Private schools for kids, or invest the cash for the kids?

Hmm, I'd like to see a printer clean up after a blocked toilet

I totally get what you are both saying though- I thought MH was generalizing about the trades. There are plenty of wonderful citizens who don't have a degree but are still doing very important jobs and having great job satisfaction.

 

I live in Newcastle, my kids will go to Newcastle high... As I understand it, Newcastle high is getting a bit of a bad reputation at the moment, and I suspect that is due to intelligent kids going to Merewether, arty kids going to Broadmeadow, and I guess sporty kids going to Gateshead, I mean Hunter Sports High, (I am actually against selective schools too - somewhat undermines the NAPLAN system), and the rich kids go to Grammar. But I strongly believe you get out of your school what you put in to it.

I have heard comments along the lines of what if parents who sent their kids to a private school sent their kids to a public school and donated just half that money saved to the school - how frickin' awesome would that school be? And then there is the additional donations that get made too... Of course, this only works in affluent areas.

My sister gave me about the best explanation of why you send a kid to a private school - to buy a better quality of friend.

Having said all that, my kids went to a Montessori preschool, and if that were available all the way through, I'd seriously consider it. All the private schools around here are religious though.

Inertia.

 

The best person I ever knew (aside from my brother and grandfather) went to a crappy public school and came from a crappy home. I would've lay in the road for him, he was my brother from another mother. At his funeral, hundreds of people turned up.

 

We had a tour of one of the top boys private schools last week. The primary school doesn't seem anything special. I don't think we'll be rushing to put the kids in too early.

It's the high school that appears really good, with amazing facilities, program, sports, music, etc.

 

I don't disagree with you - I just don't understand why people actually do send their kids to a private school - the buying a better friend is about the best explanation I have heard

Inertia.

 

The perception is a better quality of education.

For me; it's about;
1. Providing the best perceived education,
2. Exposing them to possibly better opportunities through a better level of contacts etc
3. Separating my kids from as many effwits who are losers and under-class bogans from bogan/welfare loser parents as possible (depends where you live, of course - we live in an area full of dero's)

No gaurantees, of course, but you have to at least try.

 

I have always wondered if one would get better value for money if external tutors were used and/or the parents were more actively engaged in the schooling...

And I too prefer cashed up effwits to bogan effwits And don't get me started on cashed up bogan effwits!

Inertia
- who has met nice rich people and nice not-rich people

 

There was an incredibly bright kid who was at my high school years 7-9 (before the local private school gave him a scholarship). Homeschooled up to year 7.

Also the most socially inept and spoilt person around. Just didn't get social interactions as he was never exposed to them.

I wouldn't put a kid through that.

 

I find those that home school their kids (excl situations such as abuse, or regional or special needs kids) to be a comibnation of irresponsbile/arrogant/a bit crazy

we have an education system that is pretty good, sure not perfect, that has developed over years and years of investment and trial and error, full of experienced people and systems of professionals dedicated to teaching kids,

and some parent thinks they can do a better job while staying at home, with no experience, just love!

geez, sure, sure

maybe they could next have a shot at neurosurgery

what a joke

and thats not even considering the social interactions you get from school

parents like that should be shot

 

Public school.

With all the money saved from private school I would invest/get mentoring for my kids (mindset, investment, success etc).

That's what I will do. that's what will make the biggest difference in their life. imo.

Schools do not equal massive success. It's what you learn outside of school, imo.

Jim Rohn says it best when he said "formal education will earn you a livelihood, self education can earn you your dreams".

 

Hi TMNT, did you know that our education system, such as it is, is only about 150 - 170(ish) years old? How do you think children were educated prior to that?

Yep, home schooled.

http://www.theravive.com/blog/post/...led-Children-Doing-in-the-World-at-Large.aspx

"Studies have consistently shown that homeschooled kids perform comparatively well on exams, and sometimes even better than their formally educated peers. According to the Wall Street Journal, there are mixed results for homeschoolers versus formally schooled students on SAT and ACT test scores for the year 1999 in math, but higher than average scores in English and writing. Smaller statistical examples yield very similar results. Increasingly, colleges and universities are accepting homeschooled children, including Harvard and Yale."

