Public School, or Private - which did you attend, and how did it work for you?

[yellowtail3]

I've noticed, on multiple occasions, that public schools get bad-mouthed by political conservatives of a certain... type. This leads me to wonder: are the critics of public schools themselves products of same, or are they private school survivors who've seen the light? Two questions:
1. What do you think of public schools?
2. Did you attend a public school?
3. If YES to #2... do you feel short-changed by the education you received at a public school?

For critics of public schools - 'they're gov't schools indoctrinating our kids into liberalism!' - did you attend public or private school in K-12?

[Cuts Crooked]

I are a viktum of the publik scool syzdem!

Sorry, I couldn't pass that one up!

Yes I attended public schools, I also did a very short stint in a catholic school, which I was kicked out of when I was 9 years old for fighting. (short story, the mayors son threw paint on my little uniform, I broke his teeth in return....)

Irrespective...did I received a quality education? No, I did not. I was indoctrinated, not educated. And it didn't take long to recover from it. But then, I've been employed and paying taxes almost constantly since I was 8 years old. That tends to make one very critical of those who teach the BS that passes for education in our public school system.

[Cuts Crooked]

Hmmm??? You "poll" was expanding as I wrote......and it STILL doesn't cover the bases.

I home schooled my children!

[teamnelson]

Except for 2 years at a PACE school, I attended public school.

Later I sub taught in elementary school, and have taught at private graduate school level.

My children were homeschooled except for a semester in England, and a few months in Arizona. They both placed well into the top 1% on national testing. Both intend to home school their children, the results are too compelling, and recognized by recruiters from the top universities in the US.

The American public system was fathered by a secular humanist and socialist who was on record as believing a public system was the means by which to indoctrinate children away from the traditions and values of their parents, and reduce the influence of faith on humanity.

I believe there is good and bad in public education; during my time as a sub I personally observed neglect of children above the average, neglect of the well behaved, coaching to the tests, reducing requirements to ensure a higher pass rate. 1 teacher to 30 kids ... and that was a school of excellence. My wife worked special needs - it wasn't what we thought. Her job was to coach the kids that didn't or wouldn't study or learn. Nothing wrong with them, just unmotivated.

The emperor has no clothes; let's just admit it and stop pretending the system is above reproach.

[mcbammer]

I  learned   more  walking  to  school  .  Uphill  both ways.                                                   If   I  had a choice  today  I  would  be  home  schooled.   And   would  recommend   it  to   any    with    kids  today.                                       

[yellowtail3]

The emperor has no clothes; let's just admit it and stop pretending the system is above reproach.

Not a bad prescription; it's happen about the same time the ideologues quite thinking of public schools as a commie plot to take over America & institute Sharia nation-wide... IMHO, of course.

For the record - I went to a public school, but I was an advocate of home schooling for years. 

[Ranch13]

I attended public school, but it was in a far different time than what things are now.
 I have a number of teachers in my family, they all say the same thing , the crap the teachers union and the politicians are pushing  now is horrible.
But it in the end boils down to the make up of the school board, if the school board in your district is a bunch of leftwing dingbats, that's what the cirriculum will be. If the schoolboard is heavily populated by folks with a bit of common sense and still believing in right and wrong the cirriculum will be much better.

[BUGEYE]

In the 86/87 school year, we had an exchange student from Holland who aced the senior year of high school without cracking a book.  she had had it already in elementary school.
the dumbing down had started even back then.

[DDZ]

Its been 37 years since I was in school, and I believe public schools have changed a bunch since then. Was there indoctrination going on back then, probably, but not to the extent of what is going on today. Government along with the socialist driven agenda, have been patient. Kind of like a drip at a time, or death by a thousand cuts. Could you imagine 40 or 50 years ago if schools were teaching the garbage they do today. There would have been public outrage. If its done over the time of a number of generations it becomes the norm and accepted.
   I believe those that can't seem to find anything wrong with our government run schools, are the ones that have been soundly indoctrinated. The socialist, communist, whatever you want to call it,  movement in this country have just about achieved their goals of removing God from the public arena, the destruction of the idea of the traditional family, and the indoctrination of the people, through what is called public education. Without God, strong families, and a good sound education system, is it any wonder why we are part of a dieing nation.

