private school

[mike_v_s]

I guess I must've missed all the gang fights and drug busts during my spare period in 3rd.

Again, this depends on the area. I am the product of public schools (in Texas) and feel I got a pretty good education.

In New Orleans, where I now live, there was a boy shot in the face with an assault rifle during gym class. Our private school system is actually larger than the public and considered a neccessity by anyone who can find the money.

...but I'm happy you got a free period.

 

[mike_v_s]

I doubt they promoted homosexuality, I think you call it promoting tolerace. Something that obviously missed you by a mile.

Promoting tolerance can be nice. Cramming it down eveyone's throat is a bit, um, intolerant of an individual's differing viewpoint.

Mike

 

[nonsqtr]

Don't want to get too political here, but what exactly were they saying? That "gay is good", that type of thing? Or were they just saying that gays ought to have equal rights, like everyone else?

 

[dlloyd]

1. i know a lot, and i mean a LOT of people who go, or went to state schools.

And I know a lot of people who went to private schools but I wouldn't imagine for one minute that I have an accurate impression of what goes on in private schools.

4. i've worked as a life model (clothed) for some of her classes, and i do not want any of my children spending time in that environment with the sort of people i met there. there are some amazing people, and extrodinarily intelligent people who go to state schools, but unfortunately they are the minority.

You might want to read that again, Gia.

 

[khay0s]

4. i've worked as a life model (clothed) for some of her classes, and i do not want any of my children spending time in that environment with the sort of people i met there. there are some amazing people, and extrodinarily intelligent people who go to state schools, but unfortunately they are the minority.

Gia, they are the minority in any population. Moreover, you're essentially saying that "amazing" and "intelligent" people are primarily found in private education. I would like to know what methods of sampling or intelligence testing you've used to determine that. Don't even bother quoting "standardised" school scores of any kind, either. There is only ever a slight correlation between those and intelligence. Similarly, if you were to measure things like emotional, moral and social intelligences, due to the nature of state schooling, you are bound to find an average higher score when compared to private schools.

I don't think that any person, whether state or private refutes the fact that the average private school will get you into a better tertiary institution than an average state school. However, the average state school will teach you far more about the real world than the average private school. The ideal is finding either a really good quality state school (sometimes impossible depending upon your area) or a lower private school in order to get the best of both.

Don't even both refuting the above paragraph with anecdotal, "Well, my state school got me into..." Or, "My private school taught me..." That is generalising your own experiences to other people. Any responses of the like will be rebutted with the definition of a layperson - someone who uses their own experience to generalise to others. Don't make me call you ignorant.

Leigh

 

[bmc]

However, the average state school will teach you far more about the real world than the average private school.
Leigh

What a laugh. What great wealth of wisdom and knowledge qualifies that statement?

The private school my kids are at have taken them on field week trips to the south of France, Italy, Germany. My eldest daughter is competing is in a basketball tournament in Munich today. She heads off to Tanzania in late June for a two week program. What real life experiences is she missing out on?

Legal drinking age here is 16. She's 16. She's downtown every Friday night with her friends. I pick her up at the train station around midnight. What's missing? Drugs? Fist fights? Or any other quality "real world experiences". I'm not following you.

The ideal is finding either a really good quality state school (sometimes impossible depending upon your area) or a lower private school in order to get the best of both.Leigh

That's laughable. I just interviewed 30 people in the past twelve months. 432 applications. Not one was pulled aside for "real world" education in secondary school. Maybe we missed something.

Our choice for private school here is driven mostly by language. Even still, I attended a big regional high school. The quality of education and life experiences I am giving my daughters far far outweigh what a public school in Canada or Switzerland could offer. Exposure to different cultures for one thing. We get all the top universties showing up here trying to attract students with grants, bursaries, etc. Sure they smell money and so what. At the end of the day, having a strong resume with good schools and good jobs help peoples careers. I'm not saying private schools guarantee anything in life. I've done very well career wise without ever having set foot in a private school. But if I have the choice, I prefer to offer the best I can give my kids to give them a good footing in life.

Trading a good education for "real world" education is too flakey for me.

"Would you like French fries with that?"

 

[jkritchey]

Don't want to get too political here, but what exactly were they saying? That "gay is good", that type of thing? Or were they just saying that gays ought to have equal rights, like everyone else?

The message they are trying to promote here in NoVa is that somone who may be 'different' should not be a target of abuse. Tolerance. Somehow that gets twisted into promoting the Gay agenda...

 

[Toasted]

However, the average state school will teach you far more about the real world than the average private school.

Wow, you were making such a good point until that glib generalisation - shame, it turns the rest of whats almost a good, well thought out post, into a 'wah wah wah - i'm jealous of you because you went to private school' argument.

Don't make me call you ignorant.

Mr.Pot, meet Mr.Kettle...

 

[dlloyd]

Legal drinking age here is 16. She's 16. She's downtown every Friday night with her friends. I pick her up at the train station around midnight. What's missing? Drugs? Fist fights?

Must be some school if they are missing.

 

[dlloyd]

Wow, you were making such a good point until that glib generalisation - shame, it turns the rest of whats almost a good, well thought out post, into a 'wah wah wah - i'm jealous of you because you went to private school' argument.

Do you really believe those who were educated at state schools are jealous of you?

 

[Gia]

And I know a lot of people who went to private schools but I wouldn't imagine for one minute that I have an accurate impression of what goes on in private schools.



You might want to read that again, Gia.

why? i've misspelled something?
*yawn*

that's my experience, and i'll send my kids where i feel is best for them. and that's away from the high school state system.
i'll take out loans if i need to, but there's no way my children will go to a comprehensive highschool, or sixth form college.

