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> Parents from different classes give their children different opportunities and levels of education... I don't think this is true, at least they way you've wo

> Parents from different classes give their children different opportunities and levels of education... I don't think this is true, at least they way you've worded it. Typically the only parents that have any control over their child's "opportunities and levels of education..." are those in the uppermost classes.

oytis 8y ago
You mean that lower class children often accidentally get a degree in a top university while their parents are not watching? Otherwise I don't see a contradiction here.
thedevil 8y ago
> Typically the only parents that have any control over their child's "opportunities and levels of education..." are those in the uppermost classes. I'm not in "the uppermost classes". I'm probably at the 80% of household income and went to a state school. I put my son in a fantastic school in a well-off neighborhood rather than the default assigned school (my mom drives him there and I pay a babysitter/nanny to drive him back). Most of the kids that can read a little bit before entering kindergarten. He goes to various sports camps and activities classes. His babysitter (more like a part-time nanny) helps teach him to read. We'll probably pay for music lessons and various tutoring later. I also taught my son addition and subtraction of small numbers before entering kindergarten. And we've done a variety of activities to help him learn about science, money, and more.
barrow-rider 8y ago
> opportunities and levels of education... Plenty of opportunities and education without being sent to a private school. IIRC there was a study on kids and race and found that black kids and white kids did the same through most of elementary school, but the white kids get sent to summer camp, have an easier time scoring par-time jobs, are around people with broader vocabularies, and family and friends in different places which can score educational or employment opportunities down the line. I didn't grow up particularly well off, but my dad had a subscription to The Economist, Time, and the local big-city newspaper. He'd read us articles at dinner and then we'd discuss, or just let us read them later -- which definitely had an impact. Grandma bought me a chemistry kit one year in middle school, which helped my science grades later. None of this stuff was super expensive, certainly no where near private school costs, but it can absolutely make a difference.

oytis 8y ago

You mean that lower class children often accidentally get a degree in a top university while their parents are not watching? Otherwise I don't see a contradiction here.

thedevil 8y ago

> Typically the only parents that have any control over their child's "opportunities and levels of education..." are those in the uppermost classes. I'm not in "the uppermost classes". I'm probably at the 80% of household income and went to a state school. I put my son in a fantastic school in a well-off neighborhood rather than the default assigned school (my mom drives him there and I pay a babysitter/nanny to drive him back). Most of the kids that can read a little bit before entering kindergarten. He goes to various sports camps and activities classes. His babysitter (more like a part-time nanny) helps teach him to read. We'll probably pay for music lessons and various tutoring later. I also taught my son addition and subtraction of small numbers before entering kindergarten. And we've done a variety of activities to help him learn about science, money, and more.

barrow-rider 8y ago

> opportunities and levels of education... Plenty of opportunities and education without being sent to a private school. IIRC there was a study on kids and race and found that black kids and white kids did the same through most of elementary school, but the white kids get sent to summer camp, have an easier time scoring par-time jobs, are around people with broader vocabularies, and family and friends in different places which can score educational or employment opportunities down the line. I didn't grow up particularly well off, but my dad had a subscription to The Economist, Time, and the local big-city newspaper. He'd read us articles at dinner and then we'd discuss, or just let us read them later -- which definitely had an impact. Grandma bought me a chemistry kit one year in middle school, which helped my science grades later. None of this stuff was super expensive, certainly no where near private school costs, but it can absolutely make a difference.