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Good idea! Screw the poor people, which is exactly what Thomas Jefferson DID NOT want.
Are you suggesting that poor parents aren't good?
The maximum award for the 2008-09 award year is $4,731.
Dude, what school can we attend for $4,731/year?
You have no grasp of economics. Congratulations.
Coming from a deep thinker like you............
:[
Again, and sadly, it all comes down to the allmighty dollar
Bullshit
Another look at those 'gubmint' schools. . . .
America pays way too much for education compared with other industrialized countries. I wish the US would cut educational spending so that I'd have more money to spend on private education for my kids.
Comparing education in the USA's with other industrialized countries is absurd.
Not to mention that there is no evidence that private schools do a better job. But hey, if Dud says it is true, it must be.You folks DO know there are dedicated, caring teachers out there in Public School Land that really do care about their students, want what's best for them, and really do believe they can make a difference, right?
Sometimes our hands are tied by the Bureaucrats that haven't even been in a classroom, or haven't been in one in 20 years. Yet we have to follow the rules, or lose our jobs. Creativity is being stifled because of so much depends on Standarized Testing. The teachers are sick of it, and so are the students. Just ask any teacher what they think about it. Of course it's important to monitor progress, but when almost everything you are supposed to do is geared toward testing, it's not helping anyone. Boredom doesn't get children to learn, but creative and interesting lessons do.
Normally I wouldn't mispell words intentionally in the thread title or in a post, but that's the way it was spelled when the idea was presented to me, it sort of caught the flavor of the thesis, and it certainly attracted immediate attention in a way I think the correct spelling might not have accomplished. But I'll take my appropriate licking for what must be a failed attempt at humor and/or irony.
It wouldn't have been humorous or ironic, however, if almost all kids beyond a certain age could spell 'government'. It has been my experience that isn't always that way, however.
And I can assure you that people don't homeschool only because of religious or political extremism.
There are about 150 kids in the AWANA program sponsored by my church alone, most are homeschooled, and many of the parents of those kids are not active in either the church or politics. But they are passionate about education and serious about protecting their kids from some of the worst elements of the public schools. So they homeschool. Do you honestly believe that such people are abnormal in some way? If so, that would be really sad.
There are about 150 kids in the AWANA program sponsored by my church alone, most are homeschooled, and many of the parents of those kids are not active in either the church or politics. But they are passionate about education and serious about protecting their kids from some of the worst elements of the public schools. So they homeschool. Do you honestly believe that such people are abnormal in some way? If so, that would be really sad.
Abnormal? Not the word I would use. Misguided is more like it. You used an interesting word, though. What "elements" do you mean? Racially mixed classes? Mothers who work outside the home? Atheists? Jews? Muslims? Gays? Creationism not being science?
I think those are the things homeschoolers want to protect their kids from and, honestly, I might be wrong about that, but I've never known anyone who's proven me to be wrong in that regard.
You folks DO know there are dedicated, caring teachers out there in Public School Land that really do care about their students, want what's best for them, and really do believe they can make a difference, right?
Sometimes our hands are tied by the Bureaucrats that haven't even been in a classroom, or haven't been in one in 20 years. Yet we have to follow the rules, or lose our jobs. Creativity is being stifled because of so much depends on Standarized Testing. The teachers are sick of it, and so are the students. Just ask any teacher what they think about it. Of course it's important to monitor progress, but when almost everything you are supposed to do is geared toward testing, it's not helping anyone. Boredom doesn't get children to learn, but creative and interesting lessons do.
