Schooled

Schooled by Anisha Lakhani

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars
While the actual 'story' of this book is packed with cliche, repetition, and redundance, Lakhani has chosen some very serious, honest, and accurate subject matter. A few years back I read a similar novel (I think it was called 'The Ivy Chronicles') which was also a fictionalized version of a very real and disturbing Manhattan phenomenon -- parents who pay obscene amounts amounts of money so that their children can get into the *right* kindergarten. As a teacher in Manhattan myself, I am aware that this continues to be a serious issue. Lakhani reaches her conclusion very quickly -- don't be *friends* with your students, treat them like adults, have empathy for their hectic schedules, be aware that the world is a difficult place for children and is getting worse, and help them and teach them as best you can -- if it means only reaching a handful out of a class of 40, you have still made some change. I'm glad that Lakhani wrote about private school 'tutoring', and she was quite accurate in the goings on of Upper East Side families (she has first hand experience in the matter after teaching at Dalton). I'm interested in seeing how the Manhattan private schools will react to her book. If any change or any new rules are implemented in the corrupt system, then Ms. Lakhani has my full support!


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