Scandal in its truest form.

Have you ever gazed at the clothes worn by the stars of the CW’s Gossip Girl and wondered what it would be like if you were one of “Manhattan’s Elite”? Lord knows I have. But like every work of fiction, that world is covered in a gilded layer of embellishment.

 None of us, including the creators of the show and its gorgeous actors, know what its like to truly live in the cold world of the UES. Unless, of course, you’re sitting at your computer reading this from your penthouse on 5th Ave.

 On Tuesday, a book will hit the shelves that was penned by a former instructor from one of New York’s most prestigious prep schools. Schooled tells the tale of seemingly “Blair Waldorf’s tutor” and the dirty undercurrent of NYC’s academia. 

This Sunday’s Page Six magazine features an exposé on the teaching profession of Upper East Side prep schools. Teachers at places like Dalton, Horace Mann, and Spence, are expected to subsist on a $40,000-a-year salary which is unthinkable in a place like Manhattan. Therefore, most are forced to enter the unscrupulous world of private tutoring.

 Almost every rich kid in NYC has a tutor, and kids have the same desire to have a “cool tutor” as they are for the newest pair of Louboutin heels. Tutors (depending on the quantity of clients) can make up to a grand in an afternoon, and sometimes more. With that kind of money, the teachers can afford to don the same gear as their spoiled students. 

Schooled’s author, Anisha Lakhani grew up in a comfortable home, the daughter of a Harvard grad. However, her parents made her learn the value of a dollar, sending her to work at delis and Applebee’s. Her parents did splurge on her education however, and Anisha graduated from Columbia. From there she entered the world of private school teaching and its competitive nature.

Once she was able to break through the tough barriers of entry and land a job at Dalton, she learned the tough reality of barely being able to afford meals and having her cell phone shut off numerous times. As soon as she found out she could tutor for extra cash, she quit her second job at Ann Taylor and began making big bucks on her afternoon clients.

In the article, Anisha explains that tutoring some 20+ students from private schools all over the city helped her lose her creative edge. “That’s when you start to hate your job,” she says.

Of tutoring children from other schools than the one they actually teach at, Lakhani answers that its “a dirty subject. We all tutored to stay afloat, but no one mentions it.”

What’s worse is that these children are basically getting their homework and projects done for them by their pricey tutors. Teachers are forced to turn a blind eye on their student’s overly articulate papers because most parents make large contributions to the school. This may help them get into the Ivy’s their parents dream of them attending, but it certainly doesn’t mean they will be able to make it on their own.

 After seven years of her shell-of-a-life, Anisha quit and began to tutor full time. She only made it a few months, however, before she began to see the emptiness of that existence. Fed up, she wrote the “fiction” novel that is Schooled. To me, the idea that the book is labeled fiction is merely a formality to fend off law suits from the wealthy who see themselves in this book.

 Says Anisha, “The book is fiction, but these things did happen. If someone sees themselves in it, maybe it’s because they are a little guilty.”

Hopefully this novel will serve as a reality check for the New York City prep school system, who has recently seen a drop in Ivy League acceptance (1). Right about now, I am feeling pretty lucky for my public school education, because at least I know I earned my diploma, instead of simply purchasing it. 

If you don't get the New York Post on Sunday's (you should..) then click here to go to Page Six's website. As of right now, they don't have this week's issue on the site, which would contain the article. When they do however, look for "Confessions of a Private School Teacher". 

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