WHAT CHOICE DO I HAVE BUT TO SEND MY KID TO A PRIVATE SCHOOL?

New York Post ^ | 2/14/04 | ANDREA PEYSER

[kattracks]

February 14, 2004 -- MY little family has taken to waiting by the mailbox each day, our hearts filled with equal parts anticipation - and dread.

Anticipation that the acceptance letter will arrive, inviting my 5-year-old daughter into private kindergarten. A school that offers clean hallways, small classes, motivated teachers, a choice of arts and languages, plus a good chance my kid will make it into Harvard - or, at least, make it home each afternoon in one piece.

[Caipirabob]

That's why I'm the Dad.

And a fine example of one, too. I'm taking notes. Had there been "Free elections" in your home you'd still be "dad". ; )

Seriously, at this point, we considered private education, but we are very fortunate in that our area has an excellent elementary school. My son is in Kindergarten where he is reading already and is enrolled in an advanced math course. We are handling multiple languages at home so as far as the basic he's receiving well rounded support.

However, beyond the elementary level, the schools are reputed to take a nose-dive. One High School (Olympic High) has had several drug-deal scandals including teachers, and a short while ago they broke up a pornography/protitution ring including seniors and juniors.

Our children will not be attending.

At any rate we seem to be in a position that we will be able to include home schooling as an alternative. I suspect in the end we will go that direction.

[Capitalism2003]

my little sixth grade sister came home with math homework...she did half of it and stopped...I asked hr to finish it, and she says "We don't have to. We had a substitute today and she said to just go as far as we can, and don't do #25 and #26 because she doesn't understand it."

unreal...

Vy te way, I looked at 26 and 26...They were something like this.

2 1/2 + 3 1/4 Convert to decimals
ans(2.5 + 3.25)

A 40+ year old TEACHER (probably a proud NEA member) did not understand this!!!

schools are terrible today...and you will never know how your kid is really progressing because they have changed A's B's and C's to "highly competent", "competent", "improving", "confident", etc etc
Either that or checkmarks...

can't hurt the kid's self esteem after all.

[dawn53]

I homeschooled until this year when my 15 year old was eligible for the county's dual enrollment program, so he doesn't have to go to high school, but takes college classes instead.

Parents putting their kids in private school whine about the cost, but homeschooling is one of the most expensive routes to educating your child.

Why? Not because of the cost of curriculum, even though as they get older and into more advanced studies that can cost you a bundle.

Homeschooling is one of the most expensive means of educating your child because you are eliminating a second income from your family earnings.

I could have taken a job making $40,000 per year, put my kid in a top notch private school for around $10-15, and still come out ahead. But instead we chose to forgo that salary and I stayed home and taught my kid.

Of course, the more kids you have (we only have one), the stats change, and there would be no way for a family with 6 kids to send their kids to private school on the second parent's income.

But the fact that a second income is being sacrificed in order to homeschool is a point that is often overlooked by those who chose private school and then complain about the cost.

[Indie]

I, too, am in debt to my ears with my two sons in private school. I'm a single dad. I wouldn't dare have them in public school. Indoctrinated is right...IF they made it home alive.

All I have to do now is wait for the free trade crowd to outsource my job and then we'll really be in trouble.

[doodad]

Hear, hear. We discovered our county's little secret this year and our daughter will be attending a math and science oriented charter school that is run by a board of elected teachers and parents, NOT the county. It runs like a private school and requires the parents to volunteer as well. I love it, as it has eased my concerns a great deal. I may still have to take a second job, but at least it won't be just to make tuition.

[esquirette]

Go Dad. We did the same thing. Sure, it's inconvenient. Sure, it takes time, but taking the little guys around with you everywhere is the best way to get a good relationship and teach real life skills. And when I start to worry about the academics they are not getting, I just remember what indeed they are NOT learning. I am amazed at their innocence and modesty, and they have had a childhood. My oldest is in junior college and is doing fine.

[OldFriend]

Clearly a send up!!!

[Quilla]

My two children have attended a private Christian school since kindergarten. My daughter, who graduates this year, has been dual enrolled in college since the eleventh grade. Their education has been a wonderful experience - their History teacher has Fox News playing in the background all day and his vehicle sports a CNN LIES bumper sticker. It has been worth every penny.

Incidentally, many home schooled children play sports, cheer, or are otherwise involved in extracurricular activities at our school. They are such pleasant and well rounded children, I'm proud this outlet is available to them. Kudos to you.

[Darnright]

>>She's our baby. What choice do we have?

I hear you. Can you move? Like to a state that still has a rational school system or two left?

My heart goes out to you.

[LibKill]

Catholic school.

