Do you know firsthand what goes on at your local public schools?

[gandpsmommy]

I found it very interesting and enlightening to go talk to the curriculum director for our school district, and then the elementary school curriculum director (who is also a principal at one of the schools), and finally the enrichment coordinator. We have lived in this district for almost four years now, but all I knew before was second or third-hand information and conjecture.

 

Surprisingly, the reality is a lot better than what I had imagined or heard. Our district is very flexible in working with kids on their own ability levels. Within the individual classrooms reading is leveled according to ability, and all of the elementary classes have the same schedules (math and lang. arts in the morning, social studies and science in the afternoon), so that if a student still needs more challenge it is possible to send him/her to another grade level for individual subjects.

 

They identify giftedness in many different areas, including fine arts, so that students are able to get extra extra challenge in whatever area in which they might excel. In fourth grade they have a special magnet class for kids who test above a certain level in math, reading, and overall cognitive ability to enable those students to have gifted curr. in all subjects and to have extra opportunties for working with middle school staff, if necessary, instead of just getting to participate in a pull-out program once a week, as is common in this area. The magnet class actually uses Michael Clay Thompson curr. for lang. arts (which has been highly praised on the curr. board of late, and is probably what we will be using with dd next year if we continue homeschooling), and also some gifted curr. from the College of William & Mary. There are special writing programs for students who are gifted in writing, starting in fourth grade and continuing through tenth grade, when students get the opportunity to go through the process of trying to get some of their work published.

 

Their math program is similar to what we already use. Although I do have a few issues with how it might be implemented, there isn't anything major that I feel couldn't be addressed and worked through. They learn the scientific process and do experiments for science.

 

Not all of it was surprising or better than expected. The reading program they use in the normal elementary classrooms is pretty typical of public school reading programs, and certainly isn't something I would use. It's small excerpts from lots of different works, with pretty standard questions and exercises. I prefer to have my kids read whole books and be exposed to deeper material. But it also isn't terrible. There's no real literature study in the lower grades, in my opinion. We are used to reading mythology, folk tales, fairy tales, etc., in addition to normal reading selections. They take a standard "social studies" approach, as opposed to the chronological approach we take to history.

 

I still have issues with sending small children into an institutional setting for so much time, and we haven't actually visited a classroom yet to see how everything is implemented by individual teachers, or what the social atmoshphere is like. But I do have to say that I was surprised. After all of the negative things I read on these boards about public schools, and all of the disparaging comments I have heard from teachers, former students, and parents about the current state of public elementary schools (mostly with regard to No Child Left Behind, and teaching to the tests), I was very encouraged to see such innovation in their approach to enrichment programs. And I was pleasantly surprised to see how similar their math program was to ours (which we just love). Also, the elementary curr. coordinator said that all of the elementary teachers read aloud to their students everyday, and they do teach grammar (at least parts of speech, not diagramming, though) in the early grades. It was just encouraging to see that there are some good things happening there.

[chiguirre]

Could you interview a couple of parents who have gifted kids enrolled in your local schools to hear about what actually happens? They may have great curricula and enrichment opportunities on paper, but are they implemented? How much of the curriculum do they finish in a year (half, 3/4s???) How much time is actually spent on test prep? How often are kids really placed in a different grade for one subject?

 

My experience with ps is that the plans sounded great on paper, but the implementation left a lot to be desired.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I've been to our school district website and have looked at their curriculum and programs. I also listen to other moms in our neighborhood without judgement and hear what their kids are doing etc. The curricula is normal "better public school" fare. For me, that means it would be an acceptable fall back position but is not how I want to educate my kids. Gifted ed. does not start until 3rd grade and there is a year-long waiting list. And when I looked at their gifted curricula and sifted through the educationalese, I found that it wasn't all that great. The kids do a lot of enrichment but don't actually work ahead at their level on most things.

[lionfamily1999]

Our ps could say the same thing. The problem we had was that their "gifted program" revolved around making the kids tutors or adding to their work load, without working to make their regular classes match their skill levels. IOW, all the "gifted" work dd did was busy work.

[creekland]

Yes, I know what goes on - at least at the high school level. I work there. I also know what gets portrayed as going on with the wonderful classes and gifted programs, etc. The two are different in our district. What is said and what actually happens differs. Our gifted program, while it exists, is worthless.

