这似乎与我的认知不太相符。如果在乎job satisfaction, 就得重视教育。好的学校不能保证孩子成才，但好学校给了小孩一个好的起点、好的平台。

不是只有中国人在乎孩子、在乎学校。围绕着孩子转的美国人我见了太多。我们这儿有个数学圈子就是一家老美发起组织的。我们地区好些个home-schooled白人孩子，非常优秀，去的是哈佛、斯坦福、麻省理工，home-school可比送小孩上普通学校（无论公、私）费劲多了。一个印度单亲妈妈把两个儿子分别送进哈佛、耶鲁(这妈妈自己是教授）。我们这地区还只是suburb, 不是竞争激烈的大都市。美国几所顶尖住宿私高，超过90%的学生是美国本土的学生。有人发贴为送孩子上私高的学费发愁，一个美国妈妈就介绍自家如何省钱，包括自己夫妻两人为省钱改吃素。最极端的一个case, 是一位年轻女士，发贴讲她即将结婚，希望有小孩，求建议如何为小孩将来上住宿私高攒钱。

希望孩子有一个有意义的人生，孩子得有技能去谋生，有思想、会思考,能去悟自己的道, 成为一个有能力的人。想想去参加跑步，哪一种情况你会跑得更快，是与跑得快的人一起跑好，还是与跑得慢的人在一起更快？通常，快组会带着你也一同跑得快。同样的道理，我支持小孩上好学校，只要他能进。

对于新上职场找第一份工作的，学校挺重要的。我的老美同事，就曾拿着来自中国的留学生的resume来问我简历上写的中国大学是不是好大学。

一些大公司，想找能walk on water的能干新鲜人，是只去好大学招人的。

[ 本帖最后由 Ageji_Mom 于 2014-1-16 10:29 编辑 ].

美国的孩子并不尽挑容易的路走。在一个美国论坛， 有人发帖问意见是否该申请一个有挑战性的高中（号称美国第一公立高中)，一个正在该校读书的学生回帖里的一段话可圈可点，“By the time you are in your late 20s, no one will care about what high school you went to. By the time you are 35 and above, no one will care at all about what college you went to. But people will care about what kind of person you are. If you are a person that got all As and a 5.0 overall GPA and got into Harvard, good for you! People will respect you for being smart. But if you have those characteristics as well as being someone that takes in challenges like he or she does everyday, that person will deserve a lot more respect.”

这是他的完整回复：

“Competition is something you will see everywhere you go. If you choose to accept this fact and face it, then you will be successful.

I am a current TJHSST student, but I didn't apply just because my parents forced me to, a situation many Asian students face. After I was accepted into TJ, I chose to go there myself. I had other options, as I was accepted into numerous top boarding schools, and my base school was equally - if not - better than the boarding schools. But I chose to go to TJ. Why?

When I was in 7th grade, I was in your situation. I got all the grades that everyone wanted, I probably had over a 4.5 GPA in all honor classes (IF I was in high school at that level), and I was active in numerous clubs, sports, and activities. But there were two reasons why I did not enjoy this when I reached 8th grade.

First of all, I am extremely competitive when it comes to studying and/or sports. I am a competitive swimmer, and ever since I was 4 years old, I was competing to be the top swimmer and to be the best one. When it came to studying, I strived to be the smartest in my math class, to get the best comments on my English essay, and to get all the compliments from my teachers.

When I was in 8th grade, things started to get a little boring. I was just excelling in all my classes, just like you are right now, and I had over a 108% in my math class. I never saw a grade below a 97%. For real. And I took all honors classes. I never studied for a test but I aced it.

Yes. Being the top student can be boring to an extent.

I knew going to my base high school or one of the boarding schools would not challenge me. I am not bragging right now, but I do believe that I would have been in your situation if I did not go to TJ and stayed in my boarding school. Currently, I have all As as a TJ student. Even though I have all As, TJ is a challenge, because I am in an environment full of people with similar intentions.

You might be wondering why I am writing all of this. It is because I value not only my grades, or the colleges I get accepted into, or making my parents proud. These are things that I do strive for, but I strive for something far more extraordinary. I strive for pride in myself. If I challenge myself and overcome that challenge, it never satisfies me more than getting over a 100% on a test, or even getting into Harvard.

This is how I feel about everything. You might think differently, but in many cases, you will come across challenges. You will be facing situations where you would just want to hide in a corner and cry until everything's over.

I read a reply from someone, and although I cannot quote it, I will say what that person wrote. By the time you are in your late 20s, no one will care about what high school you went to. By the time you are 35 and above, no one will care at all about what college you went to. But people will care about what kind of person you are. If you are a person that got all As and a 5.0 overall GPA and got into Harvard, good for you! People will respect you for being smart. But if you have those characteristics as well as being someone that takes in challenges like he or she does everyday, that person will deserve a lot more respect.

Take whichever path you feel is the best for you. I took the route of going to TJ and getting challenged, and I do not regret it. My grades are very good in TJ, but that really doesn't matter to me. I am getting challenged every second of my life in this school, but I take it all in and hope for the best. By the time I graduate, I will know for a fact that I survived 4 years of a high school that is well known for being "harder than many other colleges".

Good luck. ”.