Did You Attend Public or Private School?

[QueenOfCalifornia]

Poll question: Did You Attend Public or Private School?

I love Michelle Obama coming out for public education. I am constantly championing our public schools - But, just wondering, how many of us DUers attended public schools and how many attended private schools - also how many had a mixture of the two? What was your experience? :shrug:

BTW - I went to a private religious school for Kindergarten and 1st grade - Then attended public school through HS. I attended a CA State University -

[Stinky The Clown]

1. Public school ... you betcha

[proud patriot]

2. public school

:hi:

[QueenOfCalifornia]

6. Hi!

I have had people say some pretty lame things about public education.... My two children attend public school and we love our teachers. :)

[sweettater]

3. me public,

sons public, grandson private

[Vincardog]

4. Public school thru HS. Then CC then State collage.

[Donnachaidh]

5. both.

Private school was INFINITELY better. Better standards, far higher expectations.

[erinlough]

107. I had the exact opposite experience

private Lutheran school: no standards other than memorizing. I was horribly behind in math and science. Public school: good standards,not only taught me but remediated the skills I had lost in the private school.

[merh]

129. Private from kindgarten to 6th grade then public 7th - 12th

The private education made the public school so easy - almost boring in comparison. I was at a 12th grade reading/comprehension level in the 4th grade.

I first had to "study" for courses during my junior and senior years of college. That took some getting used to.

[madrchsod]

7. old school schools---1950`s and early 60`s

i missed the new math!

[QueenOfCalifornia]

12. Have you had

to help a kid with their math in this decade? I am so happy for the internets tubes- The Google is amazing - also - I stay friendly with their teachers and have been known to call them and beg for help... I think I was one of the first to experience New Math - It had me so fucked up - I was born in 1957 and started school in '61.

I am very happy that my son is really good in math - He just does it and then I get him to help his sister. :)

[ima_sinnic]

114. yes, my brother was in yr new math generation, born 1958

I was born in 1946 and completely missed it. It still "looks like Greek" to me :)

[bluestateguy]

8. Private from K-3, and public afterward

I have to say this, when I was in private schools, children who had behavior problems quickly disappeared. In public schools, the problem kids never seemed to go away.

[Critters2]

10. Why would that be? nt

[QueenOfCalifornia]

25. I am going to take a stab at this

Public schools MUST offer all children an education. That means that no matter how horrid a childs' behavior, they must still give that child an education. A private school is not beholding to anyone except its paying customers - they can unceremoniously ask a child to find another means of obtaining an education. Here is a refund for the rest of the school year and be gone with you.

[Critters2]

27. Yep. Private schools are first and foremost businesses. nt

[Hekate]

73. Wrong paradigm. Their mission is to teach a small number of students and do it well....

... for which parents must pay them because they are not being supported by our taxes. The buildings, teachers' salaries, libraries, lab equipment, and all other overhead must be paid for up front by parents. They must, in all fairness, turn a profit or sooner rather than later close their doors.

Public schools -- which ARE supported by everyone's taxes -- must take all comers and keep them there. Unless we can turn things around -- which will take money -- public schools will become the last resort for kids who cannot pay for anything different, for kids whose behavior is too outrageous to let them remain in a private school, and kids with all sorts of disabilities that drain the teachers' time and energy. We'll have a two-tier education system: one for kids whose parents can get the money together to pay for tuition and one for kids who are either hopeless cases or will soon be hopeless.

Rethink the paradigm. The business model, for public and private schools, is the wrong one.

Hekate

[Critters2]

117. We already have a two-tier system. nt

[conscious evolution]

88. Not necessarily

Quite often they are about the indoctrination and brainwashing.
Profits are a bonus.

[Critters2]

118. I stand corrected. nt

[tabbycat31]

9. public

I've always been in public school except my first year of college (I went to a private college, then transfered to a state school)

[DefenseLawyer]

11. Public school, private college, public law school n/t

[Sisaruus]

16. prep school

I attended a classic New England prep school. One of my children also attended; the other child, by choice, went to the local public schools. Although the local public school system is considered one of the best in the state, the private school education was better.

(Edited to add that it was my intent to reply to the original post. So much for high quality education.)