 

That said, I had my own kids in ps up through 8th, 6th, and 4th grades and my only issue with those years was when they switched to Everyday Math. I liked EM at first, till I found out my boys weren't actually learning math... it took me two years to catch my youngest up after pulling him out for 5th grade.

 

Otherwise, our elementary, intermediate, and middle schools are all fairly decent and score well on state and national testing. Our high school fails miserably in spite of their glorious self-reported wonderfulness. A good part of it is lack of motivation of the students. They do as little as they can to get by. They memorize for a test, then forget. They complain to mom and dad if they get poor grades - and mom and dad complain to the school, etc, so grades are high. Many students go on to college and need remedial classes - even top kids with all advanced classes in high school. It's sad.

 

Not all schools provide an equal education. I'd be looking for results more than self-reports. ANYONE can say they are doing a great job, but yes, there are some good ones out there. Then there are poor ones.

[Haiku]

Anything can sounds great, regardless of how it works out in real life. No school is ever going to say, "All our kids read at the same level, we don't identify or work with giftedness, and our writing program is just busywork." The greatest plans can fall flat once you throw in living, fallible beings and lots of kids.

 

My dd has been in three schools since the sixth grade. Two we chose specifically; one she was forced into when the first school we chose closed unexpectedly. The two we chose specifically sounded fantabulistic on paper and when we met with the administrators and teachers. The first one failed dramatically to deliver. The second one we chose is actually pretty good but still doesn't live up to its self-imposed hype.

 

There probably are good schools out there, but like you said yourself, until you have personally visited to observe things in action (and I would go a step further and say that until you've had a child in the school), I don't think you can really know what goes on.

 

Tara

[Dobela]

Could you interview a couple of parents who have gifted kids enrolled in your local schools to hear about what actually happens? They may have great curricula and enrichment opportunities on paper, but are they implemented? How much of the curriculum do they finish in a year (half, 3/4s???) How much time is actually spent on test prep? How often are kids really placed in a different grade for one subject?

 

My experience with ps is that the plans sounded great on paper, but the implementation left a lot to be desired.

When I was teaching in public school, our district won all kinds of awards - even considered by News Week to be one of the best schools in our region. It looked absolutely amazing on paper. We also had administrators that were charming, out going, and could sell anything. They could make our school sound like HEaven on Earth. In reality the school was not meeting the needs of students - at any level. Gifted programs were struggling and unpopular with parents because the 'work on their level' usually ended up being preparation for contests like Olympics of the Mind. Huge emphasis was placed on competition and winning academic contests and only children that could test or compete well were placed in gifted programs. I was a special ed teacher and while the district was known for excellence in that area as well, I didn't even have money allotted for textbooks and special materials that the students needed. My reading textbooks were leftovers from the 1980s they had not thrown away yet. :glare:

 

In addition, schools now compete for students. When someone is meeting a potential family, they are going to do all they can to sell the school to you. In our area the schools now have huge advertising budgets trying to attract families. More students = more govt money. Of course her description of the school sounded great - her job may depend on it.

[MamaMamaMama!!]

My issue with instutionalized school is the individual attention and pace. I know we all suffer when we zoom through material and not everyone understands it. And in a classroom you have to do that. Also in our school the program is great, but its the majority of students with parents who are not heavily involved with thier children that are the problem. When your classmates think education is a waste then it wont be long before you agree with them.

[Halcyon]

What is said and what actually happens differs.

 

 

:iagree:

 

I will be curious to see what you think after visiting the classrooms for a couple of days. Perhaps you'll be pleasantly surprised, but my gut says no. I think that there is something inherent about the school system that diminishes the experience of learning for all parties: teachers AND students. Learning is dynamic, flow-oriented and not always goal-directed. I think by definition schools are focused on the end game, the test, the results.

[Perry]

Could you interview a couple of parents who have gifted kids enrolled in your local schools to hear about what actually happens? They may have great curricula and enrichment opportunities on paper, but are they implemented? How much of the curriculum do they finish in a year (half, 3/4s???) How much time is actually spent on test prep? How often are kids really placed in a different grade for one subject?

 

My experience with ps is that the plans sounded great on paper, but the implementation left a lot to be desired.