Protestant Christian School.

Home School.

Private for-profit academy.

Yeah, it costs money. These parents will have to decide, flush the vacations or flush the daughter.

Decisions, decisions. :)

[Don'tMessWithTexas]

They are only adding fractions? We homeschool and my sixth grade son just finished a long unit on multiplying and dividing fractions and has begun a unit on geometry. It appears that they are really lowering standards in the government schools.

BTW, this article is a bunch of hooey. She is using this gut wrenching decision as a form of showing off. If she really cared about her child she would pull out of NYC altogether.

[ladylib]

Why should she be so upset? That's what all her liberal friends do anyway -- send their kids to private schools. She fits right in.

Even the educational chancellor of the City of NY doesn't send his kids to the public schools. Paul Vallas, the head of Philadelphia public schools, doesn't send his kids to Philadelphia's public schools. When he was head of Chicago's public schools, he said the schools weren't good enough yet for his children. I have a feeling they never would have been "good enough yet" for his children had he stayed in Chicago.

Another reason to avoid today's public schools? They set kids up for ridicule:

http://www.opinionjournal.com/taste/?id=110004691

Imagine taking a NYC Regents test and one of the questions has to do with "The Elderly Man and the Sea." Now most people who graduated 20 years ago from high school and are familiar with Ernest Hemingway's work know that the correct title is "The Old Man and the Sea."

Imagine our student a couple of years later at college or, say, in a discussion with his boss or coworkers at a cocktail party and Ernest Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea" is brought into the conversation for some reason. Imagine the embarrassment the ex-public school student will suffer when he insists that the title of the book is "The Elderly Man and the Sea" and is proved wrong. At least he will understand that his education in that particular area was a fraud.

Just one of the many ways today's public schools screw kids up.

[ZeitgeistSurfer]

The only solution to the public schools as they are currently constituted is to walk away from them. A well formulated amendment to a state constitution that esentially says that a parent has the absolute right to choose the education for their child and that any funds collected by the state for educational purposes must be remitted to the parents for that purpose is my solution. Don't say it isn't possible.

[AppyPappy]

Or do what we did. Move to an area where the public schools are as good as private schools.

[dawn53]

Don't you just love the dual enrollment program.

In our county, it's free for public, private and homeschooled kids (although public school students don't pay for their books, but private and homeschooled students have to pay for the books.)

In our county they can take 15 credit hours semester, year round, so there is a potential for 45 credit hours per year, for 3 years (of course, all those won't be transferable, but if you were to obtain your degree from the college where he is doing the dual enrollment, you could probably complete 3 or your 4 years toward your B.A. under this program).

We're taking full advantage of it, having him take a full load in the fall and spring semester, but only a class or two in the summer.

As a homeschool mom I really appreciate the fact that I didn't have to teach higher math (we finished Alg II and that was enough for him to be placed in College Alg after taking the College Placement, which is what the program requires-I think my brain would have exploded had I gone any further with his math, LOL). And I like the fact that he will have a complete lab when studying chemistry, biology, etc.

Congratulations to your daughter on her graduation!

[LibKill]

The only solution to the public schools as they are currently constituted is to walk away from them. A well formulated amendment to a state constitution that esentially says that a parent has the absolute right to choose the education for their child and that any funds collected by the state for educational purposes must be remitted to the parents for that purpose is my solution. Don't say it isn't possible.

MOI? Far be it from me to say such a thing. If I could work my will public indoctrination would be de-funded, de-bagged, and held up for public derision.

Seriously, if I had children I would work two jobs to get them a proper education. I would never put them through the liberal garbage-disposal that passes for public skoolz.

[BibChr]

Ah, no, my friend; you're trapped in that logical thinking of yours. Liberals have no such constraints. Don't you understand? There is no continuity. If they abort it, it never was a child. Like Clark says, it isn't a child until the mother chooses. So an aborted thing never was a child, and a child never was a candidate for abortion.

"But, but," you splutter. "That makes no sense!"

Ex act ly. It's magic. It doesn't have to make sense.

Dan

[Quilla]

I'll pass along your congratulations, thank you. Your son certainly deserves a pat on the back, his load sounds loaded!

No such program exists here. Our dual enrollment requires me to pay her private school and college tuitions simultaneously. And book prices, holy cow, talk about over inflated, they rival tuition costs.

Math! LOL! I used to think I was good at math until my son asked for help with his trig/calc homework. Fortunately, his sister was home. ;-)

[ladylib]

And make sure you do a lot of research before you make the move. I'm sure there are some good public schools out there somewhere.

[freebilly]

Never say never.

You're right. It was late when I posted that and my cynicism temporarily over took me....