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I hear more complaints about the public school system from "locals" than I hear from newcomers. (Maybe because they have more kids in it?) The charter school movement has been a godsend to them and their kids. By the far from perfect measuring methods of school quality, Hawaii rates near the very bottom in nearly all categories, and the "locals" know they suffer most from it. While a "superior attitude" certainly does not help, no amount of aloha and glossing over the shortcomings will rescue a failed system. More charter schools is the only practical answer, and the State Board of Education has a history of throwing roadblocks in their path. I guess they can see the writing on the wall, i.e. give the people enough charters and the regular school system will eventually be abandoned, thus eliminating their political power base.
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I dono bout schools here but on the mainland, I was advised to send my kids to privet schools or home school because they was so bad. Whelp, they went to public with my philosophy that, if it was so poor they ought to breeze threw it. Made them do one hour of home work every day, and my daughter 24 now, graduated with honors, carried 9 ropes with a 4.25 GPA. And was given a scholarship to 4 year university, plus other benefits. My son 20 now, didn't do so well he only got a 4.0 GPA. He did not apply for scholarships but they say it's there if he wants it.
The major difference between my kids and others being taught "so poorly" was that I was involved, monitoring their progress daily, weekly, and met their teachers twice a year, requiring them to give my kids more homework, or attention.
And That a straight A student was the same as a failing.
While i did poorly in school, just barley graduated H.S and struggled in collage, I learned a few things from the kids who excelled in my schools.
It aint baby sitting.... Teachers only do a small part of the learning process, parents are ultimately the persons who are responsible for their children's progress.
Edited by - Jeffhale on 06/17/2007 05:31:15
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I've got no dog in this "fight", but I am a product of public schooling myself. Too many parents try to throw money at their kids, rather than attempt to instill the inner discipline that any kid needs to develop to succeed in the academic world. The newest twist, I've heard, is raising the age at which the kid can drop out. Too much exciting entertainment (games and sex) and not enough dull but fullfilling preparation for life, in today's childrearing practices, I fear. JMHO
I spent over 10 years interviewing your kids who were trying to enter the job force as Apprentices in the Skilled Trades. After 10 years out of school, most could only recite some school award they'd gotten as an 8th grader, rather than produce a substantial employment record. Minimal effort gave minimal results - what a surprise! (not to me! I got a degree after scoring a scholarship based upon those infernal tests the kids complain about).
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My wife and I spend a great deal of time with our son as well we are involved in the local comunity with regards to education, bond issues, school board meetings etc.. We pay school taxes as well as private tuition.
We're both products, for the most part, of Public schools. We were both ill prepared for college although me moreso than her. But, her mother was an underpaid school teacher and mine owned night clubs soo..
To address the post by David M. (not to be confused with the much cooler Dave M)  It sounds as though you want me to just settle for the same inferior schools so as to fit in with the locals. As well,it sounds like you think I think my son is due a better education.
The answer is NO & Yes. No I will not settle for inferior schools for my son either here or there. No, I will not settle for the fact that America has an inferior public schools system to many less developed countries. IMO, it's that very attitude that has led to teaching being the most under paid profession in the US.
YES, I do want my son to have a better education than I had. Yes I do spend a great deal of time with my son whether it's looking at stars at night are wandering around a creek expoloring.
Personally I could care less what the locals here or there feel about my decisions with reguard to education. I will try my best to embrace and enjoy the culture wherever I am, but I draw the line at education.
I'm not positive but I'll just betcha that it is the same there as it is here and the parents that have problem children within the public school system (I'm sure none of which parents are on this forum) are the same parents that don't get involved with the school board, don't vote yes to give more money to the schools, probably don't even vote.
Now, do I think my son is precious? Guilty. Do I want him to be a CEO or doctor etc..? Nope, I want him to be well grounded/rounded and have a good basic education so he can be whatever he wants to be.
It's hard too tie all public schools to one analagy(sp). It all comes down to hand full of teachers that can make the difference in a childs education. But from what I've seen "here" and i suspect it to be there it's a bit of a gamble. And this is one instance that I wont gamble.
I have not even touched on the larger problem of peer pressure and the whole being cool thing. I'll leave it at that, but it's safe to say that there is a lot more going on in public schools than education.
Now I must end this counter-rant cuz my son is waiting to give me a Pirates of the Carribean(sp) fathers day party.
HAPPY FATHERS DAY TO EVERYONE!!
Blessings,
dave
Blessings,
dave
"It doesn't mean that much to me.. to mean that much to you." Neil Young
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Once you have a kid go through Keaau/Pahoa Schools... you'll understand just how bad it is here! My oldest son is a sophmore at Keaau High School and is a product of the Pahoa/Keaau Public Schools. He is a great kid, never even an ounce of trouble out of the him. Our public schools here are so bad they are being run by the feds, this is because their test scores are incredibly low. Im talking some of the lowest numbers in the entire country. If you truly love your children and treasure their future, its going to be really hard to send your other kids back though the same public school disaster.
The only public school I can say good things about is the Keonepoko Elementary School in Hawaiian Beaches.
I have 4 kids, their ages are 15, 5, 1, and my youngest son is about six weeks old. I dont plan on sending any of my kids though public schools ever again. I will work as many side jobs and overtime as it takes to earn the money to give my kids a good start in life which includes the best education available.
If you havnt experianced the Hawaii Public School system first hand, I wouldnt be so quick to judge others who are pulling their kids out of public schools and opting for another choice...