[QueenOfCalifornia]

23. At least

you caught the mistake. :)

I have a friend who attended one of the best prep schools in the country and all private schools - He can not write a sentence. He is what I would call functionally illiterate. His parents gave a lot of money to his schools ..

Interesting story you have. Did you like living away from home?

[Sisaruus]

43. the other story...

The bigger story was that I was in the first class of girls (6 of us) in an all-boys prep school.

[orleans]

69. trailblazer! ground breaker!

:toast: :hi:

[QueenOfCalifornia]

141. I hope

the hazing wasn't too severe. :scared:





:hide:

[XemaSab]

13. Private-bad public school-good public school

In that order. :)

[Xipe Totec]

14. Morelos Institute for 3 years (Catholic)

Another year at a lay private school whose name escapes me.

The rest of my edumacation was all public schools in Mexico and the US.

[alcibiades_mystery]

15. New York City Public Schools

All the way. State university after that.

[mmonk]

17. Both. But you can't extrapolate that makes one anti-public education.

I'm for a world class public system.

[Bucky]

18. Public school all the way through. Why buy a cow when you get the milk for free?

That's the situation that the cow/milk metaphor is intended for, right?

[QueenOfCalifornia]

20. Uh...

sure - that is the only reason to ever use that metaphor. :)

[Thothmes]

24. Free does not matter if the milk is sour

[Bucky]

35. My education wasn't sour. I'm a public school teacher. My professional work isn't sour either.

Unless you were referring to that other comment of mine, the "Why buy the cow?" reference, which is usually relegated to castigating women of loose morals. I'll have you know that some of my best friends are women of loose morals. Women of loose morals have been a mainstay of my social life for many years. When you insult sluts, you insult my friends. They are good people and their "milk" is anything but "sour."

Umm, metaphorically speaking of course.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

36. Dear Bucky,

You are a phrase maker.

:rofl:

[conscious evolution]

91. I know your friends!!1!

They make good milkshakes.
I like milkshakes.
Especially the strawberry ones.


Metaphorically speaking of course. :evilgrin:

[Thothmes]

137. As was my public education. We had excellent dedicated teacher

When it came time to enroll my son in the local school system, it sucked (ie sour). I chose to spend thousands of my dollars to send my son to a parochial school system that was academically superior to the local public school system. This on top of thousands of my dollars in property taxes I paid to support the public school system. Just because something is free does not necessarily mean a quality product.

[Hardrada]

19. Public school with some afternoons for Lutheran private school

religion classes. Then private college, private (seminary) grad classes and then public State U grad school. Then psych classes at private college.

[CreekDog]

21. Private until 7th Grade, Public After

:hi:

[Critters2]

22. Public education through my bachelor's. Had to go to a private

school for my Master's.

[Thothmes]

26. I attended a very good public school

my son attended Catholic parochial schools k-12.

[obiwan]

71. Me too. Public schools were first-rate in the 60's and 70's.

Helped me graduate Phi Theta Kappa with a 4.0 and two college degrees 30 years after high school. And I am definitely not the brightest bulb on the tree.

[Jane Austin]

28. Private first grade so I could learn phonics,

the public school.

I would have gone away to prep school but they didn't have a band there, and that was very important to me.

[cynatnite]

29. My mom believes if I had gone to a christian school I wouldn't be the flaming atheist I am today n/t

[QueenOfCalifornia]

31. She may be right - BUT

I am a flaming atheist too and I had religion shoved down my gullet - I also am a practical thinker - I finally looked at what I was told to believe and realized how crazy it is.

[Raine]

66. Well I went to private Christain school and

I'm somewhere between agnostic and atheist. Often all that religion makes you question even more and have major doubts.

[conscious evolution]

92. Christian schools turned me off

from their religion.

[samplegirl]

30. Catholic schools

all the way through.....not by choice.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

33. Are you

a practicing Catholic now? How did it effect your views on religion?

[Dappleganger]

94. Catholic schools here, too.

And yeah, I'm no longer practicing. :D

[nc4bo]

99. Catholic Schools from 1-12. Hated it 'cause I couldn't hang out

with my public school neighborhood friends.

