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Old 08-01-2009, 10:50 AM
 
16 posts, read 47,053 times
Reputation: 21

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I just got back from Eugene and I loved it....except for the schools. Those are some of the oldest, most run down looking buildings I have ever seen! I studied the area and drove by the schools rated 8 9 10 on greatschools.net and everyone of them (pretty sure I drove by most of them were so depressing looking. overgrown weeds in the school yards, dirty windows, falling apart buidings etc....

Not to sound all wierd but I was a bit concerned looking at the kids as well. Now I am no prude...but the kids all looked a bit like urchins. I don't necessarily need my kid to have name brand clothing or even to match (which most of them did not) - but I do comb her hair!

Am I just getting the wrong impression here?

I am moving from a brand new school rated a 10 in Gilbert Arizona and I guess it is so different that it scared me a bit. I want to send my First Grader to school with a great group of kids and parents that care.

Do they?


This was my original posting....and I feel like the whole conversation got ridiculous. As for me being "naive"... Hello? Guess what? We are all naive on most things. You might be a walking encyclopedia - but me..I am in a learning mode till I die. OF COURSE I AM NAIVE WHEN IT COMES TO EUGENE!!! What a ludicrous comment meant as an insult. As for me being unresearched? LOL... Are you serious? Is that not why I asked the questions to start with? As far as your schools looking rundown compared to Gilbert Arizona.. THEY DO! Deal with it! They are rundown depressed looking buildings. REALITY CHECK...they are! Get defensive if you want but THEY ARE.

Perhaps if I should not have used the term "looked like street urchins" But...you make it sound like I stood in a corner of the schoolyard and insulted your kids. I siad I comb my kids hair and all the sudden I am a bad bad mommy from hell who is not going to let her kid grow up smelling the flowers or getting her hands dirty??? I am not gay and am wondering about the community in terms of it..so all the sudden I am anti gay? ROFL ... PLEASE... I just simply was saying there IS seemingly a difference between the town I live in here and there and looking to understand your city, the education and the environment. Note that I said I do not need my kid to wear brand name clothing or even to match (even though I basically by the end of the conversation was painted as someone entirely different)

As far as me staying out of your town. (for those of you that said that) YOU DO NOT KNOW ME! I have no problem with kids not being concerned about how they look. I do not treat my children like little princesses that might be "affected"! Grow up! I was asking honest questions! It is YOU that is not as accepting as you supposedly claim to be. Accepting people goes two ways. I was asking honest questions and I believe it was not I that was being judgmental here. I am trying to judge whether this community is for me and what the differences might be.

The school ratings are national ratings. I was just stating a fact when I said that the were rated what they were. Again...if you do not like your rating at your school ..it is not my fault.

So far I have learned... There is less of an emphasis on clothing and that is fine... Guess what? It is even fine with me. I was trying to learn about the education system and whether the unkempt thing was a false impression. Note my last sentence. "Am I getting a false impression here?"

As far as the whole gay vs conservative thing. I won't even go there...because it you that were ripping ME apart and being judgemental. There is not a thing I can say about my love for all people with out you people crying BS...so whatever!

Again.. I am just trying to learn about Eugene.

This all got to be a ridiculous conversation rather than informative. So far I learned that some people on this board can be defensive and twist your thoughts to the point of this board being counter productive. I did not learn much about the education system there and the seemingly underfunded schools.

Last edited by minaflewis; 08-01-2009 at 12:00 PM..
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Old 08-06-2009, 12:55 AM
 
6,066 posts, read 15,001,759 times
Reputation: 7188
Yikes! Hmmm... I apologize if I posted something that offended you. I suppose I do go off-topic quite a bit around the boards...
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Old 08-20-2009, 01:51 AM
 
Location: where the moss is taking over the villages
2,184 posts, read 5,533,505 times
Reputation: 1270
Overall, not many of the posters have been discouraging, from my reading. Some people just come off as brash. Even I do, sometimes. Maybe... more than I'd like to admit!

There seems to be room for everyone in Eugene, from what I've seen. I think you, Minaflewis, will like it here. It'll have a few shocks here & there but it's a really nice place where people tend to be able to look you in the eye & smile. The boys are really friendly here. I'm almost 50 & from CA where males in general seem standoffish & almost no one wants to make spontaneous eye contact without trying to sell you something. Here men & boys are extremely friendly with no obvious motive other than just being kicked back. The women are more laid back too. More gray hair & less make up on women here which suits me fine.

I love Eugene. I wish I'd grown up here.

As for the schools - trying to get back on topic - we're in a recession. Schools everywhere probably are going to get worse before they get better. Private schools come with snobbery - in my opinion & I was raised going to private schools - and the curriculum isn't always better at a private school... I'm not sure it's worth the extra money for private school. I think schools are generally a disappointment anyway. Maybe homeschooling would be the best option. They have really good networks out there for that. I"m very curious about what you'll decide!

Let us know how your move goes! You will be welcome here! There's room for all of us!

Kate

Last edited by sarahkate_m; 08-20-2009 at 01:58 AM.. Reason: put it back on topic
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Old 09-09-2009, 01:28 PM
 
3 posts, read 5,412 times
Reputation: 10
:) Oregon is ranked #47 in basic skills in the USA. The Springfield School district from their own testing showed than less than 20% of the graduates can do a 7th grade math problem. Public Schools in American are ranked 30th in the World. Springfield has the best drama and music programs. They have a few good math teachers. The best English program is at North Eugene. The rest is very mediocore.

