^the socialization problem is a myth. Homeshooling is the best option if you can do it and are not a complete moron. And even if you are a moron chances are so is your kid so hey at least you'll be at their level Seriously though, I think the option that has served a lot of people I have met is taking college courses in HS. This applies to the homeschooling option just as well. Once you take a few college courses it speaks to your ability so getting into a good college is easier and you can get further in the subject that is your passion. Long term benefits are hard to overstate.I had friends who went to NCSSM and were fairly sucessful, but there is (or was) a problem getting courses to count (at NCSU). So they'd end up taking courses over again that they didn't need to. Obviously if you took the course at university its easier to transfer. I like the idea of NCSSM but I think more forward thinking about transferring credits needs to be done. I think I heard that NCSSM is becoming part of the UNC-system so maybe this will be less of an issue in future years. Another friend I have complains that NCSSM doesn't encourage enough competition so some kids can slack through the program. I don't know how wide-spread this problem is. Clearly NCSSM serves some kids well like the ones mention earlier in this thread.
3/31/2007 4:13:10 PM
3/31/2007 7:31:36 PM
^ have a sense of humor by chance?
3/31/2007 9:10:52 PM
Grain of truth, etc...
3/31/2007 9:28:45 PM
i think we're probably gonna do private for elementary and middle school. I would prefer public high school if theres a superior public magnet-type option. if not, then we'll have to go with the best private option available.FWIW, i *know* theres gonna be cliques in every highschool public or private. i was just wondering if there was that "cool to be stupid" mentality in private schools as there are in most public schools.anyhow, i appreciate everyone's contribution. a lot of good stuff.but this was particulary funny to me for some reason:
3/31/2007 10:49:26 PM
It all depends on the private school. I think you're ignoring all the different private school types. I went to a college prep school, and being called the "stupid kid" would be highly embarassing. I went to private and public during HS. Public I found there were so many kids in my class (700) that it would have been impossible to group according to the normal stereotypes. Basically you just found a few friends who shared classes/sports and stuck with them if you could.Private school was less stereotyped as well, since we were all there by choice for academics. Our classes were small too, so cliques were actually more damaging since you'd inadvertently have to hang out or work with everyone at one point or another.And BTW, private teachers don't get paid more. They got paid less at my school, but they just choose that so they could write their own curiculum, not have to deal with the politics of public school, and benefit from smaller class sizes. They DEFINATELY didn't get much else other than that, specially since the parents pretty much got 90% say of what went on.
3/31/2007 11:11:59 PM
I certaintly didn't have a problem getting NCSU to count NCSSM classes. I came in with 24 hours and only took one AP exam.
3/31/2007 11:55:01 PM
4/1/2007 4:41:03 PM
to have such strong opinions on this topic, you must have some valid experience from which to contribute. care to share?
4/1/2007 4:47:07 PM
4/1/2007 5:46:54 PM
4/1/2007 8:35:29 PM
Disclaimer-I didn't read the whole thread. here's my 2 centsI went to carolina friends school for 2 years in high school. most of the kids there had known eachother their whole lives. it was very hard to make friends and get to know people, and it didn't help that I wasn't one of durham/ chapel hill's elite. There were around 75 kids in the whole upper school, so everyone, knew everyone. They only let a couple new kids in each year, and I was one of them. I went to public high school before it, and honestly think it was stricter as far as academics went than the private school. the friends school was very loose as far as academic standards went- the students pretty much got to set dates for projects to be due, there were no desks, just couches and big chairs in all the classrooms. Basically the students ran shit, not the teachers. There were a lot more rules in place at public school whereas private school was pretty lax. And I think most of the problems stemmed from the fact that most of the students were very wealthy. Public school sucked. so did a $15,000 a year private school. I graduated through homeschooling. I liked that much better. It just depends on the person, and how they are wired. some folks do great in school. others not so much. college didn't work for me real well either. everybody learns different. you just have to find the right thing that clicks.I got sent to private school because I was a fuckup. there were a ton of drugs there, among other shit.
4/1/2007 9:28:46 PM
4/1/2007 10:56:27 PM
There are benefits to public school outside of the pure academic considerations. In my experience, coming through the public schools can make you a more well-rounded person because you have to learn to relate to a diverse cross-section of individuals. People that don't learn this in adolescence typically will never be able to empathize with or relate to people different from themself.Honestly, there are only 3 reasons I could ever see myself putting my kids in private K-12 schools.1) The public schools being unsafe2) The academics being very bad3) The kid having special needs that aren't being met at a public school
4/2/2007 7:00:23 AM
joe_schmoe, I actually had some more insight into this topic. When it comes to middle school, high school, you should let your child decide.