Edited by - big_island on 06/17/2007 07:58:29
Edited by - big_island on 06/17/2007 07:58:58
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Hi Dave,
We have an only child too. We just want to provide the best enviroment for him to flourish and be the best he can be..he currently goes to a montesssori school in new york which we pay a crazy amount of $850 a month..so $400 sounds like a bargain even though i know it isn't.
Thank you all for your voice on this subject it's not an easy one for us.
quote:
P.S. We will paying $700 a month here, so 400 don't look to bad!
Take care,
dave
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Just to repeat - "Just a little venting - not aimed at anyone"
If you havnt experianced the Hawaii Public School system first hand, I wouldnt be so quick to judge others who are pulling their kids out of public schools and opting for another choice... Before anyone applies this to me, I should probably warn you that you don't know my history BS.
David
Ninole Resident
Ninole Resident
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I have been able to enjoy the best of the Hawaii School system these past 2 years, as a student at UHH. Low cost tution, very small class sizes & some of the best professors I have ever had.
I have seen a bit of the problems that the schools are facing. I have spent time tutoring, assisting teachers & grant writing for a couple of schools, one DOE & one Charter (not truly separate entities, but for most things they are)
I have also taken introductory classes required for a Hawaii teachers position. In my Intro to Teaching class, 1 of our first class assignments was to visualize our 'dream classroom'. Coming from one of the highest funded school districts in the nation, I wrote of scientific lab stations, computer graphics studio, T1 connections & such in my classroom. Some of the students in our class, 3.5 years out of Hawaii Cty high schools, wrote of classrooms without broken windows, textbooks for all of the students, classes of under 30....
These are all things I have taken for granted in all of my years. I gained more of an understanding of the issues that these schols face from that 1 excercise than any of the other work I have been involved in the schools. This is why I keep stating that ANY THING that you could do will make the schools a better place. These would-be teachers are dreaming of what most of us may have taken as expected. If you can help supply books, write small grants, fix windows & such, paint a room, be there for your local school, the school benefit will probably be far greater than the time you have put in.
(of course, the same goes for any of the many organizations on this island that are trying to improve the environement, the welfare of people, the welfare of animals, there are so many needs that if you have any time, there is a group that could use your talents. If you are at a loss for where to go to offer your assistance, I can help with some organizations, and I am positive there are many others that forum members can direct you to.)
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Received this in an e-mail just this morning. In addition to being humorous it seems to pack alot of truth where public schools are concerned.
Carey is right.
Our neighborhood schools could truly use our help.
~~~~~
Have you heard about the next planned "Survivor" show?
Three businessmen and three businesswomen will be dropped in an elementary school classroom for 1 school year. Each business person will be provided with a copy of his/her school district's curriculum, and a class of 28 - 32 students.
Each class will have a minimum of five learning-disabled children, three with A.D.D., one gifted child, and two who speak limited English. Three students will be labeled with severe behavior problems.
Each business person must complete lesson plans at least 3 days in advance, with annotations for curriculum objectives, and modify, organize, or create their materials accordingly. They will be required to teach students, handle misconduct, implement technology, document attendance, write referrals, correct homework, make bulletin boards, compute grades, complete report cards, document benchmarks, communicate with parents, and arrange parent conferences. They must also stand in their doorway between class changes to monitor the hallways.
In addition, they will complete fire drills, tornado drills, and [Code Red] drills for shooting attacks each month.
They must attend workshops, faculty meetings,and attend curriculum development meetings. They must also tutor students who are behind and strive to get their 2 non-English speaking children proficient enough to take the Terra Nova and State Assessment tests. If they are sick or having a bad day they must not let it show.
Each day they must incorporate reading, writing, math, science, and social studies into the program. They must maintain discipline and provide an educationally stimulating environment to motivate students at all times. If all students do not wish to cooperate, work, or learn, the teacher will be held responsible.
The business people will only have access to the public golf course on the weekends, but with their new salary, they may not be able to afford it. There will be no access to vendors who want to take them out to lunch, and lunch will be limited to thirty minutes, which is not counted as part of their work day. The business people will be permitted to use a restroom, as long as another survival candidate can supervise their class.
If the copier is operable, they may make copies of necessary materials before, or after, school. However, they cannot surpass their monthly limit of copies. The business people must continually advance their education, at their expense, and on their own time.
The winner of this season of Survivor will be allowed to return to their job.
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I have a friend who taught for a few years at Keaau Middle School. He told me that very few parents showed up for anything and there seemed to be no accountability for the teachers. He mentioned lts of fights and disinterest with students. Before he taught at Keaau he was teaching in a high end community here in Atlanta. He has returned to the mainland and now teaching in another high end community. I don't think he could adjust to the challenges that Keaau Middle presented to him. He did quite well while there and received many accolades but just never seemed happy with the situation.
I have another friend teaching at St. Josephs in Hilo. He feels the kids are more receptive to learning and the parents are very involved but they still have bullying fights etc. Typical teenage stuff.
I live in the city in Atlanta. Although my neighborhood has rapidly gentified the schools have stayed pretty rough. Our neighborhood has adopted the elem, middle and high school that our area feeds into. We do school supply drives for the needy kids and collect extra money for the teachers to buy things that the county can't afford (well, just to stingy to give).
And like Carey has mentioned, they welcome volunteers. A lot of younger folks moving into the 'hood that plan to have children in the future are volunteering to make the school a better place for when their children arrive.
Atlanta/Pahoa
Atlanta/Pahoa
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