Home school, Boarding school, Goverment school, Private school

california is going broke and will be laying off 25,000 teachers. I think this will force more kids into private school or else get stuck with crowded public school system. Glad I'm longer go to school. *jump*

 

With my limited knowledge about "home school in US", almost all the cases I know are kids who will be pro athelets, especially gymnastics, swimming, figure skating. Also, most of them are girls.

Due to their tighten training schedule, parents might feel very hard to arrange a normal class schedule for them, to let them go to regular school. Therefore, study in home school will make their lives much easier. This way, they can rent facility / hire coach for cheaper price (during other ppl's school/working hrs), and give parents a break about "car ride". Also, some of them tend to concentrate in training in weekdays, and doing school work on weekend. So, they won't be too tired in week days by hrs of hard train + school work.

Of course, I know my examples are relative special cases. For them, they must have much more exercises than we do.

 

hehe, i think i quit school too early

 

Talking about "over crowded" public school, guess very few places in US can beat NYC's situation.

I know a lot of public school (not 1 or 2, but counts in hundreds) in NYC, there were over 40, even 50 ppl in a classroom, which was designed for no more than 20-25. A lot of schools ran out of classrooms, so, they have to use teacher's offices, cafe, or even formal bathroom (of course, after re-construction) instead.

The high school I went to, was designed for 1,500 students. The time I first got there (94), it was filled up with 2,800. The time I grad (97), it had 3,100 or 3,200. 2 yrs ago, I was told they grew to 3,400 or 3,500. After turning every single "expandable" rooms into classrooms, they have to rent several trailers and took over the track field ground. Now, there's no more soccer team so sever, but just a baseball team left.

Don't want to even imagine how many poor kids are there these days.

 

Compared with NYC's case as highlighted by LB, Singapore is more fortunate now. In the past, when the birth rate was much higher, Singapore had to house her school-going population in two sessions: AM and PM. Thanks to the double-digit growth rates (GNP) that Singapore has been enjoying for more than two decades (I believe), more money is available not only to develop the infrastructures but also to build more schools, both primary and secondary, and to train more teachers. FYI, Singapore now will consider a 6% growth rate extremely good as she has attained 'developed country' status some years ago, from 3rd World to 1st World status, so they say. For this year, Singapore will have to struggle to achieve even 2%! Things are really, really bad more so with the sudden appearance of SARS!

Now, most schools here, if not all, have only single-session. This puts less pressure on the parents as pupils stay longer in schools where the facilities are getting better and the teachers are available to help the weaker ones. The birth rate has nose-dived to barely over one time now against more than two times in those baby-boom years and this means Singapore cannot replace itself and therefore has to resort to selective migration policies to help create a better balance to ensure her continued economic prosperity.

While new and better-equipped schools are being built, especially in the "new towns", and some of the better known schools have been upgraded, the other older ones have been converted to various uses. Although Singapore is small in physical size, the authorities have been coming up with improved blue-prints for the building of new schools. Most schools have a multi-purpose hall which can house at least three badminton courts and badminton is popular. And whenever possible, a field is earmarked for outdoor co-curricular activities. The kids are definitely having a better deal than my time. But Singapore has no other natural resources to count on, therefore the development of our only resource - human beings - through education is paramount!

 

Well, I think ur conclusion is way too general.

I've been reading some articles (more than in 1 nations), some boarding schools designed for rich kids, are nothing but some "day care centers". Kids don't learn nothing, but just fooling around. They have rich as hell parents to support them, and the teachers over there won't dare or care to even bother to piss off the little "prince" and "princess".

At the end, everyone grad. with a 90+ average diploma, and knowing nothing.

 

Hi Joanne

Choosing a school is a rather individual decision. One has to take into account many factors, whether it should be a public/government school, private school, home school or boarding school. Some posters and I have touched on the merits and demerits of these school types and a general conclusion has emerged that it really depends on which country you are studying in. A similar type school may be good in one country but bad in another and also the management and standards of the schools in the same country may be different.

Let's talk about secondary education, which I believe you are now involved in. Most times, the decision is taken by your parents as to which school you should attend according to their circumstances in life, eg. whether they can afford it if, suppose you want to study in a well-known boarding school in the UK? The child himself must be able to meet the requirements of the school selected. You may voice your opinion as to what 'stream', ie whether arts or science, you prefer and this will depend on your scores in the relevant subjects. Sometimes the school management may insist on the minimum marks and set a quota as to how many pupils are allowed for each stream or class, ie. red tapes. It will be more difficult vying for a place in a reputable school, where the demand for places far exceeds its availability.

You and your parents may also want to know what co-curricular activities the school provides, whether they have good teachers, what is its ranking among all schools, what subjects is it particularly strong in, etc. Getting admission into the right school is important as the child will have to spend from 4 to 6 years, particulary if the school also has an extension to junior college level. All these may not be available for most of the private schools.

When you proceed to tertiary education, eg, the universities, the name and reputation of the selected university is important. The very 'good' names in the US or what they term as 'ivy league' like Harvard (Law), Stanford, MIT (Engineering) Cornell, Princeton, University of Chicago (Business School), etc and the ones in the UK like Oxford (Law & Arts), Cambridge (Law), London School of Economics, Imperial College (Engineering), U of Edinburgh (Medicine), etc. are what many bright students aspire for. They know that they are among the world's best brains and normally there are quotas for overseas students from different countries, most of whom are on scholarships. Such universities boast of well-known professors who may be Nobel Prize laureates, specialists in their area of research which may have far-reaching results to mankind. Some of these varsity campuses like Oxford and Cambridge are very conducive to learning.

