The Education Business

Orwell cautions the naive to remember that beneath all illusions and the veneer of altruism, private schools are businesses. The beds must be filled, the salaries of faculty must be paid, and classrooms must be built, maintained and heated. All that said, I will have my first encounter with a Head of School in the position of mendicant, seeking more time to pay what is due. The strongest arguments are legacy and performance. That is, four generations at the Wheeler School, and a straight-A report card in the 8th grade. An overzealous and aggressive business manager has threatened to take away Sophie's place next year if we don't pay the outstanding balance immediately. "You are using us as a bank," he said. "We have a waiting list for every grade," he threatened. Thus Orwell and my reality coincide. We have no option to pay on demand, although there are friends and relatives who might help us in the end. This will be a critical meeting of our minds.