 

[Gia]

Gia, they are the minority in any population. Moreover, you're essentially saying that "amazing" and "intelligent" people are primarily found in private education. I would like to know what methods of sampling or intelligence testing you've used to determine that. Don't even bother quoting "standardised" school scores of any kind, either. There is only ever a slight correlation between those and intelligence. Similarly, if you were to measure things like emotional, moral and social intelligences, due to the nature of state schooling, you are bound to find an average higher score when compared to private schools.

I don't think that any person, whether state or private refutes the fact that the average private school will get you into a better tertiary institution than an average state school. However, the average state school will teach you far more about the real world than the average private school. The ideal is finding either a really good quality state school (sometimes impossible depending upon your area) or a lower private school in order to get the best of both.

Don't even both refuting the above paragraph with anecdotal, "Well, my state school got me into..." Or, "My private school taught me..." That is generalising your own experiences to other people. Any responses of the like will be rebutted with the definition of a layperson - someone who uses their own experience to generalise to others. Don't make me call you ignorant.

Leigh

i don't care if you call me ignorant.
just read bmc's post again.

have you any first hand experience of the english education system?
what methods of sampling or intelligence testing have you used to prove the opposite of what i believe?

your "real world" argument is flawed. surely the real world includes experiences outside of school life? plus, how do experiences inside an educational setting constitute a picture of the "real world".

or alternately, why should the "real world" experienced by going to a state school relate in any way to the world that i inhabit?

 

[dlloyd]

why? i've misspelled something?
*yawn*

Nope. Not my style to point out typos.

I was pointing out the enormous brush you were tarring the general population with. You don't want your kids mixing with the sort of people who go to comprehensives? That's pretty insulting.

 

[bmc]

Must be some school if they are missing.

touche!! Not at all. 2-3 hours of homework per night. Eldest has a 6.5 average, and youngest 5.5. This is out of 7 for those unfamiliar. Tough demanding program.

 

[Norwegianwood]

Reading this discussion is very interesting!
I can't comment on what you say, because I have no experience what so ever with your education system.
But if anyone is interested - I'll tell you how it's like here in Norway.
Basically everyone goes to public schools: Rich, poor, christians, atheists,criminals,musicians. You name it. There is a very small percentage of people going to private schools, and that is either christian extremists or Rudolf Steiner-students.
I, myself, are very happy with this. I feel that I've had a good education. My grades are top notch, and my changes for having a good education at university are high. At school I've had a lot of friends who are now construction workers, mechanics, or whatever.
Right now I'm at a public music-college, and here the standards are very high. It doesn't cost a penny, though, and it's like that with every other college in norway.(Or upper secondary - I'm not sure what you call it. From age 16 to 19.)
The high schools and childrend schools, however, are not of such high standards. Big classes, and less money to spend.
But hey, at least we are all in the same boat. And I like the fact that everyone is borned with equal opportunities.

 

[Gia]

Nope. Not my style to point out typos.

I was pointing out the enormous brush you were tarring the general population with. You don't want your kids mixing with the sort of people who go to comprehensives? That's pretty insulting.

i don't want my kids' learning to be hampered by SOME of the people who will go to comprehensives.

i'm in my last year of high school i.e. relatively young, so i probably have more direct experience with the kids i want my children to be seperated from, than you do.

if it was a choice between my kids going to school with generally well behaved and confident children, with generally a will to learn and be educated...and sending my kids to a school where the majority may be well behaved and want to learn, but there is a small contigency who go to school because they HAVE to, and are extremely disruptive, often violent and threatening...i will choose the former.

i'm not saying ALL kids from council estates, lower income brackets or less educated families are disruptive and have no will to learn, but in my experience some are, and to be honest, they will not be the ones attending private schools.

it's no good being politically correct about an actuality that can potentially affect your child's experience of school and disrupt their learning.

 

[Gia]

if state education improved however, i would not have a problem with sending my children to comprehensives.

 

[bmc]

if it was a choice between my kids going to school with generally well behaved and confident children, with generally a will to learn and be educated...and sending my kids to a school where the majority may be well behaved and want to learn, but there is a small contigency who go to school because they HAVE to, and are extremely disruptive, often violent and threatening...i will choose the former.

it's no good being politically correct about an actuality that can potentially affect your child's experience of school and disrupt their learning.

You raise some valid points here. And while they may not be politically correct, too bad. Private schools have stricter admission and stricter rules of behaviour. Rules of behaviour that we face in the real world. If anything, an argument could be made that public schools do not teach you the real world. Getting high at work and goofing off is generally not tolerated in the real world. Why not learn about that while your young.

 

[dlloyd]

i don't want my kids' learning to be hampered by SOME of the people who will go to comprehensives.

i'm in my last year of high school i.e. relatively young, so i probably have more direct experience with the kids i want my children to be seperated from, than you do.

Ouch!

Let's get this in perspective.

Let's imagine for one moment that your kids were sent to a comprehensive school. If it was anything like the one I went to, your kids would be seperated from the undesirables.

Classes are made up of kids of similar ability. Your school might have 250 students in each year (grade) like my school had, but your classes will, most likely, all be made up of the same 30 or so kids.

I'd be quite surprised if your experience of private education was that different from my experience of state education, even if I went to school in the same collection of buildings as the people you are talking about.

 

[bassis_fiendus]

One of the problems I have with private school is that a lot of kids board there. I really do not believe in boarding especially in the younger years of a childs life. I say this because a lot of the private schools in Australia have a large proportion of boarders. In my eyes it is essentially handing off the parenting of children to someone else during the formative years of a child's life.

Another problem I have with private school's is that I think education should be equal for everyone, it shouldn't matter what background you come from. Selective public schools are one way of solving that, but then they have their problems too.

The way I see it

Short term - you send you kids to a private school because they provide better contacts/connections with business less distractions.

Long term - free education at a high standard for everyone