School

[AxisMundi]

At the k-12 level, 'good-school' is a misnomer. That's because in those levels, the school admissions are based on geographic proximity to the specific schools. And since 'good-schools' are more likely to be in affluent and wealthy neighborhoods with more property tax money and funding to perpetuate its 'good' status, the virtue of you being able to send your kid to a 'good-school' most likely means you yourself are likely to be relatively middle-class, affluent, or even wealthy. And it's those factors that contributes to a child's likelihood to do better. Although, as you've mentioned, it's not a guarantee. It only increases the likelihood.

A parent can request a specific school for their child within any city school system.

It might take a few years if there is already a alrge student body within that school and/or a long waiting list, but it will happen eventually.

 

[Mercy Not Sacrifice]

I don't know what it is, but for some reason it peeves me to hear, "Gotta get my kid in the right school."
You find out you're pregnant, first words out of a person's mouth is' "What schools have you signed up for?" They mean your baby, not you.
There are waiting lists at some of these preschools. In fact, at some, you need to plan when you are having you kid so that you don't get pushed further down the list you have already signed up on.

What is this about 'getting into the right school;? It's not like it's a guarantee that you are going to Yale or Harvard. It's just a school.
Maybe I just don't get it.

Upper- and middle-class Americans are increasingly getting trapped into an arms race of forcing their children to be the brightest, most athletic, most skilled children out there. Gone are the days when C's or even B's were acceptable grades; now, anything less than an A is "bad." Gone are the days when parents could be counted on to support their kids' teachers' efforts to keep the classroom in order; now, the weight of a child's words often meets or even exceeds the weight of a teacher's words. Gone are the days where you could see children all over the neighborhood playing outside on any given afternoon with fair weather; now, they're either inside watching TV or playing video games, or they're at some sort of organized sport or activity. Gone are the days where parents walked a balancing act between being tough when they had to and being gentle when they had to; now, many of them want to be their children's "buddy."

Who benefits from all of this? Absolutely nobody. Everyone suffers, especially the children, as they only realize once they get out there in the real world.

 

[Kathryn]

I'm with Dallas on this one - the best school for young kids is playtime, and by that I do NOT mean video games or TV. I mean outside, getting dirty, tents under the kitchen table, pots for drums and spoons for drumsticks, masks made out of paper bags and construction paper, chalk drawings on the sidewalk, mom singing kids to sleep (even gradeschool age kids), making cookies together, picnics in the backyard, tire swings, running through the sprinkler, lemonade stands, and riding bikes through the neighborhood.

And an apple a day!

 

[Sunstone]

Some schools are better than others. People usually want what's best for their kids. So getting their kids into the best school available is a concern of theirs. What's not to understand?

 

[Rakhel]

But pre-school?

Also, in NYC, a student can go to any school in the 5 boroughs. And they have some pretty amazing schools. Some specializing in a variety of subjects. Form vo-tec to hospitality to law and pre-med. These are high schools, mind you. Some of the middle schools are just as instructional.

I just wish that they had the same schools in each borough, because as it stands, a child can spend hours(I'm not kidding) traveling from Tottenville, Staten Island to go to school in Jamaca, Queens. That is a 3 hour, one way ride just to go to one of these specialized schools

 

[Mercy Not Sacrifice]

Some schools are better than others. People usually want what's best for their kids. So getting their kids into the best school available is a concern of theirs. What's not to understand?

Because some parents have an unfair advantage over others regarding this choice. And instead of getting in the trenches and helping these schools out, and electing people that will fund programs documented to do just that, they demonize the poorer schools and scream for a lack of support and funding. This, of course, serves to make those schools even worse. And that is NOT the fault of the struggling schools, as much as the anti-education crowd would like to believe so.

 

[Wannabe Yogi]

I don't know what it is, but for some reason it peeves me to hear, "Gotta get my kid in the right school."
You find out you're pregnant, first words out of a person's mouth is' "What schools have you signed up for?"

