Inner City Kid Given Oppurtunity to Escape Ghetto

[Simon]

Are you guys seriously lamenting the overprotective coddling of American kids while you talk about the inescapable necessity of insulating them from the general public by sending them to expensive private schools?

[Jim in Anchorage]

Are you guys seriously lamenting the overprotective coddling of American kids while you talk about the inescapable necessity of insulating them from the general public by sending them to expensive private schools?

I think it was more about quality of education, but my God, 15 grand for kindergarten? Are they fluent in 3 languages when they enter the 1st grade?

[ExiledInIllinois]

Are you guys seriously lamenting the overprotective coddling of American kids while you talk about the inescapable necessity of insulating them from the general public by sending them to expensive private schools?

 

Believe me... Come to my town... You wouldn't think a private school there was insulating them. Anything but. And that is not the reason we send them to a Catholic school. This ain't yuppiedom I live in.

 

[ExiledInIllinois]

I think it was more about quality of education, but my God, 15 grand for kindergarten? Are they fluent in 3 languages when they enter the 1st grade?

 

I know... 15 for one?

[IDBillzFan]

I think it was more about quality of education...

Shhhh...don't poke the bear. We all know what the topic was really about, but since everyone can't be a graduate of the Simon University of I'm Smarter Than You Dumbasses, it's best to just pretend like you agree with his amazing wisdom and he'll lurk back into his cave for a while.

 

And for what it's worth, while $15K is, relatively speaking, a lot of money for kindergarten, if it's worth it to you, and you can afford it, the how great is that? Imagine if you didn't have a choice? Imagine if there were only public schools and only teachers on tenure who could essentially only lose their job for screwing a student? So while the public school systems have a take-it-or-leave-it one-size-fits-all approach to education, hog-tied by a curriculum brought upon the students by the very people who can virtually never lose their job, the private sector...like most private offerings...have good-better-best options to address varying budgets.

 

On a slightly different scale, but in relative terms, you can use the earbuds that come with your Ipod, or you can upgrade to Bose noise reduction headphones for almost $300 a set. While most will use the earbuds, there will always be a market for the $300 Bose, as well as the good-better offerings in the middle. (And then, of course, there are the Simon headphones, which have the special ability to hear only what it wants while repeatedly whispering in your ears what a freaking moron you are.)

 

Wait for it. Wait for it.

[Magox]

Shhhh...don't poke the bear. We all know what the topic was really about, but since everyone can't be a graduate of the Simon University of I'm Smarter Than You Dumbasses, it's best to just pretend like you agree with his amazing wisdom and he'll lurk back into his cave for a while.

Now that's just funny

[Jim in Anchorage]

(And then, of course, there are the Simon headphones, which have the special ability to hear only what it wants while repeatedly whispering in your ears what a freaking moron you are.)

 

Wait for it. Wait for it.

Or in my case, that I have made racist post's[without providing examples, of course] But really, Rather then dumping $75,000 to get my kid to the 5th grade[ K-4] I would rather put the cash in a collage fund,and put them in a private school when they are a little older.

[Magox]

Or in my case, that I have made racist post's[without providing examples, of course] But really, Rather then dumping $75,000 to get my kid to the 5th grade[ K-4] I would rather put the cash in a collage fund,and put them in a private school when they are a little older.

So you'd rather send money for an artsy fartsy fund for your kid as opposed to a private school?

[The Big Cat]

Shhhh...don't poke the bear. We all know what the topic was really about, but since everyone can't be a graduate of the Simon University of I'm Smarter Than You Dumbasses, it's best to just pretend like you agree with his amazing wisdom and he'll lurk back into his cave for a while.

 

And for what it's worth, while $15K is, relatively speaking, a lot of money for kindergarten, if it's worth it to you, and you can afford it, the how great is that? Imagine if you didn't have a choice? Imagine if there were only public schools and only teachers on tenure who could essentially only lose their job for screwing a student? So while the public school systems have a take-it-or-leave-it one-size-fits-all approach to education, hog-tied by a curriculum brought upon the students by the very people who can virtually never lose their job, the private sector...like most private offerings...have good-better-best options to address varying budgets.

 

On a slightly different scale, but in relative terms, you can use the earbuds that come with your Ipod, or you can upgrade to Bose noise reduction headphones for almost $300 a set. While most will use the earbuds, there will always be a market for the $300 Bose, as well as the good-better offerings in the middle. (And then, of course, there are the Simon headphones, which have the special ability to hear only what it wants while repeatedly whispering in your ears what a freaking moron you are.)

 

Wait for it. Wait for it.

 

You and Adams both have the luxury of living in, or near, a major metropolitan area. You, Southern California, he, Philadelphia.

