Want more info on Jackson, please. Thanks! (Memphis, Brownsville: real estate, renting)

[Pearlbob]

It's hard for any city to retain the "best and brightest" students. Usually those students want to leave town and get new experiences elsewhere, even if they come from a large city that has a ton to offer.

[strumpeace]

It is hard for a city to retain its own 'best and brightest.' However, most cities make a concerted effort to attract a new class of 'best and brightest,' thus simply redistributing. Unfortunately, smaller towns often lose their own 'best and brightest' and have a hard time attracting those from other places.

Pearlbob -- Have you read 'The Young and Restless: How Memphis Competes for Talent'? It was written by Carol Coletta and Dr. Charlie Santo, who was my thesis advisor in graduate school. Fascinating read.

[Pearlbob]

I just looked it up online and skimmed over it.

[titanfan07]

Originally Posted by Pearlbob

Who said anything about separating kids by race?! This isn't the 50's.

Ask any teacher if they think "no child left behind" is working well. You'll get your answers there.

If you were a Jackson resident you would know that unfortunately our schools are now separated again not completely but its happening more and more. Generally, people that live in older lower class neighborhoods are minorities. It is usually lower class families whose students dont perform well in school, not all, but thats usually the case. If you separate by intelligence levels then these minorities or lower class will be put in schools together. Case and point, when I attended JCM, Jackson Central Merry, it was about 60% black 40% white with others in there. Schools were zoned and wealthy and poor went together. Graduation rates were high as were scores. Now since the implementing of the 2 new magnet high schools you can apply and go to them no matter where you live. Results, JCM is now 80% black with very low scores and grad rates and the worst campus in Jackson. Therefore it has become nearly segregated again. By social status, which turns into race issues. Just because laws de-segregate doesnt mean people dont know ways around them. I'm not stressing race anyway.

[titanfan07]

Originally Posted by strumpeace

I graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in History from Lambuth University (gpa=3.51). I also hold a Master of City and Regional Planning degree from the University of Memphis (gpa=3.79). I'll be starting work on a Ph.D. in Public Policy next year, as well. I think I'm doing ok.

I wasnt saying u werent educated. You said you had the inadequate education in school. You are contridicting yourself. I think you have done pretty good for someone with "an inadequate education," and that's my point. It was good enough for you to recieve multiple degrees. Did you have to take basic non-credited classes in college before you could start college course work? I dont think you did because you seem to be a resonably intelligent person. So why do you feel your education before college was inadequate?

[titanfan07]

Originally Posted by defiepilex

regarding your concern about the teachers in the AP classes and the teachers in the regular classes, in most high schools, the teachers teach both regular and AP classes, so i think the loathing and loving of teaching is more on the teachers rather than the intellect of the students. things maybe slightly different since you were in school, we dont seperate by race anymore.

I'm only 24. I was in high school only 7 years ago. I dont think much has changed since then. And yes they do teach both AP and regular classes. But I wasnt referring to the AP classes. That was pearlbob that started with that. It was pearlbob that said parents send their students to magnet and private schools because the classes arent "dumbed down" for the slower children. The point I was stressing was, when you do that you in turn separate the "smarter students" from the "not as smart students."

There has to be teachers to teach all of them. So some teachers get to go to the magnet schools. But the teachers that are stuck teaching the "not so smart" students are going to lose that joy of teaching. No one wants to teach a group that, class in class out, year in year out, arent producing the grades from the hard work you are putting into teaching. Thats what wears down a teacher. And if we continue the process of pulling our children out and leaving the others behind to fend for themselves our regular public schools are going to continue to decline and fail.

I must admit I will be aiding this because my oldest will be starting school soon and she will be attending USJ, a private school in Jackson. And its because of parents, like us, that dont want our children in a dumbed down under achieving class or school so we put them in the best. Its completely understandable that parents want the best for their children. I want it too. But is it fair to our children to separate them from the real world?

Not everyone will be smart around them when they get older. Not everyone will be wealthy or beautiful or any of the other things we are keeping our children away from. Soon we are going to end up with a world full of Paris Hiltons or Jessica Simpsons that don't have a clue about the real world.

[defiepilex]

ok, i do agree with you that we should not have seperate schools for the 'smart' and the 'dumb'. i do support AP classes.


oh, and if they school is 60% and 80% black doesnt that make whites the minority?

[titanfan07]

Originally Posted by strumpeace

I had to run, so I wasn't able to finish my thought in my last post...

As demonstrated through my several posts about Jackson, I think Jackson overall is great. I have written many good things about Jackson. However, I try to be objective. Jackson, like any other town, has both good and not-so-good. I pointed out that Jackson schools are not good.

Yes, I know about Madison's Academic Decathlon team. I was on the Academic Decathlon team at JC-M for two years when Teresa Luna was there. It was a great experience. However, you must understand that the Academic Decathlon team consists of nine members; that team is hardly representative of a school district with thousands of students. When I was at JC-M, we had a great football team (featuring Al Wilson); the fact that a few dozen guys could play football well did not mean that everyone in the entire school district was a good athlete.

Again, there is good and bad about Jackson. Jackson has a hard time retaining the 'best and brightest.' (If you need evidence, find out how many of those Academic Decathlon folks came back to Jackson after college. From the two teams on which I was a member, I can count the number who now reside in Jackson on one finger.) Yet, Jackson is growing, and many young families are finding the Jackson area to be a great place to raise a family. Good points and bad points -- Every town has them. Someone pointed out on a thread a few days ago that we're not the Chamber of Commerce; it's ok to point out bad experiences in a place.

I agree. I agree. But as you said, 9 people dont represent an entire district. One good football team doesn't mean the whole district is good. Thats my point just in the other direction. One bad school doesnt mean all the schools are bad. I was defensive because it was said that Jackson schools are bad. Not all of them. My entire point is about being objective and not sterotypical. We do see eye to eye on some things.

[strumpeace]

Titanfan --

We are indeed close on these issues. I think you are making a great choice by sending your child to USJ, btw. That's a great school, and it has produced some top-notch people.

Best wishes.

[JustaDoll]

PompanoBeachBum.....if you are trying to locate near Dyersburg to be close to family......Jackson is your best best......about 30 minutes from Dyersburg....and 2 hours from Nashville......you are correct that employment opportunities are limited in Dyer County at the present time......Jackson seems to be undergoing a great deal of development right now.......a slower paced environment compared to Pompano Beach.....I made the move in the opposite direction a few years back...from the Jackson area to Pompano Beach.......good luck!