This has to be hyperbole. Now way is sex in the halls common. Making out? Yeah. Some groping? You can get away with it. But full on sex... in the hallways? Now way is that common enough to even mention. And if it is, I'd like to go to that school.Worst elements: sex among the stacks in the library, in the halls, etc.;
True. In the worst schools, drug dealing and violence are major problems.gang activity;
There must be a lot of kids on this forumbullyism;
My favorite kinds. Seriously though, this can't be common enough to justify a condemnation of public schools. It's a little subjective, too, right? I mean, I've got pretty dismal standards about dressing like a hooker, which means there would be much 'dressing' at all.teachers who dress like hookers;
This is really why i responded. I see this term 'indoctrination' used around here, and it's such an empty phrase. Indoctrination is just code word for 'teaching what i disagree with'. Creationist probably think evolutionary theory is indoctrination. Is it? And wouldn't another parent see creationism as indoctrination?indoctrination of ideology rather than teaching the basics;
I have no idea what this means. Community service?social promotions;
It's true. And also, when some people were actually working, I was daydreaming. I think wasting time can be said about anything peeps do. Office jobs, internet instead of homework, the SEC...wasting time;
Thing about common sense is, everybody thinks that have it.necessity of taking common sense out of enforcing rules and regs in order to be able to enforce them at all;
Yeah. It happens in the worst, and is a good reason to change schools or go to homeschooling. It's unfortunate that not everybody has that option because, out of all the things parents should be concerned about, I think peer drug use is up near the top of the list of dangers to their kids.rampant use of illegal substances;
It happens. The reason it doesn't happen in homeschooling is because there are no peers around. Also those kids don't get the benefits that come with being around their peers on a frequent basis, which is what I think is a major downside of homeschooling.inability to prevent or persuade students from being brutally cruel to others;
huh?discouragement of acknowledgment or practice of traditions and/or traditional values; etc. etc. etc.
I know all these are the worst elements, and they do happen. But I really, really doubt it's common enough to justify a systemic failing of public schools. There are benefits, especially socially, to public (as in, being around other kids in a classroom) schooling that I believe are far more common than these negatives.
I think the media has a commercial incentive to downplay the positive (of anything) and expand the negative, because it creates conflict. And conflict and controversy is what sells.They are all more common than you seem to believe because they are all so frequently in the news.
And even as school colors or inflammatory wording on T Shirts or anything that might offend a non-patriot or minority religion or whatever are often banned, few schools otherwise maintain much of a dress code any more even for staff; therefore in my opinion, the dress of some of the teachers is appalling. Perhaps that is why so many are unable to command much respect?
Agreed.But the most telling condemnation is that U.S. students are too often far behind their counterparts in many European and Asian countries in the most basic field of math, science, language skills, et al.
There was that one link earlier in this thread that argued the direct opposite, that bad and good schools can be found equally in both public and private.And while there are good public schools, on average they are accomplishing significantly less success in educating kids than are the private, parochial, and homeschooled kids.
I'm too lazy right now to go looking for sociological studies to disprove the quote. I think you mentioned earlier that you have experience with homeschooling--I don't--so I'll just take your word for it, because I want to believe that kids being home schooled aren't at a social-development disadvantage.The evidence also is that those homeschooled kids are quite well adjusted socially and almost none feel they are missing out on any socialization opportunities by being homeschooled. Almost without exception the homeschooled kids I've met all LIKE being homeschooled and do not wish to change that.
I think the media has a commercial incentive to downplay the positive (of anything) and expand the negative, because it creates conflict. And conflict and controversy is what sells.They are all more common than you seem to believe because they are all so frequently in the news.
And even as school colors or inflammatory wording on T Shirts or anything that might offend a non-patriot or minority religion or whatever are often banned, few schools otherwise maintain much of a dress code any more even for staff; therefore in my opinion, the dress of some of the teachers is appalling. Perhaps that is why so many are unable to command much respect?
I guess I can really only speak about my experiences in my old high school, my younger brother's, and the one I volunteered at for a semester. Strip-tease teachers were non-existent.
I'm not saying lax dress codes don't exist, but that a vastly overwhelming majority of teachers are professional enough to keep their slinky mini dresses and banana hammocks in the closet until Saturday night.
There was that one link earlier in this thread that argued the direct opposite, that bad and good schools can be found equally in both public and private.And while there are good public schools, on average they are accomplishing significantly less success in educating kids than are the private, parochial, and homeschooled kids.
I'm not sure which is right. Could make for an interesting tangent.
I'm too lazy right now to go looking for sociological studies to disprove the quote. I think you mentioned earlier that you have experience with homeschooling--I don't--so I'll just take your word for it, because I want to believe that kids being home schooled aren't at a social-development disadvantage.The evidence also is that those homeschooled kids are quite well adjusted socially and almost none feel they are missing out on any socialization opportunities by being homeschooled. Almost without exception the homeschooled kids I've met all LIKE being homeschooled and do not wish to change that.
The one question I do have, though, is how many of those kids were previously in public schools, and remember what that environment was like? I could say, "yeah, I'm happier in America than I would be in France"...but I've never been to France, so wouldn't really know for sure.
I find it rather nasty that people demonize school teachers to this extent. IMO, they do not deserve it.