Stinkin' mass with incense, memorizing the Beatitudes and silly Q&A for confirmation, confessing my sins to some fucktarded priest that I know couldn't stand black kids and having to say 10 Hail Mary's and 3 Our Father's along with a round of rosary beads as punishment. I could go on and on.

Oh almost forgot to add, I no longer practice the religion either.

Blech and :puke:

[QueenOfCalifornia]

127. THE HAT

FROM HELL!!!!! :rofl:

[marmar]

32. Lutheran schools from kindergarten thru high school......

...... but I survived the indoctrination.

[Raine]

67. That's what I went to too

actually I don't think Lutheran is so bad. We had about 15 minutes of religion at the begining of the day and that was it. Religion never leaked into the education itself.

[Ikonoklast]

34. Catholic schooling through 10th grade.

Public schooling after that.

My senior year of public high school was basically a repeat of my sophomore year in private school, but I attended one of the premier Jesuit prep schools in this country.

[ferrous wheel]

37. Public. But I was lucky to live near great ones.

Which is why I defend them. It does appear, however, that in the last few decades there's been a concerted effort to
force intellectual equality on all students even when it doesn't really exist and that has resulted in a lot of noneducation.
I'm convinced that catering to the lowest common denominator is largely responsible for the fact most young Americans
don't do much except flip burgers any more.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

54. Hi.

This is in defense of public education.

There is no way that any kind of education will be a success unless parents have a brain and do their part. Period. I speak from experience.

My son was reading and writing by the time he hit kindergarten - He did not go to pre-school - he was with me all day. I gave him the tools and I told him how to do it and he was a little sponge- He loved to learn - as is the case with all children if given the understanding and love they need. I never "made" him do anything. I "allowed" him to move forward.

Both of my kids are terrific students but it is not solely because I drop them off at school every day and hope they catch on. I take them to places where they can see and touch ad feel what learning is all about. I let them define themselves creatively.

I support their learning experience and I support their teachers.

I struggle with what you are saying every day - But I think you are not in touch with the kinds of kids I see every day - Smart, active and passionate. My son reads on a 11th grade level - he is 9. Yet - because he is not interested in the assigned reading material and zones out on it, he is usually given an average grade. I have begged his teachers to see beyond the curriculum but they are bound by their own constraints - and so my kid, who is more literate than most adults is passed off as average. He doesn't care (now) - his ambition is to be a rock and roll drummer and to be the CEO of Apple... (He told his teacher this when she asked the class what they want to be when they grow up.) He set up the computer network for the school and is asked by the staff to come to the office so he can fix the system and tell them how to use their programs... He recently made a powerpoint that was distributed throughout the district telling them the benefits of keeping the smaller schools open instead of closing them due to California's failed fiscal policy. My daughter wants to be a designer and an artist. She is kind, smart and my defender - no one better talk mean about her Mommy!

I treat my kids with RESPECT. I LISTEN.

I am not even close to being as good of a parent as a lot of people but since I had to wing it, I am doing okay.

Be part of your kids education. Take an interest. Let them fail if necessary. Just do not be a shadow and hope they turn out okay.

[InvisibleTouch]

38. Mostly public...

...but had a year and a half in a private Catholic school at one point. Academically, it was significantly behind the public schools (and people say private schools are better!), and socially, while it wasn't too traumatizing of an experience, it certainly did its part to turn me off from organized religion!

[aikoaiko]

39. Public school in an affluent area.

I didn't know it was unusual to have an electron microscope and a planetarium in your high school until I left the area.

I'm grateful that my parents worked their asses off to move to that area and get me into those schools.

[underpants]

40. I did 4 years at a public high school

by "did" I mean that I sat there for four years and then they gave me a diploma

as my best friend once said "the only thing I actually learned in high school was how to type"

[Adsos Letter]

41. It depends on what the meaning of the word "attends" is...

...public school, Your Grace...

[mentalsolstice]

42. Public school for the most part

Public school K-12, and undergrad and grad. Private school for law school.

[Earth_First]

44. I went to private schools for the first six years of my education...

upon entering middle school my parents presented my brother and i with the personal option of continuing to attend private schools, or enter the public school system. my brother and i both entered the public school system; and never looked back.

