讀後心得

Recently, the admission rate for private junior high school entrance exams in Taipei has dropped to 5%, raising significant concerns among many parents regarding private schools. A similar situation has emerged in Silicon Valley, where many parents believe that the quality of private schools surpasses that of public schools, especially in an environment of high housing prices, where the threshold for entering quality school districts is extremely high. Public schools in Silicon Valley are facing budget shortfalls, which affects the allocation of educational resources, leading parents to be more inclined to choose private schools. This phenomenon reflects the polarization of educational choices today, becoming an important issue that parents urgently need to consider.

Recently, several private junior high schools in Taipei held entrance exams, with reports indicating the acceptance rate can be as low as 5%. Many even describe this as more challenging than getting into National Taiwan University. This phenomenon shows the strong appeal private schools have for modern parents. Not only in Taipei, but the situation in Silicon Valley is also similar. As a parent of soon-to-be junior high and elementary school students, I resonate with this deeply.

In Silicon Valley, many parents generally consider private schools to be more ideal. The philosophy of education largely stems from the parents' upbringing. As someone who once attended a public school in Taiwan, my husband and I also graduated from public universities. In those days, the environment of public schools was diverse, almost a microcosm of society. Many of my observations and insights about society came from my schooling experiences. In the final stage of my education, we gradually encountered private schools and eventually continued our studies at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. At the beginning of my admission, I jokingly called myself the poorest student on campus, but soon I realized that true "poverty" lies in a lack of capability. In the academic environment at USC, "capability" is the real key, which includes economic strength, academic ability, talent, and connections. These factors are far more important than wealth. Due to my personal experiences, I did not feel an insurmountable divide between public and private schools, so after becoming a mother, I naturally chose to let my children attend public schools in Los Angeles until they graduated from university.

When it comes to good school districts in the U.S., the requirements are actually lower than those in Taiwan because there are many quality school districts available, open to immigrants from various countries, not to mention the capable Taiwanese. Over the past 13 years, all the Taiwanese friends I know who chose public schools have placed their children in excellent school districts. However, in Silicon Valley, known for its concentration of the middle class, I heard many people believe that "coming to Silicon Valley means choosing private schools over public schools." This surprised and troubled me because it implied that I would not only have to pay high taxes but also bear the burden of annual tuition for two children totaling between $50,000 to $100,000 until they graduated high school.

Firstly, the housing prices in Silicon Valley's school districts are persistently high, which surprises everyone living there. As a real estate agent in the Bay Area, I have personally witnessed this. When I first moved to the Bay Area, the average price of school district homes in Cupertino was around $2.5 million, but in just two years, this price reached $3.5 million, exceeding 100 million Taiwanese dollars. The price of the houses themselves is not high; what’s truly expensive is the location in Silicon Valley. Cupertino, known as a good school district for middle-class families and a popular spot for early Taiwanese immigrants, presents high barriers for families hoping to place their children in good school districts. Even for engineers, can young couples really bear such housing prices solely based on their abilities? For the average Silicon Valley resident, the difficulty of purchasing a school district home can be considered the highest in the entire United States.

Secondly, the lack of resources in public schools makes many parents feel deprived. Some schools, due to insufficient funding, cannot even hire physical education teachers, and parents have to take turns doing this work; or libraries are forced to close due to budget issues. These situations, unheard of in other places, have become commonplace in Silicon Valley. Except for a few school districts, most schools frequently struggle financially and cannot secure stable resources. The characteristics of Silicon Valley lead many middle-class families to choose to send their children to private schools, ultimately resulting in a yearly decline in the number of students in public schools.

Finally, the reasons parents in Silicon Valley choose private schools are mostly based on high expectations for educational quality. Here, many parents feel that the teaching methods in public schools are too uniform to meet their needs. Private schools, on the other hand, are more flexible and can offer intensive courses, thus attracting many parents hoping their children will stand out in fierce competition. This desire for "genius education" makes the choice of private schools increasingly common in Silicon Valley.

Education is always a personalized choice, and as society becomes more polarized, parents' choices become more extreme. I hope my children can have a happy childhood, while also wishing that they can receive a good education and resources in a safe environment. However, when these expectations become the standards for selection, the reality is often harsh. Whether or not to choose private schools is an important topic that our generation of parents needs to reflect on deeply.