You might also check out the local Kumon Center and see what those parents have to say about the math program. :D

[k2bdeutmeyer]

Sounds exactly like what our PS says! I can tell you firsthand, it is NOT what happens. THAT is the primary reason I pulled DD this year.

[Wheres Toto]

My oldest is in our public high school. It is a wonderful school - both on paper and in reality. It's one of the top high schools in the state (consistently in the top 5), its a magnet school for deaf kids and has tuition students every year (its preferred over many private schools). I recently heard of someone who bought a small house that they did not live in, so that they could have a mailing address in the district.

 

I don't know as much about our elementary school (its a K-8th school). My son went for Early Intervention when he was 3 and that program was wonderful. I hear great things from parents in the neighborhood but I don't think any public school, no matter how wonderful, is the best fit for my son's personality and learning style.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

Yes, I do. My DD attends public school and my DS attended public school until Jan. 2009. I teach at a local community college and I have high school students enrolled for dual credit in many of my courses. I can usually tell after the first paper has been turned in which high schoolers are from our district and which are from outlying areas.

 

I agree with previous posters about school programs sounding better than they really are. Our district's website makes our school sound divine. In reality the test scores are plummeting, the graduation rates have dropped significantly over the years and the gifted program includes 10 AP courses at the high school (most of which aren't offered due to lack of interest and students with little academic ability). Our district will not advance students who need a challenge and they will not cluster them in elementary school because segregation is elitist.

 

I could go on and on about the disparity between what the school district claims it does and the reality of it's actions.

 

I don't want to be a naysayer or burst your bubble but please be cautious and visit the classrooms. Speak with teachers, parents and students if you can.

[Carrie12345]

Yup. It always looks good on paper.

 

In my experience, it also IS good for some students. I watched as some of my friends' children received excellent school services for ASD's, while I fought for years and got nothing for ds (yes, in the same building!).

 

I also fought for years to address the gifted program, and all that got was extra projects. Including many on the US Presidents, which was his obsessive aspie topic at age 4, exhausting all child-appropriate (and some not-so-child-appropriate) information by age 6, lol.

And then he got to go back to class and catch up on the work that was done while he was out of the room.

[5forMe]

My younger kids are in public elem. school. I love our elem school.

 

Our problem is the middle school....horrible!

[EKS]

You might also check out the local Kumon Center and see what those parents have to say about the math program. :D

 

:lol::iagree:

 

The Kumon here has an overflowing parking lot every day of the week! And our district is the "best" in the state.

[MomOfOneFunOne]

My experience with ps is that the plans sounded great on paper, but the implementation left a lot to be desired.

 

Mine, too.

 

I interpret for parent/teacher meetings, et c from time to time -- several times per year, I'd say -- and wouldn't consider sending my daughter unless we were facing some catastrophic family crisis that left me with no, absolutely no, money, no husband, and no family support. If my daughter were old enough to stay home while I worked, even that wouldn't be too much of a problem b/c we have a great library system and while I dont' think it's optimal, I think the education we could patch together through the library and free resources online would be better than sending her to the public school here.

 

There is a school I'd willingly send my daughter to but I don't live anywhere near it.

[jenL]

Could you interview a couple of parents who have gifted kids enrolled in your local schools to hear about what actually happens? They may have great curricula and enrichment opportunities on paper, but are they implemented? How much of the curriculum do they finish in a year (half, 3/4s???) How much time is actually spent on test prep? How often are kids really placed in a different grade for one subject?

 

My experience with ps is that the plans sounded great on paper, but the implementation left a lot to be desired.

 

:iagree: As a former ps teacher (Language Arts), I 100% agree with this, and I would definitely ask parents. Teachers, curriculum directors, principals, etc. always tell you the "ideal". The reality is often something they don't want to share because the reality often doesn't come remotely close to the "ideal" that stands on paper. Very sad, but true...

[MariannNOVA]

I do agree that what is on paper and what is practiced n the classrooms can be two very different experiences.

 

When the twins were in ps for half of first grade, I disliked the 'institutionalization' that they experienced. I was not impressed with anything academically.