[scarletwoman]

45. Catholic school for kindergarten, public for grade 1, Catholic grades 2-7, public from 8th grade on.

I'm very grateful for those years in Catholic school. It was during the mid to late 50s, and they taught a very classical curriculum; literature, classical mythology, ancient and modern history, art and art history, phonetics and grammar, even comparative religion. And I was steeped in Latin, of course. I sang in choir and knew four different Latin Masses all the way through by heart.

I had nice nuns and nasty nuns in alternating years. But I was always a straight-A student. Compared to the high standards of my Catholic school, public school was a no-brainer. Which was just as well, because once I hit puberty, all I cared about was boys. I was one of those kind of Catholic girls... }(

sw

[KamaAina]

46. Yes.

I bounced back and forth, 'cause no one could quite figure out what to do with me.

Graduated private.

[rebecca_herman]

47. Other

Public school and then homeschooling when it wasn't working out for me. My parents wanted to try private school over homeschooling, but there wasn't a suitable one in our area.

[CatholicEdHead]

48. Catholic Schools through 6th grade then public the rest of the way

through college.

[cmf]

49. Parochial except for one year

One year we lived in a school district with a highly ranked public elementary. Other than that, I went to Catholic schools. I am from Louisiana, I don't blame my parents at all. If I lived there, I'd pony up for my children, too. I think I am better off today than if I had gone to public school.

[bigwillq]

50. Public school all the way through!

:bounce:

[get the red out]

51. small town public elementary and high school

and public, land grant state university for undergraduate and graduate school.

[graywarrior]

52. Catlic school til 8th grade, then public school

[QueenOfCalifornia]

56. I think you

should have put a "k" on the end of Catlic -I think that's right next to Deer Lick Alabama. :D

[graywarrior]

98. I spelt it the way Stephen King spelt it in one of his short stories

[Blue_In_AK]

53. Public, all the way through four years of college. n/t

[Muttocracy]

55. public K through graduate school :)

[LeftyMom]

57. Public. And even two grades ahead and in self-contained (all day) gifted classes I was very bored.

One of the many reasons my son isn't in a public school and isn't likely to be at any point in his K-12 education.

[blogslut]

58. Private first grade and public for the rest

I was born in October and when I was a child, a student had to be six years old before September 1st, in order to enroll in the local public school system.

According to family legend, I demanded to go to school (and/or was driving my mother insane) and so my parents paid for one year so I could attend a private school that accepted five year-olds in its first grade class.

When I went to public school for second grade, there was a bit of controversy because I had already mastered print handwriting and had a higher reading level than my classmates. I once got into an argument with the school librarian because I wanted to check out a book that she swore I would be unable to understand. I stood my ground and got the book. It was about a family of cougars and while I can't remember the title, I do remember thoroughly enjoying the story. In fact, it got me hooked on books that were written from the perspective of animals. Silver Chief - Dog of the North fans say "Ho"!

[QueenOfCalifornia]

59. I had a similar experience

I needed to go to school when I was 4. I was already reading and writing on my own. My Mom enrolled me in the Christian death camp school for wayward 4 year olds - They had a love of spanking there and I was constantly being punished - it was a TERRIBLE experience. I was just 4 fucking years old and they "spanked" me with a wooden paddle every fucking day. I remember not being able to sit on the bus ride home due to the broken skin and bruising.

When I went to public school I found they didn't spank or hit me - I was liberated... except they found other ways to crush me... But without the "waterboarding" I got in kindergarten and 1st grade.

[blogslut]

65. Oh, I think both public and private can be equally soul-crushing

Conformity has never been my strong suit and I spent most of my educational career defying the attempts to shave my squared edges so that I would "fit" into their round holes.

As for corporal punishment, I am glad that educators have moved past such cruel and ultimately ineffective forms of discipline.

One of the great regrets of my life is that I kept most of my battles with teachers to myself. When I later told my mother of the various trials I experienced during public school, she exclaimed: "Why didn't you tell me? I would have raised holy hell if I had known."

When I became a parent, I thoroughly enjoyed that fact that I was finally in a position of power over those that had run roughshod over my psyche during my formative years.