So Harvard and Yale think that home schooling is fine. As with any endeavour, you are going to have people that do it poorly and people that do it well. If I had had children, they would have been home schooled. So I guess that makes me arrogant. But hey, I already knew that, so win/win.

I recommend you read John Taylor Gatto, if you can find any of his stuff. His explanations are far more eloquent than mine.

 

I had a maths tutor for a period of time when in High School, and it really helped me.

As for parents being involved in their kids schooling; if you can't be bothered spending the time to be involved in your child's/children's future and education; why the bloody hell have them?

And of course; when applying this rule to bogan/loser parents - this is part of the on-going problem....many of them are not engaged or helping their kids - they can't, and/or won't because their whole life is a life of under-achieving and laziness, so they won't invest the necessary hard yards on their kids, you'll find.

We know one bogan/loser mum who whined because her daughter (aged approx 6) was struggling with reading.

When we suggested to her that she might want to read stories to and with her child at night, her reply was; "That's the School's job!"

Snob rant over.

 

Marc, I assume your 'bogan' label includes parents from affluent suburbs, such as Brighton and Toorak, also? Because there are plenty of parents across all economic groups that think the same way.

 

Does anyone actually have any examples of someone benefiting from a high school contact?

I saw someone at the beginning of the thread mention a law firm, but all the lawyers i know who work/ed at top firms had to get the highest grades in the state to even get onto the degree course and then pass exams and work experience placements every year with flying colours. Its super competative and they are constantly evaluated and competing so i cant see someone getting an easy ride because of their high school?!

The only people i know who have benefited from contacts, were either related to their employer (father owned the firm), played a sport or went to uni together. And in the last two instances, there were just told to apply and still had to pass the usual tests and rounds of interviews with multiple people and panels.

I think paying thousands and thousands in the hope of making useful contacts at high school is naive and provincial. For top jobs in sydney and melbourne you are competing against interstate and international candidates. Most companies and boards are looking to improve diversify in their workforce, not seek out a guy they knew when they were 16.

Ive also got friends who put work out for tender, use freelancers or put tenders together. Ive never heard of any of them using contacts from their old homeroom.

And if you did want to use a contact, wouldnt you use someone you went to uni with or have worked with? Why high school?

This has to be the daftest reason to spend thousands on private schooling.

 

Yeah, that made absolutely no sense to me, either. Knowing from personal experience, you don't need super expensive schooling to make really high quality contacts in business.

Heck, I didn't even go to Uni and I have fantastic contacts that can put me in touch with the people I need to get in touch with. There are literally dozens of excellent books on how to make effective contacts in business.

Judy Robinett's excellent book "How To Be A Power Connector": $16.70
Private School education: $300,000
Realising you wasted 300K that could have been put to use giving your children a leg up in the world: priceless

 

Nope.

Generally speaking, yer Brighton dweller is less likely to;

Commit violent crime
Commit crime generally
Drive around while disqualified - for the 3rd time and in an unregistered car...favourite status of yer discerning Commodore bogan (see commit crime)
Abuse welfare, a general burden on society.
Large families of young kids and single parents - see welfare.
Have 3 Commodore car wrecks on their front lawn
End up as Pensioners in retirement
Deal drugs/take drugs (yes; I know well-to-do folks take them to)
Squander their wages at pokies venues and other forms of gambling.
Know-it alls who failed life and want to inflict their failure on others
Go on Centrelink payments
Rip off Centrelink (see abuse welfare)
Do a runner from their rented digs.
Wreck their rented digs
Cook drugs in their rented digs
Crime bikies
Diet based around the drivethrough
Plan for their future using a Tatts ticket...

you get the picture

 

I know one kid who is home schooled I primary school. He is a pianist prodigy. Parents home schooled him so he doesn't waste time with all the crap in school... and practices the piano about 5 hours a day! He just got a scholarship from a prestigious high school in Austria specialising in music.

 

im sure you have to be in the top of the top t obe able to make a living off piano,

as unromantic as it seems, I think school is there to provide a good starting blocks for you to succeed overall in life, not every childhood prodigy is going to make it in their specialty field,
putting all your eggs in a skill or talent that has low success rate I think is purely nuts