[1puckaway]

I attended private schools 1-10 Kindergarten public and 11 and12 grade in public schools.All in all it has worked out for me very well.

[Doublebass73]

I went to publik skools in the Peoples Republik of Taxachusetts. It was a mixed bag of some really good teachers and some who tried their best to indoctrinate me. This was while Reagan was president and I remember many teachers bad mouthing him to the class.

Somehow despite that education and despite being the product of a liberal Democrat family I grew into a person who favors personal liberty and fiscal conservatism.

[Graybeard]

Seriously? When I was of school age there was no such thing as private schools in my part of the world. My kids also attended public schools. There also was no such thing as kindergarten when I was a boy.

[mcbammer]

Seriously? When I was of school age there was no such thing as private schools in my part of the world. My kids also attended public schools. There also was no such thing as kindergarten when I was a boy.

I  remember   it 
A  time   when   each   morning   you   stood  at   attention    and  recited   the  pledge   of   alligence  and   the  Lords  prayer. 

[oldandslow]

Ditto on Graybeard's reply. It was a far different world back when we were going to school. There was no grading on a curve or getting good grades to make every little kid feel "good" about themselves. If you didn't get a passing grade you got to try again next year.

[BBF]

Public school in two very different systems a long time ago. Two of my offspring went to private school for some time, most of the years in public school. that also was a long time ago.
 
BTW. If I had young ones now they would NOT be going to public schools.

[PowPow]

 I attended public schools and went on to earn a degree at a public university that enabled me to pursue a rewarding career and make a very nice living.
 
 Public education is a very "local" thing; a reflection of the community's committment to education.
 
 My parents moved to the section of town with the best schools. It was a decision they knew would result in a more modest lifes style; smaller vacations, driving older cars. But they believed our education was more important.
 
 My wife and I chose to live in the community with the best schools. The homes cost more than other areas not because they are nicer or bigger, but because the school system is the best in the state. Every time a property tax increase to support education is voted on in our community, it passes by an overwhelming majority. Additionally, there is a foundation that collects money for the school system. Contribution is voluntary and its coffers are overflowing, because this community is committed to quality education.
 
 We don't just hand the kids over to the school and say "its your job to teach them". The motivation for education comes from home. The parents make sure the kids are receiving the full value of the school system by monitoring homework and volunteering in school activities. The parents are partners with the teachers, as opposed to developing an adversarial relationship. The kids learn the importance of education and respond accordingly.
 
 There are some kids who are just more motivated than others. I have one on each end of that scale. They value different things. One values knowledge, the other values personal relationships and service, but both are successful by their own measure.
 
 When I hear people complaining about their school system, I have to wonder what commitment they have made to the quality of the school system and how have they partnered with the schools and teachers in their child's education.
 
 

[briarpatch]

I went to a public school but as some have said it was a different world then. I still have fond memories of most of my teachers and their willingness to help a student. Most of the men teachers could tell stories from their time in WW2. One of the things I loved was each day when Mrs. Wallace in the fourth grade would pull out the bible and read. The characters she read about like King David came alive.
With both parents working just to keep a roof over their head, clothes on their back and food on the table. Private school or home schooling is out of the question (if you want to control a people starve them)  so public school where the government wants them is the only option. What I tell parents is to get involved in the school system, run good people for  the school board and fight to get them elected. Go to every meeting concerning school and know what you are dealing with. I think we went a long way this last election where I live.

[coldmold]

 I went to a public school but that was many years ago. I just attended my 50 yr class reunion. The school system and the teacher were a whole lot different back then  . The teachers cared about giving the kids a better education. Now not so much it is just a paycheck fopr them. Not all of them though there are still some dedicated ones but they are few and far between.

