ARGH!

[Wilf]

I have always been hugely against schools in the state sector selecting their pupils on the basis of academic ability. The whole point of state schools is that they are for everyone. If you have a certain state school in the area taking the most able pupils, then that means alll the other schools will end up with a sub-average group of students. (The group is sub-average, not the all the individual students). This cannot be good for the school - it means they will get lower exams results, and been percieved as a 'bad' school.

[Something I had better explain abotu the UK school system: The are three main types of school - state, public, and private.
State schools are those funded by the government, and are what most of you would call public schools. Public schools are those which are fee-paying, but will accept anyone and everyone - you just have to pay. Private schools are those which are also fee-paying, but select their pupils in some way - whether by interview or abilties or some other criteria.]

"Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right" - Salvor Hadrin, in Isaac Asimov's Foundation

[Birdhead]

Re: Polynesians: well, I wouldn't expect you to. Do you even have any Polynesians in mainland USA? SImilarly for us, we have maybe three people of African descent in Wellington. Okay, exaggeration. But not a lot. Oh, we have quite a few Muslim girls who are African, often first or second generation. They don't got to my school, because it's Presbytarian, so we say Christian prayers in assemblies- I mostly ignore them, which is also true of the Jewish girls, of which we have quite a few.... Shosh and Tali... couple of others...

Also, our uniform won't allow the muslim girls to wear headscarfs, whereas Wellington East, which is a public school, does. And longer skirts than normal. Actually, East is well-known for that.

As for educational quality: I think that it's probable that, in general, you'd get a better education from aprivate school, but ONLY because of size. This means that you don't often get, as you do in my school, a lot of individual help and motivation. If you're a dedicated or bright student ,you'll do fine wherever you are, yes. But if you're not particularly bright, or easily distracted, or aren't particularly interested in learning, than a private school education can really help, because basically there's always someone around to nag you. I'm not expressing myself very well, but I think you get the point.

We do have some exclusive schools. Like Marsden. That picks people based on brains... >.<

"We are philosophical geniuses [sic] who will one day rule the world!"
--Agent M
Ahahahaha, Ahahahaha, Ahahahaha!
Still the Typo Queen

[semiramis]

Ur.... Wilf, if the "selecting their pupils on the basis of academic ability" thing was directed at me, it wasn't a state-school-type thingy--it's a privately funded program; the selective one, that is. The other one is a state/public school, but it's not selective.

I am Lionfish. HEAR ME ROA-- ....um, bubble. Blub, blub. *sweatdrop*

If you can't spell my name, go ahead and call me semi or S-chan. I don't mind, really.

[littlehorse82]

In the US, they only select students based on their academic ability at university schools, which are like private schools in the sense that they are private, but are for big-wigs and Einsteins. I only know one person that goes to a school like that, and I don't really know them, I only know of them. Also, having a private school education isn't the same as going to university. At least, not university as I understand it. A university here is a college, and the only way to get into a college is to have your high school diploma, a nice GPA, and a good chunk of change. Private schools are the same as public schools in that sense.

In the US, a private school education is considered better, and not just because of size. They have statistics that show that the overall SAT scores of kids in private schools is better than those of public school kids.

And, about the sheltering thing, yes, you are more sheltered in a private school, but not as much as you might think. Kids get busted for smoking pot and drinking and having sex all the time. You just don't hear about it that much. I don't do any of that because my parents did enough of it in their time and it's messed up the family enough, so I figure I don't need it.

Anyway, that's the way it is in the US. It may be different elsewhere.

I will rejoice in the moonlight;
I will dance in the rivers of my tears;
For I am joyously, wonderfully alive!

Make your own laws or be a slave to another man's. -William Blake

School is hell with flourescent lighting.

[Aurora]

heh. But the public schools churn out the more successful people, because they DON'T nag. Thus, if a bright student wants to learn, they develop good study habits and succeed in university, when they DON'T nag you about stuff.

That's what my dad always taught me. If the other kids want to fail, they can go ahead... that's what my parents always told me too. They don't bother us, so we don't bother them... Nicer way of saying "They can go flip burgers and be a failure in life... we don't care." ....It's suited me well so far.

Private schooling is unnecessary, really. Exclusive, they are... for the private schools here, you have to take a special test similar to the SATs, and on top of that, pay more that you'd have to for university... but that's a private boarding school. For just private schools, I don't know, because I don't think there are any private high schools here, at least not in this area... Just Catholic and District... Thank gods.

Kitsune Rei ~kisses taste nice~

[Birdhead]

Most private schools are only exclusive in terms of money, and usually they have scholarships available too...

