I read the recent article in The New York Times about Success Academy and, honestly, I went through a few mixed emotions. Teachers, or at least those who love teaching, are sacrificing a lot of their time to make sure their students are succeeding — and that I will never take from them. But the article seems like a huge bashing session toward the network and Eva — and that I don’t appreciate.
My daughter, Miah, attends Success Academy Bensonhurst in Brooklyn, and I had ample opportunity to decline my seat to the academy if I felt like it was going to be too much. The discipline of the school is well needed for schools and, truthfully, it’s NOTHING different from how I raise my daughter. My expectations of her effort, knowledge, and determination are on the same level as that of Success Academy.
As a minority, the thought of putting my daughter in a public school where the teachers are completely overwhelmed with the NON-existing structure of what’s OK for a child to do (and) the lack of support many parents seem to offer and vice versa, doesn’t help my child. Success Academy is a total support system. They have given me the opportunity to enforce what I want for my child, which is for her to be the best in everything she is doing.
She attended a pre-K (school) previously to Success and was ahead of every student. Even her teacher told me that she needed to be in a school that will take what she already knows and give her a challenge. Success Academy does that. My daughter picked that school because she felt it was right for her. What 5-year-old you know makes that decision and is absolutely correct? The school has enhanced her drive to be successful and built her confidence as an individual.
