Public schools...

[breakingcontact]

Guns are bad. Mmmmmkayyyy

 

[TexasCajun]

Funny how I started reading this thread at a nearby sandwich shop, a couple walk in with 2 young children. The oldest (7 or 8) sits with his parents & eats his meal. The younger of the boys (3ish) spends his time running around the restaurant, bumping into other customers, spilling his drink on the floor & other tables/chairs, banging on other tables, and yelling at the top of his lungs - all while wearing only a t-shirt & diaper. Neither parent did much to corral the unruly one. And when they did actually get up to offer some sort of correction, he went right back to terrorizing the restaurant. As I was fighting the increasing urge to walk over to the kid & give him a good twist of the ear like my grandmother would do to me when I only came close to acting a fool, I finished my meal & quickly left.

This episode also brings to mind my family's experience during the last 2 Sunday's at my church. My wife & I have a 10mo old son, so we routinely sit in the cry room so as to not disturb the other worshippers. The church has had to adjust the mass schedule, so we've started attending a later service. But I've decided that next week we'll sit in the main sanctuary because the parents that attend the later mass can't seem to be bothered with making sure their kids act appropriately in the cry room. They've basically allowed the cry room to become a play yard with kids running around, climbing over the pews, playing with loud toys, etc. And these are not babies or toddlers, these are kids ranging in age from about 5 to 10! My mom and/or any other relative (or any other adult within reach) would have wore my backside completely out if I'd have even thought about getting out of hand in church.

So given my 2 recent experiences, I'm inclined to believe that we're discussing a problem with plenty of blame to go around. Kids are not being parented at home & schools are reinforcing the negative behavior and attitudes.

Sent from my GS 3 using Tapatalk 2

 

[ATX_Shawn]

Guns are bad. Mmmmmkayyyy

LOL!

Looks like we're not alone The Plan to Disarm America Within Two Generations is Happening RIGHT NOW

 

[ATX_Shawn]

School Threatens to Ruin Valedictorian’s Naval Academy Appt. | FOX News & Commentary: Todd Starnes

 

[djentleman]

I'd like to add my very recent experience of Public vs Homeschool (with a Christian based co-op in Haltom added)

I graduated in 2012 from a homeschool co-op and spent the last two years of education there.

Public was a nightmare. From k-10th I was bullied. I was an awkward kid. Mostly because I didn't particularly enjoy association with the scum that runs so rampant in public school. And I've always been the smallest guy in my class.

I'll tell you the last straw in public school was when I was forced to have my ass beat, or be jumped by 5-6 people most of them easily 2 times my size, and then it was filmed and put on youtube. All because some moron was screaming like some window licking, mouth breathing chimp in Chemistry (a subject I already struggled with and eventually failed) and I told him to stop being a moron and to be quiet. He stood up, screamed profanities at me that I don't even particularly enjoy using. (And I can make swearing an art if I want to) The teacher was 10 feet away and simply said "are we finished?" And then continued teaching. I was walking away after class and a mob of them appeared. I was told if I ran, everyone would jump me, and if the mouth breather looked to be in trouble, I was getting jumped. Not in so many words, but I just had to take it. Mouth breather in the red, I'm in the flannel shirt. (Not super graphic. Little fist "fight" between two kids. Still may be NSFW if your work place is sensitive)



We took this to the school to take legal action. This isn't the first problem I had with him or his buddies and I took those problems to the school as well. The VP and counselors I dealt with wrote "notes" on post its when I reported previous problems. They said they misplaced the filing cabinet with my file in it when I asked for the file. I left the school the next year.

I then homeschooled and went to a co-op two days a week. I'll tell you the education aspect was 3x better at least. I enjoyed government. I was taught legitimate governmental structure. Economics was a dream as well. My teacher taught capitalism to be better than any other structure subtly but still taught the structure of other economies and pointed out why capitalism was better. I made some decent friends. No one fought. No one was really directly rude. Just a couple snobby girls here and there because they were wealthier. But at the very least tolerable.

