Re: OT: More Questions to ponder

Morgans wrote:

With the money you aren't spending on public education. 


No, that money has, by your own stipulation, all gone for tax relief.
You can't spend the same money twice.

Let me guess, you graduated from a public school, right? :-)


Yes, as a matter of fact I did. And your point would be...?

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Now I remember why you pissed me off before, Matt. Your positions on education.

Why don't you spend some of that energy to get changes made in public education? 

Because it is much more efficient and effective to support private schools.


We, at the high school level, can't understand why we are sent kids that can't read. We need the public to stop pressuring educators to keep the student with their own age group, when they are not succeeding. (among other things) They need to have remedial work done, now, as long as necessary, (at the expense of all of the other studies) to get them reading back up to speed. We can't teach, if they can't read!!! That takes small classes, or extra tutoring, since the parents are not doing their part in teaching them to read and study at home. My kids were reading before kindergarten, and that takes effort; one on one. Remediation and small classes takes solve these problems take more money, and better teachers. It also takes more money, to attract and keep the best teachers.

The best teachers I have seen work in private schools for less than half the money public school teachers are paid. Money isn't the problem. I agree that parents are a big part of the problem, but so is government run schools that take control away from parents. After 40 years of having less and less control over what happens in public schools, most parents simply have given up. It is the normal progession of a nanny state system.


I know, throwing money at it is not the cure. But have no doubt, it will take more money to fix the problems. 

I disagree.


Anyone who has any "smarts" that is thinking of becoming a teacher, I tell to turn, and run the other way. That is really, really sad. A worker in a furniture factory can make much better pay than me. That is *past* being really sad.

Yes, that is sad, I agree. However, throwing more money at a broken system won't fix it. I place the blame mainly on government bureaucrats, but the teacher's union is a close second.


All kids are not destined to be college graduates. Teach them how to read, do some math (not algebra) and a trade, and send them on. That is another problem, that some of the big wigs in the dept. of ed. can not seem to grasp. Make them grasp it.

I wish I could, but parents have less influence every year on the public school system. I do have influence at the private school my kids attend.


Private schools are better, (or appear to be) because they can kick kids out that do not behave. Public schools can not. We need to, but then some people point to high drop out rates that go up, because "kicked out" kids show up on the drop out rates, instead of the "kicked out" rates. (that don't exist, of course) Private schools can also get rid of kids that do not want to study. Public can't. They end up dropping out in public schools, because they are flunking. So let them. Too much emphasis is placed on "drop out rates." 

Yes, this is part of the problem.  How will more money fix this?


Private schools ought to be better, much better than they are, with all the advantages they get. Some good teachers stay in the private schools, with lower pay sometimes, because they don't have to fight discipline or motivation. I wish that were true in the public schools.

Likewise, but it isn't and likely never again will be. It once was before big government got involved. When public schools were funded by the local church or town, things were much different.


Damn, I said I was not going to participate in education arguments, but here I am again. I (like most teachers) really care about our kids, and the way things are, well, it just is not working. We need you, Matt, and many others, to get educated about education, and get things changed.

I did and I changed to supporting private schools. I've served as a board member, board president and volunteer as does my wife. We can actually influence the direction of our school. I never could do that at a public school.

Matt
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