[Yukari Yakumo]

60. Public for all 12. (And I got out before they really fucked things up)

I'm not just talking about NCLB BS either. Policy makers and admin have been really botching the system up for about the last couple of decades. They'd buy into any fad out there, no matter how dubious the claims or the research. I've seen high schoolers who, at best, had a tenuous grasp on fractions. FRACTIONS!

I can't really blame my brother in wanting to send his daughter to private school.

[elleng]

62. Seems to me (I could be wrong) that at some point

'education' became generally a political issue; thats when the problems really began.

[Hekate]

76. You are right. It became a RW and religious wingnut talking point: schools were immoral, failing...

... etc, etc. You can track some of this by going to theocracywatch.org. Read the intro page -- which recommends pacing yourself -- then click on "Schools" at the left sidebar.

I can't go into details here, partly because there is just a shitload of information at the site but mostly because when I first deeply explored Dominionism/Christian Reconstructionism in 2003 I actually made myself sick from the horror. My wrists and their carpal tunnels just froze up in pain and I couldn't keyboard for at least 3 months. True story, that.

Public schools are seen as a tool of secularism and thus worthy of being wiped out if they can't be brought under the heel of far-right-wing Christians.

Best of luck. The more people who know about this the better, because you can then watch for stealth candidates for the local school board among other things.

Hekate

[conscious evolution]

96. Deliberate destruction,

The right wing used the religion to destroy public education in a deliberate attempt to destroy education in general.
Having well educated populations makes it much harder for the fascists to get away with their shenanagans.It serves there purposes to have an uneducated populace.

[Hekate]

128. When you ask "Who does it serve?" you come back to the unholy alliance of RW religion & corporatism

There are some extremely wealthy individuals who are stirring this toxic pot, and their ideology is driving a fundamentally anti-American movement.

Those of us who love the Constitution and Bill of Rights have won a single battle in getting Barack Obama elected, but the war is far from over.

The average congresscritter doesn't want to get within a mile of seeing this for what it is, and while Obama himself is discerning enough, he would be a fool to take this up publicly unless he is 100% sure of his own backing -- I sincerely believe it would be the death of him.

Thus -- in my opinion -- we are served by leaning on the Congress as hard and often as we can, as well as supporting relevant lobbying organizations, and also by leaning on Obama's administration. Our politicians need to be taught by us that this is an important issue. But I think it serves no one to scream and tear our hair about Obama not making fiery speeches on this subject. In this country, dissing religion is pretty much politically fatal.

Hekate

[conscious evolution]

136. They did a good job

of turning religon into a third rail.
Its the corporates who are behind it all,imo.They learned lessons from marx and the civil rights movement and have used them to their advantage.Exposing and reigning in the corporate owners funding and directing things from behind the scenes would go a long way to breaking their hold on political discourse.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

126. I hear you.

I think that is where "New Math" must have come from. Out of someone's crazy and warped imagination.. The Henry Hill "Think System" would have worked better for me.

[elleng]

61. I attended public schools throughout, including college.

Had good experiences. Brooklyn, Long Island, NY, and Ohio.

My daughters attended private and religious schools; we lived in DC. They've had excellent experiences.

[SergeyDovlatov]

63. Public school in the Soviet Union, private univ in US

[Withywindle]

64. Public school and no regrets.

It was an Appalachian school, with all that that entails - outdated textbooks, no computers (I was in high school in the mid-late 80s; never touched a computer until college, which left me a little behind, shall we say), your usual percentage of 15-year-old 6th graders...

But it had small class sizes, and decent extracurricular programs (I was in marching band, jazz band, French club, Latin club, yearbook staff, 4-H club, Girl Scouts, art class, creative writing class...) and some very good teachers (to make up for some very shitty ones).

I got a pretty good education, I think. Now, this may have something to do with being a bookish artsy nerd, and having parents who were also bookish artsy nerds. 20 years on, I remember the books I read on my own much better than the ones I studied in class. But I sure as hell did learn how to read, and write essays, and argue my convictions, and get along with people who were different from me.

[Raine]

68. Private school

and I'm glad because I attended a couple of years public and it was so bad if I had remained there I would have ended up completely hating education.