There is one more big problem. Parents at times falsely identify teaching academics to preschoolers as a good thing. The fact is small kids learn through play not flash cards. I would say that a good preschool is one that gives kids lots of opportunities to play different games in different settings. Then a few months before the child goes to public school. They learn letters, numbers,shapes and basic words. If you want your child to do well in school read to him/her as much as possible. It is also important that you Read your self so your child values education. The fact is children who come from families that value education do well in school.

 

[Rakhel]

There is one more big problem. Parents at times falsely identify teaching academics to preschoolers as a good thing. The fact is small kids learn through play not flash cards. I would say that a good preschool is one that gives kids lots of opportunities to play different games in different settings. Then a few months before the child goes to public school. They learn letters, numbers,shapes and basic words. If you want your child to do well in school read to him/her as much as possible. It is also important that you Read your self so your child values education. The fact is children who come from families that value education do well in school.

While I agree with this, I still don't see where the importance is on the school itself.

 

[Octavia156]

I don't know what it is, but for some reason it peeves me to hear, "Gotta get my kid in the right school."
You find out you're pregnant, first words out of a person's mouth is' "What schools have you signed up for?" They mean your baby, not you.
There are waiting lists at some of these preschools. In fact, at some, you need to plan when you are having you kid so that you don't get pushed further down the list you have already signed up on.

What is this about 'getting into the right school;? It's not like it's a guarantee that you are going to Yale or Harvard. It's just a school.
Maybe I just don't get it.

I teach in what the newspapers like to call a 'bad' school. Truth is, we're an amazing school full of amazing teachers, but the problem is a massive percentage of our students come from very deprived backgrounds and have little to no aspirations. Part of my job is to enstill confidence in children and I work to encourage ambition and 'thinking big'. Its hard, some children just have too much stress, they don't have their basic needs met so they will never fully self actualise

However - what I've learned is that those children, no matter what their background and no matter what learning environment they are in, if they have supportive parents who take an active role in their education - they always succeed.

 

[AxisMundi]

I teach in what the newspapers like to call a 'bad' school. Truth is, we're an amazing school full of amazing teachers, but the problem is a massive percentage of our students come from very deprived backgrounds and have little to no aspirations. Part of my job is to enstill confidence in children and I work to encourage ambition and 'thinking big'. Its hard, some children just have too much stress, they don't have their basic needs met so they will never fully self actualise

However - what I've learned is that those children, no matter what their background and no matter what learning environment they are in, if they have supportive parents who take an active role in their education - they always succeed.

News media tend to fixate on only one "devil" for any given concern. And thy are certainly NOT going to insult their readers (paying customers) by noting that parents are indeed a huge factor in the equation of their children's education.

And certianly not that parent's are a huge factor in the failure of public education.

It is certainly a complex equation, of which parents, teachers, and unions are but a small part of.

 

[Mercy Not Sacrifice]

There is one more big problem. Parents at times falsely identify teaching academics to preschoolers as a good thing. The fact is small kids learn through play not flash cards. I would say that a good preschool is one that gives kids lots of opportunities to play different games in different settings. Then a few months before the child goes to public school. They learn letters, numbers,shapes and basic words. If you want your child to do well in school read to him/her as much as possible. It is also important that you Read your self so your child values education. The fact is children who come from families that value education do well in school.

And through hands-on activities designed to give the youngsters a physical representation of what they are intended to learn. Don't restrict their strong desire to touch things; capitalize on it.

 

[Octavia156]

Did you know children below the age of 5 have perfect pitch?
If you play musical frequencies to very young children and say 'F' or 'CSharp' &c they will develop the ability to recognise musical notes by ear as easily as hearing a letter and knowing its a P or a T &c.

 

[blackout]

I don't know what it is, but for some reason it peeves me to hear, "Gotta get my kid in the right school."

You find out you're pregnant, first words out of a person's mouth is' "What schools have you signed up for?" They mean your baby, not you.
There are waiting lists at some of these preschools. In fact, at some, you need to plan when you are having you kid so that you don't get pushed further down the list you have already signed up on.

What is this about 'getting into the right school;? It's not like it's a guarantee that you are going to Yale or Harvard. It's just a school.
Maybe I just don't get it.

social conditioning.