[Cuts Crooked]

 Public education is a very "local" thing; a reflection of the community's committment to education.
 
 When I hear people complaining about their school system, I have to wonder what commitment they have made to the quality of the school system and how have they partnered with the schools and teachers in their child's education.

You may have a point there, however, when the local school system is a sinkhole of liberalism your choices become extremely limited.

Several years ago I fought a local option sales tax proposal for the local school system. The claim was that our schools needed more money to "keep up with increasing student population". This was patent BS by the local liberals because the community we live in has lost population steadily for the past 50 years.  The local news paper printed my article but added a comment that I was wrong about the population projections. They got the tax passed. Six months later........they admitted that the student population had indeed dropped and they needed to close some local schools..........but the tax didn't get rescinded!

Actually, I don't place all the blame on the school system. I blame the idiots who voted for the tax. However, the school system is still a liberal enclave that does everything it can increase it's power! It's just a  bureaucracy  not an educational system!

[PowPow]

...the school system is still a liberal enclave that does everything it can increase it's power! It's just a  bureaucracy  not an educational system!...

We have those around us. I suppose it is that way because the majority chooses or lets it be that way.
Where I grew up has become that way, and the private schools thrive.

[Empty Quiver]

Public school in a small town. I believe I was out of there before the corruption of the educational system.


The kids public in a slightly larger system, the hippies have not quite taken over here but very close. The kids get a bit of redirection at home to keep them focused, and I believe it helps. The college aged ones comment occasionally about their classmates not having a clue about reality.

[Cuts Crooked]

I note that several of you have commented to the effect, "it was different back then."

I agree.....it was indeed different. Which brings to mind a question......how did it change and why.....mostly why? 

I have my thoughts, but I'd to hear others comments on that aspect.

[mcbammer]

I note that several of you have commented to the effect, "it was different back then."

I agree.....it was indeed different. Which brings to mind a question......how did it change and why.....mostly why? 

I have my thoughts, but I'd to hear others comments on that aspect.

One  word   says  it   all   .   TEACHERS    UNION   .    cant   get  rid   of  a  bad  one .   make  that   two   words.   I  went   to   public   school   as   you   can   tell.

[DDZ]

I note that several of you have commented to the effect, "it was different back then."

I agree.....it was indeed different. Which brings to mind a question......how did it change and why.....mostly why? 

I have my thoughts, but I'd to hear others comments on that aspect.

How would government ever gain control of the masses if they didn't make the people ignorant of the founding charters that made us a free people. I think its the main reason government has so much influence now. They have made people ignorant of what America was and was meant to be. They have done it with years of control over our education system. While our government run schools are making people subject to that government, many continue to support and applaud what is called education. Then again if they have been through the system and never were told or taught any different, how would they know anything is wrong?   

[us920669]

The answer to Cuts Crooked's question is "Federal Aid", which led to the politization of education.  Ike saw it as national security, and I guess it was, but like so many things, if the old duffer knew where it would lead, he may have reconsidered.

I was PS all the way, 50's and early 60's (enough said).  Some friends went to private schools, some of them very old and snooty.  One thing they got was a good classical education - the old Greek stories.  Don't laugh, they contain some very good lessons about integrity and individual responsibility.  It's no wonder the public systems don't consider them important.

I was in many schools during my working years and formed some very strong opinions.  In the affluent and liberal areas, equipment and facilities are first-rate, but many teachers are over-the-top socialists and it gets passed on.  I used to wonder if some of them weren't so obvious that the kids would catch on, especially after they hit the street and realized that they had been short-changed.  Ironically, the liberal indoctrination may prepare them well for college, where the name of the game is pleasing professors who are even loopier.       

[Ranch13]

I note that several of you have commented to the effect, "it was different back then."

I agree.....it was indeed different. Which brings to mind a question......how did it change and why.....mostly why? 

I have my thoughts, but I'd to hear others comments on that aspect.

My guess is the federal education dept, and the grab for federal dollars the local school systems made.