 

'Gifted' is a term that is thrown around in our school district. And, Fairfax County, Va has an acclaimed school system - Thomas Jefferson High School for Science is in Fairfax County and is consistently rated the number 1 high school in the country. I have no doubt that TJ is an excellent school (DH regularly interviews Princeton applicants from TJ), but I think that TJ is an exception to public high schools as is Millburn High School in Millburn NJ (I grew up in Short Hills) and a handful of other high school throughout the country.

 

A friend and I were talking about public high school vs private high school just last week at dd's birthday party. The friend has a son who was in a IB high school for freshman year and she and her dh switched him to a Blue Ribbon Private high school after freshman year. She said that the academics were top notch in the public high school - she said the environment was upsetting. That was her biggest complaint - the environment - I would have to agree with her.

 

I could go on, but we have to get school work going.;)

[Joanne]

Yes, I believe I have a good understanding of what happens, at least in elementary education, in our school district.

 

I've worked in 4 different elementary schools as the Site Director for the before and after school care program. I interacted with parents, students, staff, cafeteria staff, bus drivers, teachers and administration. I assisted with homework for grades k-5 Monday through Thursday.

 

Granted, I had a biased filter through which I processed the social aspect, the power and influence hierarchy and the interpersonal dynamic. I found a glaring disparity between "anti-bullying" programs and zero-tolerance policies. I saw undersupervision and the accompanying reduction in expectations in behavior. In other words, because of too many kids and not enough engaged adults, much behavior/character issues fell under the radar.

 

I saw boy after boy not able to read (I had to read their homework to them) and moved along. Now, I believe that the readiness for formal academics varies widely and is normal and expected. But the schools evaluated these young boys as "readers" and presented them all at the same level essentially. They were not. (I do not mean to be gender biased, but my experience has been that it's overwhelmingly 5-11 year old boys who are the challenge.

 

I've seen degrading and stupid and icky structure rules about walking in hallways or waiting in line. "Bubbles in your mouth" and instructions for silence while waiting for the bus (the same bus routine these kids have had for months).

 

I saw teachers and staff talk to kids in a tone and manner that was near abuse. Harsh, unkind, and without a shred of even liking children.

 

I personally experienced administration and teachers completely disregard adults who were not either administration or teachers.

 

The most dramatic issue is the one I left over; it was a complete power-driven, protect the school's reputation at all costs, including the safety of ancillary staff, students and parents. (I'll tell if you want more). The Administration rules and everyone else is peons is common.

 

That said, I met some terrific teachers and staff. Too bad they couldn't thrive along with their students.

[Hen]

My bonus student was at a blue ribbon school. After they finally did the promised testing and got around to setting up an IEP, they were to give him 90 minutes a day pull-out special tutoring and 60 minutes a week in speech. I was about to offer to homeschool him, but thought, wow- that's a lot of individual attention, I don't think I could do much better, I would have 5 students!

 

We to this day do not know what was done in those 90 minutes a day. His reading regressed, he was lost in all subjects. He couldn't read but was sent home with spelling lists of words he could in no way read.

 

They had extra testing all the time for all the students in reading and math to keep the blue ribbon standing. Parents weren't allowed on the grounds, I only saw bits when I'd pick him up, but it looked like a prison. The recess bell would ring and all the kids had to kneel on the ground until a yard person excused them to get up and line up. If they got to school early they had to march around the blacktop or sit and read, no playing.

 

it was a blue ribbon school, but I was not impressed.

[Mabelen]

I do because I have one in Kindergarten and another one in 8th grade. My husband and I are happy with the schools and our daughters are happy too. It is a well run district and but for one of the 8th grade teachers our daughters' teachers are good to excellent and deliver in the classroom. Socially they are again doing very well and they are by no means the popular girls, especially my oldest, but we are in a district that is small and has a majority of academically driven families and they fit well in that culture. The truth is we chose this school district, we bought in this particular area because of the schools, and a lot of the families in the area did too. For public school to work properly you need both a very well run district and families who will demand excellence and support the school efforts; even with these factors public school will not be the best choice for every child, but right now it is for my children.

[Joanne]

My bonus student was at a blue ribbon school. After they finally did the promised testing and got around to setting up an IEP, they were to give him 90 minutes a day pull-out special tutoring and 60 minutes a week in speech. I was about to offer to homeschool him, but thought, wow- that's a lot of individual attention, I don't think I could do much better, I would have 5 students!