 

Imagine for a second that you lived a bit beyond "civilization" and that there are no superlative private option(s) in your area(s), as is the case beyond the major-city limits throughout most of our country. Assuming, of course, that every last public school teacher in our country is a lazy, incompetent, bureaucratic drone, what would you do then?

[Jim in Anchorage]

So you'd rather send money for an artsy fartsy fund for your kid as opposed to a private school?

Not sure what you're getting at. When I said "collage fund" I meant any investment , not anything specific. Hell, invest in in the Red Army if they have a IPO and you think you can get good returns. $75,000 can do a lot of growing between 5-12.

Also I said put them in a PS when they are a little older.

[John Adams]

Or in my case, that I have made racist post's[without providing examples, of course] But really, Rather then dumping $75,000 to get my kid to the 5th grade[ K-4] I would rather put the cash in a collage fund,and put them in a private school when they are a little older.

 

And yet the early peer groups and desire to learn matter a hell of a lot. My neighbor sent his kid to the local supposedly very good (avg teacher pay 80K/year...decent college placements) public school through grade 6. He was a B student and did all his work. As college started lurking in the background, he and his parents decided to send him to a really good local private school. Kid went to the top local private school for 2 years and was a disaster. The parents cared but the kid had a toxic peer group of slackers left over from his public school days. They mocked him constantly for all his homework and he failed out. Less likely to find that in a top private school where the peer group actually cares about the academia. And yes, easy to blame his attitude on the parents but be honest: Once you pass a certain age...10-14 perhaps, parental influence means nil compared to peers. So I exercise my influence with the teachers on my side in grades K-5 or whatever, and as the peer influence starts to take over, I trust that all the peers she's been set up to be around help be a good guide. Will it work? Who the !@#$ knows? But I feel I have more influence on the process in a private school that I got to select from a menu of other schools than a public school with randomly selected kids, parents, teachers...and government programs.

 

The top Philly schools are all the same price. There are about 20 of them in the area, not counting the boarding schools. Now ask me: Could I afford 2 such tuitions? Ugh, who knows. But I have one child so it's easier.

 

As to college, I see little value in the middle tier schools. If you don't get into an Ivy-ish school and the network of academia and contacts that gets you (which is worth a lot...not necessarily to become a successful millionaire but just to help you do what you want, be it a concert pianist to NASA engineer), you're way better off at a local state school where you can save a lot of money and be exposed to great teachers. If you're already a good student, you can get a ton out of a good state school and if you're already a slacker, you'll continue to be that. The middle tier schools like a Davidson that cost as much as Princeton (50K/year) but have nowhere near the academic chops are an utter waste of money.

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

And yet the early peer groups and desire to learn matter a hell of a lot. My neighbor sent his kid to the local supposedly very good (avg teacher pay 80K/year...decent college placements) public school through grade 6. He was a B student and did all his work. As college started lurking in the background, he and his parents decided to send him to a really good local private school. Kid went to the top local private school for 2 years and was a disaster. The parents cared but the kid had a toxic peer group of slackers left over from his public school days. They mocked him constantly for all his homework and he failed out. Less likely to find that in a top private school where the peer group actually cares about the academia. And yes, easy to blame his attitude on the parents but be honest: Once you pass a certain age...10-14 perhaps, parental influence means nil compared to peers. So I exercise my influence with the teachers on my side in grades K-5 or whatever, and as the peer influence starts to take over, I trust that all the peers she's been set up to be around help be a good guide. Will it work? Who the !@#$ knows? But I feel I have more influence on the process in a private school that I got to select from a menu of other schools than a public school with randomly selected kids, parents, teachers...and government programs.

 

The top Philly schools are all the same price. There are about 20 of them in the area, not counting the boarding schools. Now ask me: Could I afford 2 such tuitions? Ugh, who knows. But I have one child so it's easier.

 

As to college, I see little value in the middle tier schools. If you don't get into an Ivy-ish school and the network of academia and contacts that gets you (which is worth a lot...not necessarily to become a successful millionaire but just to help you do what you want, be it a concert pianist to NASA engineer), you're way better off at a local state school where you can save a lot of money and be exposed to great teachers. If you're already a good student, you can get a ton out of a good state school and if you're already a slacker, you'll continue to be that. The middle tier schools like a Davidson that cost as much as Princeton (50K/year) but have nowhere near the academic chops are an utter waste of money.

 

Not to mention, the kid can finance their own college education. I'm of the opinion that it's my job to get her ready for college, and what she does beyond then is her decision.

 

Good call on the colleges, too. If you want to be a teacher, go to your state university system (i.e. Kutztown in PA or Buff State). You'll become part of the mindless educational machine without nearly as much cost.