[Sourdough]

Like GB there was no Kindergarten where I lived.  I went to public school.  Worked for me.
 
I sent my first son to public school.  He was a delinquent, he had lived with his mothers family and had a bad attitude towards school.  Took some doing but the wife and I got him turned around when he came to live with us.  He finished high school in the public school system.  It worked for him, he went into and is currently in the Navy.
 
We moved to DC when my second son was small.  The AF day care center on base charged according to your income.  It was going to cost us over $500.00 a month to send him to day care on base.  It was $535.00 a month to send him to a Montassori school off base with before and after school care.  So at the age of three he went to school.  We moved back to Alaska and put him in a private school up here.  When he was starting the tenthin the grade he decided he wanted to go to public school.  When he got there he already had enough credits to graduate half way through 10th grade.  But he wanted to play Hockey on the high school team.  His senior year he only took metal shop and automotive class.  I made him enroll in courses at the university for the afternoons.  He is currently going to UAF.  Whikle He and We feel he got a better education in the private school, he did not like the kids there.  He says they were a bunch of rich spoiled brats.  He never made many friends at the private school, all his friends went to public school.  Today he has no interaction with any of his private school mates.

[stubshaft]

Private school for me.  All in all I think it gave me a slight edge.

[ironglow]

  I attended public school, but that was prior to it's politicization..  Many of my teachers were WW2 vets..good, solid citizens who knew the value of freedom.
  When and how did the decline begin ? It likely began in the mid 1960s, as the Fabian-socialist plans began to reach fruition.
 It was the mid 60s when the college students began to riot in the streets, the "God is dead" movement reared it's head and even the popular music took a downturn.
    After the late 1800s, as the Fabian-socialists began to infiltrate journalism, education, entertainment and other influential walks of life.  It took a number of dedcades for their negative influence to be developed ..then all came to maturity at about the same time.
  It is in their interest to see that  American students remain relatively uninformed as to their history; which is why we recently saw moves by some to refrain from teaching any American history occurring before 1870...when our nation was guided by God, laws and common sense.
  I teach students regularly, outside their regular school setting and I find the private, homeschooled and Christian school students to be much better informed as to not only our history, but current events and basic reading and spelling.
 
  My son's family and myself each entertained exchange students last year, one from Mexico and one from Ecuador.  Thjese girls attended two different local public schools.  Both were better educated concerning AMERICAN history than many of the other (American) students were.
  Public schools are for the most part (IMO), interested more in providing for the wants of teachers and administrators, than educating the students.  Yes, there are still some dedicated public school teachers..but they must be very frustrated.
    My own grandaughter was home-schooled for 6 years and now attends Christian school.  Her parents pay about $200 per month..along with property taxes for the public school.
   The local centralized school gets just over $16,000 per student per year and is continuously demanding more, even though the population is waning.  Lots more "bang for the buck" with Christian school...and the terachers are supremely dedicated.

[reliquary]

I graduated from a small, rural, grades 1-12 public school in 1960.  Most of the male teachers were WWII or Korean War vets.  Most of the female teachers were married to these men. Almost every one of my classmates came from two-parent homes.  There was no Kindergarten, Head Start, or Special Ed.  We had one, each, football, basketball, and baseball coach. 
I take it back...there was a Head Start program...one of my cousins, several years younger, got to start school in the third grade because he'd already done the material in the lower grades...his brother brought him home an extra copy of the lessons every day.
 Except for two years on the East Coast, my kids went to public school.  Virginia had just started the exit test system when we were there; they gave the proposed exit test to the teachers in the local public system and almost half of them failed it.
After a military career, my second career was teaching JH and HS Science, 10 years of which was in the school I had graduated from.  A vast difference 35 years later: feel-good programs, revisionist history, dumbed-down math and science, up to 30% of the students in the classes were subnormals who could not learn the material but were there anyway, no vo-tech training, etc.  Many of my former teachers were still around and active in the community; most of them told me they would not have taught under the then-current system.  I gave it a try but retired from it at the earliest opportunity.