Private School: mandatory, would be nice, or never? Why?

[ksinger]

Ksinger, in all fairness I'm responding to several posts at once here, not all of which were made by you. The stripper comment is from Cuso's thread from before xmas.

I will try to return later to give a more detailed answer, but essentially the class/demographic generalizations regarding student potential really bother me. Of course I am aware of what the research shows. I just don't think it is constructive to perpetuate the findings. After talking with some of the students with whom I've worked, I have been horrified by some of the stories these kids have told me about their teachers. Stories I believed because I have seen it firsthand. This "harmless" statistical knowledge that anyone working in education has no doubt learned about in grad school trickles down to teacher attitudes in many cases. I can't help but wonder if one reason this evidence is so strong is because the kids are beat down at home, and then at school, too. Of course they are at a disadvantage. Sending a kid to the principal's office everyday because you don't like the way they dress or a principal kicking them out of the high school when they turn eighteen because they are a "nuisance" is very sad.

It's possible I'm not forming my argument well here-I've had a terrible cold for the past week that has put me in a FOG. I'm really enjoying everyone's different perspectives, though. It's really interesting to see what the other teachers think.

Ah, here's a question. How many of you live in districts where kids are permitted to go to their school of choice to facilitate desegregation? We're experiencing problems with this here, argument being lack of parent/community involvement because many of the students are from out of district.

A bit overdue, but I wanted to respond to this, even if briefly. First, for the record, I don't think every kid is a gang-banger, or every parent a crack addict. I know several people would like to attribute that to me by my one eye-rolling comment in response to the DUH type of observation that "kids do better in a safe and supportive environment". If I was commenting on anything it was the fact that too many kids have parents who don't provide that, nor do they provide the environment - ala my post of the excerpt from that report - that most of us here consider essential and taken for granted - like reading to their children, or in some cases, even talking to them. It does hamper their development AND potential, and not to SEE that is to continue not to be able to serve them properly, and to continue pointing accusing fingers at education when these kids don't move progress as fast as some think they should.

If people here have been honest in saying, "I'm sending my kid to private/better public, because that one is dangerous", then let's be honest and admit that dangerous schools DO exist, and it isn't because certain teachers can't leave their prejudices out of the classroom. The schools and the kids in them, are a reflection of the community in which they exist.

I don't see that attitude of disrespect you are talking about where we are as much as giving some kids TOO many chances. To the point of ridiculousness. I won't elaborate further, because I'm likely not supposed to know some of the stuff I do. Let's just say that bending over backwards to "help" these kids, can turn be turned into hindrance in the long-term.

 

[Dancing Fire]

[quote="CUSO|1293727287You know, I come here to talk about all of the expensive things that I have that I could never tell to my friends or my wifes friends. Trust me, if they thought we spent 20k+ on a watch, or dont even get me started on the 2ct (each) matched pair of fancy blue near flawless diamonds that we recently acquired, and are unset (pics will be posted, they are in the safety deposit box) that we will have to tell them are fake, they would not be friends for long. I come here because everyone is so nonjudgemental . I dont really even care to have great stuff for me, but the entire reason I quest for "world class" items, is because I dont want to leave my daughters with a big bag of crap when I die. Of couse my wife and I enjoy the things we have, but we do it so they get the good stuff. I am sure people collect for different reasons, but that is my main reason. Let me also say how proud of my wife I am. She wears a Patek Philippe watch to work every day. One of her coworkers got a Tag watch for christmas and everyone was fawning over how lucky she was and how gorgeous it was. Nobody has yet to notice my wifes watch. It is our secret and we like that. In the real world we flaunt nothing. She finnaly got tired of understated and wanted some bling and I got her the whiteflash earrings. You can believe me or not, nobody knows about our finances in the real world. This is the place to talk about things like expensive luxuries.
Now if you want public schools, great, good for you. If I want to spend silly ammounts of money to send the kids to private school, good for me.
This board is called PRICESCOPE, what do we discuss, PRICES. Since it is pretty anonymous I feel OK about it. I am lucky I did not attach my LUXURY BLOG to my posts because you guys attack, rather than chat.[/quote]

i wanna BRAG...

my GF bought me a S/S Rolex DJ Rolex for my 18th birthday...
bought a 18K day/date Rolex at 33...
bought a 18K Patek Philippe at 40...
bought a 18K Lange at 45...

now at 52 i'm broke!!...