Education wise, I learned most of what I know from the internet. I've always been great at self education. Learning really excites me to no end. But I'll tell you public schools now days do resemble prisons. Gangs, drugs, homosexuality, I've had brass knuckles pulled on me, a kid brought a kitchen knife to school to stab another kid. Phones stolen many many times. The list goes on. I will be homeschooling my children, and I will be putting them in a sport or hobby with other children and church for social interaction. I refuse to support public education. It's a cesspool. And there seems to be no (from my experience) accountability to anyone in the school system.

 

[breakingcontact]

Wow, thanks for your account. Glad you made it out. That whole "don't you want your kids to have the social interaction?" is such a worthless comment. People just do what's easy, cheap, what their family did and what those around them do and that's public school. If the only socialization your kids get is public school that is scary and sad. There is church, sports, family, friends, neighbors....lots of other ways to socialize than government education.

 

[djentleman]

Thank you, I am too. and agreed. I took martial arts before I developed health issues and made friends there. There are online forums such as this. Gun ranges and classes. Hell we made friends with the employee who helped us in the fishing department in Cabela's. In my opinion, it develops better social skills to go out and actively seek friends than to settle for the asshole who sits next to you with a drug problem in english class. Just my $0.02.

 

[ATX_Shawn]

Yeah man thanks for sharing! This stuff is happening every day and like many here have said... Lots of parents, not all, either don't know, don't care or are encouraging this behavior. I'm glad you were able to get out of there. Not referring to you but.. we shouldn't be surprised when a kid loses his shit and goes one a shooting spree considering no one does anything about this behavior. Its not right, kids should be taught how to control their thoughts and emotions, but someone around here said something to the affect.. you can only poke a bear so much before he flips shit.

 

[djentleman]

Agreed. Thankfully I had an outlet (music) to express myself and release aggression and emotion. I wasn't the type to be destructive to others, but I'm positive without music I would have been self-destructive.

 

[Kyle]

djentleman: Sorry to hear about your younger years in school, Ive been there before... Seems like you made it out alive with a solid head on your shoulders. Assholes will be assholes and they are EVERYWHERE. They will make your life hell if you let them... I refuse to attend any church anymore because of two-faced assholes. But that is a story for another time.


I finally have enough time to sit down and relate to this thread. As I said, I have somewhat of a unique perspective because I have attended schools in the north and the south and have found there to be MASSIVE differences in education quality.

I was born and raised in Bismarck, ND. I lived there until I finished 3rd grade. We then moved to Arlington, TX due to job transfers for my parents. We lived there for a year and moved down to Kerrville, TX because my parents decided to open a business, plus we have some family here. I went to school here in Kerrville from 5th grade until after the first semester of my Freshman year of high school. Up to this point I am completely ignorant as to what a "good" public school education is. Mind you I am an "A" student here in Texas. My folks decided to sell our business here and open another one back home in Bismarck. That is where I fell behind immediately finishing out my freshman year.

Up North, I was picked on because I couldn't keep up with the work flow. Thats right, I was picked on for being "dumb". The issue was not that I was dumb. This issue was that Texas spent more time teaching us how to take the TAKS test than teaching us the proper course information and how to study/manage our time. We learned in Texas that if you dont know the answer to a multiple choice question, you should pick "C" because that is statistically the most used placement for correct answers. Up North we were told to learn the information taught from the text books. If we had any issues with a lesson, MOST of the teachers would spend hours with you, before or after school, until you learned the lesson. North Dakota schools do not have standardized testing. The students up North are FAR beyond Texas and FAR FAR more prepared for life.

After the hell that was my Freshman year, I got my rear into gear. The rest of my time in Century High School went smoothly, I loved my teachers, I loved my classmates. I thoroughly enjoyed going to school. I left C.H.S with a 3.6 GPA. We moved back to Texas after the first semester of my Senior year. I finished out my remainder of my high school year down here in Texas... This is where my blood began to boil.

