It all depends on the LOCAL school system, as it should. I wish that schools were smaller, classes were smaller and that the school boards encompassed and represented the smallest possible economic base. This would make all levels of school more accountable to parents.

Kids do not need more computers and better audio-visual equipment and a first-rate football team. They need to learn how to learn. If they learn how to learn everything else will come to them in due course.

B

Well, here is what I remember. In public school, you were just another body, unless the teacher remembered you for some particular reason. At the end of the day you, as well as the teacher, went home. If you got a D in a class nobody noticed, except for your parents. There were distinctive cliques of people in High School.

In private school, the uniform equalizes everybody (up to a certain point). Your teacher knows who you are - all of your teachers know who you are, and, they stay after school; sometimes for several hours. If you received a D grade, you at first met with your teacher, then your counselor, then some sort of tutor program was set up. Everybody participated in a sport, and boy did we have a large variety to choose from. The students were also encouraged to join a "club" (if you didn't join a club, you went to the library) - clubs such as academic clubs (science/math/english) and social clubs (language/games/arts). Students were also informed of tests and contests available to them. All of us participated in several tests a year - mostly so the students and the school could put another feather in their caps. Scholarship opportunities were presented almost relentlessly - if there was one out there, and your teacher thought you fit the description, you were going to see about participating.
My public H.S motto? Home of the Shorians
My private H.S. motto? Mens Sana in Corpore Sano

Hope this helps a little.

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It is a truism that almost any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so. Robert A. Heinlein


09 Jetta TDI
1985 300D

Anima Sana In Corpore Sano -- ASICS

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Current Benzes

1989 300TE "Alice"
1990 300CE "Sam Spade"
1991 300CE "Beowulf" RIP (06.1991 - 10.10.2007)
1998 E320 "Orson"
2002 C320 Wagon "Molly Fox"

Res non semper sunt quae esse videntur

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Not in this weather!

I like our district, and even within the district, different schools definitely feel different. Where Garrett did his early childhood his first two years was like a private school. This year, he's in a larger school. Twelve in a classroom which is a lot for early childhood.

I can't see myself moving unless things get real bad. People move to our neighborhood just to be in our district. It's not all that affluent, but somehow we manage.

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You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman

Fortunately (in the D/FW area at least) the suburban public schools are excellent in most areas (foil hat on NOW).

What I don't like is the constant TAKS testing-based curricula.

I'm not to keen on the current crop of foul-mouthed, beligerent little imps that constantly disrupt what teaching time is available. It's gotten so bad that your kid has to take the more challenging Pre-AP courses in order to have a quiet learning environment...the obnoxious kids don't go near those clasees. They are just as disruptive on the bus, but the school does nothing to alleviate the issue (as the parents of those kids don't think Johnny is the problem)...two bus drivers have been relieved for trying to instill discipline

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2009 ML350 (106K) - Family vehicle
2001 CLK430 Cabriolet (80K) - Wife's car
2005 BMW 645CI (138K) - My daily driver
2016 Mustang (32K) - Daughter's car

Why? What's so great about localised educational control?

Do you really think that matters? What of a situation where the parents are concerend principally with "survivor" "american idol" and NASCAR. Do such people really provide a meaningful example for their kids and why should accountability to such intellectual dilletantism be worthy?

Despite my employment as a computer technician in a public K8 system I completely agree with you. Computers can be a useful tool for research, but not substantially different than encyclopedias or any other kind of book. And the obscene emphasis I see in our schools to push TV anchors as the centrality and godhead of the universe is, well obscene. By that I mean the way school announcements are treated as the most important thing since sliced bread complete with several obnoxious kids acting as if they were on the nightly news in some insane beliefe that this will increase their intellectual fortitude and enable them to compete with the technicians of asia.

Ludicrous I say.

In relation to the original post about moving to find better schools. This is hardly surprising surely. Given what I see daily there is no way in hell I'd have my kids - assuming I had any - in some of the schools I work in.

- Peter.


- Peter.

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2021 Chevrolet Spark
Formerly...
2000 GMC Sonoma
1981 240D 4spd stick. 347000 miles. Deceased Feb 14 2021
2002 Kia Rio. Worst crap on four wheels
1981 240D 4spd stick. 389000 miles.
1984 123 200
1979 116 280S
1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1971 108 280S

i met a school board member from an island off the coast of one of the carolinas (i believe) on the plane to one of the national school board conventions i attended. his district was small and contained a lot of vacation homes too. high tax revenue and small school population.

his funding situarion was the envy of everybody else.

tom w

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

I didn't realize how good I had it in high school. Went to Oly high in Olympia, Wash. I was in town a few years ago when they had the open house for the remodel of that same school. Major, major upgrade. They spend money on schools in that town.

Even with the doggier facility of my day, I realize now that I had some very good teachers -- all in a public school.

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1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

1. Generally, the more people feel connected with government, the more responsibility they take for it's proper exercise. For example, most people do not feel a strong connection to their national government or even their state government. But the local teacher or principal is real to them. By localizing education to the smallest economic base possible, you lose economy of scale and gain connectedness with the populace.

2. Yes. Children benefit from smaller classes, consistently demonstrated by numerous studies. Even taking into account less desireable home situations.

3. It is the essence of democracy. the argument you propose is EXACTLY the counter-argument that royalists used.

Maybe. But schools are not government. And while a lot of morons voting for a politician may be necessary for democracy to work, I'd rather not have a lot of morons determining what my kids will be learning.

Once again. I dont see the advantage unless the populace are themselves decently educated and care about schooling.

I think of the contrast between my girlfriends childhood as the daughter of an engineer and senior IBM manager living in Boulder CO, where most everyone in the school was of that culture and education was taken extremely seriously indeed, and what I'm currently seeing where I work. I'd say that having less parental input might well be a positive thing in this case.

True.

Yes, but as I've said before I think you're confusing school with government. Just because we live in a democracy does not mean that democracy is suited to every aspect of life in the country.

- Peter.

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2021 Chevrolet Spark
Formerly...
2000 GMC Sonoma
1981 240D 4spd stick. 347000 miles. Deceased Feb 14 2021
2002 Kia Rio. Worst crap on four wheels
1981 240D 4spd stick. 389000 miles.
1984 123 200
1979 116 280S
1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1971 108 280S

Yo! Let's get out of the ghetto ...

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You better believe it. Esp. in Southern Cali where low-income areas are just struggling, while on the upper-level public scholl districts, you better have your parent in the PTA, else you get very little attention.

You would be amazed to see the discrapencies between the average and lower end of the LAUSD ( Los Angeles Unified...) and for ex. Santa Monica, Malibu or others in upper class.

But nevertheless...No child left behind!

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Is it Latin now?

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