 

[Dancing Fire]

This board is called PRICESCOPE, what do we discuss, PRICES. Since it is pretty anonymous I feel OK about it. I am lucky I did not attach my LUXURY BLOG to my posts because you guys attack, rather than chat.

please do... you know what they say...it ain't "BRAGGING" if you got it...

 

[Dancing Fire]

CUSO...we need a "bragging thread"...

 

[HollyS]

Somewhere in this discussion, Haven said that if you want to make a difference, become a teacher - hear, hear!

Last Spring, the district I work in had this ad for a middle school math teacher position:

***Qualifications: The successful candidate must have
appropriate certification and be highly qualified to teach
mathematics. Preference will be given to candidates with an
ESL endorsement. Additionally, knowledge about This We
Believe, Turning Points, Breaking Ranks in the Middle, and
Service Learning is desired. Position Description: XXXX
Public Schools is seeking a dynamic, experienced and
innovative mathematics teacher to be part of a 6/7 looping
team at XXX Middle School. XXXX serves a diverse
population of 500 students with a staff of 80. The
successful candidate will demonstrate the following
qualifications: Masters degree in education, mathematics or
related area; Willing to work as part of an
interdisciplinary looping team; Demonstrated experience
working with research-based best practices and NCTM
standards;; Skillful at curriculum integration and able to
engage students in authentic learning experiences;
Experience working with disadvantaged youth, including
students from poverty and ELL students; and Willingness to
collaborate with parents and staff to improve learning for
all students.***

I think most would agree that's quite the job description.
Starting Salary assuming your fresh out of college with that masters degree? $33,669

If you have 10 years experience, the range would be from $45K to $53K. So who is going to step up to do this once we purge all the bad teachers? Oh yeah, but you get the summer off. That's when you'll be taking courses/workshops in curriculum integration, ELL certification, Service Learning, etc. Private school teachers typically make less than public school teachers, with fewer benefits. For some, the intangibles of parental support and selected students make it worth their while.

How about requiring them to simply 'know' what they're teaching, and making sure they have the ability to teach it? Forget all the gobbledy-gook and foo-foo of special 'programs' and curriculums The US ranks very low in basic math skills compared to the rest of the world. And you can't a quantum physics genius create if you don't teach him basic math first.

THAT, my friends, is the problem with education in this country. Foo-foo.

 

[Dancing Fire]

He's trying to impress us, I think.

I can't keep reading Cuso's posts because then I will say what I think and I'll get another admin warning . . .

I will say this, though, Cuso; only $700K? That won't buy a guest house in my neighborhood.

Plus I'm one of those extreme lefties you mentioned earlier.

ETA - and parents' involvement matters a lot as well. Regardless of where the kid goes to school, the kid NEEDS to know the parent(s) support him/her. Be sure you're taking your child to the library and doing crafts and stuff. You are doing that, right? Ah, the wonderful days of weekly visits to the library to hear stories read. Now my kids each have their own library card and order the books they want right online and we visit the library to pick them up. They're so funny that they insist on each having their own card.[/quo



I try to impress nobody. If anything I would hope you would be impressed with the sacrifice me and my wife are willing to make to give our daughters the best possible education available (according to us of course). Just because I said what it would take to get my kids the education that I see fit, I.e, 18k per year or moving to a 700k home. These are facts. 1 thing I learned on this board is that there is so much resentment to money around here. My wife is a lawyer, I owned a mortagage company and now own sev appartment buildings, but you would never know it. When my wife or I buy something extravagant we tell our friends our parents bought it for us, because we learned the hard way, people resent, when you have more money than them. This is a pretty anonymous board, so nobody knows me, I figured it was a good a place as anybto be open and honest and get honest opinions. Not just lefty jiberish. An if i were trying to impress you I would go to the safety deposit box and show you the good stuff, or show you the picture of me wearing a 60k watch wearing a 300 shirt in Dubai sitting in my Ferrari.

Cuso play nice!!!! I held back the other day when you named S. Palin and A.Coulter as 2 of your 3 most admired women of this century. It took a lot of self restraint not to be sarcastic with your answers..and out of RESPECT, I stayed shut. So I think you should be respectful of the PS rules where we aren't allowed to discuss politics or religion.

i want to add Holly S to that list...

