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BobBob

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I only recently became aware (shortly after entering a phase of my life in which one begins to think of such things) of the existence of "alternative" schools within the TDSB system, like Alpha, Oasis, the Beaches Alternative School, etc.

I read about their philosophies, but could not find any info on quantitative outcomes (university enrollment, later academic results, etc).

Does anyone have any first- or second-hand knowledge of these institutions and what they are all about? Would you consider sending your child to one? Why? Why not?
 
My wife and son went to TDSB's Subway Academy - she in the 70s when she left home at 16 and my son a few years ago. I would say the school is not oriented toward preparing your kid towards post secondary education - high school completion seems to be their goal. My Subway son is in the workforce as a retail worker now. When we talked about Subway he mentioned that many kids attending had home issues, and problems with attendance and assignments. That said my son mentioned that one of his friends went on to university.

I met some of the Subway teachers - very compassionate, level headed and dedicated.

My other 2 kids attended Lawrence Park, which has a self proclaimed mission statement to prepare kids for post secondary ed. And they do it well; the daughter went through LP, then Ryerson, had a USA-based job before commencement, worked 2 years and bought a house. A parents dream.:)
 
I am not a parent, but when I was in first and second year university, I envied friends of mine who grew up in Toronto (I grew up in Peterborough), who had a great deal of choice when it came to the kind of high school environment could go to and the classes that were offered. This is just another example of how a large city has myriad benefits that more than compensate for the higher cost of living.
 
I'm an alt-school vet. Did me well.

Generally, there once was a popular assumption that alternative schools were dumpsters for unruly hippie kids; yet, being straight-edge by nature, I actually felt *less* pressure to get, uh, stoned than in regular high school.

It may depend on the specific type of school; while some may have more the "troubled kid" element, others these days might have more of a Stuff White People Like exclusivity to them...
 
I don't know if Inglenook is still around, but its where boho parents send their boho-in training kids. Its pretty selective with an interview process, but comes with laid back, pot-smoking teachers and civic engagement courses where you get to volunteer in the community one school day a week.
 
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Inglenook is still around - http://schools.tdsb.on.ca/inglenook/, and I know a student currently attending.

None of these schools are #that# alternative. In the last decade or two the Ministry of Education has tightened down the curriculum (aka the "round hole") that even the Board of Education's alternative schools have to bang the "square pegs" pretty hard to get them in - though Alpha is somewhat out there, for K-6 at least; Alpha 2 much less so I hear. For High School though, the choices are pretty depressing "round-hole"ish. You have to start looking outside the system to schools that don't follow provincial curriculum to find real alternatives - though they are few and far between, what given most parents misguided belief that a high school diploma has value, and that an unhappy "square-peg" office worker of tomorrow is better for their children, than well-rounded individuals who know how to think.
 
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