She’s In..

Got a call from the school. She’s made it.

I was relieved. That was the emotion I felt, of relief. Happy? Maybe.

So, I went to pick up the letter today, and even though I was expecting the fee, and the pecuniary euphemisms around it, to cause a dent in my pocket, I still didn’t realize how big a dent it would be, till the pretty lady at the reception affably handed me the papers and I looked at the stratospheric figures staring me back at me . My first thought – this for a two year old?

But, it’s a take-it-or-leave-it kind of thing, and I though I’ll probably take it, because I’ve come to believe that this would be good for her, it’s an obscene amount of money. My mother reminded me that the monthly fee would be as much as the salary she retired at, after teaching English for twenty-four years. That’s a disturbing thought.

Disturbing because, extravagant as this is, I am probably going to go ahead with it, and all because I think my daughter would benefit immensely. But would she be worse off going to any other decent school that does not charge an arm, a leg and a pound of flesh? Am I ensuring that, by sending her here, she’d achieve the best, whatever that is? Not sure, not sure at all.

And it’s not like everyone who can afford it is packing their kids off to such schools. I’ve read some interesting articles about alternative education that some parents are choosing for their kids. Like this one I read recently about homeschooling. Not that I could, or want to, do that. I don’t have it in me. Besides, I think children need school for more than education. But still, it’s refreshing to know what some parents are doing today, and more than the capability, they have the will to challenge the conventional system.

I wish I had it too.