 

[HollyS]

DF - - my biggest fan!

I'm trying to be low key about my political choices, and you keep bringing it up. Shush. I've finally got ksinger talking to me. Don't screw up my newfound PS mojo.

 

[Dancing Fire]

DF - - my biggest fan!

I'm trying to be low key about my political choices, and you keep bringing it up. Shush. I've finally got ksinger talking to me. Don't screw up my newfound PS mojo.

i love Karen even though we will never agree on political issues.

 

[CUSO]

DF please tell me you still have the DJ and wear it...

 

[Dancing Fire]

DF please tell me you still have the DJ and wear it...

i wish...the watch was loss in robbery... wore that watch for 18 yrs w/o an overhaul and it was still running fine.

 

[Mara]

To answer the original question... maybe... or never.

I went to public school and private school throughout my school years. 2 public, 2 private. My parents wasted their money on at least one of the private schools. I was on-schedule when I went in and behind when I graduated 8th grade and had to take summer school to catch up--then took summer school the following year to get ahead.

It really depends on the school and the district.

You mention you have the option to buy a more expensive house in a top school district. This is what my parents did for my 2 younger sisters. They also resold that house 10 years later after the youngest graduated for 3x what they paid.

Many people just flat out think private is better. That isn't always the case.

My Mom is a public school teacher in an underprivileged area and has been teaching for 30+ years. She often deals with parents who are in jail, on drugs, or simply just don't care. She deals with students who have unstable home lives, threadbare clothes or not enough food to eat. Her students have come back to her years later thanking her for being such a wonderful influence on them even though they only spend one year with her. It's not simply about the curriculum. It's about the heart and soul that many teachers put into their jobs, whether it's public or private.

 

[Maria D]

How about requiring them to simply 'know' what they're teaching, and making sure they have the ability to teach it? Forget all the gobbledy-gook and foo-foo of special 'programs' and curriculums The US ranks very low in basic math skills compared to the rest of the world. And you can't a quantum physics genius create if you don't teach him basic math first.

THAT, my friends, is the problem with education in this country. Foo-foo.

Yes, I totally agree HollyS and Imdanny. As a math teacher I am forever hearing about how we need to reform the way we teach, creating authentic experiences, differentiating instruction, incorporating technology...but when I watched "Waiting for Superman" I saw teachers at a successful charter school in Harlem teaching fractions the same old-fashioned way I learned it -- with pie charts drawn on a board.

Funny -- I thought that you snipped my original post because my pet peeve about that job description was missing! I originally wrote a longer post and commented on this item but I ended up cutting it out of the original post and then deleted the comment. So here it is:

Demonstrated experience
working with research-based best practices and NCTM
standards; ***Adept at differentiated instruction to teach all
students ranging from struggling to gifted in the same
class;*** Skillful at curriculum integration ....

Umm yeah, let's have hetereogeneous groupings with the struggling and the gifted in the same class and then decide that the teacher is a failure when all students aren't learning to their full potential. Do you think the countries that are kicking our ass in math performance are doing this? I'm sure they're not!

 

[that_someone_special]

Um, HOLY CRUD....

I'm just going to say, I also own a 58.5 carat D IF pendant. I'd show you pictures but I can't work my camera. And I don't have the internet. And the computer broke. And then when I went to get it from the safe, I couldn't remember the combo. Now I have to wait for a locksmith. But I lost my phone....
Not like anyone has to prove anything, but why brag about things and then not show them? jeez

 

[Kaleigh]

To answer the original question... maybe... or never.

I went to public school and private school throughout my school years. 2 public, 2 private. My parents wasted their money on at least one of the private schools. I was on-schedule when I went in and behind when I graduated 8th grade and had to take summer school to catch up--then took summer school the following year to get ahead.

It really depends on the school and the district.

You mention you have the option to buy a more expensive house in a top school district. This is what my parents did for my 2 younger sisters. They also resold that house 10 years later after the youngest graduated for 3x what they paid.

Many people just flat out think private is better. That isn't always the case.

