Should I Be Worried About Public School? (teenage, game, boy)
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You're losing my sympathy with the whole "Europeans are so smart and Americans are so dumb" bit. I'll still give you this general piece of advice though. Pay close attention to what your child is being taught at school and continue his or her education at home.
There is little damage that even a bad public school can do to your child that you can not undo with good parenting and perhaps even use as a learning situation for your child. I'm assuming you do not intend to raise an automaton here so teaching your child to overcome any limitations you see in the standard public school environment may actually give him or her a leg up later on in life. I am also assuming that the public school in question is not the type that will put your child in any physical danger such as one of those inner city schools where you see students acting like zoo animals on youtube videos or something.
But you still aren't including ALL of your students. Do your special needs students, those that have little cognitive function, can't feed themselves, etc. take those tests, no....not to mention that other countries pick which scores they submit. The methodology is flawed.
There are several areas of the US that outscore most of the other countries as well. MN and MA rank in the top worldwide in science and math. Given that Finland has the same population as MN and is smaller than MA, the comparison is pretty accurate, both states outrank Finaland...
Does the US include their special need students that have such low cognitive function that they can't feed themselves? Most special needs students are mainstreamed here so they are included (in fact most students receive some kind of special education). Students are picked randomly.
I used to be rather down on the public school idea as well, though my wife was comfortable with it. So when kindergarten was looming, we compromised and toured both the local elementary school and the private Christian school that would have been my first choice. To be honest, we both came away impressed with both of them. What finally tipped the scale to the public school was the wider range of resources available, as well as the fact that it's a neighborhood school, so our kids would get to know other kids in the immediate area. (The private school was located farther away outside of our area.)
My kids are just finishing up 3rd grade and 1st grade, respectively. Though there have been a few hiccups, on the whole I've been very pleased with their school. I don't regret our choice.
We will revisit this question again when it comes time to pick a middle school, and then again for high school.
OP, why is your husband opposed to home schooling? Do you work outside of the home, and he doesn't want to lose the income you bring in? Or is there some other reason?
Lastly, I will say this: there is a strong correlation between the quality of a school and the median household income of the students who go there. One can argue the "fairness" of this point until you're blue in the face, but it is what it is.
Are their any charter or magnet schools in your area? If you are uncomfortable with the idea of a traditional public school, charters and magnets might be good alternatives. Of course, you'd need to do a bit of research because as with any type of school, there are some good and some bad, but they are often "speciality schools" (ie STEM, humanities, etc.) or focus on different types of pedagogy (project-based learning, classical methods, etc.) that may appeal to you more than a regular public school.
I have a 2 year old and am growing increasingly worried that public school will squash who she is and what her potentials are to truly thrive in this world. I guess you can say I've read up quite a bit on the successes of homeschooling. Nevermind that my husband won't let me discuss the idea of homeschooling. So, please help me find the good in public schools. My daughter is being raised multilingual and just has this amazing sociable personality. I feel as though I would have fun learning with her as I also teach her about the world. At only age 2 she has already explored quite a bit and has a great understanding of how things work, for a 2 year old that is. She loves to be in motion. Of course, most kids do. So I continue to question how children must sit in a classroom and learn rather than being kinesthetic learners.
Please remind me, what is so great about public school? And don't try to use the argument: "She'll be able to socialize more." There are homeschooling groups in my area that meet up regularly as well where she could make friends. She already loves talking to kids of any age at the playground and adults too!
I'm with you. I consider it child neglect to put a kid in public schools. Find a private school. And "socializing" is BS. It really means "learning how to manipulate your way to success in a mob of savages".
I'm with you. I consider it child neglect to put a kid in public schools. Find a private school. And "socializing" is BS. It really means "learning how to manipulate your way to success in a mob of savages".
That is a gross overstatement. My condolences on living in such a sh!tty community.
That is a gross overstatement. My condolences on living in such a sh!tty community.
He probably doesn't live in a bad place. Some people don't have the opportunity to be a snob (not sure why you'd want to be anyway), and dissing the public schools is the closest chance they have.
I consider it child neglect to put a kid in public schools.
I agree. Three of my butlers' butlers went to public school and they are so stupid they never learned how to be born into an exceedingly wealthy and pretentious family. How's any sane human being supposed to purchase their quarterly yacht when their butlers' butlers went to PUBLIC SCHOOL??
My daughter is being raised multilingual and just has this amazing sociable personality. I feel as though I would have fun learning with her as I also teach her about the world. At only age 2 she has already explored quite a bit and has a great understanding of how things work, for a 2 year old that is. She loves to be in motion. Of course, most kids do.
You can still do all that with your daughter even if she attends public school.
You're letting a fear of the unknown rule your thoughts here rather than actual experience. Plus your kid is only 2. By the time she is enrolled, Common Core will be a distant memory.
When it's closer to time, research schools in YOUR area and visit them. Make an INFORMED decision, not one based off online articles written by pearl-clutchers.
I have attended public schools and taught in them, and in my experience the vast majority of teachers are truly dedicated to the job. School involves a lot more than "sitting in a desk."
I'm with you. I consider it child neglect to put a kid in public schools. Find a private school. And "socializing" is BS. It really means "learning how to manipulate your way to success in a mob of savages".
Typical Molotov cocktail comment thrown in.
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