When trying to get all my paperwork in order for attending the second semester here in Texas, I was told that I probably wouldnt be able to graduate because I wouldn't have enough credit hours. The reason being: "The course descriptions from your school up in Bismarck do not match our course descriptions here. We can not accept those hours. You will have to take summer school." So we spent a week fighting with these fools to get my credit hours accepted. They finally were accepted because the principal from my old school made it his personal mission to help me out (how awesome is that?)

Anyways, I was then informed that I would have to take the TAKS test while my classmates all went to Fiesta Texas. They forced me into TAKS prep classes set up to help the morons in the school who would rather play grab ass than learn. This was absolutely degrading for me. The reason I was put in the remedial classes was because they said I would not be able to pass the TAKS test because I am from out of state. We sat in these classes while the instructor went over the does and don'ts of taking the test. She went over absolute basics from all subjects. I participated and was looked upon by these buffoons as if I were some sort of genius from another planet. I took the TAKS test while my buddies all went to Fiesta Texas.

----- Our class had a talent show and one of the guys (I didnt really know him) put a few lines in the song he wrote about the ridiculousness of me having to take the TAKS test while everyone else got to go and play. It was kind of cool and it started a chant saying "Let Kyle go!"

I ended up scoring "unusually high" on the test and was once again praised for my mediocrity.



*******SORRY I feel like I am rambling but there is SOOO much crap I could put in here.******




TAKS Test aside, my classroom time was spent VERY bored because I was "learning" about things I covered as a Junior.. It is not that Texas does their lessons in a different order; Texas is THAT far behind. It was so bad that a few of my Teachers let me teach some of the lessons. Texas schools are basically missing a year worth of lessons that other schools up North are covering. I DIDN'T LEARN A SINGLE THING this entire semester. We watched more movies in those few months than I have seen over the entire time I have been in school. I felt myself become lazy.

One teacher told me I cant take his class because I wouldnt be able to keep up because I have missed the first semester. I told him I would do all of the first semester work before I started this semester. It was a computer design class so I could easily self teach. In 8 weeks I finished the first semester and passed the other kids in my class with their work. I finished his class in 10 weeks. We played Gears of war on the projection screen when I came to class while everyone else worked. (I am not kidding).

Texas schools focus on sports. Dakota schools focus on education. It is a pretty sad thing.

Up north we still played dodgeball in in P.E. Kids got their faces smashed with rubber balls, there was blood and occasionally tears, but everyone enjoyed it, no one felt left out. It was a game, nothing more. We stacked our teams if we could and we would destroy the other team. It was still fun, no matter what. I was an afterschool "care provider" for my job. I basically babysat kids at school until their parents came to get them. I had gym access; we played dodgeball and I helped kids with their school work.

Lazy kids and crybabies were outcast up north, if you got pregnant in school, you were treated like you had a contagious disease; not put up on a pedestal and catered to by the school. Up north you get what you put in. Down here, the bar is lowered so everyone has a chance to pass. There is no motivation to learn in Texas.

I graduated in 2007 My Graduating class up north was larger than what we began with. My graduating class here in Texas was down 75+ kids, mostly due to drop outs.

I had several teacher down here give me commendations for how well I did in their classes. It was pathetic and I wished I could have turned them down. Up North I was middle of the road in school, down here I was top rung.

This does not apply to colleges though. Texas has outstanding universities.


I only scratched the surface here and I apologize if I rambled and if this is difficult to follow... I wasn't sure where to start exactly. Lol





****BULLYING... I was bullied for one day up North. A kid stuck his knee in my back while I was at my locker. He called me his fresh meat and said he was going to beat my ass after school. His locker was right above mine. His locker door was cracked open. I slammed it into his face. Cameras caught everything, the Principal sat us down, he said "I saw everything. No more of this crap in my school." (Looking at the kid who started in on me). He then told me to enjoy my stay here and let us both go. That ass-hat soon became one of my best friends.

I was Never bullied in Texas, but I saw more abuse to smaller kids or different kids than I care to share. This shit never happened up north, at least not anywhere remotely close to the amount it happened here. There is absolutely no respect between students in Texas.