My Mom is a public school teacher in an underprivileged area and has been teaching for 30+ years. She often deals with parents who are in jail, on drugs, or simply just don't care. She deals with students who have unstable home lives, threadbare clothes or not enough food to eat. Her students have come back to her years later thanking her for being such a wonderful influence on them even though they only spend one year with her. It's not simply about the curriculum. It's about the heart and soul that many teachers put into their jobs, whether it's public or private.

This!!!

Mara your Mom is the best of the best, god bless her.

 

[violet3]

I support public schooling and disagree with the "idea" of public schooling in general. Both of my parents were public school teachers, and for some time, so was my sister. I am not saying that the cirriculum at a private school might not be better - in many cases, I'm sure that it is. Having said that, I believe very firmly that if the amount of private money that was invested in private schooling was invested in public schooling, the public system would thrive in a way it has not been able to before.

 

[violet3]

I support public schooling and disagree with the "idea" of public schooling in general. Both of my parents were public school teachers, and for some time, so was my sister. I am not saying that the cirriculum at a private school might not be better - in many cases, I'm sure that it is. Having said that, I believe very firmly that if the amount of private money that was invested in private schooling was invested in public schooling, the public system would thrive in a way it has not been able to before.

sorry! i meant private schooling above - I'm tired!

 

[ksinger]

Somewhere in this discussion, Haven said that if you want to make a difference, become a teacher - hear, hear!

Last Spring, the district I work in had this ad for a middle school math teacher position:

***Qualifications: The successful candidate must have
appropriate certification and be highly qualified to teach
mathematics. Preference will be given to candidates with an
ESL endorsement. Additionally, knowledge about This We
Believe, Turning Points, Breaking Ranks in the Middle, and
Service Learning is desired. Position Description: XXXX
Public Schools is seeking a dynamic, experienced and
innovative mathematics teacher to be part of a 6/7 looping
team at XXX Middle School. XXXX serves a diverse
population of 500 students with a staff of 80. The
successful candidate will demonstrate the following
qualifications: Masters degree in education, mathematics or
related area; Willing to work as part of an
interdisciplinary looping team; Demonstrated experience
working with research-based best practices and NCTM
standards;; Skillful at curriculum integration and able to
engage students in authentic learning experiences;
Experience working with disadvantaged youth, including
students from poverty and ELL students; and Willingness to
collaborate with parents and staff to improve learning for
all students.***

I think most would agree that's quite the job description.
Starting Salary assuming your fresh out of college with that masters degree? $33,669

If you have 10 years experience, the range would be from $45K to $53K. So who is going to step up to do this once we purge all the bad teachers? Oh yeah, but you get the summer off. That's when you'll be taking courses/workshops in curriculum integration, ELL certification, Service Learning, etc. Private school teachers typically make less than public school teachers, with fewer benefits. For some, the intangibles of parental support and selected students make it worth their while.

I know I responded to this earlier, but I just read the job description and the "who is going to step up" comment to my husband. Who shot back, "Oh, they'll just dummy up a few of the qualifications so that they can hire Troops To Teachers guys." The one that his school hired washed out after 3 quarters - couldn't control the class. I guess running the motor pool didn't prepare him for 9th graders.

Either that or you could hire a new Teach For America person every 2 years, since educational "management" has started to warm up to the constant turnover model.

 

[ksinger]

Here it is. All we need to do is follow the model set by Shanghai. Problem solved.

Shanghai Schools’ Approach Pushes Students to Top of Tests
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/30/world/asia/30shanghai.html?pagewanted=2&ref=general&src=me

 

[CUSO]

Here it is. All we need to do is follow the model set by Shanghai. Problem solved.

Shanghai Schools’ Approach Pushes Students to Top of Tests
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/30/world/asia/30shanghai.html?pagewanted=2&ref=general&src=me

That is all good, but are you discounting the cutural difference which may play a factor, and the fact that it is a homogenious population who share the same culture which makes it less complicated in the classroom?

 

[Autumnovember]

CUSO...we need a "bragging thread"...

Still want pics of all the other limited AP's? I stopped posting them because it seemed some people.....nevermind.

 

[Autumnovember]

He's trying to impress us, I think.

I can't keep reading Cuso's posts because then I will say what I think and I'll get another admin warning . . .

I will say this, though, Cuso; only $700K? That won't buy a guest house in my neighborhood.