[mwooldri]

70. My parents couldn't afford public school. So I had a State education instead.

You see, in the UK, public schools are the ones you have to pay money to go to. I'd love to send my son to Cranleigh or Charterhouse but I don't have a spare £30,000 a year hanging around to pay for board and tuition.

Mark.

[Hekate]

72. Public schools, kindergarten through university graduation. But I sent my son to a private HS...

... and wish I had done it sooner. It was too late for my daughter, who quit going to high school and NO ONE ever called me about her truancy. She finally dropped out.

Every family has to make their decisions based on the local schools, their ability to pay, and their own child's needs. Our children's needs were not being met by our suburban jr high and high school, and it took a long time for us to recognize it. I seriously resent having had to pay for what was free for my husband and me: an excellent taxpayer supported education.

Our son tested in to the boarding school we chose, and he wrote a great essay on why he wanted to attend (he fell in love with it at first sight), but was on academic probation for the first year because of his slacker's grades in jr hi. We paid full price for his first year. As for how we paid for the rest, we dipped into our son's college fund -- in fact drained it dry -- and we applied for financial aid so that he got a partial scholarship.

(Coda: The kids are now 33 and 31 and are both doing well, each in their own way.)

My considered opinion is that giving families tax money to transfer their kids to private schools is a scam of the lowest degree. First and foremost, private schools don't have to take anyone they don't want to for whatever reason (grades, intelligence as measured on tests, disabilities), they have limited enrollment, they can expel kids for cause, and they cost multiples of the figure that was bandied about when this idea first came up. It's a sick joke on the poor, who really would like to escape their neighborhood school because it comes nowhere near paying for a good private school. Second, it sucks much-needed money away from public schools, which are already underfunded. Boy-howdy is that going to make things better -- take more money away from public schools. I voted against that measure when it was on the ballot, even though we were stretched with our own son's tuition.

At heart I believe that we need to overhaul the public system, support it with sufficient funds, and lengthen the school year by at least a month. As it is right now, my husband and I are already strategizing how to get our daughter's 4-year old son into our son's old school 10 years from now.

Hekate

[SeattleGirl]

74. K-12 Public School.

Then I went to college at Seattle University, which is a private school, or a non-state funded school.

I'm very glad I did that. I think I would have been lost in the crowd at the University of Washington.

[Johnny Noshoes]

75. Both..

Two thirds private - grammar school and high school. Public University.

[sakabatou]

77. Until 3rd grade, I was in a private school.

[Maureen1322]

78. Catholic School for 8 years and Public School for 4 years

My Catholic School education was the best.

[Dorian Gray]

79. Public School

for most of my formative years, though I went to boarding school for one year in high school. (I watched too much Facts of Life or something. I thought it would be fun!)

Private University, though.

[ProfessorGAC]

80. Private The Whole Way

Private grade school, high school, university, and then private universities for all three graduate degrees.

No, i wasn't born to a wealthy family. My dad was a truck driver. Just good saver/planners and i got some scholarships.
GAC

[proud2BlibKansan]

81. Private

[QueenOfCalifornia]

101. But did you learn to

love the lord? :)

Was it Catholic?

[ProfessorGAC]

111. I Know You Were Asking Someone Else, . . .

. . .but since i went to Catholic GS and HS, and undergrad and one of my grad schools, the answer is no.

I was an italian catholic kid who told my parents at 13 that i wasn't going to church anymore. Didn't go over well, but they didn't try to force me.
GAC

[QueenOfCalifornia]

140. I was raised by

Mormons and when I turned 16 I said NO MORE! I had been forced to go to church several times a week for most of my life and I loathed it. My mother had died when I was 14 and so I was just dealing with my step father - he disowned me. :eyes:

[proud2BlibKansan]

130. Catholic elementary

All girls private high school. Then 2 years at a Catholic university and I finally attended a public school for my last 2 years of college.

And yes they taught me to love the Lord and his mother Mary and his father Joseph and about a trillion saints.

[smokey nj]

82. Catholic school through 8th grade, then public for grades 9 through 12 because

my parents couldn't afford the tuition. It was one of the few times not having any money actually worked in my favor.