Another thing I noticed... Texas school are very separated.. Jocks hang with jocks, nerds with nerds, goths with goths and there is no interaction between unless there is a snide remark to be made about another. My school up north, pretty much everyone hung out with each other, very little separation between "groups". Anyone could go and sit at any lunch table they like and they were treated like a friend.

The kids here in Texas that want to go around and tell everyone how to act and to shove their religious beliefs down everyone's throats were the first ones to talk about someone behind their back and start rumors. They are also the most condescending kids in school.. Go figure..

 

[djentleman]

I can pretty much verify everything you just said as a recent graduate. I felt immensely behind in my co-op classes compared to my public school classes. Sophomore year I just slept in geometry every day, hardly ever turned in my homework, and still made a B -. Mostly because of test grades. and they'll let you basically build up missing homework assignments in school here, then at the end of a 6 week term when they have to turn in grades will let you turn it all in and simply just dock a small amount of points with some teachers. I didn't feel like I was actually learning. And it made me lack discipline later as well. To the point of struggling in life later and not realizing you have consequences for procrastination or even plain disregard for authority and hard work. Thankfully my parents are great and I got that character flaw straightened out quick.

 

[Southpaw]

This thread has given me a lot to think about. I've been out of public school for a long time so I really don't know what it's like now and seeing as I have a yougin' up and comin', this is good incentive to get on the ball and start planning for alternatives to public school.

 

[djentleman]

I'll tell you homeschool if possible is the way to go. I liked how I could wake up early, sit down for a couple hours and get everything done for the day. Freed up time to go and be productive elsewhere. Or continue school work and further my education even more. If they have the capacity, they can finish school very early. Public school can hinder that due to a set pace.

 

[breakingcontact]

Very strange how we kick and scream now that healthcare is being turned over to the state but most are find with education being the realm of the state where the innocent kids are sent to "learn"...

 

[benenglish]

I have somewhat of a unique perspective because I have attended schools in the north and the south and have found there to be MASSIVE differences in education quality.

Actually, you have "somewhat of a limited perspective".

What you're describing is not a North/South dichotomy. It's the difference between good schools and bad ones. It's also the difference between schools in states with excessive mandated testing and schools in those states with less of that nonsense. (I disparage standardized testing in antagonism to my own interests, btw. I was an excellent test-taker back in the day.)

With that minor quibble out of the way, your experiences are illuminating. Thank you very much for taking the time to post them.

I went through some of the same though all mine were in Texas. In fact, the main reason my parents moved out of San Antonio to a small town when I was a kid was that I was getting beaten up every day by neighborhood bullies and my older sister was being threatened repeatedly at school. We moved to a small town where the public schools were much better. They had their own problems but, overall, were better.

If I had kids, I'd definitely homeschool. As for sports, social cliques, and dodgeball...I think I should quit before I spew forth a multi-page rant.

 

[M. Sage]

Sports for the kids? What, they can't go 3 gun with the rest of us?

 

[Elbe]

Very strange how we kick and scream now that healthcare is being turned over to the state but most are find with education being the realm of the state where the innocent kids are sent to "learn"...

Disagree somewhat. I see of evidence of "kicking and screaming" against government schools being the main option for parents, for example, the voucher and charter school movement, more homeschooling, online public and private schools, etc.

 

[TexasCajun]

The problem is that alternative forms of education would take public tax dollars out of the pockets of the entrenched & institutionalized & bloated system. And those folks aren't going to give up their spot at the public trough. That's why the local elections that nobody pays attention to are important. To change the school system, you have to change the school boards. And to change the school boards you have to pay attention to the races that don't get any press.

Sent from my GS 3 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Younggun]

So it's about race.

Why can't we all just be Americans and forget about the color of our skin?

 

[ATX_Shawn]

To change the school system, you have to change the school boards. And to change the school boards you have to pay attention to the races that don't get any press.

Sent from my GS 3 using Tapatalk 2

That's a good point..