Plus I'm one of those extreme lefties you mentioned earlier.

ETA - and parents' involvement matters a lot as well. Regardless of where the kid goes to school, the kid NEEDS to know the parent(s) support him/her. Be sure you're taking your child to the library and doing crafts and stuff. You are doing that, right? Ah, the wonderful days of weekly visits to the library to hear stories read. Now my kids each have their own library card and order the books they want right online and we visit the library to pick them up. They're so funny that they insist on each having their own card.[/quo



I try to impress nobody. If anything I would hope you would be impressed with the sacrifice me and my wife are willing to make to give our daughters the best possible education available (according to us of course). Just because I said what it would take to get my kids the education that I see fit, I.e, 18k per year or moving to a 700k home. These are facts. 1 thing I learned on this board is that there is so much resentment to money around here. My wife is a lawyer, I owned a mortagage company and now own sev appartment buildings, but you would never know it. When my wife or I buy something extravagant we tell our friends our parents bought it for us, because we learned the hard way, people resent, when you have more money than them. This is a pretty anonymous board, so nobody knows me, I figured it was a good a place as anybto be open and honest and get honest opinions. Not just lefty jiberish. An if i were trying to impress you I would go to the safety deposit box and show you the good stuff, or show you the picture of me wearing a 60k watch wearing a 300 shirt in Dubai sitting in my Ferrari.

I don't think you're understanding something here, Cuso. Bragging here is what we do but the difference is we do it in a tasteful way. I think the WAY you do it is what may be rubbing some people the wrong way. Keep in mind that there is always going to be someone with bigger and better things. I can tell you right now that there are people on this forum that would blow you out of the water with the amount of money they have. Go to your safety deposit box and show us those items. I'm sure many of us would love to see your 60k watch...this is a diamond forum and obviously we share a common love for luxurious things.

SO has about 8-10 watches, each over 60K. Oh, and a ferrari? No big deal, CUSO. SO has an Audi R8 twin turbo and a ton custom work done. If you haven't noticed, this is me bragging in a -distasteful- way....similar to what you've been doing.


Don't underestimate the amount of money people have on this forum...it's probably the worst thing you can do.

 

[CUSO]

He's trying to impress us, I think.

I can't keep reading Cuso's posts because then I will say what I think and I'll get another admin warning . . .

I will say this, though, Cuso; only $700K? That won't buy a guest house in my neighborhood.

Plus I'm one of those extreme lefties you mentioned earlier.

ETA - and parents' involvement matters a lot as well. Regardless of where the kid goes to school, the kid NEEDS to know the parent(s) support him/her. Be sure you're taking your child to the library and doing crafts and stuff. You are doing that, right? Ah, the wonderful days of weekly visits to the library to hear stories read. Now my kids each have their own library card and order the books they want right online and we visit the library to pick them up. They're so funny that they insist on each having their own card.[/quo



I try to impress nobody. If anything I would hope you would be impressed with the sacrifice me and my wife are willing to make to give our daughters the best possible education available (according to us of course). Just because I said what it would take to get my kids the education that I see fit, I.e, 18k per year or moving to a 700k home. These are facts. 1 thing I learned on this board is that there is so much resentment to money around here. My wife is a lawyer, I owned a mortagage company and now own sev appartment buildings, but you would never know it. When my wife or I buy something extravagant we tell our friends our parents bought it for us, because we learned the hard way, people resent, when you have more money than them. This is a pretty anonymous board, so nobody knows me, I figured it was a good a place as anybto be open and honest and get honest opinions. Not just lefty jiberish. An if i were trying to impress you I would go to the safety deposit box and show you the good stuff, or show you the picture of me wearing a 60k watch wearing a 300 shirt in Dubai sitting in my Ferrari.

I don't think you're understanding something here, Cuso. Bragging here is what we do but the difference is we do it in a tasteful way. I think the WAY you do it is what may be rubbing some people the wrong way. Keep in mind that there is always going to be someone with bigger and better things. I can tell you right now that there are people on this forum that would blow you out of the water with the amount of money they have. Go to your safety deposit box and show us those items. I'm sure many of us would love to see your 60k watch...this is a diamond forum and obviously we share a common love for luxurious things.

