full and unbiased perspective of the process of applying to schools.  

My family went through this ordeal of applying to schools two years ago and I wish that I had had Beyond the Brochure on my night stand table to give me a head’s up about several aspects of this process.  Applying to private schools is a very competitive and arduous process and if you have access to this book, I’m sure you will have an easier time going through the many months of researching, applying, discussing with family and friends, waiting for letters, and making your ultimate decision than you would without such a helpful and insightful guide. 

You can purchase Beyond the Brochure: An Insider's Guide to Private Elementary Schools in Los Angeles online at Fat Envelope Publishing and at Amazon for $32. 

Check out the author's blog for helpful articles on parenting, schools, and more.  

Full disclosure: I did not purchase this book, however, the views expressed here are solely my own. 

www.pasadena.macaronikid.com