Kosher Yeshiva Tuition

There comes a point where you just throw up your hands and ask yourself are you the only fool!?

I was talking to a colleague of mine about the outrageous cost of private school tuition and she told me she knows what I mean: Cathedral High School cost $5,475 a year!

$5,475 a year for a highly regarded high school is still less than 1/3 of the cost of most of the Yeshiva High Schools in the New York Metropolitan area!

If you don't believe me, take a look at their website www.cathedralhs.org/admissions.htm

Why the disparity?

Is it because Yeshivas teach a dual curriculum?

Cathedral high school also teaches non-secular subjects but even if you take that out of the equation, to compare the two schools just double Cathedral High School's tuition. We are still only talking about $11,000 a year versus $18,000 a year!

Is it because of the cost of the real estate where the school is located?

You tell me; Cathedral High School is on 56th Street in Manhattan. Sounds like a pricey neighborhood to me.

Is it because the student to teacher ratio is much higher at Cathedral?

The ratio is 17:1 What is your yeshiva high school's ratio?

Finally, that same site says that Cathedral offers 20 four year full tuition scholarships. I must have missed that in the Yeshiva High School's paperwork.

I would like to hear from others about this issue.

J

David Lee Roth & cell phone etiquette

I was listening to Howard Stern's replacement on K-rock this morning and the subject was cell phone etiquette. David had a few guests comment on how rude it is to take a call while conversing with another person or have a loud conversation in a public space.

Thank you David Lee!

This has been a pet peeve of mine for the longest time and apparently this bothers many other people out there. In addition, the wireless headsets exacerbate the problem and or make people look like they are talking to themselves.

A couple of pointers:

 Put phone on vibrate at an affair or turn off completely
 No text messaging at an affair
 Don't answer the phone during speeches or during the meal
 Don't take a call while you are in a conversation with another
 If you are expecting an important call, put your phone on vibrate or make sure that you are near an exit and inform your companions that you are expecting a call.
 Don't talk on the phone in a restaurant, movie theater, elevator or other public place
 Use your cell phone outside but Don't yell into the receiver (instead demonstrate cupping your hand over the receiver)
 Don't engage in conversation that you feel is inappropriate for your surroundings. (I.E. a shul)
 Make sure your caller ID does not have some offensive name associated with the number.
 Make sure to speak in your normal voice. You Don't need to yell.

Maintaining Eye Contact

Have you ever been in a crowd and noticed that the person speaking to you is actually looking over your shoulder?

What he or she is saying is that there may be something or someone more interesting than you at this moment.

My feeling is that I would rather not converse with someone like that. I mean I am taking the time to make conversation with this person and they are just biding their time looking for something better.

And no, this doesn't happen just when you are single. It happens all the time.

My other pet peeve is talking, really screaming, over blaring music. When the music is so loud I can't hear myself talk, I just clam up.

some basic rules of conversation

1. Maintain eye contact.
2. Pay attention to how they are saying it; not just what they say.
3. If you need to take a call or leave, excuse yourself politely.


Judah

Maaaaaaaaaa! Someone's on the phone for you!!!

A shout heard in many a household.

The funny thing about it is that most of us don't live in palatial estates. The decibel level is many times higher than what is required to tell someone upstairs that the call you answered downstairs is for them.

It takes just a little more effort to get nearer to the person so that you can use a normal speaking voice to tell him or her to pickup up the phone.

Some rules for telephone etiquette

1. When answering the phone say "Hello, who is it please?"
2. If it is for someone other than you, ask them to please wait a moment while you locate the other person.
3. If the person they are trying to reach is in the bathroom, it probably pays to tell the person on the other side of the phone that he or she will call him or her back.
4. If the person they are trying to contact is not there, offer to take a message and make sure you take it!!

Judah

www.kosheretiquette.com