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The reason you don't know how small towns can get quality teachers is you are only applying YOUR standard of ideal lifestyle. There are plenty of people who still like the "simple" life.
As far as quality education, you might want to look at test scores from small rural areas and then compare that to city scores.
I graduated with 20 kids in my class. Yet, out of that class of twenty, there are 7 of us with graduate degrees and 19 of the 20 received bachelor degrees.
Sure, there are minuses attached to a small town education (e.g., less diversity, lack of resources, and etc.). But there are also huge pluses. Your teachers know your family personally. There is much much more accountability. There are simply fewer and smaller cracks to slip through. I grew up in a rural area and received an education that is second to none. Teachers can deal with you and challenge you on an individual basis. My son attends school in a large school system (Millard) and, while it seems to be an excellent school, there are many areas that simply can't compare to my education. Being able to work at the level of the child is something that simply can be done in larger schools. For example, growing up in my tiny little school I was able to work several grades up my level because the teachers are able to challenge each student on an almost individual basis. This was absolutely the norm and the more advanced kids were able to work with members of grades a few years above them.
In the end, I just think the differences balance out.
As I said, I grew up in a rural area. In my grade school classes I was 1 of 4 people. I graduated high school with 19 other kids. When I went to the "city" I did NOT feel overwhelmed nor did I go off the deep end. I would also add that I have since received a Ph.D. in physics and will soon finish my law degree. I think you seem to believe rural communities are nothing but redneck bumpkin havens. On a percentage basis, I will guarantee with near 100% certainty that my high school puts out more lawyers, doctors, and "professionals" then most large public schools. I would also add that having taught at a university the "rural" kids were just as prepared as the kids from large schools. They may have been a little more naive socially, but in this day in age I think that's a good thing.
I would also add that you seem to suggest that staying in a small town after high school is somehow a bad thing. Why exactly is living in a Dallas suburb superior to living in a small town? Different people have different wants and desires. Yes, you give up some amenities when living in a rural town but you also give up things when living in suburbia, like open spaces and individuality. I currently live in a Omaha suburb and I generally like it. However, I also wish my son was able to go out in the back yard and run around on 200 acres of wilderness.
Last edited by mattpoulsen; 08-30-2009 at 09:36 PM..
[quote=Kootr;10529702]It must be a huge challenge alright!
I can't see how these remote areas are able to get quality teachers for one thing. Most of these kids have the innate ability (IQ) to learn...if they have parents that care and help their child, and the parents "know" how important it is that their child get a quality education and push them. But there must be quality teachers available in these remote areas to teach the students too. Something tells me that many parts of the multi-faceted puzzle for a quality education and success are missing...
It makes me wonder how well these students from tiny remote towns are prepared by their teachers if they want to attend a tier 1 university. Are you aware of any students from remote areas ever applying and being accepted at an Ivy League school or even a tier 1 school? Or do most high school graduates (that even go on to get further education) go mostly to very small unknown colleges or technical/community schools?
quote]
Did I not just say, "My own children......U of Michigan, Berkeley, Santa Clara....?" And, let me add that from our small school, my daughter's friend went to and graduated from Cornell, her other classmate did the Thunderbirds Bus. School (??), and another friend, from here, is now teaching at Georgetown. Maybe you are only familiar with Yale and Harvard. The schools that I just mentioned are classics albeit that Cornell would be Ivy League.
I could go on, but it's not necessary to get into real braggadoccia as I wanted to also make the point that there is work to do, out here. You're not wrong to suspect naivete. It's just that it's everywhere.
The internet and dish TV and cheap air travel have disspelled the notion that we are completely isolated. Look up ACT and SAT scores for NE students. The rankings are pretty amazing for Dogpatch.
What makes you think that small towns have bad educational systems? Have you ever heard of the states called Arizona, South Carolina and Alabama? All of those states are known for their terrible school systems. Plus, people from small towns often travel to the region's cities to experience cultures, and with the age we live in now you can have anything on the screen sitting in front of you with a few key strokes. And what makes you such an expert on the way Small Town Nebraska families work, or an expert on our school systems? Ben Nelson, one of our current Senators known for being a moderate is from McCook, NE, a town of 7,000. No one in this country is limited due to where they are from. I personally far prefer my Grandparent's town of Plainview, NE to Omaha, but living there isn't exactly possible for me due to me not being old enough to make that decision.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Go Ne
How would living in a small town give someone a lesser ability to learn? simply the implication of that is outrageous. And how is it not mentally healthy to have small class sizes?
