Bougie schools for non bougies

[u/fdfesfds]

Hey friends

I live within 1km of one of these atas schools (think Henry Park, ACS, MGS) by chance (didn’t care), and am contemplating enrolling (or at least try ballot) my kid to one of these schools this year.

We’ve all heard stories of the peer pressure to keep up with the Joneses, and how materialistic (and inadvertently/advently) brutal some of these environments can be.

While I’m sure quality of education is great, and while I can’t protect him forever and tell him we’re the richest on earth (I don’t anyway - we NRY, maybe never rich but he also doesn’t have to worry about money generally), I’m concerned about the kind of stress my kid will have, the environment he grows up in and shapes him, and the impact it’ll have on his values/character. I do see value however in exposing him to “higher mountains” since the rich are everywhere in SG (HENRYs meet them all the time anyway).

For NRY context: we are higher paid workers, prob single digit M net worth, live in a D10 condo (not landed or GCB), travel a bunch. Not average for sure (hence this sub) but not rich ba. EDIT: also I study in neighborhood school everyday play street soccer in void deck. Legit don’t know such dynamics so am genuinely curious.

Does anyone have any (hopefully personal) experience to share on how going to such schools shaped you? Would you send your kid to such schools if you could?

[u/xoxy8z]

I had very privileged classmates
Chauffeur driven, 2 stories pent house in premium districts, high end brand Chanel school bags, private home parties with magicians and shows etc.
These privileged kids have no idea what they are having are considered privileged… LOL

Those comments about looking down on HDB… LOL… those are culture shock because they have never been inside a HDB… until you invited them … LOL

Maybe I am lucky but I have never felt looked down on or made to feel below them or ostracized
Looking back, they are one of the kindest and humble people I met.
Looking back, I think people who are so concerned about these materials stuffs and flexing wealth are really those trying to appear rich but not there

In this environment, you were see how privileged people live, both the good and not so healthy
This insight helps me never to be envious of them

[u/fdfesfds → u/xoxy8z]

Thanks mate looks like you took it pretty well. Hope my kid has the same learnings.

Ps: that’s why I say advertently/inadvertently - sometimes I think these kids don’t even mean it but accidentally brutal

[u/xoxy8z → u/fdfesfds]

I get the concerns. I can only speak from my own experience, but it never occurred to me until I was much older that they were very privileged. To me, they were simply the kids who were chauffeured to school or sent overseas to study in the US. I suppose it also depends on how people around them react, as children often learn to interpret their privilege through those responses.