SO has about 8-10 watches, each over 60K. Oh, and a ferrari? No big deal, CUSO. SO has an Audi R8 twin turbo and a ton custom work done. If you haven't noticed, this is me bragging in a -distasteful- way....similar to what you've been doing.


Don't underestimate the amount of money people have on this forum...it's probably the worst thing you can do.

I am done after this, people here are so nasty.

1)I mentioned my wife was a lawyer when someone asked what she does when I was searching for earrings.
2) i mentiond I owned a company when Danny thought it was weird that I only liked college educated working women, and since I dont work he though it weird
3) I said i either have to pay 18k or move to a 700k home to get the education I want for my kids. It is a fact.
4) or show you the picture of me wearing a 60k watch wearing a 300 shirt in Dubai sitting in my Ferrari, this was a joke in refference to Danny.

What have I said that has been tasteless? Everything I said was asked or inquired about.

 

[Autumnovember]

He's trying to impress us, I think.

I can't keep reading Cuso's posts because then I will say what I think and I'll get another admin warning . . .

I will say this, though, Cuso; only $700K? That won't buy a guest house in my neighborhood.

Plus I'm one of those extreme lefties you mentioned earlier.

ETA - and parents' involvement matters a lot as well. Regardless of where the kid goes to school, the kid NEEDS to know the parent(s) support him/her. Be sure you're taking your child to the library and doing crafts and stuff. You are doing that, right? Ah, the wonderful days of weekly visits to the library to hear stories read. Now my kids each have their own library card and order the books they want right online and we visit the library to pick them up. They're so funny that they insist on each having their own card.[/quo



I try to impress nobody. If anything I would hope you would be impressed with the sacrifice me and my wife are willing to make to give our daughters the best possible education available (according to us of course). Just because I said what it would take to get my kids the education that I see fit, I.e, 18k per year or moving to a 700k home. These are facts. 1 thing I learned on this board is that there is so much resentment to money around here. My wife is a lawyer, I owned a mortagage company and now own sev appartment buildings, but you would never know it. When my wife or I buy something extravagant we tell our friends our parents bought it for us, because we learned the hard way, people resent, when you have more money than them. This is a pretty anonymous board, so nobody knows me, I figured it was a good a place as anybto be open and honest and get honest opinions. Not just lefty jiberish. An if i were trying to impress you I would go to the safety deposit box and show you the good stuff, or show you the picture of me wearing a 60k watch wearing a 300 shirt in Dubai sitting in my Ferrari.

I don't think you're understanding something here, Cuso. Bragging here is what we do but the difference is we do it in a tasteful way. I think the WAY you do it is what may be rubbing some people the wrong way. Keep in mind that there is always going to be someone with bigger and better things. I can tell you right now that there are people on this forum that would blow you out of the water with the amount of money they have. Go to your safety deposit box and show us those items. I'm sure many of us would love to see your 60k watch...this is a diamond forum and obviously we share a common love for luxurious things.

SO has about 8-10 watches, each over 60K. Oh, and a ferrari? No big deal, CUSO. SO has an Audi R8 twin turbo and a ton custom work done. If you haven't noticed, this is me bragging in a -distasteful- way....similar to what you've been doing.


Don't underestimate the amount of money people have on this forum...it's probably the worst thing you can do.

I am done after this, people here are so nasty.

1)I mentioned my wife was a lawyer when someone asked what she does when I was searching for earrings.
2) i mentiond I owned a company when Danny thought it was weird that I only liked college educated working women, and since I dont work he though it weird
3) I said i either have to pay 18k or move to a 700k home to get the education I want for my kids. It is a fact.
4) or show you the picture of me wearing a 60k watch wearing a 300 shirt in Dubai sitting in my Ferrari, this was a joke in refference to Danny.

What have I said that has been tasteless? Everything I said was asked or inquired about.

Cuso, I'm pointing out to you that we *LOVE* luxurious things and we would *LOVE* to see your arsenal of beautiful watches/diamonds. WE LIKE THAT. I'm not going to go through your posts to point out what has been tasteless...just look back and read them and I think you'll see it.

There is nothing wrong with talking about your occupation...many people here are lawyers and I was not referring to your statement about her being a lawyer at all. I didn't even know she was a lawyer.