I'll reply to both of your (above) posts here...
There is no way possible that students in remote areas could ever receive the type of quality education that a large city offers. Not with just a handful of teachers who (most likely) are not qualified themselves to teach high-level college prep courses.
Are you suggesting that the teachers at Dix/Potter high school (for example - because I visited there) are qualified to teach (or even make available to their students) foreign languages in Japanese, Chinese, French, Spanish, German and Russian? How about Latin? How about advanced level courses in Calculus, Chemistry, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, Physics, Music Theory and Composition...just to name a few? I don't think so! These are the kinds of classes that are available to high school students in large cities. It helps them on their college SAT scores. It prepares them academically for college at teh highest level. It helps them get into top-ranked tier 1 undergraduate schools anywhere in the United States.
I can assure you no student, regardless of state you might choose, would ever be accepted (unless by affirmative action) into a tier 1 school with the (obvious) lackluster education received from teachers in a high school that only has a dozen students. There's simply not enough teaching talent. The teachers could never have the knowledge to teach what is needed to get into a first-rate school. Not to mention the fact that those students could never be standouts that college administration boards are looking for in new students.
Have you ever heard of a student from a tiny remote high school in your state ever attending Harvard, Princeton, Yale, CA Institute of Tech, MIT, Stanford, U of Pennsylvania, Columbia, U of Chicago, Duke, Dartmouth, Northwestern, John Hopkins, Cornell, Brown, Emory, Rice, Georgetown, U of VA?
Have you ever heard of a student from a tiny remotel high school in your state ever being accepted into a tier 1 law school after graduating from whatever undergraduate school he or she might have graduated from? How about a tier 1 medical school? With extremely rare exception - it's simply not going to happen!
Have you ever heard of a student from a tiny remote high school in your state ever attending Harvard, Princeton, Yale, CA Institute of Tech, MIT, Stanford, U of Pennsylvania, Columbia, U of Chicago, Duke, Dartmouth, Northwestern, John Hopkins, Cornell, Brown, Emory, Rice, Georgetown, U of VA?
Have you ever heard of a student from a tiny remotel high school in your state ever being accepted into a tier 1 law school after graduating from whatever undergraduate school he or she might have graduated from? How about a tier 1 medical school? With extremely rare exception - it's simply not going to happen!
Quote:
Originally Posted by roots'nbulbs
Did I not just say, "My own children......U of Michigan, Berkeley, Santa Clara....?" And, let me add that from our small school, my daughter's friend went to and graduated from Cornell, her other classmate did the Thunderbirds Bus. School (??), and another friend, from here, is now teaching at Georgetown. Maybe you are only familiar with Yale and Harvard. The schools that I just mentioned are classics albeit that Cornell would be Ivy League.
I could go on, but it's not necessary to get into real braggadoccia as I wanted to also make the point that there is work to do, out here. You're not wrong to suspect naivete. It's just that it's everywhere.
The internet and dish TV and cheap air travel have disspelled the notion that we are completely isolated. Look up ACT and SAT scores for NE students. The rankings are pretty amazing for Dogpatch.
*Cough!!!*
And who in the world keeps track of where people go to College?
Have you ever heard of a student from a tiny remote high school in your state ever attending Harvard, Princeton, Yale, CA Institute of Tech, MIT, Stanford, U of Pennsylvania, Columbia, U of Chicago, Duke, Dartmouth, Northwestern, John Hopkins, Cornell, Brown, Emory, Rice, Georgetown, U of VA?
Have you ever heard of a student from a tiny remotel high school in your state ever being accepted into a tier 1 law school after graduating from whatever undergraduate school he or she might have graduated from? How about a tier 1 medical school? With extremely rare exception - it's simply not going to happen!
Are you ignoring me or are my posts just not showing up???