4/2/2007 9:10:00 AM
Now that it has been mentioned I forgot to say that I was homeschooled for a couple years also. 1st-3rd grade and then like 6th while I was in europe while my dad was on sabbatical.I actually enjoyed it for the most part other than my mom being a commie teacher. I wouldn't suggest it past the early years though. Kids need to get out and socialize. Who cares if your the smartest person if you can't have a competent conversation with people you don't know or can't maintain a good image in uncomfortable social situations. Thats my theory atleast.Anyway I think early homeschooling helped me out and put me ahead of the curve early on. I never had trouble in school although I didn't consider myself smart at the time (I was always living in the shadow of my perfect academic wise older brother who I wasn't able to one up until college- a high 1400's score on the SAT doesn't seem impressive to anyone when your brother got high 1500's )
4/2/2007 12:20:28 PM
I went to summer camp with a guy who went to Carolina Friends.He didn't wear shoes.
4/2/2007 1:47:58 PM
4/2/2007 8:56:01 PM
^According to Erik Erikson's ideas about the different stages of development, children begin to think about their identity (Who am I? What are my values?) at the start of adolescence (ages 11-15). Most of us will try on a number of different hats during this period that can last until our early 20s. Anyway, I think you should begin to give your child as much autonomy as possible as he or she tries to sort out his or her identity, and this includes allowing him or her to pick his or her school.[Edited on April 3, 2007 at 10:38 PM. Reason : ]
4/3/2007 10:36:38 PM
when i was 15.. i decided NOT to go to school. and my parents let me. yeah, that was smart. letting a child decided between public/private/home is ridiculous. how are they going to weigh the advantages of one over the other without having any experience? yes, an 11-15 yr old should be allowed to dye their hair, and express themselves through clothing, but they do not have experience enough to determine where they will get the best education.
4/3/2007 10:43:22 PM
I haven't read through this entire thread, but here's my personal experience:I went to public school until 8th grade. I got picked on constantly for being "too smart."I then went to private school in 9th and 10th grade. I still got picked on, just by fewer people because the class sizes were smaller.I then went to the Alabama School of Math & Science. I didn't get picked on, I found out about NC State and some great scholarships, and now I am making $Texas while all my tormenters are either knocked up, in jail, or in some other hopeless situation.My advice: send the kid to public school, but do not under any circumstances limit her education to what she learns in school. My parents had me doing multiplication at 6 and writing in cursive around the same age. Did that make me smarter? Probably not, but it put me ahead.And remember, torment from your peers at an early age builds the kind of character and spiteful bitterness necessary to become successful and rub it into others' faces on down the road.
4/3/2007 10:44:45 PM
^ hear, hear [Edited on April 3, 2007 at 10:59 PM. Reason : ]
4/3/2007 10:46:07 PM
thank you[Edited on April 3, 2007 at 11:11 PM. Reason : ]
4/3/2007 10:52:22 PM
4/3/2007 11:31:43 PM
[Edited on April 3, 2007 at 11:43 PM. Reason : consolidated]
4/3/2007 11:39:51 PM
Bridget.. Obama may be a little spiteful from his experiences as an adolescent but in the last 3 post youve made yourself out to be a cold heartless bitch ( for lack of a better term ) when you were young. I guess his statement shined some sort of truth to your eyes when evaluating yours and his place in life but its disappointing to see you name calling someone who's used his torments as a child/teen to prosper in life, although his statement about rubbing it into peoples face is a bit childish.
4/4/2007 12:57:13 AM
4/4/2007 10:06:46 AM
^x7, x6, x5 And that is why I generally don't like **SSM kids.[Edited on April 4, 2007 at 10:16 AM. Reason : ^]
4/4/2007 10:15:07 AM
What I was trying to imply was that maybe when you were a teen you were one of the kids making fun of others, noticeably or not, and now at your current affairs in life arent as successful as obama and feel the need to call him names when he just simply said that he used his torments to succeed in life.And I was a little drunk when I wrote my statement but I dont see how you wouldnt be able to comprehend it as it is.
