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I don't understand getting miffed over someone else's choice. If you are happy with the school you have chosen, great!! Why worry that someone else is happy somewhere other than where you have chosen? Who cares?
Someone just posted in another thread about how at their public school, they go through a month of standardized testing in the 3rd grade. A MONTH.
If that's not a great reason to go private, I don't know what is.
A MONTH!!! For 8 year olds!! That's ridiculous!
It is ridiculous and I have a feeling they're exaggerating. Look at this chart, from my school district. Actual testing in grades 3-8, 8 1/2 to 10 1/2 hours for English language and math, plus 4 hrs for science and social studies. That's still a lot, and I believe it's spread over several days. http://bvsd.org/assessment/Pages/Testing-Schedule.aspx
ETA: Even the 14 1/2 hrs total at the max is approximately two full school days.
That's not what he said. He was saying that is how prospective buyers perceive things when they are searching for areas with "good schools". I see it all the time on my own state's forum. We have an area with to-die-for educations outside NYC and people still can get so competitive that they split hairs over two gold star systems. It's like debating whether Yale Medical or Johns Hopkins Medical is better.
See, I see the quality of education as something worthy to be competitive over. Things like football drive me crazy. People so competitive over who can get a ball across a line first. It's completely pointless and means nothing! Education, on the other hand, can make or break the financial future and well being of an entire family line! It's vastly important. Being competitive about getting your kids the absolute best education that you can get is essential.
That's why this thread is here. Everyone wants to think that the schools that their kids go to is the best one. Because we're all competitive. Otherwise this thread would have stopped after one post in which someone would have said "whichever one works for you, they're both essentially the same".
It is ridiculous and I have a feeling they're exaggerating. Look at this chart, from my school district. Actual testing in grades 3-8, 8 1/2 to 10 1/2 hours for English language and math, plus 4 hrs for science and social studies. That's still a lot, and I believe it's spread over several days. http://bvsd.org/assessment/Pages/Testing-Schedule.aspx
I just looked at my city's school testing schedule. There is something called "ACT Aspire Grade 3-8 and Grade 10 (Math, English, Reading, Science, & Social Studies) Paper/Pencil" that is scheduled to run from April 4, 2016, to May 12, 2016. There's a week break in the middle where they do the "STAR Enterprise Reading, Math, and Early Literacy Grade Pre K-6" test instead.
HOPEFULLY, they're only doing like an hour a day in the morning, or rotating groups of kids to go in, or something.
See, I see the quality of education as something worthy to be competitive over. Things like football drive me crazy. People so competitive over who can get a ball across a line first. It's completely pointless and means nothing! Education, on the other hand, can make or break the financial future and well being of an entire family line! It's vastly important. Being competitive about getting your kids the absolute best education that you can get is essential.
That's why this thread is here. Everyone wants to think that the schools that their kids go to is the best one. Because we're all competitive. Otherwise this thread would have stopped after one post in which someone would have said "whichever one works for you, they're both essentially the same".
Speak for yourself. I want my kids' schools to be very good, but I have no need to find fault with others or trash other people's schools...and if you have to trash other people rather than just work hard, than that's not healthy competition. Plus, what many are saying here is that what you think is the "best" isn't necessarily the case and getting your kid into a private schools doesn't mean they will turn out better than anyone else. Given that just as many public school kids (more actually) head to Ivy League schools as do private school kids, I'd say it might not be necessary.
As for football, it's not my thing either but football and other sports are a wonderful balance for kids. You don't think athletes should be competitive???
It is ridiculous and I have a feeling they're exaggerating. Look at this chart, from my school district. Actual testing in grades 3-8, 8 1/2 to 10 1/2 hours for English language and math, plus 4 hrs for science and social studies. That's still a lot, and I believe it's spread over several days. http://bvsd.org/assessment/Pages/Testing-Schedule.aspx
ETA: Even the 14 1/2 hrs total at the max is approximately two full school days.
What you've linked to is the tip of the testing iceberg. I can attest to this as a parent and spouse of someone who works in public education. In most public schools there are multiple rounds of practice tests taken before the spring testing period. In addition most teachers don't teach tested subjects which means students have to take SLOs in those classes as well.