[ecstatic]

83. Both. I began life in a very rough area of

Brooklyn, NY. I mean ROUGH. I'm grateful that my parents sacrificed to pay for a private school while we lived there (pre-k through 3rd grade). When we left the state, I switched over to public schools. I probably wouldn't even know how to read if I had started my education in the Brownsville Brooklyn public school system. It's not so much about the education quality--there were other concerns like violence. I really hope the Obamas and Arne Duncan can fix the system so that everyone has an equal opportunity to learn.

[surrealAmerican]

84. Public school. Like many people, my parents ...

... moved to a better school district just before I started school. Had they not been able to move, I would have wound up going to private school.

[Ohio Joe]

85. Both

Public school for K-10 and then private school for my last two years of high school.

[JerseygirlCT]

86. Catholic, 1-12 nt

[harun]

87. "I never attended any school - I am a freeper"

:rofl:

:rofl:

Funniest poll option I have seen in a year. Made my morning, bravo.

:fistbump:

[acmavm]

89. Both. Mostly private. The intellectual whiplash of going from one

to the other was traumatic.

[Iggo]

109. Boy, you ain't kiddin.

[Cid_B]

90. In order....

Private, Private, Home, Public, Public, Public, Public College...

[Ganja Ninja]

93. Oh yeah go ahead you liberals.

Brag about your fancy book learning.:smoke:

[waiting for hope]

95. Fairfax County, VA..

Public - and in my day, considered the one of the best counties for Public Schools.

[Jokerman]

97. Attended public schools, work for public schools.

The American public school system was one of the most successful socialist institution created until the republicans set out to destroy it.

[conscious evolution]

100. Both

Several different schools for each.
The quality of ed was about the same.
Some things private schools did better some things public was better at.

Neither type was prepared to deal with students who were far ahead of the grade levels for their age.

Someone upthread mentioned intellectual whiplash. I can understand where they are coming from.

I was never tortured and beaten because of different religous beliefs at public schools.
I wasn't tortured and beaten for being an 'Urkel' at private school.

Heres something else to consider-In the South most private schools were started as a rascist reaction to desegregation.

[GTurck]

102. I went to....

Chicago Public Schools from 1949 to 1961 except for 2 years at Withrow H. S. in Cincinnati. My schools were always old and the textbooks even older but I think I got a far superior education than my children did in the suburbs or my grandchildren are getting now. We use fewer workbooks; had desks bolted to the floor; and had art and music as well as PE.

[lostnfound]

103. Private for 11 years.

Went to a Florida public school for 9th grade - my parents weren't sure they could afford private high school. No comparison. In private high school there was a deep, rich curriculum that immersed us in human culture and history, tons of reading. In public high school, in an 'advanced class', I was actually given a multiple choice test with 10 questions and their answers -- IN ORDER -- four days prior to the "test" and told to study it. I smoked my first cigarette, skipped my first class..well, you get the idea.

The kids were fine, some of the teachers were great, but the expectations were so low.
On edit: And I'm not talking about more testing. The expectations of kids to take tests or produce assignments is IMHO not the problem. The expectation of kids to understand complex ideas or be interested in abstract thinking is what was missing. An appreciation for intellectualism was part of the private school culture.

[trayfoot]

104. I attended public school and received......

an outstanding education! I attended a state university and also received an outstanding education. Of course, my parents were always a FORCE for education and supported the schools completely - no excuses from me when I was in trouble! They also REQUIRED that I go to school every day it was in session - no shopping trips, skipping, staying home was tolerated. As an educator for over 3 decades, I am amazed at how parents, students, and attitudes have changed. One of the biggest problems I encounter is lack of student attendance - and parents typically uphold their student's behavior.

[sweetpotato]

105. 1960s white flight southern private school

HATED IT.

All the kids were snobby social climbing types. Racism rampant.

I begged to be sent to a public school - parents wouldn't hear of it.

[tomg]

106. Catholic school in the 50s

and the early 60s. Local Catholic grammar schools in the 50s could be disasters (often due to well-meaning but absolutely untrained and uncertified teachers). I went to a mix after: public for undergrad and masters, private for doc. I've taught in public and private colleges. My wife and many of my relatives teach public,from first to high school. Three of our four kids were public, the fourth is now in a Friends school for high school after Catholic and public.

