Exodus a sign of problems at Ithaca High School (Liberal Principals won't discipline students)

Ithaca Journal | Local News - Saturday, July 24, 2004 | ANNE JU

[VOA]

Do you know of any facts/figures on how many people are opting out of public education
for religious, private, or homeschooling?... or how the percentages are changing?

I'm not in the education field...I just keep my ears open on the topic.

Maybe with Yahoo or Google, you could easily dig out that sort of info, maybe even
from the federal Dept. of Education site.
Seeing how it's at least headed by a friendly like Sec. Paige...
maybe good figures are readily available.

My naive guess is that the percentages of those "migrating" from
public schools would be holding steady, if not increasing.

[El Laton Caliente]

You mean call the woman that is police chief, who was hired with only two years experience because of her sex and particapates in toppless protests. I'm sure she'll straighten things out. </rolling eyes>

[El Laton Caliente]

That is the why behind the marina. Like Surfside a few miles away; the marina there keeps two boat repair yards, a hardware store, a few of bait shops, a tackle store, a boat brokerage, a charter booking service, over a dozen charter captains, several restaurants, three bars. two or three convenience stores and who knows what else in business.

[vharlow]

They already do.

[vharlow]

In Virginia, there are co-ops all over the place for classes for homeschoolers. I am homeschooling my grandson. He's 8 1/2 but 5' tall, and 110 lbs. In the 4th grade this year. He's done so well academically, he's about a year and a half ahead of his cousins. He gets more discipline from me than from either of his parents, who are split. Kids respond positively to discipline. They need their boundaries clearly marked and expectations spelled out for them. Peanut allergies and attention deficits are the main reason I'm doing this for my angel, but homeschooling allows me to be flexible enough that we can get the work done in a very limited amount of time. Whenever I go to an education website and check stats on test scores, I'm appalled. When he needs extra help with higher level math or something like that, he will definitely go to a co-op class somewhere.

He brings a smile and hug to me every morning. I can't think of a better use of my time.

[wideminded]

I lived in the City of Evil for about 5 years, in the 70s. I never EVER EVER recall hearing about ANY violence in the local schools.

I grew up in Ithaca and I can tell you that there were plenty of young thugs who even in junior high school were incipient criminals destined to rapidly end up in prison. I guess they didn't actually attack the teachers back them though.

I will say that there were a lot of very nice people in Ithaca so despite the crazies I don't call it the City of Evil myself.

[wideminded]

By the way, in describing the school situation in Ithaca, I was speaking of a time more than 35 years ago.

[NativeNewYorker]

A long time ago, in a world long dead...

[Behind Liberal Lines]

Having grown up in the area myself, I'd agree that, thirty-five years ago, Ithaca was full of very nice people.

Something changed.

[NativeNewYorker]

yeah.

I vividly recall, as a Cornell senior in 1976, scouting the area for a RETIREMENT dwelling, so delightful was the clime.

I thought I'd have "a life" back in Gotham, and return to Ithaca for a gentle time in my declining years, among the lakes and gentle people.

Oh well.

[wideminded]

Having grown up in the area myself, I'd agree that, thirty-five years ago, Ithaca was full of very nice people. Something changed.

Actually my main point was that 35 years ago there were plenty of criminals in Ithaca. There were also nice people there then and they haven't all disappeared. I have been there on family business a number of times in the past ten years and I still spoke with many nice people who varied from graduate students to those in their 80's. They tended to not be involved in politics.

Genesis 18:23

Jonah 4:11

By the way, what are you doing to improve the situation in Ithaca, or do you just run the place down?

[Behind Liberal Lines]

By the way, what are you doing to improve the situation in Ithaca

Probably more than someone who moved away a third of a century ago.