Private Schools

[bubble sunglasses]

   I disagree with this comment. I don't think it's hypocritical to support public eductation but choose private for your children.
 
   "This is what I find absolutely appaling. How can a person state the importance of public education then send his children to private schools. Next is Universal Healthcare. I bet you he will use private services rather then his beloved Universal Healthcare System. As a society we are destined to two classes of people (the contacted and everyone else) just like the USSR. Oh joy."

[kronstadt]

Sorry to 'bump' this thread, but this issue has been playing in mind for quite a while.

Being in Year 12, I do often consider whether my SAC marks, motivation, teachers etc... would be better if I were in a school that charges in excess of $15,000.

From the evidence I've gathered from this thread, and from personal evidence I've collected from various sources (friends that attend the said schools, meeting teachers from those schools etc...) it does seem worth it; the 'best' teachers in the state, picturesque grounds, 'world class' facilities, a class average of 90 ENTERs. This is what ultimately provides a child the best platform for any person to succeed (well, in accordance to the Australian education system).

I guess the elite private school thing is more for image; a 'Hey look at what I can afford!' thing other then just for the marks. But most non-elitist Catholic schools offer the same thing as most leading elite private schools do; but at a fraction of the price. I go to a pretty good suburban Catholic school, and it ticks most, if not all the boxes that categorize most of these elite schools (lol, in accordance to the 'Bitch please, I went to private school in Kew...' facebook group haha). Blazer; check, single-sex education; check etc...   

But yet again, only if these opportunities are recognized and used are they ever worth that amount of money. There are many good/great public schools out there.

I have personally come to the conclusion that, it is not the school that defines a child's performance, but it is the child's inherent desire to succeed. But needless to say, the private school environment does help with the motivation.

I've decided to stick my future kids in a nice non-elitist Catholic school; a good balance between the 'bad' and the 'best'. I have a half a mind to enroll them into a bad public school, then chuck them into those $15,000 a year schools in their last two years of VCE just so they have the best of both worlds.

But yet again, I may just do it the other way around; elite private school first then dump them into a bad public school just so they appreciate what they've been through, a nice little kick in the ass. Haha.
 
To reiterate, it really is up to the child as to whether those 6 or more years of $15,000+ fees were worth it in the end.

Unless you earn as much as Oprah and have just come to the point where you shit money out of your ass, then congratulations, I am now your newly adopted child. 

[TrueTears]

the 'best' teachers in the state

I personally go to a private school and to be honest some of the teachers that are there are actually horrible. I'd probs go as far as saying their the worst in the state. I can not even begin to describe how bad some of them are...

Yes there are some really good teachers and they are really smart in their area, but to be honest some of them have absolutely no idea how to teach... to convey their knowledge...

[ninwa]

I also went to a private school and had one of the worst teachers I've ever met when I did 1/2 physics. He pretty much told us that it wasn't his job to "spoon-feed" us and that we had to teach ourselves with the textbook, then spent all the lessons discussing political, ethical, environmental, anything-except-physics issues. The only person who did half-decently in that class went on to get a 50 in 3/4

I also had a brilliant chemistry teacher who consistently turns out 45+ (and at least one 50) students every year. It's more of a luck of the draw thing I think.

I did have a rather smart cohort in some of my classes, but that's probably more because private schools can afford to attract smarter students through awarding academic scholarships etc rather than really good teachers.

I do think it is more the student than the school. To take an extreme example, Mao went to a public school in woopwoop (sorry ) and got a higher ENTER than me, who's been in a private school since year 5.

[Gloamglozer]

But having said that, wouldn't everyone's interpretation of what a "bad" teacher is be different? 

For example, in a private school, you might deem a person as a "horrible" teacher but in another school, other students might see them as an excellent teacher.

It's all open for interpretation, wouldn't it?

[TrueTears]

But having said that, wouldn't everyone's interpretation of what a "bad" teacher is be different? 

For example, in a private school, you might deem a person as a "horrible" teacher but in another school, other students might see them as an excellent teacher.

It's all open for interpretation, wouldn't it?

