George Higgins is DNA.info's Principal of the Week
Headmaster George Higgins, a 34-year veteran of The Beekman School, sits down with the people at DNA.info to talk about life as the head of a NYC private school.
Headmaster George Higgins, a 34-year veteran of The Beekman School, sits down with the people at DNA.info to talk about life as the head of a NYC private school.
I love springtime. Having successfully shoveled my way through yet another winter at Beekman, I look forward to the budding trees outside of my office window and the sunlight that fills our garden.
New York City is a multi-cultural metropolis. Shouldn’t your child’s school be too? The Beekman School, nestled in a charming Eastside townhouse, is an entire global community in one building.
I speak with a lot of people: on the phone, in interviews, and around town. They’ve heard bits and pieces about our unique program and want to get the story “straight from the horse’s mouth.” Given our rolling admissions policy, our philosophy of “interview today start tomorrow,” and our focus on student-centered learning, I am frequently asked a number of questions about our student body.
Virtually no other school in the New York City metro area provides the myriad of educational solutions that we provide. Between The Beekman School and The Tutoring School (a program within Beekman), we can create an academic schedule that supports most students who are college-bound. Whether you want to start your day late, finish your day early, study Swahili or increase your course load to graduate early, The Beekman School can tailor a program that fits your unique requirements.
Choosing a private school is a complicated task. School websites are a great resource in aiding that choice by pointing out a school’s attractive features such as location, curriculum, and class size.
Can being counseled out actually be a good thing? Though it might sound counter-intuitive, George Higgins backs up this statement with 34 years of experience at The Beekman School. In an interview for About.com, he reminds us that "school is everything to kids. If they are unhappy, it clouds all their hours, even outside of school." Leaving a school environment that isn't working can really be the opportunity students need to find their stride. "It’s not always academic reasons that cause kids to leave schools—there can be many factors."
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One comment that we often hear during interviews for new students is the speed of our admissions process: interview today, start tomorrow. Prospective parents and students come in expecting the typical lengthy application process, during which a school’s administration purports to determine whether or not the student is a good fit. I’d like you to consider a different approach.
From an infant’s first days, parents make choices for their child representing the family’s values and interests – taking into consideration the child’s own personality. And yet when children enter school, we relinquish much of this participation. The child becomes a student. But now more parents are asserting that education needn’t happen at the expense of individuality.
Here we are, summer around the corner, the sidewalks soon heating up, and dreams of beach vacations approaching. But wait. Maybe you’re just realizing your son has fallen behind in that geometry class. Maybe your daughter needs better language prep in Spanish or Latin. Perhaps English is a second language and your child will be more comfortable with classes next term by continuing English studies during the summer. Or maybe your child wants to go deeper in a topic of interest.