 

We to this day do not know what was done in those 90 minutes a day. His reading regressed, he was lost in all subjects. He couldn't read but was sent home with spelling lists of words he could in no way read.

 

They had extra testing all the time for all the students in reading and math to keep the blue ribbon standing. Parents weren't allowed on the grounds, I only saw bits when I'd pick him up, but it looked like a prison. The recess bell would ring and all the kids had to kneel on the ground until a yard person excused them to get up and line up. If they got to school early they had to march around the blacktop or sit and read, no playing.

 

it was a blue ribbon school, but I was not impressed.

 

I totally forgot that angle! I have 2 bonus students who were in the local public schools. One has social, depression, attention and anxiety issues that the local (well rated and in a affluent neighbhorhood) school exacerbated rather than allieviated. The other was called "truant" for repeated stays in the hospital and lived a social nightmare for being innocent, having close friendships with other girls (she was taunted with "lesbian" in 4th grade) and not being into pop culture.

 

I've had other "bonus" students, as well, whose needs were not served in local well rated schools.

[ConnieB]

Well, if you read the "standards" and other information on most any school district's website you'll find that it SOUNDS wonderful on paper (errr..screen?).

 

But....the proof is in the pudding. Before you make any decisions I would suggest that you ask to sit in on a day or two of classes to see what is the reality of a school day and how those wonderful programs actually work.

 

Kinda like reading TWTM and getting a picture in your head about how wonderfully educational and classical and wonderful a school day will be if you follow TWTM....and then actually implenting it and finding out that it's still great, but not quite what you imagined. I think I finally started calming myself from thinking I was a failure after reading Susan's articles and posts about how HER typical days were nothing like the book makes it out, lol.

 

And to answer your question....yep, I've been inside public schools checking things out on a number of occasions.....and always come away with the idea that our worst day homeschooling is still better than their "normal" days....and I always had the impression that the teachers are showing off to some extent, so I always wish I could be invisible and sit in, lol.

 

In my opinion....school districts can talk the talk, but not walk the walk. If they could, then the schools would be a much better place.

[mrsrevmeg]

We were well pleased the first school that our kids went to. There were problems, of course, but nothing is ever perfect. (I mean how many us can honestly say that every day we homeschool it is done with perfect attitudes and willingness to learn and explore???) Then we moved. Boy were we ever in culture shock. Our first meeting with the principal and the boys' teachers went well. We were impressed that even thought the school had a small budget, they seemed to be willing to do things to make school fun. Then school began. The first week and a half they did not do any work. When they began to do work, my first grader was gluing rice on to numbers for math. They did not start reading until school had been in session for a few weeks. What makes this even worse is that they only did math and reading for the lower grades. My fifth grader was in a class, then the teacher was transferred to a different grade. The teacher he got as a replacement was pregnant, out several weeks, he had multiple substitutes for 2 weeks at a time. They had a gifted program, which he was not put in until March. (We had been told he would be placed in it at the beginning of the year.) Their reading comprehension went DOWN during the school year. We started researching homeschool before Christmas vacation that year.

Edited April 6, 2010 by mrsrevmeg

[Happy2BaMom]

...there are a few really good teachers who *do* follow what the they are supposed to be doing (differentiating instruction, accelerating kids to other grades for certain subjects if needed, etc.). However, many teachers choose not to. It's a hassle, it is more work, the kids are harder to keep track of, etc.

 

And therein lies the rub...teachers, especially if they are tenured, have latitude, and if they do NOT want to do something, most principal/administrators will not die on that hill unless they the end result is something worth dying for (which, BTW, is not for your ONE student).

 

We put our very bright son in first grade at the (supposedly wonderful "we have many, many bright students...we work hard to challenge EVERY student....they're nearly all very happy here") public school at the start of this year for personal reasons. And there were things that I liked about the school. However, it was a disaster for my son. His stress level was so severe I took him to a psychologist last fall, who said "he is too far ahead of his class; he needs more stimulation".