Quite true, but some teachers I have at the moment, you ask them a question, a plain simple question, they say "Oh, sorry I don't know I will get back to you."

And guess what? They never do.

When you ask them "have you done the question I asked you about?"

They say "I'll get back to you."

Nice, so when are they gonna get back to me?

[hyperblade01]

Nice, so when are they gonna get back to me?

I'll have to get back to you for that


But anyways how extreme is it? Do you end up teaching the teachers?

[kronstadt]

But having said that, wouldn't everyone's interpretation of what a "bad" teacher is be different?  

For example, in a private school, you might deem a person as a "horrible" teacher but in another school, other students might see them as an excellent teacher.

It's all open for interpretation, wouldn't it?

I don't think so... though separated by schools, if we all had the same teacher, I would think the consensus would be pretty much the same, save a few 'I'll be the different one and look cool' kids. Most kids either learn one way or another, and if the teacher doesn't fit either of the two learning categories, then they're better off somewhere else.

But I guess some kids may find one teacher better then others. It really depends.

I think the only problem with teachers is that though they may be over-qualified and bursting at the seams with knowledge, it's how they convey their knowledge that can be the problem.

For example, my methods teacher this year; Head of the Math department, is qualified to teach at least 5 VCE subjects, went to really good universities, can do any math problem I can throw at him from the text book and get it right etc...
But he can't.... teach. It came to the point where he stopped lecturing/teaching and just let us do our own thing. We ask him how to do something, he'll give us the answer, but can't tell us how he got it in a way we students can understand. You know what I mean? He's awesome and everything, but he can't ... teach me.

I'd have to spend 2 periods with him to fully understand a question when I could have just gone to the scary, intimidating Scottish methods teacher and would have understood it in a considerably less amount of time, even through his thick accent. He by the way, got my Year 11 methods average up a whole grade in one semester. Again, an example that its their teaching method that gets students those As.  

Oh, and I've had experience with two teachers from the same Kew private school (I won't name the school for privacy reasons), one was extremely, extremely awesome. Like, if I had he/she as a teacher, I would have definitely gotten at least over 45. But the other one... not so good. I would have died and struggled in his/her class, even though he/she went to Oxford(I think, it might have been Cambridge...) and had all these other prestigious degrees under his/her belt. And with that, I still think the agreement between who was the better teacher was pretty obvious from the response of the class. 

I guess it is the luck of the draw. Which is really unfortunate for me, because I would have killed/sabotaged numerous students to have gotten the Scottish methods teacher.  :knuppel2:

Bummer.  

[TrueTears]

Nice, so when are they gonna get back to me?

I'll have to get back to you for that


But anyways how extreme is it? Do you end up teaching the teachers?

oh yeah, especially my chem and methods.

[ninwa]

But having said that, wouldn't everyone's interpretation of what a "bad" teacher is be different? 

Yeah but surely there are some common standards

My physics teacher said (verbatim) "my job is not to teach you". I dropped physics because I didn't understand a thing with him (and didn't have the motivation/interest to learn the stuff myself). I doubt you'd find anyone who would consider him a good teacher

[dcc]

Physics teacher: super bad
English teacher: super good
MUSIC TEACHER: SUPER AWESOME BECAUSE SHE UNDERSTOOD WE DIDN'T LIKE DOING THEORY SO WE BLUDGED!!!!!!

full disclosure: I attended a public school.

[TrueTears]

Physics teacher: super bad
English teacher: super good
MUSIC TEACHER: SUPER AWESOME BECAUSE SHE UNDERSTOOD WE DIDN'T LIKE DOING THEORY SO WE BLUDGED!!!!!!

full disclosure: I attended a public school.

Soz for off-topic post but:
You did music for VCE? What instrument do you play?

[dcc]

Electric Bass

(I can read music too!!!!11111)

[TrueTears]

Electric Bass

(I can read music too!!!!11111)

ahhhh that's awesome man! (Y)

[ninwa]

Electric Bass

(I can read music too!!!!11111)

Surely not.

*runs*