[IDBillzFan]

You and Adams both have the luxury of living in, or near, a major metropolitan area. You, Southern California, he, Philadelphia.

 

Imagine for a second that you lived a bit beyond "civilization" and that there are no superlative private option(s) in your area(s), as is the case beyond the major-city limits throughout most of our country. Assuming, of course, that every last public school teacher in our country is a lazy, incompetent, bureaucratic drone, what would you do then?

I was raised in an area more than just a bit beyond civilization, so you're asking the wrong person. Second, you ask stupid questions filled with extreme samplings that make it easy for you to cherry pick your argument and take the discussion off in 37 different directions, so I'm reluctant to have this conversation with you. What I will tell you is that I was raised in Bumfkuk, Nowhere, chose to leave the area and attend college, which meant working up to three jobs at once while attending classes fulltime(as my family had no money), moved to where the work was whenever it was required. Ultimately I was living in an okay part of SoCal, but after getting married and realizing we may have children, we saved and saved and moved to an area that would offer them the best chance at a better life.

 

So again, you're asking the wrong question, because living "a bit beyond civilization" (and then some) was never, ever an option for me once I was on my own.

[The Big Cat]

I was raised in an area more than just a bit beyond civilization, so you're asking the wrong person. Second, you ask stupid questions filled with extreme samplings that make it easy for you to cherry pick your argument and take the discussion off in 37 different directions, so I'm reluctant to have this conversation with you. What I will tell you is that I was raised in Bumfkuk, Nowhere, chose to leave the area and attend college, which meant working up to three jobs at once while attending classes fulltime(as my family had no money), moved to where the work was whenever it was required. Ultimately I was living in an okay part of SoCal, but after getting married and realizing we may have children, we saved and saved and moved to an area that would offer them the best chance at a better life.

 

So again, you're asking the wrong question, because living "a bit beyond civilization" (and then some) was never, ever an option for me once I was on my own.

 

God forbid you imagine a hypothetical. And where your parents chose to raise you does not qualify as a hypothetical since we're talking about where YOU insist YOUR children will or won't attend schools.

[keepthefaith]

I call bull **** on that. It just sounds good for the people who love to crow about "pussification of America."

 

No kid just stands there and lets himself get the crap kicked out of him for fear of punishment--even if the punishment is real. When you have a fist coming at your face, the last thing you're thinnking about is a trip to the Principal for defending yourself.

 

I agree with you, but the statements in the other article say otherwise. Self preservation would trump everything else.

[Magox]

Not sure what you're getting at. When I said "collage fund" I meant any investment , not anything specific. Hell, invest in in the Red Army if they have a IPO and you think you can get good returns. $75,000 can do a lot of growing between 5-12.

Also I said put them in a PS when they are a little older.

Well, you said, ahhh nevermind.....

[DC Tom]

God forbid you imagine a hypothetical. And where your parents chose to raise you does not qualify as a hypothetical since we're talking about where YOU insist YOUR children will or won't attend schools.

 

One need not consider a hypothetical when it's a preternaturally stupid as the one you put forth.

[The Big Cat]

One need not consider a hypothetical when it's a preternaturally stupid as the one you put forth.

 

Living in an area deprived of top-notch private schools is a stupid hypothetical?

[DC Tom]

Living in an area deprived of top-notch private schools is a stupid hypothetical?

 

"Assuming, of course, that every last public school teacher in our country is a lazy, incompetent, bureaucratic drone,"

 

[The Big Cat]

"Assuming, of course, that every last public school teacher in our country is a lazy, incompetent, bureaucratic drone,"

 

 

As a side note, no one should send their kids to public schools.

 

 

Maybe those big classes are probably part of the reason for that generation being such an utter cluster!@#$ of selfishness and irresponsibility.

 

 

Nope. That would be the douche baggery of the liberal campaign to put "self esteem" above "personal responsibility".

 

Congrats on that win, morons.

 

Everybody plays, everybody wins. Thought it was stupid before I had a child. Drives me batschit looney now that I do have one.

 

"Hey, I have an idea. To prepare our children for the real world, let's start them off early by letting them think that no one loses."

 

Fuggin' idiots.

 

If I had a kid now I wouldn't let them within a mile of a public school. It's pretty much the equivalent of feeding them paint chips and dip as a daily snack.

 

I just can't stomach the idea of letting the public system manage his education. It's unfortunate that the education unions have this country by the nutsack because I would LOVE to see a voucher system implemented.

 

That obviously doesn't work in the nightmare public system. Im with Darin: My wife and I have talked about it many times. We would sell every possession we own and withdraw everything from our 401K, and sell out house to keep my daughter in this school before even setting foot in public schools.

 

So that's where you thought I was being "hypothetical?" Okay.