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I came from the North. There are more Catholic high Schools, they can make a difference in a childs education.
Horry County has none as of 2006.
This takes the cake! In SC, you let your teens run off legally at age 17. This is their senior year in school, their most important years of school, or perhaps their most troubled times of their teens years! Is it the authorities are tired of chasing the run-a-ways so they let them legally leave home? Here is the funniest and most coonfusing thing, the parents are still responsible for them because they are not yet adults nor can they sign legal documents!
Shall we say SC has some children dropping out of school , teen pregnancies (3rd highest in the US)
How can a child of age 17 get themselves off to school, get ready for college, and study hard when SC lets them run hog wild!
Their morals somehow get lost in the dirt!
Get a grip SC and save your children, stop being behind everybody else and give your future a fighting chance.
Thank you P2y2r7o and CarolinaJack for bringing up the fact that you can't just lump "all" SC or schools from a certain county into one category. That is a quick cop-out blanket statement that some people like to make - people who usually have no idea what they are talking about.
I get so weary and angry of hearing SC (particularly Charleston County) schools bashed in the news and on forums such as this. Yes, there are good and not-so-good schools in every state and in every county. What makes the difference?? The PARENTS! As a 24-year-veteran teacher, I have taught in at-risk schools and in award-winning, honor roll schools and can tell you first-hand that it is the PARENT INVOLVEMENT which makes all the difference in the world. People can blame teachers all they want, but they need to look right in the mirror to see where to place the blame or credit for how their children turn out.
I taught at a school for 8 years where no one showed up for PTA meetings (other than teachers), teachers had to drive to the homes for conferences, parents were mostly illiterate and many were unempolyed and addicted to either alcohol or some illegal substance, there was no one to help the children with their homework or monitor report writing and project completion...and yes, at this particular school the test scores were very low and the discipline was terrible. I paid for most of my classroom materials out of my pocket, stayed after for 2 extra hours tutoring and helping students with their homework (free of charge), and served as secretary of PTA since no parents even came to the meetings.
Now, for the past 12 years, I have taught at a wonderful school on James Island where the PTA is fabulous! All I have to do is mention that I need something and... BAM! I am bombarded with multiples of it the next day. Parents provide the teachers with whatever we need to help their children have an excellent education. They even read to the classes, run our copies for us, hold many fundraisers and carnivals, plan and supervise all class parties, chaperone all field trips, volunteer in the office and on the playground, etc. And guess what? Our test scores are among the highest in the state, we are a Blue Ribbon Award winner, and have earned other forms of recognition as well. People deliberately buy houses in our district so their children can attend our school. All because of the strong PTA/parental involvement at home and at school.
I wish all children could attend schools like the one where I teach...and yes, this is a Charleston County School in South Carolina!
Instead of complaining about the poor quality of education in SC, more people should put their money or actions where their mouth is and get involved to make the schools better. Teachers can't do it alone...we need parents and the community. "It takes a village to raise a child", right?
I came from the North. There are more Catholic high Schools, they can make a difference in a childs education.
Horry County has none as of 2006.
This takes the cake! In SC, you let your teens run off legally at age 17. This is their senior year in school, their most important years of school, or perhaps their most troubled times of their teens years! Is it the authorities are tired of chasing the run-a-ways so they let them legally leave home? Here is the funniest and most coonfusing thing, the parents are still responsible for them because they are not yet adults nor can they sign legal documents!
Shall we say SC has some children dropping out of school , teen pregnancies (3rd highest in the US)
How can a child of age 17 get themselves off to school, get ready for college, and study hard when SC lets them run hog wild!
Their morals somehow get lost in the dirt!
Get a grip SC and save your children, stop being behind everybody else and give your future a fighting chance.
Instead of spouting such mean things why don't you use your time to try and change everything you see as so wrong. Become a mentor, run for office, raise funds for those in need. I moved from PA and while we have Catholic schools by the dozen I would not send my kids to these schools 1) because I am not Catholic 2) because if your child has a learning problem they do not have the ability to help in most instances.
