The Catch-22 Of School Acceptance

6/23/2013

A Catch-22 is a paradoxical situation caused by a contradiction of rules which causes one to be incapable of avoiding or solving a problem. Often these situations are such that solving one part of a problem only creates another problem, which ultimately leads back to the original problem.

Once again summer vacation begins and children are getting ready for various activities. Many girls are on their way to camp and as usual there will be many girls that will not be able to tell their friends what high school they will be going to next year. Some of us may think nothing of such a situation."So, they tell the other girls they don't know yet, big deal".
Well, it is a big deal. Ask any person that deals with troubled children and they will tell you that school rejection is one of the main reasons many children are "turned off" from yiddishkeit.
This year there are over 60 girls not yet accepted to any high school. Many are not accepted simply because of the elementary school they are coming from. Many are not accepted because some high schools are trying to limit how many girls they accept simply to impart an air of exclusivity to their school. An air of exclusivity that destroys the future mothers of our nation.
And there is the Catch-22 of school acceptance in Lakewood. In the zeal to make sure that they don't accept a bad influence into their institutions, they have created an entire army of bad influence.

If you knew that there was something that is a clear and present threat to the ruchnios of our children, wouldn't you stand up and scream? Why is nobody getting up and screaming about this?
Oh, you don't want to get rejected when your own child applies to a school? Of course, another Catch-22 to deal with.

14 Comments

Stop Kvetching

6/23/2013 07:15:36 am

I do Not see what The Issue is, any Girl That wants To, Should Have No Problem Getting into Rabbi Schenkowleski Bais Kaila High Schoo,l or Ephraim Birnbaums OOrOs Bais Yackov.

Davii Mandel

6/23/2013 08:14:33 am

This situation is simply outrageous and we are all guilty of shaking our heads and going "tsk, tsk" every year when we hear about it. We are sending our precious neshamos out of our midst and allowing the "experts" to pronounce them as always having been "at risk" and "no wonder the high schools didn't want her". What is wrong with us?? Why are we allowing this situation to continue year after year? If it doesn't happen to our daughter, do we just give a sigh of relief that it didn't hit home and feel a couple of moments of pity for the poor family of the girl? Then get on with our life?
I wish the people in charge of this whole mess would put their collective foot down and change the system once and for all. Until then, maybe some simple people will band together to make a grass roots effort.
I'm willing to help.

To Mr Mandel

6/23/2013 01:54:22 pm

Stop talking and open a school

lakewooder

6/23/2013 11:23:15 pm

"Stop talking and open a school"
Yea that's just what Lakewood needs more private schools ,more busing, think before you make such foolish recommendations that really are not a solution to anything!

sushi

6/24/2013 09:15:17 am

yes lakewood does need more private schools. what's your problem?

Sherree

6/24/2013 01:12:20 am

What a shanda, is this what the Heilige Lakewood community has come to? Is this what Reb Aron Kotler z'tl had in mind when he built his Utopian society trying to reestablish Torah and Yiras Shamayim in America? Is this how we perceive Yiras Shamayim? Is this what we perceive as following the Torah? Is this concept follow anything that we attempt to teach our children in these schools to begin with?

Where is the Ahavas Yisroel? Where is the issur of speaking Loshon Hora? Where is the helping and chesed Ben adom l'chavero? Where is the "anivus

To lakewooder

6/24/2013 02:40:38 am

What are you talking about??
There are kids that will not go to the lousy public school that have and bussing they will have no matter what school they go to.

Chaim Yankel

6/24/2013 03:04:10 am

Het Lakewooder. Yes open more schools the kids are there and the bussing will be there either way. Whats the difference???

To Lakewooder

6/24/2013 04:43:55 am

YOU should think before making YOUR foolish comments. These children will be in a school(they may not yet know which) so they will be on a bus either way. So yes, the solution to this difficult issue is NOT to just curse out those that run the schools. They are extremely dedicated and devoted individuals who are in an impossible situation because no matter what they do, there will be people who just curse them and say that they are reshaim. This is far from the truth. The solution is for all complainers to zip it and try opening their own school and see how easy it is. HH, you seem to have plenty of time and money on your hands, politics has not really worked for you, maybe try opening a school for all those that you supposedly feel so bad for.....

6/24/2013 07:13:57 am

We should open more schools in all communities and run them the way they used to be run for the benefit of the children and not the ego's of the administrations and the ego's of the parent body who are all trying to either out do the other, out smart the other, or out frum the other. This is Sinas Chinam at its best. Putting kids and parents through this horror is enough to turn an entire generation of kids OTD.

6/25/2013 09:14:37 am

"all" I guess you know all of them., and do you even have a clue what sinas chinam means? i can hear other complaints, but this has nothing to do with sinah.

6/25/2013 12:46:32 pm

Do YOU know what sinas Chinam means? Yes this selection process is all about "Sinah" and nothing about ahavas Yisroel!

6/24/2013 10:42:00 am

There are Plenty Of People From within Lakewood and Outside of Lakewood who would Love to Open Girls Schools However The Powers To Be Do Not Let Them

6/24/2013 10:27:21 pm

have never supported HH in any of his politics but I would support him if he opens a girls school. Maybe this crazy road he has been on is Hashems way of steering him to this. He probably would run a great school. What a service to the yidden of this town that would be. Hey Herschel, If you do it you will be surprised as to who comes out to help you. I think even the 'powers' in town would help.

The Catch-22 Of School Acceptance

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