South Eugene has smart kids because their parents are university professors. Churchill is a pretty good school. Honestly, you are better off sending you children to a private school if you can afford it.

I had six children attend the Springfield School District: 5/6 were honor roll students. None of the schools are truly safe. Good Luck.






Quote:
Originally Posted by minaflewis View Post
I just got back from Eugene and I loved it....except for the schools. Those are some of the oldest, most run down looking buildings I have ever seen! I studied the area and drove by the schools rated 8 9 10 on greatschools.net and everyone of them (pretty sure I drove by most of them were so depressing looking. overgrown weeds in the school yards, dirty windows, falling apart buidings etc....

Not to sound all wierd but I was a bit concerned looking at the kids as well. Now I am no prude...but the kids all looked a bit like urchins. I don't necessarily need my kid to have name brand clothing or even to match (which most of them did not) - but I do comb her hair!

Am I just getting the wrong impression here?

I am moving from a brand new school rated a 10 in Gilbert Arizona and I guess it is so different that it scared me a bit. I want to send my First Grader to school with a great group of kids and parents that care.

Do they?

South Eugene High School looked like a school out of areas in Phoenix where you do not walk in the daylight. Am I just warped with my new school image here in my brain?

Help!


Also - which areas are the nice ones to live in and which should I avoid in terms of schools?
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Old 09-10-2009, 09:12 AM
 
Location: pacific northwest
10 posts, read 24,474 times
Reputation: 16
South Eugene is the very best school to consider for your daughter in this area.

If you don't mind, here is a little story for you. I have a sister that was divorced with 4 small children. She worked as a cocktail waitress besides being on welfare for some years. She had to live in motels and apartments and she had many boyfriends during her single years but she loved her children very much and took excellent care of them. She also took night school so she could learn a trade in medical clercking and did some x-ray tech work. All her children did well in school with the exception of one and he quit to join the Navy. He is doing well as a mechanic thanks to the Navy. Two of her children are college graduates and one attended the UofO. She came from Alaska to attend college in Eugene.

As far as I'm concerned from reading your plight, it sounds as if you are extremely fortunate in what you are able to provide for your daughter and to pick and choose where you are able to live. I must say....and very picky about it all. Consider yourself very, very fortunate you are able to do this.

Is it necessary to tell the general public how horrible we live, how terrible our children look, how run down our schools are and how nicey nice your hometown is? I think you are a very rude and thoughtless person. IMO you think you are better than the average person in this town and at least it appears to be so.

My suggestion is if you are that frightened you had either best stay in Arizona...or you had better home school your child as someone suggested.

If you have issue's about the schools here take it up with the School District 4J and express your concerns but don't insult people openly that cannot help what has happened under 8 years of a rotten administration.

My apologies to everyone else.
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Old 09-10-2009, 10:02 AM
 
3 posts, read 5,006 times
Reputation: 15
Default totally unnecessary attack

The original poster has the right to seek opinions about the place that she is about to transplant her family...I thought that this was part of the reason for these forums?! How else is she going to get the answers she wants? Some posters act as though she is Satan for not being as liberal-minded as they are...we all have our opinions that have been developed from the way we grew up and our life experiences, that does not make anyone a bad person.
I have similar questions about the PNW, actually. I come from the Detroit area...if I started asking about poverty levels in certain areas of Oregon, would that make me "ignorant"? Well, in Metro Detroit, more poverty=more crime and I don't want my kid around it if I can help it.
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Old 09-10-2009, 10:33 AM
 
Location: Portland Metro
2,318 posts, read 4,606,217 times
Reputation: 2773
If you have kids in a school, you want to believe you are providing the best for them. Generally, a community has pride in it's schools--and maybe that pride comes from academic excellence rather than shiny new buildings (as would be the case in Eugene).

So when the OP starts out by calling the schools "dumpy" and some of the kids "urchins" people will naturally take offense. I don't think this has anything at all to do with liberal or conservative, I think it has to do with an insensitive approach at asking a legitimate question. Also it didn't help when the OP got so defensive when people called her out.
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Old 09-10-2009, 10:38 AM
 
Location: Portland Metro
2,318 posts, read 4,606,217 times
Reputation: 2773
Quote:
Originally Posted by cori427 View Post
...if I started asking about poverty levels in certain areas of Oregon, would that make me "ignorant"? Well, in Metro Detroit, more poverty=more crime and I don't want my kid around it if I can help it.
I don't think it's ignorant to ask questions about porverty at all. But it depends on how you approach it. If you asked about the number of "dirty street people" or why Eugene is made up of "weird Oregon hippies" or used other derogatory phrases, you would be pegged as ignorant.
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Old 09-10-2009, 11:02 AM
 
3 posts, read 5,006 times
Reputation: 15
Default good point

good point, probably not a good idea to be name calling
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Old 09-10-2009, 11:50 AM
 
6,066 posts, read 15,001,759 times
Reputation: 7188
I don't know if the OP is still reading this... but if she's still thinking of relocating here and looking for schools, she should look into the IHS program. It is fantastic, and three of Eugene's high school's have it. Welcome to Eugene International High School We are very fortunate to have this program in our community.
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