Public education in SC can work. I think Fort Mill among other schools can prove that point. Instead of being a squeeky wheel to complain do it to work for change or do what every parent should teach their children and if you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all. I learned that before I ever even went to school.
Instead of spouting such mean things why don't you use your time to try and change everything you see as so wrong. Become a mentor, run for office, raise funds for those in need. I moved from PA and while we have Catholic schools by the dozen I would not send my kids to these schools 1) because I am not Catholic 2) because if your child has a learning problem they do not have the ability to help in most instances.
Public education in SC can work. I think Fort Mill among other schools can prove that point. Instead of being a squeeky wheel to complain do it to work for change or do what every parent should teach their children and if you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all. I learned that before I ever even went to school.
Mt Pleasant has a decent school system in terms of results, not in terms of their teaching.
Now, how does that make sense?
If the students do well on standardized tests (that is what you mean by results?) how do they accomplish that without good teaching?
Please don't misunderstand, I do know that standardized tests are not the be all and end all of achievement, but they do give a good average of student performance/ teacher performance/ school performance.
It's all relative. When you compare really bad schools to bad schools, what's the difference? The fact is, government schools are a woeful disgrace in this entire country, not just in SC. It would be more accurate to compare nation to nation, such as Europe where school choice is the norm and not the exception, and where the test scores are astronomical compared to ours.
Having said that and having been educated in NJ (at Catholic schools), one of the highest ranked states in the nation (yes, I'm rolling my eyes), I don't see a huge difference in intellect between NJ and SC. People are people so don't try to tell me that just because someone is born in SC that automatically makes them less intelligent than someone in NJ.
Now, living in Horry County as I do, I have to say some of the better schools in the state are right here. There are many good teachers around here but I don't think that's the problem. The problem is institutional which is better than the union generated problems you get up north (there is no teachers union here; they are one of the nations biggest problems). Institutional problems can be an easy fix by either legislation or replacing those in charge with people who will get the job done.
School choice is the answer, unless you prefer to remain a laughingstock to the rest of the world.
I disagree about school choice; the only thing school choice will do is to separate those who can afford to drive their kids to the best schools from those who can't. The answer is level state funding for every school - none of this separation by school district. Most urban and suburban schools in SC are good, but rural public schools are a disgrace because they don't have an adequate tax base to support education.
I disagree about school choice; the only thing school choice will do is to separate those who can afford to drive their kids to the best schools from those who can't. The answer is level state funding for every school - none of this separation by school district. Most urban and suburban schools in SC are good, but rural public schools are a disgrace because they don't have an adequate tax base to support education.
Oh I couldn't disagree more. School choice has been proven around the world and there's no reason why it can't work here. Schools that underperform SHOULD be closed. Driving kids to schools? Do we not have school buses in this state? Forcing generation after generation of a family to go to the same failing schools is ridiculous. That's more harmful than anything else.
Your solution, throw more money at the problem, is simply not a solution and is typical of the backwards thinking that goes on in this state. Charter schools all over this country are turning out better educated students left and right and the statistics bear that out. Homeschooled children also test much higher than the government re-education centers we call "schools". Why on earth would anyone trust their children's future to the government? Oh, that's right, the same people who want socialized medicine. Silly me...
Socialized medicine is a different subject, but it would sure beat the pathetic health care poor people in this country have to deal with.
As far as school choice, yes we have school buses, but tell me how a network of school buses will work when parents can send their children to any school. You've obviously never setup a schedule if you think a bus system will work if children from the same neighborhood are going to ten different elementary schools.
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There are more Catholic high Schools, they can make a difference in a childs education.
This takes the cake!
In SC, you let your teens run off legally at age 17. This is their senior year in school, their most important years of school, or perhaps their most troubled times of their teens years!
Is it the authorities are tired of chasing the run-a-ways so they let them legally leave home?
Here is the funniest and most coonfusing thing, the parents are still responsible for them because they are not yet adults nor can they sign legal documents!
, teen pregnancies (3rd highest in the US)
