Big Apple Academy

Interesting article in the Daily News today about this Russian-American private school in Gravesend that attracts students from as far away as Queens and Staten Island: http://www.nydailynews.com/boroughs/brooklyn/2007/10/16/2007-10-16_distance_no_object_for_russian_students.html. The article says that the curriculum is modeled after that of Soviet schools and that even the school lunches are Russian. I still shudder at the memory of those chewy hot dogs and crusty pizzas I had to swallow down in elementary school. Another important factor is that the parents of the kids that attend want their children to know the language and their culture. Good for them. This school is just another answer to our crappy public school curriculum. Being the daughter of immigrants I was always reminded of how schools in other countries are better and now that I work with kids I can't help but agree. On the other hand I am a child of the public school system in New York City and I think I turned out okay. It would have been nice though to have been able to learn to appreciate my cultural roots. I can't begin to tell you how much time I wasted trying to be as "American," as I could be.