We went to a private school fair today. Whoops, apparently you now need to say "Independent School". I guess "private" sounded too exclusionary. The thing is, in New York City, where I live, "independent school" tuition ranges from $20,000 to $30,000. Per year. Starting at age three. The independence these schools demonstrated appeared to be independence from tax-payer funding. I mean, technically a charter school is also independent. Charter schools are small educational programs that are not controlled by the city Board of Education. There were no charter schools represented at this event.
I collected glossy catalogs featuring engaged-looking children playing violin (Montessori education!) or knitting (Waldorf school!). One campus that just knocked me out was 20 miles north of Manhattan on what looked like a hundred verdant acres. And they even offer Mandarin Chinese!
But none of it seemed like a home exchange way to travel an educational path.
Maybe my hesitancy to even consider an "independent" school is sour grapes. Let's see, an average of $25,000 from pre-K to Senior year of high school. That's $300,000, assuming no inflation whatsoever, or, more likely, half a million dollars per child just to graduate from high school. I have two kids, so call it an even million.
To me, this is a lot like only staying in four-star hotels when traveling. One rubs elbows with a more exclusive class of people, without getting a complete picture of the region or culture.
A home exchange experience is more like a public school: more research is needed to make sure it is a safe, pleasant and healthy environment but the experience is more reflective of real life. One gets to know a broader spectrum of humanity, which can be enriching or awful depending on the resources available.
The encouraging thing is that independent schools, at least in New York City, are clearly open to welcoming a broader range of families within their communities. I hope that we, as home exchangers, can consider the benefits of this approach in an era where home exchange is becoming more popular.
These concerns are the reason I automatically say "no thank you" to anyone who specifies their home's real estate or rental value in an exchange offer. I hope you will also consider these issues the next time someone offers you a swap home which is more modest than your own. I certainly will.
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