Anyway, when I fail out of university because I can't motivate myself I'll know exactly what Aurie will say to me. And it willserve me jolly well right.

Oh! Who knows that walking rhyme? "Iiiii... HAD a good job, for twentyfive bob and I LEFT, left. The MASter gave me a kick in the pants and it served me jolly well RIGHT, right."

Heh, I used to say that with my mum..

"We are philosophical geniuses [sic] who will one day rule the world!"
--Agent M
Ahahahaha, Ahahahaha, Ahahahaha!
Still the Typo Queen

[Wilf]

Originally posted by littlehorse82:
In the US, they only select students based on their academic ability at university schools, which are like private schools in the sense that they are private, but are for big-wigs and Einsteins. I only know one person that goes to a school like that, and I don't really know them, I only know of them. Also, having a private school education isn't the same as going to university. At least, not university as I understand it. A university here is a college, and the only way to get into a college is to have your high school diploma, a nice GPA, and a good chunk of change. Private schools are the same as public schools in that sense.

Right, I am thoroughyl confused here. I know in the USA, "school" is for institutions where you gain a degree, as are the words "college" and "university". So, for the sake of someone like me (for whom "school" is something you atten until age 18), could you re-explain that especially the bits in italics? (Ideally, using "school" for education upto high school level and some (any!) other word for places where you gain a degree) Cheers.

Originally posted by semiramis:
Ur.... Wilf, if the "selecting their pupils on the basis of academic ability" thing was directed at me, it wasn't a state-school-type thingy--it's a privately funded program; the selective one, that is.

No, it was a general point.

"Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right" - Salvor Hadrin, in Isaac Asimov's Foundation

[Zgirl]

Okay, I'll start from the beginning.
AGE 5-12: Elementary School
AGE 13-16: Middle School or Junior High School (Same schools different names)
AGE:16-19: High School
Age 19-Whenever: University or college (Same schools different names
The only difference between private schools is that sometimes Elementary-High schools are all in the same building. Is that good explaining for you?

The monkey made me do it!
~Z~

[Aurora]

My friend who went to private school isn't impressing me.

So he's in the cool crowd now. Big deal.

Doesn't mean he's any better than me, so why should he treat me like dirt.

I don't mind being a freak or outcast or loner, but telling me I'm going to be a failure BECAUSE I'm a freak just really annoys me.

I'm sorry. I highly doubt that companies will be looking at my level of popularity in high school before they hire me.

On the bright side, now I'm determined to show him up. Hahahaha... This year, I'm hopeless- My mark in art class will drag me down so badly, I have no recovery. Careers tugs be down a bit too, I think I'm doing good in Civics though... Umm... Math, I'm doing relatively well... Same in Geography. English and French could be improved, but they're satisfactory, I guess... History is satisfactory, but I think I can nock it up a lil higher, and I don't even know about science anymore...

Kitsune Rei ~kisses taste nice~

[Agent M]

[FireWitch]

Arg...People at my school really go crazy about this stuff. Because of the area I'm in, there are lots of people from Asia--not to be predjudiced or anything--but lots of Asian schools have increidbly highs standards. Because most of the kids at my school are first generation Americans, their parents remember schools in Asia where if you got a C, you got kicked out. This has made for some *interesting* competition for grades. People go crazy and start crying when they get B's and stuff...

A Jedi Ewok
And proud of it...

Loyal reader and Young Wizards books, great lover of Moon Cakes, and *almost* a new driver...

[Agent M]

[semiramis]

Rather reminds me of the one year they tried to squish all the smart kids in the same class... you get complaints like, "awwww, man! I got a 97%! I SOOOO could have done better on this!"

GAHHHHHHH...

I am Lionfish. HEAR ME ROA-- ....um, bubble. Blub, blub. *sweatdrop*

If you can't spell my name, go ahead and call me semi or S-chan. I don't mind, really.

Visit my deviantart site at semiramis.deviantart.com ^.^v!

[Zgirl]

Yup I get straight A's and I'm the exact opposite of asian. The asian ppl are usually the smartest in my class though.

The monkey made me do it!
~Z~

[papercrane]

*sigh* My parents are rather grade-crazy, I must admit...they freak over Bs and such...needless to say, when I got a C on my Spanish test they were Not Happy.
I don't know any other Asians my age, so...
...yeah.
[/pointless mumblings]

The important thing about adventures, thought Mr Bunnsy, was that they shouldn't be so long as to make you miss mealtimes.
-- (Terry Pratchett, The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents)