Losing Faith in the Public Schooling System

[The Lost Big Boss]

I remember last year we got this poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay". I thought it meant something that different then what the teacher thought. It was the first time I had ever seen that poem and we had thirty minutes to look at it and write three paragraphs about it. So I though it was about the fall of a golden age or civilization because it mentioned stuff like garden of Eden and Atlantis. I gave a good theses and backed it up with supporting evidence. Then it turns out it was about the changing of seasons. So I thought "Hey I did what the paper told me to do, tell what you think it is and then support it with proof" Well I was wrong because the next week (The teacher was a lazy ****) I got it back with a C- stating that "You're interpretation was wrong". Last time I checked there is no "wrong" interpretation of a fucking poem. Sure the author may write it for a point he sees at the time, but why am I wrong for seeing it in a different light? It is like saying I was wrong for seeing the wrong end of an optical illusion.

 

[Blood_Lined]

Are you just now starting to lose faith within our public schooling system?

 

[lukemdizzle]

Grade 4, I thought This is bullshit. How the fuck is knowing about dinosaurs or shit going to help me in the working work if i want to be a cook, which i did and still do want to be.

I hear this a lot. you may want to be a cook and there are lots of vocational programs for you if you look for them. In lower grades and high school most people don't know what they want to be so a wide range of subjects are taught so that kids can get a sense of what they like, and who knows the kid next to you might have always wanted to be a paleontologist

Which is why classroom sizes should be smaller and teachers allowed to have a more focused plan based on the individual student.

but which sadly isn't always possible for a variety of reasons. At some point if you really feel passionate about something you need to take it upon yourself to get classes for that subject on your own time. My school has a very limited art program due to budget cuts and I do not blame the school, I just have been going to art programs all last year after both school and wrestling practice and throughout the summer. I recognize that the schools need to teach a variety of subjects because i believe it is very important to have a well rounded education. If you really want to do something nobodies stopping you.

Well except being in a shity town that dose offer any free programs and any ones which do cost money are to expensive for me and my family. :<

Internships are free

 

[f1r2a3n4k5]

I have absolutely no complaints about the public school system. Of course, that might be because I went to a Catholic middle school and then a magnet high school. Magnet public schools are amazing. We get to siphon off the best students, the best grants, and no transportation costs.

 

[Deleric]

My english teacher did not know who John Steinbeck was

Wiki'd him. Looked at his Bibliography.

I lol'd.

 

[Blood_Lined]

I remember last year we got this poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay". I thought it meant something that different then what the teacher thought. It was the first time I had ever seen that poem and we had thirty minutes to look at it and write three paragraphs about it. So I though it was about the fall of a golden age or civilization because it mentioned stuff like garden of Eden and Atlantis. I gave a good theses and backed it up with supporting evidence. Then it turns out it was about the changing of seasons. So I thought "Hey I did what the paper told me to do, tell what you think it is and then support it with proof" Well I was wrong because the next week (The teacher was a lazy ****) I got it back with a C- stating that "You're interpretation was wrong". Last time I checked there is no "wrong" interpretation of a fucking poem. Sure the author may write it for a point he sees at the time, but why am I wrong for seeing it in a different light? It is like saying I was wrong for seeing the wrong end of an optical illusion.

As far as I know, that poem has nothing to do with the changing of seasons, but the idea of that you're golden when you're young, "Stay golden Johnny... stay golden..." [Karate Kid dies]

That was from that greasers V.S. preps movie. I believe that the movie was called the Outcasts or something, based off of a book, that same exact poem is referred to several times within the book and movie.

 

[Cilliandrew]

I am homeschooled. I never had any faith in public schooling to begin with.

Same. The public school system is garbage, and throwing more money into the garbage isn't the answer. Honestly, I think everyone should home-school, but I understand that is impractical for many.

I had a buddy who was homeschooled thru grade school, before his parents opted to insert him into the public system when he hit high school. His lack of developed social skills nearly killed him.

I would never EVER homeschool my child simply because of what i saw happen to this guy.

As much as we may want to diss the public school system, there are some intangibles that it provides that home schooling simply doesn't.

 

[MK Tha Rebel]

My faith in public schools was gone by 4th grade, and then continued to drop throughout High School. The teachers were thick-headed assholes, the students did next to nothing and still got good grades (As opposed to me, who worked hard for my grade until I said "Fuck it" and still got good grades after. There was really no incentive to try.) fights broke out constantly (well, they were more like "who can pull who's shirt the longest until someone falls down, then act tough") and nobody got into any real trouble for fighting (Except for me, because the few fights I was in, I actually, you know, HURT someone in self-defense, so that automatically makes me the bad guy. Still, the punishment was "don't come to school for a week" so it was a win-win.) the cafeteria food made everyone sick, people got caught fucking in the bathrooms and in the auditorium (No lie) and, of course, lots of drug use. So yeah, I consider public schools on the same level as prison and being in a coma...that's a lie, I'd prefer the coma.

As much as we may want to diss the public school system, there are some intangibles that it provides that home schooling simply doesn't.

True, but those same intangibles can be provided by a part-time job, and at least those have some decent standards and a paycheck. With school, its hit-or-miss. You either get along with that group of people and fit in, or you don't. Either way, you're stuck with them for years. At least at a job, you meet more people from different areas. The variety of people you meet at a job is very helpful when it come to developing social skills.

 

[VanityGirl]

I studied in a private and public school.
I will say that I think the teachers and sometimes the students care a little more with school in a private school.

The main problem with public schools is that the teachers are SO underpaid for what they do. (At least in Georgia, USA). A lot of teachers have little incentive to teach a child who clearly does NOT want to learn, especially if that teacher is not getting the right salary.

When I transferred back to an American public high school from the american high school I went to in Singapore, I saw a VAST difference in STUDENTS.
Public schools fail because underpayed teachers have little demons that totally F*** Sh** Up.
I will admit that there are some cases where you just have a BAD teacher.
To me as a current college student who's taking VERY high level classes, I believe the teacher should not only be able to TEACH the material in a way I can understand, but the teacher must also actually KNOW the material.

For example:
My senior year of high school (in America), my economics teacher made a remake about Asia. This teacher CLEARLY was speaking out of her ass and since I lived in Asia, I corrected her. The teacher got pissed and threatened me.


But I've never lost faith in school systems. They all have their own flaws. It's better to have a kid in school than a kid on the streets.

 

[The Lost Big Boss]

I remember last year we got this poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay". I thought it meant something that different then what the teacher thought. It was the first time I had ever seen that poem and we had thirty minutes to look at it and write three paragraphs about it. So I though it was about the fall of a golden age or civilization because it mentioned stuff like garden of Eden and Atlantis. I gave a good theses and backed it up with supporting evidence. Then it turns out it was about the changing of seasons. So I thought "Hey I did what the paper told me to do, tell what you think it is and then support it with proof" Well I was wrong because the next week (The teacher was a lazy ****) I got it back with a C- stating that "You're interpretation was wrong". Last time I checked there is no "wrong" interpretation of a fucking poem. Sure the author may write it for a point he sees at the time, but why am I wrong for seeing it in a different light? It is like saying I was wrong for seeing the wrong end of an optical illusion.

As far as I know, that poem has nothing to do with the changing of seasons, but the idea of that you're golden when you're young, "Stay golden Johnny... stay golden..." [Karate Kid dies]

That was from that greasers V.S. preps movie. I believe that the movie was called the Outcasts or something, based off of a book, that same exact poem is referred to several times within the book and movie.

This was the poem
Nature's first green is gold
Her hardest hue to hold
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

Think you got it mixed up with something else.

 

[skitzo van]

Well, my school teachers will judge some people on their looks, I have long hair, teachers think I'm stupid, I then get high grades and prove them wrong. Thus leading to a few debates.

 

[la-le-lu-li-lo]

I realized that as stupid as High School often is, and as most of the lessons won't stick with you, it's important.

I actually had great teachers that taught me a lot, and for that I'm thankful.

 

[sneakypenguin]

I am homeschooled. I never had any faith in public schooling to begin with.

Same. The public school system is garbage, and throwing more money into the garbage isn't the answer. Honestly, I think everyone should home-school, but I understand that is impractical for many.

High five me to. I was homeschooled since kindergarten and I taught myself from 8th grade on. Homeschool is the way to go 2 hours a day and still cram more stuff in than public schools.

Grade and highschool sucks but Americas college system is freaking awesome.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

You're just now loosing faith in the Public School System?

Okay, hang on for just one second.....




These were all the school rules I had to go through. There are a lot more reasons I hate the school system than this.

[spoiler/]"All students must refer to superiors as either Sir or Ma'am" I refused that one.

If you missed one homework assignment, you were forced to go to detention. If you didn't go to detention, you were sent to Saturday School. I never went to either and I was sent to both at least 30 times.

Boy's hair couldn't be past the collar. I had hair down to my chest at this time. Long, curly, light brown hair and no asshole was gonna tell me what to do with it.

Girls must always wear their hair in pony tails. What kinda bullshit is that??

Any food or drink was strickly prohibited in class rooms. Including water.

Girls may not have nail polish. I had polished nails. Dark blue. Rules didn't say anything about boys wearing nail polish.

And the worst one of all. (actually, 2 worst but their listed together) No backpacks are allowed on school grounds and lunches brought from home must be inspected before consumption.

What...The...Fuck?

This was all in Middle School. I don't even want to see the High School rules.[/spoiler]


Okay. How's that? Along with their bullshit grading system in which they average out each class so the average grade will be a C (that means that the dumbest kid could get an A, but the smartest get an F because they want to look like a good, challenging school) and when I just heard about the principal getting fired because almost all of the teachers were'nt regestered or qualified to be teachers and 3 of them turned out to have been molesting students.

That's when I told them to go fuck themselves and then I got homeschooled.

Ooooooooh that is bad. No backpacks? What the fuck are you supposed to carry your books in?
And grading curves are always ALWAYS fail.

 

[Ridonculous_Ninja]

I do so hate when they make you colour something in Grade 9 when you aren't even in Art class.

Because everyone wants an assignment worth a fair portion of your final grade on a project to be based on how well you colour and not how well you actually know the material.

Maybe they know we will be able to colour forever, but will only be able to remember what they taughts us for a year at best... School is cramming info into your brain, using it on a test, and then discarding it forever or until you need to relearn for the final.

So dumb...

 

[Pendragon9]

The day they told me the next grade would be better.

BULL. CRAP.

 

[Cari Scholtens]

This "realization" as you call it has not yet happened for me since I do feel that the public school system has much to offer the average student. Be that child a "good" student or not, the public school system will still offer that child an invaluable treasure and that is opportunity. Without a public school system, we would end up in an even more elitist society than we are in now with only the rich or otherwise privileged children given the opportunity to make something of their lives. I completely acknowledge that the system is not perfect...far from it in fact. As the daughter of high school teacher and nearly finished with my own teaching degree, I am well aware of the flaws in the system. With broken legislation like NCLB in the United States, schools are expected to do more than ever while being given less than ever to make it happen. Again however, that opportunity to learn is still there and it is given to children in the form of public schooling. With determination and drive, students of any socioeconomic status came truly become something great and the Cinderella story can take new shape. Call me an idealist, but that's the way I feel.

 

[crepesack]

some public schools are good some are bad. It depends on locale.

 

[Ridonculous_Ninja]

I remember last year we got this poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay". I thought it meant something that different then what the teacher thought. It was the first time I had ever seen that poem and we had thirty minutes to look at it and write three paragraphs about it. So I though it was about the fall of a golden age or civilization because it mentioned stuff like garden of Eden and Atlantis. I gave a good theses and backed it up with supporting evidence. Then it turns out it was about the changing of seasons. So I thought "Hey I did what the paper told me to do, tell what you think it is and then support it with proof" Well I was wrong because the next week (The teacher was a lazy ****) I got it back with a C- stating that "You're interpretation was wrong". Last time I checked there is no "wrong" interpretation of a fucking poem. Sure the author may write it for a point he sees at the time, but why am I wrong for seeing it in a different light? It is like saying I was wrong for seeing the wrong end of an optical illusion.

As far as I know, that poem has nothing to do with the changing of seasons, but the idea of that you're golden when you're young, "Stay golden Johnny... stay golden..." [Karate Kid dies]

That was from that greasers V.S. preps movie. I believe that the movie was called the Outcasts or something, based off of a book, that same exact poem is referred to several times within the book and movie.

This was the poem
Nature's first green is gold
Her hardest hue to hold
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

Think you got it mixed up with something else.

God I hate that interpretation bullsh*t.

My mind works on knowing exactly the right answer to everything, obsessively so, so when I get a question that asks me something like, "What was the author thinking when she wrote this line?" I get really, really annoyed. Because I have no way to ever know exactly what the Author was thinking. Quite possibly it was, "Oh ho ho, I'm so witty. I'm rhyming! Oh ho ho!" or, "Oh crap rent is due next week. Quick, let's right a poem!". I got pissed the hell off by the Grade 8 Poetry unit I did which was filled with questions like that (and terrible poems to boot), Grade 9 was less of those questions and more actually answerable ones. That was much nicer, asking for MY thoughts on the poem, instead of what the author thought.

And yes that was a rant.

Thank you for reading.

I have a lot of ranting material, most of it from school.

 

[randomsix]

You get what you pay for. In NJ (america) local schools are funded by local taxes. If the school budgets are too small, it's probably because people without kids or whose kids have gone through a system don't feel like footing the bill.
The exception is in urban centers where local taxation is heavily supplemented by federal and state aid. -EDIT- (apartments result in many more people living on a smaller piece of taxable land) -EDIT-

On a side note, even funding isn't everything. Last year in a class, we compared my town's schools (a suburban NJ town) to Camden's schools (a more urban area). My town's schools performed better on standardized tests (the only available method of measuring "achievement" across the board) despite spending thousands of dollars less per student per year.