Let's compare school district experience (Oceanside, Roslyn: home, salaries, taxes)
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We moved to Long Island for the school district. And so far I've been underwhelmed.
I'm in Roslyn school district. Son is in k, teacher isn't great. Thankfully he is doing fine and seems to enjoy school.
The trips they've taken are few and far between. Art turned into computer class where they printed things out.
The version of field day was terrible.
They had no holiday concert and I'm not even sure there will be a kindergarten graduation.
I'm hoping we've just had a bad class experience and the rest of our experience will be more positive. But looking to hear from others. Maybe my expectations were too high. I guess I'm just wondering what other people's experiences have been in regards to extra/ enrichment activities and what district you are in.
The Core Curriculum took away a lot of the trips and fun classes. Now the teachers are expected to have these kids prepared for the state tests. So, it's a lot less hands on learning, more fill in the blanks on a scantron.
The Core Curriculum took away a lot of the trips and fun classes. Now the teachers are expected to have these kids prepared for the state tests. So, it's a lot less hands on learning, more fill in the blanks on a scantron.
The core curriculum also caused unstable climate patterns, made finding parking harder and increased the cost of milk.
What a bunch. A lamebrain art class and soulless inimaginative field days have nothing to do with cc. Neither does funding-limits and budget caps making field trips less and less viable.
If the whole state public school system is subject to common core, whichit is, how come there are so many schools with fantastic extracirrculars, great field trips and other enrichment classes?
Honestly you anti-common core loons are beyond the pale. Everything turns into a common core discussion. Like with gun nuts and Obama-responsible-for-everything-nuts. Look up monomania in the dictionary.
LI schools are mostly (not all of course) a legend in their own minds. All the money goes to salaries, contractual raises, pension obligations and special ed mandates. Nothing to new programs. Repairs and basic infrastructure improvements are voted on with the budget to make sure the taxpayers are roped into approving it with the rest of the budget. Every district is spending the most in the country per kid ($20-$28k). Maybe a half dozen are tops nationally. Yet the overpaid admins, teachers and even custodians still make the same. We pay $9k in school tax but had more sports and art options in Brooklyn in the 70's in a school (SCHOOL, not district) of 6500 kids. As Johnny Rotten said (in snide cockney accent) "ever have the feeling you've been cheated?!"
Last edited by LICDForumbites; 06-05-2015 at 12:48 PM..
Eliz6383, depends what you are comparing Roslyn SD to. My two older kids went to one of the best elementary public schools in Brooklyn, therefore, I did not see such a vast difference between the education my kids were receiving in LI school vs. the school in Brooklyn, however, once they moved to the middle school level, I started to appreciate all the extras such as ability for kids to stay after school for extra help, clubs, athletics, and the late buses that the district provides, no need to worry as to whom will pick them up, or worse, have them skip an activity. Now, my older one is in high school and there are so many options-AP classes, honor classes, the teachers are always there for extra help, tons of clubs, sports, I honestly don't know how kids even have time to think about stupid things like drugs when there is so much going for them. I do agree that an elite public school in NYC such as Stuyvesant, Staten Island Tech, Brooklyn Tech or Bronx Science is probably more rigorous than our local high school, but these are just four schools out of so many underperforming, overcrowded high schools that have safety problems to boot. Find out if the district has any program such as pull-out program for gifted kids, learn everything that your kid can get involved in, become member of the PTA to have an "in", I wish my kids had time to take advantage of everything the district offers (I am in Oceanside), alas, there are only so many hours in one day.
We're in a good district and my kids' peers (according to them) aren't all getting great grades. It's a lot to do with what parents are willing to help push. They are willing to pay so much yet seem to be lacking in going the extra distance. Kids are learning specific words and tested at the end of the week. How do some manage to only score 60% on it? I don't understand. Math with CC is a bit harder but they are primed during the week also.
Field day was great. They are already coding at a young age and learning a foreign language. Trips are still lacking but they promised more with the budget pass (not that they had to use that as a reason).
Roslyn is supposed to be great. I'm guessing for the OP, it's a combination of expecting too much and getting an under-performing teacher. That's what unions are good for - you don't have to perform to get ahead. Hey, I had to get a shot in there.
We're in a good district and my kids' peers (according to them) aren't all getting great grades. It's a lot to do with what parents are willing to help push. They are willing to pay so much yet seem to be lacking in going the extra distance. Kids are learning specific words and tested at the end of the week. How do some manage to only score 60% on it? I don't understand. Math with CC is a bit harder but they are primed during the week also.
Field day was great. They are already coding at a young age and learning a foreign language. Trips are still lacking but they promised more with the budget pass (not that they had to use that as a reason).
Roslyn is supposed to be great. I'm guessing for the OP, it's a combination of expecting too much and getting an under-performing teacher.
why should the parents have to be teaching their kids at night that is just a sign the teacher did not do his/her job
why should the parents have to be teaching their kids at night that is just a sign the teacher did not do his/her job
Not teach but enforce and develop. The teacher is trying to teach 20+ kids at one time with one lesson. You are to enforce what they know by checking their homework and showing them you care about their progress. You are to ensure all of their homework was completed.
I know you work in the city and get home late, but maybe your wife can answer too. I'm at home with them and see what they have trouble with and help it along. Early on, one of my kids had trouble coming up with entire sentences on his own based on a given word. Do you think a teacher has time during school to sit down with a child at a time and work on their confidence, creativity, and imagination? Do you think they have the time & opportunity to accurately determine each child's weaknesses and work on them? I'm not even describing kids who have obvious learning disabilities who may also be in the class.
What drives me is not the money we're paying but the reason behind wanting to pay it. Give them every chance possible to succeed. I'm not leaving that up to teachers alone. I suppose that's why they get 60s on simple tests - and teachers aren't the ones to blame for it.
We moved to Long Island for the school district. And so far I've been underwhelmed.
I'm in Roslyn school district. Son is in k, teacher isn't great. Thankfully he is doing fine and seems to enjoy school.
The trips they've taken are few and far between. Art turned into computer class where they printed things out.
The version of field day was terrible.
They had no holiday concert and I'm not even sure there will be a kindergarten graduation.
I'm hoping we've just had a bad class experience and the rest of our experience will be more positive. But looking to hear from others. Maybe my expectations were too high. I guess I'm just wondering what other people's experiences have been in regards to extra/ enrichment activities and what district you are in.
I am not sure what your expectations were but field trips for a kindergarten class are often an abysmal failure. The attention span of children at that age is short to begin with, add that there are still kids in K dealing with varying levels of maturity and that doesn't even begin to touch on the costs of buses for the kids.
The bigger question for me is where did you come from that this was the norm? And if this was important to you, why didn't you do your homework before hand?
I am horrified, no graduation for K? No holiday concert, wow what has school become.? I am surprised you didn't complain about no k prom!! This is K, not grammar school, middle school or high school. If that is the type education you are looking for then you need to consider private school.
I have experience at great school in the upper east side and went to one if the specialized highschools. So in comparison, I feel like my kids are getting short changed. And I agree that parents in city seem more invested, maybe because they have to be. Here, people seem to say I pay my taxes, I don't have to worry. And that was honestly my feeling this year. Now, I see that I will have to be a lot more involved.
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