<p>"I think that if you can afford the best, why not?"</p>
<p>Maybe because the money could be better spent helping those people living below the poverty line in America, and dying of malaria over in Africa.</p>
<p>I just want to leave people with a couple thoughts-
I acknowledge everyone has to make their own decision and I am not placing judgement on anyone-I don't think it is public vs. private anymore than I think is is "working" parent vs. stay at home parent.</p>
<p>If you chose to live in an area where the public schools are so bad, that only parents who have little choice send their kids there, think about what that is saying to your own kids- and think about what you might do to help those kids who dont have any other options.
Schools are an important part of the community and when the schools suffer, the community suffers.</p>
<p>Another thought is, always keep part of your mind open regarding public schools, don't put yourself" above" those who choose public and don't badmouth them to your kids. You never know when your fortunes or your mind might change, and you want your kids to consider public schools as well without thinking they are being punished.</p>
<p>I have had kids in both- but I have seen parents stuck when their kids wanted to go to a bigger school, with the neighborhood kids, but the parents had gotten so invested in convincing themselves that the $25,000 they spent every year for school was worth it because the publics were so bad, that it was really difficult for them to let go, and allow their soon to be adult some choice. to their credit, most of the parents did allow their kids a lot of input, but it wasn't easy or pretty</p>
<p>"Maybe because the money could be better spent helping those people living below the poverty line in America, and dying of malaria over in Africa."</p>
<p>oh please, could you be anymore cliche? could you even name 5 people in africa dying of malaria, dying of aids or dying of starvation? </p>
<p>so youre telling me that if you had an extra 30k to spend every year you would spend it on people in africa rather than spending it on your childs education?? im gunna call ******** on this one.</p>
<p>"just bc the money is available, doesn't mean its acceptable to pay high prices for something you can get for free or considerably cheaper"</p>
<p>and who appointed you to the position of judging whether something is absolutely acceptable or not? is this some sort of divine right you have? </p>
<p>maybe i would agree with you if we were talking about spending money frivolously on say, a hummer suv or something like that, but we are talking about EDUCATION, something you obviously have little of.</p>
<p>"truthfully, you rich people who send your kids to these elite expensive schools make me sick. what a waste of money.
I went to a private school for a term and found that the kids there were disgustingly sheltered and clueless about the world.
I also have been to a wide variety of public schools, and I have been exposed to drugs, alcohol, sex, depression, suicide and many other real life issues (although I chose not to take part in them), and learnt an incredible amount about the real world, which, I am afraid, your children will never learn in an elite private school. good luck getting them to live on their own in college as independent, capable human beings."</p>
<p>this takes the cake for the most idiotic post in this thread. congrats, buddy. you do realize that you basically just said that you hate rich people for sending their kids to inarguably better schools with better resources and better opportunites, dont you? how silly.</p>
<p>you went to a private school for one term, yet you know all there is to know about every single private school kid who has ever attended a private school. thats a pretty bold and unfounded statement. </p>
<p>infact, i wont even go on analyizing and poking holes in this post. i honestly cant find the appropriate words to convey my feelings on how utterly ignorant this post is.</p>
<p>"Maybe because the money could be better spent helping those people living below the poverty line in America, and dying of malaria over in Africa."</p>
<p>In that line of "reasoning", then the school tax dollars that are given to the state, county, city, etc, by those with children who do not utilize the public schools should be given to African relief organizations.</p>
<p>Tha best way to help people in foreign countries with health problems is to commit oneself to going there and working, either as a missionary or as part of an independent organization. Going to public school in the US has no bearing on relief work in Africa. </p>
<p>Using your children as a political statement works if the situation works for them. Going to Africa and doing relief work would be a far stronger statement, and your children could also have the benefit of a very "public" and international education.</p>
<p>Why we are teaching our kids that to give is moral duty. However to give it to someone, some one must receive. So is it not immoral to receive any benefit if they do not deserve it. Hmmmm.</p>