I can cite several students from small schools that have attended several of these schools. ???? Newsflash: It happens.
Are you suggesting that the teachers at Dix/Potter high school (for example - because I visited there) are qualified to teach (or even make available to their students) foreign languages in Japanese, Chinese, French, Spanish, German and Russian? How about Latin? How about advanced level courses in Calculus, Chemistry, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, Physics, Music Theory and Composition...just to name a few? I don't think so! These are the kinds of classes that are available to high school students in large cities. It helps them on their college SAT scores. It prepares them academically for college at teh highest level. It helps them get into top-ranked tier 1 undergraduate schools anywhere in the United States.
Well, My mother who came from a small town school managed to teach me Polish, German and Norwegian, and I'm younger than you are, that I can almost guarantee. And do you remember Mattpoulsen and his Ph.Ds in Law and Physics, and by the way, I can easily out smart most of the people in this country in geography.
The reason you don't know how small towns can get quality teachers is you are only applying YOUR standard of ideal lifestyle. There are plenty of people who still like the "simple" life.
As far as quality education, you might want to look at test scores from small rural areas and then compare that to city scores.
I graduated with 20 kids in my class. Yet, out of that class of twenty, there are 7 of us with graduate degrees and 19 of the 20 received bachelor degrees.
Sure, there are minuses attached to a small town education (e.g., less diversity, lack of resources, and etc.). But there are also huge pluses. Your teachers know your family personally. There is much much more accountability. There are simply fewer and smaller cracks to slip through. I grew up in a rural area and received an education that is second to none. Teachers can deal with you and challenge you on an individual basis. My son attends school in a large school system (Millard) and, while it seems to be an excellent school, there are many areas that simply can't compare to my education. Being able to work at the level of the child is something that simply can be done in larger schools. For example, growing up in my tiny little school I was able to work several grades up my level because the teachers are able to challenge each student on an almost individual basis. This was absolutely the norm and the more advanced kids were able to work with members of grades a few years above them.
In the end, I just think the differences balance out.
As I said, I grew up in a rural area. In my grade school classes I was 1 of 4 people. I graduated high school with 19 other kids. When I went to the "city" I did NOT feel overwhelmed nor did I go off the deep end. I would also add that I have since received a Ph.D. in physics and will soon finish my law degree. I think you seem to believe rural communities are nothing but redneck bumpkin havens. On a percentage basis, I will guarantee with near 100% certainty that my high school puts out more lawyers, doctors, and "professionals" then most large public schools. I would also add that having taught at a university the "rural" kids were just as prepared as the kids from large schools. They may have been a little more naive socially, but in this day in age I think that's a good thing.
I would also add that you seem to suggest that staying in a small town after high school is somehow a bad thing. Why exactly is living in a Dallas suburb superior to living in a small town? Different people have different wants and desires. Yes, you give up some amenities when living in a rural town but you also give up things when living in suburbia, like open spaces and individuality. I currently live in a Omaha suburb and I generally like it. However, I also wish my son was able to go out in the back yard and run around on 200 acres of wilderness.
We'll definitely have to agree to disagree!!!
I can live anywhere I choose. I choose to make my primary residence in Dallas because I like it. Plus, it's has no state tax. I also own properties in San Diego, CA, Asheville, NC and Manhattan in NYC.
Good for you on the PhD in physics. Which school?
What law school are you attending, and what year are you in?
I know a fellow in Omaha that is a graduate of the University of Nebraska. I haven't had the chance to ask him if he ever regretted going to UNL instead of attending some prestigious school like Yale or Harvard. In a recent report to stockholders of his company I believe he had a handful of Harvard and Yale graduates working for him but they were working for a graduate of UNL. To get exact numbers on that I suppose EDGAR has the latest reports on Berkshire/Hathaway.
Well, My mother who came from a small town school managed to teach me Polish, German and Norwegian, and I'm younger than you are, that I can almost guarantee. And do you remember Mattpoulsen and his Ph.Ds in Law and Physics, and by the way, I can easily out smart most of the people in this country in geography.
Good for you and your mother! But I thought we were talking about teachers teaching students in classrooms...
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