Then the "old school ties" through networkings with fellow students may become very useful in one's working life. The cross-fertilization of ideas, cultures, disciplines and experiences can bring a higher level to human endeavours.

So, there are many factors to consider when making a decision to choose the most suitable school.

 

Well, I would rather say the students attending Ivy League schools falling into 2 extreme. Of course, a lot of smart students getting full scholarship and came out as a successful young man/woman in his/her career. However, there's also relatively huge percentage of students knowing nothing, and got in just because mom and dad makes donations counts in millions.

I am not talking like "sour grape" since I did not attend them (actually, I got accepted by Cornell back then, but I decided not go, due to very tighten family financial situation at that time). So many ppl talking about, "there's no way u going to fail in Ivy League schools. Maybe u have to be really smart to get all As, but u will be even more well known, if suck enough to even fail one course." Those schools doing that, just to protect their own reputation, while showing how "smart" their students are.

Therefore, school surely important, but it's all down the the students themselves to decide what kinda future they are going for.

 

Joanne

Sorry to learn that you felt 'tired' after reading my long post. Actually, I'm very impressed by your patience and I hope you understand most of what I have written. For a girl your age and in Form 1, you are something indeed!

You seem to be very happy in your 'reputable' school. Wonder whether it is by any means related to the Christian community. I say this because most of the Christian schools In Malaysia and Singapore have a long and good reputation in education. However, your class size of about 41 is relatively big and it will be more difficult for your teachers to attend to the pupils individually for long periods.

In your case, you should have no problem with your schooling right now, not until you reach the post-secondary level or what we normally call the "A" level or its equivalent in Malaysia. Right now you are preparing for the equivalent of the "O" level. The choice of the right subjects at A level will probably determine what university course you will pursue when you are about 18 years old. If you do well and succeed in getting a scholarship, that's when you will have to think of which university you wish to attend, whether at home or overseas. If overseas, then you will have to revisit our earlier discussion some years later.

LB

Thanks for pointing out some of the 'inequalities and shortcomings' of the Ivy Leaque universities. Yes I have heard of the very rich donating huge amounts of money to a particular university just to have their children admitted, which they will hitherto be rejected basing purely on their academic qualifications. Although many universities need a constant flow of funds for their operating expenses and research. I hope that this 'undesirable' source of funding is few and far between. If this practice has gone overboard, then the university concerned will earn a bad name and professors and students alike will shun it. I believe most of the better known universities will have more regular and acceptable sources of funding.

 

Hi Joanne

Sorry for not being able to come back to you earlier.

I'm not too sure about your type of school, maybe you can clarify by answering the following:

1. Do you mean you are in a "Kebangsaan" or National-type government school. Is this the most common type in M'sia?

2. When you say you are in a Malay school, does it mean that all subjects/lessons are taught in Malay except for the subject English? Do you and your classmates interact mostly in dialects, Malay or English? Is your principal a Malay and does he address the school assembly in Malay or English?

3. You should know that unless you are adequately proficient in English, you may find it difficult to attend a foreign university which usually has English as its medium of instruction. But the fact that you are corresponding in English means that you are learning this language at an acceptable level. Do you have tuition in English?

4. Do you learn Chinese (I presume you are Chinese since you mentioned that 95% of your school is Chinese) outside of school since this is not in the school currriculum?

5. At home, do you speak to your parents, siblings (brothers and sisters), cousins and other relatives in English, Mandarin or other dialects?

I think PMR, which you said you will be taking in Form 3, is not equivalent to the English "O" Level. From what I know, you should take this in Form 5 or what we term in S'pore as Sec 4, when you are about 16 years old. You need two more years to take the "A" Level. Upon passing, this will give you a chance to enter university in S'pore or other English speaking countries like UK, Australia and New Zealand. The USA has its own university entrance exam like the SATs which someone has mentioned in this post.

Is it stressful for most students in S'pore and are most parents "kiasu" (in Hokkien, one of the many Chinese dialects, this means something like "not wanting to lose out" in whatever one wants to do - wants to win always)?

It really depends on the students and parents themselves. This is a very personal matter. Whilst it is true that most parents would want their children to do well in school, they also realise that they can't force their children to study day and night. The parents know that there are limitations to what their children can do and that they can breakdown if pushed to their limits.

It is true that many parents think that by paying tutors to coach their children for additional lessons, their children should be able to do better. This is all out of good intentions, but some children can't handle all these and instead of progressing, they can do worse. In this sense, you are right that the students will feel very stressful with so much to do - school work and additional exercises from their tutors, thus leaving them very little time to enjoy their childhood through play with their peers (such as badminton) or be active in other things like joining an uniform group such as the Red Cross or the School Big Band or doing athletics in school.

You see, as a parent, you are concerned that your child may fall behind if he is academically weak. Therefore, you try to help by giving him tuition. Many can do better as a result but some just can't cope and it then becomes detrimental.

As mentioned before in another post, if only a student pays attention in class and not be distracted, he should not need additional lessons on the same topic. He should clarify with his teacher on all doubtful points before the next lesson. Better still if he can prepare in advance of his lessons. There are many instances of very successful students who don't need extra tuition at all. These students enjoy the varied activities that their school has to offer and they are richer for it. In this forum, we have read of some very active students who have done remarkably well without resorting to tuition.

So, if a student is able to demonstrate to his parents that he can handle things all by himself, then the parents need not act "kiasu". Then life for a student in S'pore will no longer be stressful but a joy to be able to go to school everyday learning new things and interacting with fellow students. Actually, some students need a certain amount of stress to make them do better. We are all different.

 

This thread resurfaces after 8 years.

Joanne's in uni now, by the way.