<p>Who say that they have hold on my money? Who I am to claim my stakes on Bill Gates money. Why professors are teaching kids victimization theories? Why we are telling kids that competition is bad? Yet millions of people enjoy watching sports where competition is intense. Is communism and socialism creeping into America?</p>
<p>Why are we teaching kids to be afraid to compete even if we loose? It is better to compete than just not compete for fear of loosing.</p>
<p>'In that line of "reasoning", then the school tax dollars that are given to the state, county, city, etc, by those with children who do not utilize the public schools should be given to African relief organizations.'</p>
<p>I was arguing that rich people shouldn't waste their money. That's all I was saying. I, and many others, get good educations at public schools. And while you can judge for yourself if you want to waste your money, I can still say that it is a waste, and support tax increases to help end it (and to oppose vouchers that subsidize it.)</p>
<p>"Tha best way to help people in foreign countries with health problems is to commit oneself to going there and working, either as a missionary or as part of an independent organization. Going to public school in the US has no bearing on relief work in Africa."</p>
<p>True, it has no bearing. However, the US Government can use that money to provide more aid to the country.</p>
<p>"Why professors are teaching kids victimization theories? Why we are telling kids that competition is bad?"</p>
<p>Competition is good, to an extent. You need to make sure there is a level playing field. Africa is the antithesis of a level playing field.</p>
<p>"Is communism and socialism creeping into America?"
Totally, dude. >_></p>
<p>Keep loving the usa, usalover, by the way.</p>
<p>Oh, and not to leave Monster out:</p>
<p>"oh please, could you be anymore cliche? could you even name 5 people in africa dying of malaria, dying of aids or dying of starvation? "
I can name a few dying of AIDs, but I won't. But it doesn't matter, because 150,000 African children die of malaria each year, and this disease has a ****ing cure. Also, millions die of AIDs, because they can't get treatment. Kids are orphaned on a daily basis.</p>
<p>"so youre telling me that if you had an extra 30k to spend every year you would spend it on people in africa rather than spending it on your childs education?? im gunna call ******** on this one."
No, if I had an extra 30K to spare, I'd probably donate at least some of it to charity. As for what I'd do with the rest, I can't imagine, because I have never had that much to spare, but I can assure you I would not waste it on private school tuition for my toddler. Oh, but I sure as hell wouldn't evade taxes, which describes most rich people in the US right now.</p>
<p>Please try going for a month to a public school that has armed policemen there, because of regular shootings, rapes and knifings in the area and in the school, and then come back and say that you would not pay for an alternative school if you could. There are many good public schools, but you are living in a bubble if you don't realize the extent of the problems in the cities, not necessarily Seattle, apparently, but Detroit, Cleveland, St Louis, Pittsburgh, South Central LA, etc, etc.</p>
<p>My guess is that the people who are so opposed to alternatives to public schools haven't spent much time in the more difficult public schools, but it would be beneficial for you to take a month's or week's vacation and volunteer in one. Then transfer your children there, and have them walk to school risking rape and murder. </p>
<p>Do a search of violence in city schools, and test scores and graduation rates. Maybe at that point you will understand why charters, parochial and private schools do a great service for city kids. It is easy to be judgmental when you are sitting pretty with children in safe public schools, but that is not the real world for many city students.</p>
<p>But didn't you know? Only the little people pay taxes ( Leona helmsley)</p>
<p>Klp41:</p>
<p>So what the african government do in Africa it is the problem of American people. hahahahhahaah. They mess up and we have to take money from our urban problem and solve their problem. Where it will end. Have you ever thought.</p>
<p>Since when there is level playing field is life. By your theory NBA and NFL need to fire good players and recruit fat and short people. Because Fat and short people need level playing field. How about cutting the legs of tall NBA players so they are in equal height to short players. </p>
<p>How about you claiming that all beautiful people should be executed because ugly people have rights on their beauty. Where will it stop and what will be the logic.</p>
<p>If that was true how come there is nor more Russia and why there is market economy in China. Why America did not fail and Russia was still competing.</p>
<p>Now about taxes, why there was revolution in USA and people took arms against England since they introduced new taxes in the Land of the free. Taxes are man made rules and they could be changed whenever new government comes. </p>
<p>Bud you are misguided that there will be ever level playing field. It will never happen, so your best bet is to work hard and result may or may not be in favor.</p>
<p>I can not change your opinions but you can keep dreaming that there will be level playing field. Why all these people are here on CC and wasting there time?. They could be equally happy to send there kids to community colleges. Why are they asking questions?</p>
<p>Let me ask here a single parent whose kids if got selected to elite colleges will refuse to send them to elite colleges including LACs provided financial aid is not a concern? Name me ten people on CC who are posting form last few years and claim to show it. </p>
<p>To begin with why are you trying to go to elite colleges when you yourself do not believe in good private colleges? Would you donate your own $10,000 aid to help other student and go to a community college? </p>
<p>By the way I am first generation recent immigrant who came to this country with $100 in pocket. I worked from early dawn to late light. So it is possible to get out of poverty but one has to work hard.</p>
<p>These are arguments and I am not trying to put you down. You may be a wonderful person. I expect that instead of putting me down come with rebuttal that is logical and give me argument about NBA and ugly people rebuttal.</p>
<p>I'm a parent of a gifted 8th grader in NYC who made the decision to go with a private school (full scholarship, thank heavens, but that was not why the decision was made) instead of a pubilc high school. My daughter is interested primarily in the humanities so, while she was accepted at her first choice of specialized high school (Brooklyn Tech), it wasn't a perfect fit for her but boy is it a great school. Next she got accepted at Bard High School Early College. What a magnificent program -- exactly what the public schools can do better than anyone! But the commute was so hellacious that we decided to opt out of that. For those of you who don't know how it works, the high school application process is a six-month long odyssey of misery here in New York, with multiple tests, interviews, all sorts of fun things! Anyway, since daughter scored in the 99th percentile on the 7th grade standardized tests, she got to go to the head of the line and receive a guaranteed seat in one of the schools normally filled by lottery. She choose a K-12 laboratory school that has a great reputation. We went there to take a tour last week and were absolutely appalled. The facilities are amazing. It's a former college campus with buildings sitting on a hill overlooking New York Harbor. Stunning. Each student receives a laptop, it's working at 60% capacity, as opposed to 150% for most public high schools. Well, we got there and met the wonderful educators. They simply have no way of dealing with a gifted child and no interest in doing so. We were told straight out that the school doesn't allow for acceleration and that the reason for bringing in those top kids is to have them pull along the kids who are struggling. The school feels that it is its mission to show the gifted kids that they aren't special and to show the kids at the back of the line that they are quite good enough. They do, however, allow a total of 5 AP classes for such students as qualify and can be scheduled. We ultimately chose a specialized program for high achievers that allows the kids to complete NY State high school requirements in the first two years and then take up to 13 AP classes and college "bridge" classes. It's also enriched in many other ways. I think a great public school is the gold standard, but, at least here in New York, there are so many agendas that have nothing to do with educating children. I thought for sure that my daughter would go to a good public school, but it's darn tough. Oh, and the other option was an IB program in a local high school that is at 168% capacity and has the IB program as a magnet program because of the racial imbalance and related difficulties. The thing that most people don't understand about NYC public high schools is that the PROCESS alone is so convoluted, complicated and painful that some parents just give up, and if you have a child or a school that's not right in the middle, it can be a huge battle to find an appropriate placement.</p>
<p>collegialmom: I know, and we should improve those schools instead of abandoning them.</p>
<p>usalover: You don't get what a level playing field means. Africans do not have the tools to economically grow because they are stuck in a cycle of poverty. You are using non-sequitors to argue your point. No, I am not saying fat people should play basketball - I am saying that every person should have the CHANCE to try and succeed in doing ____. I am saying that each person should have the same OPPORTUNITY to succeed. This is not at all unreasonable.</p>
<p>"By the way I am first generation recent immigrant who came to this country with $100 in pocket. I worked from early dawn to late light. So it is possible to get out of poverty but one has to work hard."