 

Just as one example, my son was reading full chapter books (4th/5th grade level) and he had to sit, every day, through a 90-120 minute LA lesson, doing things like "S" and "T" make "ST", "T" and "H" make "TH". His teacher had learning centers (but no differentiation) and refused to let him do other work or go to other classes (even after we gave her the results from the psychologist), believing that he needed the socialization of his peers...."since he is already so far ahead, you don't need to worry about academics". :confused1: She was a very strict disciplinarian, and my son was so incredibly bored and frustrated, yet so afraid of what would happen to him if he acted out the frustration that he just bottled it all up inside. Talk about misery! We ended up pulling him at Christmas.

 

I know that there are some good teachers, but I think it is important to remember that the implementation of any program is totally up to the teachers - not the administrators.

 

All of this is a very long way of saying what everyone else is saying...go observe, ask questions, talk to other parents. If you want to try it out, I say 'go for it' - you'll find out either way (and probably quickly) if you stay on top of it.

 

Talk is cheap, implementing is hard work...it all depends on the teacher at the front of the class.....

[myfunnybunch]

The description in the original post is very much like our local elementary school down the street. I was there on an almost daily basis when my girls attended. Many of the boys' friends attend public schools across our district, and their parents are very pleased and speak very highly of the wonderful things that happen at their schools.

 

It wasn't/isn't perfect, but what I saw across the board was teachers who were very professional and cared about their students, good leadership, an environment designed to encourage learning. They are doing the best they can to give children a decent education within the limitations imposed by large groups, testing, curriculum designed for the middle and all of the other challenges inherent to institutional education.

 

It is possible to have a good public school. :) Is it as good as homeschooling? Not for us. But I'm confident that the children in my neighborhood and across my city are mostly getting a good education.

 

Some homeschoolers make assumptions about public schools in the same way that some public school teachers and advocates make assumptions about homeschooling. (I'm not talking about those sharing their experiences in this thread, btw. Those negative experiences are just as real as my positive one.) I can't tell you how many times I've sat through an IRL monologue about unsupervised playgrounds and teachers who don't care coming from a homeschooling parent who has never stepped foot near any public school. It bothers me almost as much as the folks who start spouting off about unsocialized homeschoolers.

 

Cat

[mammaruss]

I agree with previous posters about school programs sounding better than they really are. Our district's website makes our school sound divine. In reality the test scores are plummeting, the graduation rates have dropped significantly over the years and the gifted program includes 10 AP courses at the high school (most of which aren't offered due to lack of interest and students with little academic ability). Our district will not advance students who need a challenge and they will not cluster them in elementary school because segregation is elitist.

 

I could go on and on about the disparity between what the school district claims it does and the reality of it's actions.

 

I don't want to be a naysayer or burst your bubble but please be cautious and visit the classrooms. Speak with teachers, parents and students if you can.

 

:iagree::iagree:

 

Two public schools in our area are all talk--but NO action!! I am so done with ps!! I would never, ever trust them with my children again! My 10 yo ds is so fed up with ps that he says that when he has children-he will NOT send them to ps! He says he will hs his children, if his wife wont! ;) I hope he remembers this as he gets older!!:D

[Pamela H in Texas]

the reality is a lot better than what I had imagined or heard.

 

Yes, that has been my experience for the most part. I *definitely* had some MAJORLY wrong ideas about what happened at public school at various levels. Some things are worse, but the great majority is much much much better.

 

It wouldn't have changed what we did thus far, but....

[Excelsior! Academy]

We started at ps. My second oldest dd got tested and started 1st at 5yo. It was a month until her 6th birthday. She and one other girl were the only ones that could read out of the entire 1st grade. The whole year. The teachers would go on and on about how smart she was. Now, I know not all children read by 5. My oldest was almost 9 before she really read fluently, but reading at 5 gifted? :001_huh:

 

That was also the year that the school refused to put a picture of the gifted students in the year book so as not to offend anyone. :001_huh:

 

Our school definitely looks better on paper. Ours started great, but after a couple of principal changes and many teacher changes....ours is just not the same. We won't be going back.

[Spy Car]

I have a pretty good idea, given that my son attends a public school (kindergarten) and I've done a fair bit of volunteering in the class-room, and my wife, who is the "Room-Mom" has done far more.

 

We have an outstanding school. There are many (many) problem schools in our school district, and a few outstanding ones. We are fortunate to be in one of the best in the city.

 

Even there, in a "10" school, there are parts of my son's education I'm not willing to leave in the schools hands (alone).

 

So math and phonics/reading are heavily supplemented at this point, and I expect math and language arts to continue to need supplementation in the future.

 

While I may see some short-comings that I want to correct for, I also see really gifted teacher bringing energy and great teaching activities to the table. So it is a very rich experience, and I feel blessed that my son attends such a good school.

 

Bill

Edited April 6, 2010 by Spy Car

[Mabelen]

We started at ps. My second oldest dd got tested and started 1st at 5yo. It was a month until her 6th birthday. She and one other girl were the only ones that could read out of the entire 1st grade. The whole year. The teachers would go on and on about how smart she was. Now, I know not all children read by 5. My oldest was almost 9 before she really read fluently, but reading at 5 gifted? :001_huh:

 

That was also the year that the school refused to put a picture of the gifted students in the year book so as not to offend anyone. :001_huh:

 

Our school definitely looks better on paper. Ours started great, but after a couple of principal changes and many teacher changes....ours is just not the same. We won't be going back.

 

The thing is public school doesn't mean anything other than it is free of charge education. It is sad that so many public schools leave a lot to be desired, but fortunately there are still some that are doing their job. This year is our first experience with public school and I can say my dd's kindergarten class has all children reading by now, even the kid who joined only three months ago from a different district and who was a non reader at that point and even the kid who is learning English as a second language. Of course not all children are reading at the same level or progressing at the same rate by any means, but all are definitely reading, some a little, some a lot. They were assesed right at the beginning of the school year and split into different groups according to level, these groups are fluid and the students move up as they progress. There are also a lot of kids who read well above grade level. I also know those kids who need extra reading instruction are pulled out in smaller groups for that purpose. Now I would rather they used a purely phonics approach instead of the balanced literacy they have, but it was the same with our previous private school. I wonder what percentage of all homeschoolers use pure phonics. I know most do in these boards but are these boards representative?

[LG Gone Wild]

Not at all. The only things I've heard about PS recently is how horrible it is but you won't find me bagging it because well, I have no idea.

 

I am not really that curious about public school either. 'Cause like, I've got my own problems. Not only that but I don't want to be involved with school culture. I don't know how else to put it.

 

I wish them well but want to be left alone.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I seem to be the person that people vent about schools to. Maybe because I am interested in education and listen and give suggestions without suggesting that they should just get out.

 

I find that the parents who are dealing with heavier special ed issues aren't all that happy with the way their kids are treated by the system (Ex. Aspergers student who kept getting his schedule changed without telling his parents or who is now being "allowed" to fail in the hope that it will encourage him to work harder on homework).

 

When I have friends who are teachers who are complaining that they can't ask about the zeros that their kid has without the teacher acting resentfully toward the kid the next day, I have to wonder. When I have teacher friends who pull their kid out to homeschool them because even they can't get responses out of the teacher, then it makes all of the nice stuff on the school website seem rather hollow.

 

I think the kids who do well are the kids with active and involved parents, who don't have learning issues and who didn't unfortunately land with an uncooperative teacher. But wouldn't those families do well at home too?

[Audrey]

Our ps could say the same thing. The problem we had was that their "gifted program" revolved around making the kids tutors or adding to their work load, without working to make their regular classes match their skill levels. IOW, all the "gifted" work dd did was busy work.

 

 

Mmhmm... they do the same thing here, except there is no gifted program. They just use the advanced kids to teach the ones the teacher doesn't want to bother teaching. :glare:

 

I really, really, really detest our local public "school." (In case you haven't noticed. ;))

[katemary63]

My younger kids are in public elem. school. I love our elem school.

 

Our problem is the middle school....horrible!

 

This was my problem. DD19 went to public elementary and had a WONDERFUL education and experience. However, I was not about to let her attend our local middle school. There was a mix of students from all over the city and the behavior and attitudes were HORRIBLE! Many of the teachers had given up. My older kids had gone there so I KNEW first hand what it was like and I just couldn't do it again. We started homeschooling in 6th grade.

[Melabella]

My dd attended ps from K through 2nd. I was heavily involved as a Room Mom and volunteer during her K year, and the PTO President during 1st and 2nd. My daughter still has friends who attend there so I hear things. Obviously, I wasn't impressed. Teaching to the test was a major problem. Sadly, the school still only met AYP twice in all the years of NCLB. In the entire school of almost 900 students, only 43 parents came to Open House. I was the only parent in my daughter's class.