I'm also telling you not to underestimate the amount of $$$$ people have here.

When you decided to call people names, did you think it was going to benefit you?

I'm sure you have some great things to add to this forum---I would just watch how you go about saying the things you want to say.

 

[CUSO]

Cuso, I'm pointing out to you that we *LOVE* luxurious things and we would *LOVE* to see your arsenal of beautiful watches/diamonds. WE LIKE THAT. I'm not going to go through your posts to point out what has been tasteless...just look back and read them and I think you'll see it.

There is nothing wrong with talking about your occupation...many people here are lawyers and I was not referring to your statement about her being a lawyer at all. I didn't even know she was a lawyer.

I'm also telling you not to underestimate the amount of $$$$ people have here.

When you decided to call people names, did you think it was going to benefit you?

I'm sure you have some great things to add to this forum---I would just watch how you go about saying the things you want to say.[/quote]


So frustrating, I am sure I have posted more photos than most people here. Search is your friend. I am so glad my posts have finally given you the ability to blurt out your finances which I am sure you were dying to do, just waiting for a chance. I have never underestimated anyone, where have I done that? I am not judgemental, unlike some.... If I am name calling? Mods ban me immediately!!!!!!

 

[TravelingGal]

<-------------------------------

 

[ksinger]

Here it is. All we need to do is follow the model set by Shanghai. Problem solved.

Shanghai Schools’ Approach Pushes Students to Top of Tests
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/30/world/asia/30shanghai.html?pagewanted=2&ref=general&src=me

That is all good, but are you discounting the cutural difference which may play a factor, and the fact that it is a homogenious population who share the same culture which makes it less complicated in the classroom?

Not that you should know just yet, being rather new here, but read enough of my posts on education (in this thread and going back several years) and you will KNOW that my comment was totally sardonic and absolutely dripping with irony.

 

[CUSO]

Here it is. All we need to do is follow the model set by Shanghai. Problem solved.

Shanghai Schools’ Approach Pushes Students to Top of Tests
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/30/world/asia/30shanghai.html?pagewanted=2&ref=general&src=me

That is all good, but are you discounting the cutural difference which may play a factor, and the fact that it is a homogenious population who share the same culture which makes it less complicated in the classroom?

Not that you should know just yet, being rather new here, but read enough of my posts on education (in this thread and going back several years) and you will KNOW that my comment was totally sardonic and absolutely dripping with irony.

Got it. You know I am not an expert on education, but I know some. When I got out of the Navy I started my Masters in Ed. I got 75% of the way through before I realized the system is crazy. I wanted to be that Male figure so many kids now dont have in their lives. I wanted to be their positive role model. Did not work that way, 2 incedents still sting me today.
1) I was teaching a business class at a high school. These 15 year old girls were talking about how they wanted to marry by 18 and have babies asap. I though this was an oportunity to fight. I sopke to them and told them dont think like that, wait till after college, give it time, dont worry about kids, etc etc. I though I gave good positive info. 1 week later the pricipal called me into the office telling me I had no business talking to these kids about when they should or should not marry or have children. Apparently one of the kids mentioned something to mom and they told the prin.
2) Then I decided to teach elementary. Evan as a Co teacher of a 1st grade class, many parents did not want a man teaching, I felt it and the class suffered. Not that I dont understand what the other parents were thinking, it just stunk.

 

[packrat]

I went to public school and I have a watch that has the pretty kitty that the bulldog wanted to keep from Looney Tunes on it. Thought I'd throw that out there.

We're on the fast track to just keeping our heads above water, so much as I'd like my kids to get some sort of kick ass make-em-brilliant-and-secure-their-future fancy pants edjoomahcashun it ain't never gonna happen. Here, the richies go to school w/the welfare kids and I guess people can look down on public schools as much as they like, but the Dr's and lawyers and accountants and business owners here, went to public schools. Private schools don't hold a monopoly on the best and the brightest, and just b/c your kids go to public school doesn't mean they're going to spend their lives making donuts and are destined to asking if the order should be supersized.

If a person can afford it and wants to do it, that's fabulous. It's not available to everyone, so it's a non issue to me.

 

[Haven]

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Scooch over please, I need a spot of wall.

 

[ksinger]

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Scooch over please, I need a spot of wall.

Post count dropper.