Great, I'm an immigrant too. Not everyone can immigrate to the US, and not everyone is able to rise up the economic ladder - some people can't even reach the first rung of the ladder (credit to Sachs for that metaphor.)</p>
<p>Also, I do not oppose higher education, and I don't even oppose expensive schools (as long as these institutions provide very high amounts of financial aid - promise to meet 100% of need. They should also practice a system for affirmative action for those applicants with less opportunities in life.) Education is one of the most important parts of society, and each person should have equal access to it.</p>
<p>Note that many people are forced to drop out of school in order to help support their family. This is just one example of the imbalance.</p>
<p>USA lover, you are living up to your name, I suppose, but living in a fantasy world where opportunity knocks for everyone. </p>
<p>Face it. Our country has a two tiered education system even in the public sector. Adding in the private makes it more like three or four. So much for education being the great equalizer!</p>
<p>So much for education being the great equalizer!</p>
<p>a student who attends in the school system whether public suburban as I was raised, inner city public as my younger daughter, or urban private as my older daughter, can all get a great education.
That is what is the equalizer.</p>
<p>klp141, allmusic, emeraldkitty -</p>
<p>How many of you put time with inner city kids teaching them math, science when you are not evene a teacher. Last time I counted I have put more than 150 hours. Tell you truth, some of the kids are as bright as any asian I know. </p>
<p>Problem in inner city public education system is not created by anyone but problems comes from three areas
1. Absence of good role model, when you take any kid put him into bad situations they will not flourish whether be brown, black, yellow, white any color.
2. Lack of competion and self respect - Parents are not involved in kids life. parents themselves are not educated and they do not demand from teachers that their kids need all the help. IF PTA become more involved than there is solution.
3. Thinking $$$$$ for public school is solution - On the contrary expecting kids to perform well is the key. </p>
<p>In prep for prep school program, there are kids who come from areas where drugs and gun are problems. But these kids know that they have a chance and that is why none of them uses drugs and work harder than many affluent asiians. These urban poor kids will rise to top no matter what we think.</p>
<p>If any school does not shape up, people will means will fled leaving behind kids who will even have more problems. Do you see family with means are moving to suburan school deistricts beacuse they think education is imporatnt.</p>
<p>If you see why housing prices in better perofrming school district keep rising while in small cities it keep going down or stay flat. </p>
<p>Opportunity never knocks for anyone. Ask a football player or basketball player how many hours they have to practice. Work is very hard. </p>
<p>Education is not a gurantee for succees. But eduaction allows to get out of overty. Education only allow to think. Then you have to use it for practical sense. If education means $$$$$ then all college professors will be filthy rich.</p>
<p>Let me tell you that public school could use money as it is better (and less expensive) to invest than to build prision. But unfortunately reality is that urabn inner city public school will not be able to retain the best teachers beacuse of social/economic/studentlevel problems. This is a complex problem.</p>
<p>And no matter what you and I think, there will never be any level playing field in real life beacuse there is only limited amount of pot of money. THus politicians will spend according to their needs.</p>
<p>The per pupil expenditure in the city where I currently reside is approx $20,000. I would not send my kid to the schools here. It isn't about money, you can throw at lot of money at schools and still have lousy schools.</p>
<p>By the way my kids attend prpe school on full aid. If they perform, college will choose them, if not then college will choose other bright kids. </p>
<p>If I expect that my kids will be selcted over many kids whose parents are trustee or big donors on HYP colleges, I would be denying facts. In real life these kids will alwys have better chance than my kid beacus ethey have means and we do not. </p>
<p>BUt I have told my kids work harder and do not woory about results as they are not in your hand. See what can be improved and leave the results to GOd. </p>
<p>Life is never playing field. If it is, it will take away the fun to compete beacuse everone will posses same opportunities. It is the desire to excel which propels people to do better. </p>
<p>That is why after five to six generation folks who are rich their kids go down and become poor. Folks who are poor, their kids go up and become better off beacuse of competition. </p>
<p>MOney never satys with anyone permanently. That is why learn to compete and see what happens.</p>
<p>It is easier to become rich if you are born rich, hence the lack of a level playing field.... Competition is only fair if everyone has the same tools to succeed, and that means a good education, and, you know, not dying from Malaria.</p>