 

The middle school has never met AYP. The school was recently in the news for a problem with "Ultimate Fighting" matches in the bathrooms between classes. Earlier this year an 8th grader had her water break in the middle of science class. Another 8th grader is now pregnant. I have heard may stories of students having sex on campus - boy/girl and girl/girl. A new principal (the third in five years) is being brought in next year to turn it around.

 

The high school is in the lowest performing 5% of the state (based on test scores and graduation rate). I'm in Georgia so you know that has to be really bad!

 

I am sure that there are good public schools out there, but they aren't in my district. However, I do believe that the American public education system is broken.

[Luanne]

... that mainly stands out to me ... my daughter's last year in public school was 5th grade. The school she went to was supposed to be the best school in our district. Her teacher thought her job was to befriend the children and didn't bother to teach them anything. Not only that, but she wasn't even aware of how the children were doing in the different subjects. I received my daughter's report card and she had a 60% or a D in math. I asked the teacher what I could do to help her at home with the math. Her response to me was "oh, is she having trouble in math?" I tried to tell her that my daughter never got anything lower than a B when she was in private school. The teacher said she didn't think it was a good idea for her to know how children performed before coming into her class because it would warp her expectations of them and she didn't want that.

 

I found out later that the parent who raved about how great this school was, had never even set foot in it himself and was just going off of ... I don't know what.

[asta]

Yes.

 

It sucks.

 

 

asta

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

I do. My dc were in public school up until 2 years ago. My dd was in 4th grade when we got tired of the nonsense going on. We started homeschooling when she was in 5th and 2nd dd was in 1st.

 

Our daughters public school also had a gifted program they could test into in 4th grade. She tested into it with flying colors. We talked to the principal and superintendent about the school and gifted program. We had 4 conferences specifically about it. We were soooo excited about this program that they painted as amazing.

 

WHAT A JOKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The "gifted" program amounted to instead of doing 2 pages of math they did 4. Instead of doing advanced english work they did 4 pages of regular work. They had to tutor the slower students AFTER WE WERE ASSURED THAT WOULD NOT HAPPEN.

 

Aside from the "gifted" program-- science was a special they went to once a week. The whole school had a science teacher just like an art or music teacher. We are Christians. My 4th graders class was studying rocks. A question on a worksheet was how do you THINK the same rocks got to different parts of the earth? My dd's answer was I think the rocks scattered during the flood of Noahs day. The teacher read that, and in front of the whole 4th grade class read my daughters answer to the class and immediatly sent her to the principals office. (ok remember this was an OPINION question) We got a call say you need to come to the school IMMEDIATLY. Ok Im thinking something happened, one of my dd's were hurt or something. I get there and she is in the principals office CRYING because of how she was treated by the teacher (who completely humiliated her for having an opinion) Her teacher was red with anger and had me read that paper. I asked what the problem was and she says LOUDLY "WHAT IS THE PROBLEM????? I clearly do not teach this nonsense in my classroom so I do not expect this foolishness from any of my students. I want SERIOUS answers":ohmy: Excuse me?? My daugter was VERY serious! That is what we believe. We FULLY believe in the bible as it happened.

 

So at that time I got annoyed and said this specifically states what do you THINK. My daughter simply put what she thought. So unless you are spoon fed your opinions from the teachers, they dont really want to hear them.

 

The rest of that year she was not only treated HORRIBLY by that teacher AND her regular teacher (who was a good friend of the science teacher ) but my KINDERGARTENER was treated horribly to because of that.

 

So sorry it was so long, but you can guess my opinion of our public schools.

Edited April 8, 2010 by wy_kid_wrangler04

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

I would never, ever trust them with my children again!

 

 

:iagree::iagree: 100%

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

I really, really, really detest our local public "school." (In case you haven't noticed. ;))

 

 

:iagree::iagree: ME TOO!!!!! jerks really messed with my daughter. You mess with my daughter, you mess with me.:cursing:

[JWSJ]

Yes. It all looks good on paper, but reality is very different.

 

I doubt anyone representing the school system would highlight their failures and problems.