I live in a high income district so while there is some overkill on test prep it still isn't nearly as bad as what goes on in low-income schools. I know from talking with friends who are currently or have previously worked in high poverty schools that it isn't unusual for there to be little other than test prep going on as soon as January arrives. In extreme cases there are schools serving low-income children that really aren't anything more than test prep factories.
There are good reasons why there is an ever increasing amount of push back from parents over testing. Here are some examples of what is angering many parents. My kids are old enough that they had to take state tests in grades 1 and 2 in the pre-recesssion NCLB days. Since math and reading were the only tested subjects, even in my district there was a significant de-emphasis of science, social studies etc. in those grades because the subjects weren't tested. In addition parents had to fight our district to keep one 20 min. recess period daily in elementary school.
Speak for yourself. I want my kids' schools to be very good, but I have no need to find fault with others or trash other people's schools...and if you have to trash other people rather than just work hard, than that's not healthy competition. Plus, what many are saying here is that what you think is the "best" isn't necessarily the case and getting your kid into a private schools doesn't mean they will turn out better than anyone else. Given that just as many public school kids (more actually) head to Ivy League schools as do private school kids, I'd say it might not be necessary.
As for football, it's not my thing either but football and other sports are a wonderful balance for kids. You don't think athletes should be competitive???
Honestly?
I think humans are, by nature, competitive. They compete for food, resources, for survival, just like every other living thing on this planet. I think that the need to compete is innate in every single living organism that survives in the evolution game, humans included.
I think that when a person in our modern society competes for resources, he works really hard, gets a great education at the top schools, gets a top job, and gets a lot of resources, i.e. money. And I think that one method that a person can compete is by distracting competitors. Distracting them by, say, having them use up all their competitive drive on something unimportant and inconsequential. Like moving a ball across a line.
That frees up the go-getters to go after the real resources, like wealth, power, and prestige, while everyone else is chasing a ball.
Youth sports exist, in my mind, to thin the herd for the students who are competing for top academic accolades.
I am aware that you are not going to share my opinion. That's okay. I don't mind.
I think humans are, by nature, competitive. They compete for food, resources, for survival, just like every other living thing on this planet. I think that the need to compete is innate in every single living organism that survives in the evolution game, humans included.
Geez. Then I guess I won't see you volunteering at a soup kitchen, offering your kid's teammate a ride to practice, or just wishing other people well in general.
I think that when a person in our modern society competes for resources, he works really hard, gets a great education at the top schools, gets a top job, and gets a lot of resources, i.e. money. And I think that one method that a person can compete is by distracting competitors. Distracting them by, say, having them use up all their competitive drive on something unimportant and inconsequential. Like moving a ball across a line.
Lots of people like that become greedy, offer misleading mortgages/loans and bled or economy. Some guys in Michigan distracted people by taking advantage of the poor and cut off their clean water supply.
That frees up the go-getters to go after the real resources, like wealth, power, and prestige, while everyone else is chasing a ball.
Internal power is lovely. Wanting power over others is sadistic. Those on an eternal quest for power and prestige turn out to be sociopaths. I'm getting concerned about you. Most people in the world are "chasing the ball" . It's not so bad. You can find peace and contentment without concerning yourself with what others are doing.
Youth sports exist, in my mind, to thin the herd for the students who are competing for top academic accolades.
Someone sounds like they weren't very good at sports...most of us are average, but unfortunately your attitude of "why do something if you're not the best" makes it difficult for you. Hope you don't pass your condescending attitude about sports onto your kid. You don't want him to make enemies especially if he's not gaining a little strength and coordination through youth sports. Oh also...Roger Sherman of the Seattle Seahawks - high school valedictorian and graduate of Stanford. Jeremy Lin from the NBA - Harvard grad. Those are just a few. Even those guys that didn't do well in college are making more money than you will. Just saying.
I am aware that you are not going to share my opinion. That's okay. I don't mind.
Answered in green with my opinions.
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