While I was reading Gattos essay, Against School, I came across a very interesting question. "What exactly is the purpose of our public schools?" I honestly had to stop and think about that question. I can say that I stopped reading at that point for the night. I decided that I needed to figure out what exactly is the purpose of public schools. In my opinion the purpose of public schools is not to teach but to brainwash you. Since I've been going to a public school since 3rd grade, I noticed that its a lot different than a private school. In a public environment there are a lot more students to every teacher. My classes at my other school were about 9 students to every teacher. I had 17-21 students to a teacher at the public school level. Yes, public schooling is a lot more affordable than private school who charges about 250-500 per semester while public is about 50 per year. I feel that in a private school setting, everyone is treated fairly equally because they all enforce a dress code or uniform. In many public schools there is a dress code but not a uniform. Seeing that public schools do not have uniforms, the rate of bullying is triple the amount of bullying in a public school versus a private school. In a private school setting, the teachers are more "in tune" to what their specific student needs to be successful because of the small class sizes. In a public school setting, the teachers are told how to teach their class. It does not matter to the public school system if the student cannot learn that way. They force the student to suffer. I feel like private schooling is a better choice, but it is unfortunate that it is so costly. If you can afford it, send your children to private schools, where they will be treated like an individual not a number.
~ Dawn
Dawn,
ReplyDeleteI agree that private schooling is a much better choice than public school, except for the price tag. For me, coming to a private college was the first "private schooling" I've ever received. But in the third week of school now I feel that I am getting a better education than I ever have before. However I am not totally sure that I agree with the idea that public schools brainwash kids, as you said in the beginning pf your post. You didn't really provide an argument for it, which is why I cannot agree completely.
I think the idea of public education is to give the basic education a child needs to succeed in life, but so many people just work in an office or at a factory after public high school that I don't believe they really achieve "success".
Dawn,
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right about the public school. In public school there are so many problems with bullying. In my town, we had city schools, county schools and privates school. No matter where you went you got bullied on the way you dressed and the way you acted. If you did not play a sport or anything then you got bullied but most of the people in your grade or school, but everyone was not like that. There were some kids that were raised better and knew right from wrong which that wasn't right.
I also agree with you on your answer to what the purpose is of public schooling but I also disagree. The reason I agree to your answer is because some teacher not all teachers but some teacher do not care if you are learning the material or not they are just doing the job to get the paycheck. Now the reason I disagree agree is because every public school that I went to also had about 17-21 students to one teacher and most of those teachers wanted us to learn. If we did not understand the material that day then our teacher would call our parents and ask them if their child could stay after school to get help in that subject. I would know since I had a hard time in science and had to stay after school plenty of times, but I am glad I did because if I didn't then I would not be where I am today. Don't get me wrong I still struggle with science but I would have a harder time with science if I didn't stay. Thank You!
I have been going to public school my whole life, so I don't know the experiences of private schooling first hand, but I have many friends who do go to a private school or have gone to one. From what I've heard, their schools aren't that great either.
ReplyDeleteThey have to deal with a lot of bullying. They're not equal. If you end up there on a scholarship, you'll be treated differently than if you weren't. If you don't follow them-their clothes, hair styles-you'll get bullied.
In private school, you're just a number too because of the tuition you have to pay. If you can't pay the tuition, you don't get to attend. Shouldn't they be worrying about people receiving a good education instead of getting a ton of money for it? I understand that it's a private school and they need to charge students to go there, but wouldn't they try harder to make the teachers better too?
My friends that go there claim that their teachers have no idea what they're doing. On multiple occasions I've had to help them with their Spanish, Math, and Chemistry because their teacher failed to teach them the correct material in time for the test.
Twenty students in a class isn't that many either. If there was a smaller amount of students wouldn't that limit the opportunity for perspective on ideas and questions? In my English class senior year, everyone in that classroom had a different idea on what a poem meant or what the motifs in a book represented. Having more people helps students to broaden their minds and be open to more ideas.
Maybe it's just the private schools in Manitowoc, but maybe not.