4/4/2007 10:20:28 AM
I thought Bridget's post was dead on
4/4/2007 10:22:07 AM
4/4/2007 1:13:38 PM
4/4/2007 7:45:58 PM
4/4/2007 7:55:17 PM
Sorry StillFuchsia... I guess it should have just been ^x7, x6 in this case.I read the post after the edit so I would have no idea that you were thanking him for correcting his grammar. I just assumed you were agreeing with them both. (I'll leave correcting grammar on a message board alone as you are an English major and perhaps that irks you)
4/4/2007 8:25:30 PM
4/5/2007 5:07:47 AM
^you wouldn't say it to their face, now would you?
4/5/2007 5:19:55 AM
Actually, yes, I would, and I have...when people start talking about how they were made fun of for being smart and how all those kids are now "in jail or knocked up" (this is what they always say) and how they're successful and blah, blah, blah...it is just so fucking lame. If there was a brief pause in the conversation, my typical response would be... "Come on, dude. That's just pathetic. You can't possibly mean that..."I have a lot of these opinions, and I normally just wait a couple beats, and if nobody says anything, I'll jump in with it. But normally the conversation goes on pleasantly, and there's really no place for me to share a criticism.As far as the "go fuck yourself" part, I'd probably say that word for word to OneNighter86's face. It's really a dismissive phrase in this case, not challenging or angry or anything...[Edited on April 5, 2007 at 5:39 AM. Reason : sss]
4/5/2007 5:35:44 AM
something tells me you're more likely to just argue with people and insult them over the computeryou seem like you don't get out much
4/5/2007 5:38:30 AM
^I'm definitely more likely to argue over the computer. Like I said, in face-to-face communication, there aren't many pauses in conversation for me to become argumentative with other people. I'd have to bring shit back up at the end of the conversation, and people would be like, "WTF are you talking about?"And I don't get out much anymore. You're very perceptive.
4/5/2007 5:41:39 AM
i bet she could suck a mean dick tho...
4/5/2007 5:42:30 AM
^^why is that? afraid?
4/5/2007 5:56:04 AM
at least she doesnt buy a fucking wolfweb name the day of the egg hunt...
4/5/2007 6:29:04 AM
thought it was a good time to joinbeen lurkin for a while
4/5/2007 6:43:59 AM
bwn?
4/5/2007 12:19:42 PM
4/5/2007 3:36:23 PM
I went to J.H. Rose High School(also known as Greenville Rose), and anyone who is from east of Raleigh, NC knows that Rose sets the standard for Schools public or private in the Eastern part of the state. Rose was about 70% white, 20% blk, and 10% everything else. Yes there were cliques, but that is a apart of the academic environment at Rose. Yes, I had friends in all of the cliques..and I was in hs from '94-'98 and I had friends in mostly all of the cliques at Rose...the jocks, preps, goths, nerds, band geeks, the my parents have as much $$ as Oprah cliques, etc....your kdis experiences will be based on all of these positive and negative experiences in school. As, someone who currently works at a private high school here in Ch. Hill, I can tell you that if I had my high school years to do over again I would choose J.H. Rose High School IN A HEARTBEAT..HANDS DOWN....My graduating class had 333 students, and over 200 of us went to 4 year or 2 year colleges/universities, our valedictorian and saludetorian got full rides to Harvard, we had 8 kids get the Morehead, 3 get the Parks Scholar at State, great athletic teams....not a single private high school ive come in contact with compares to the experience and level of education I received at J.H. Rose High School...and the Triangle area has some pretty outstanding private schools. J.H. Rose Graduate C/O '98
4/5/2007 3:47:43 PM
^^You're not even making sense anymore.You keep bringing in all these peripheral issues.Your basic point is that 1) you think I'm a mean person for telling BamaPack that he was pathetic and 2) you think I was motivated by some feeling of having a lower "place in life" than BamaPack.My responses to your points:1. Okay.2. No.As far as the peripheral stuff:
4/5/2007 4:20:07 PM
mean girl > ugly girlall i'm sayin...lighten up. all of you, for that matter.bridgetspk, you are not all-knowing in the area of child-rearing. you're depending too much on book experience rather than life experience and common sense. you are going to have a rude-awakening the day you have to be diplomatic in expressing your ideas. even if you have something worthwhile to hear, people will shut you out because you're too forceful. you will get nowhere.it's like someone going "all in" in the first round of texas hold'em.that being said, i'm done with this thread! the topic has been covered.
4/5/2007 4:32:12 PM
4/5/2007 4:34:57 PM
4/5/2007 4:40:39 PM