Obviously much of it is personal choice, family circumstances and the needs of the child. My three oldest went to public schools and, in the early years, it was wonderful. High school,though, was a disaster for two of them ( the teachers were great, the administration was psychotic, facilities were declining even as enrollment was increasing, and our kids were not exactly blameless). The youngest is currently in a Quaker school, and I only wish all kids had the opportunity to have the kind of education he is getting. Frankly, NCLB, further local economic decay in the local system,and his specific needs were the reason.

I support public education first and foremost. Our state colleges and community colleges are real treasures. Personally, I was most satisfied teaching in a community college. Regarding elementary and secondary schools, I don't see how there can be any educational equality as long as funding is based primarily on local property taxes. I don't object to property taxes, but as it is now structured, it really creates a tiered system where wealthy districts have better facilities, better salaries for teachers, more sought-after administrators, more support programs. In turn, those kids get better educations, have access to better colleges ( including the state systems), and eventually better jobs. That, to me, is the greatest problem: unequal allocation of economic resources.

The other problem is NCLB. It is an unmitigated disaster. Accountability ( for kids, for teachers, for systems) is a legitimate concern; anal retentive testing that measures nothing, nada zilch, zip, and then is used like a cudgel against school systems and kids and teachers is insane. The last eight years have been an absolute disaster for American public education on every level.

I am also very glad to see Michelle Obama come out for public education.

[Iggo]

108. Catholic school 1st & 2nd grades. Public the rest of the way.

In the mid to late 1960s, 1st & 2nd grades at the catholic school I attended was twice as good as 3rd through 6th grades at the public school. I understand in the long run I was better off at puclic school, but the foundation I got at catholic school meant I was way ahead of everyone else in Math and English. They taught Phonics in 1st grade (in 1966) and I don't think I ever heard the word "phonics" after I left catholic school until that TV commercial that came out in the 90s. On the other hand....Social Studies? Phys Ed? The freedom to think for yourself and come up with your own ideas? Give me public school any day.

[road2000]

110. A private, progressive, and poor school.

Grades K-12. Founded as an experiment in 1907. No homework, many outdoor classes and nature walks, students grouped by age and progress rather than by grade. Emphasis on writing and science, folk dancing and singing (we had a traveling troupe in the mid- and late sixties), wheel-thrown pottery and silversmithing, girls welcomed in wood- and metal-working, older students helping younger... some worked their way through by helping cook school lunches or by janitorial work. "Progressive" was part of the school's slogan, not my nostalgic term.

I ask South-bashers not to laugh. This school is in Alabama.

[mulsh]

112. Catholic, 1-12. Dad taught in CA public schools, tried to stop

the Reagan damage when his crew were running things in this state. My twin brother & I attended a public school for 2 months in the 4th grade when we moved one block out of the parish, they wanted to advance us both to 9th grade. Dad quickly got us back in our old school. Oakland public schools always uh problematic.
some of my more "educated" friends say I got a better grammar school and high school education than they did in college.

[Brewman_Jax]

113. Public elementary and high school, public university

[TwilightGardener]

115. Catholic schools thru 8th grade, public schools high school/college.

[annonymous]

116. Private nursery school, public school K-12, community college

I briefly attended a private nursery school when I was 4 but my parents couldn't afford any private education after that. My children attend Catholic schools because Baltimore city public schools are not very good, except for some charter schools and selective high schools. I lived in a relatively affluent area when I was growing up so my high school was able to offer computer classes, TV production classes, AP classes and many extracircular activites; however, the high school had over 2000 students and very few guidance counselers so mediocre students like me tended to get ignored.

[raccoon]

119. Public school. Finished late 1960's. The schools I went to were lousy.

Low tax base. This was in one of the poorest counties in one of the poorest states (SC).

[fascisthunter]

120. Both but I Am More Supportive of Public Schools

because they are never allowed to discriminate and it is ameans to end poverty. That's why Repuklicans want to get rid of public schools.

[Hepburn]

121. Public all the way: Elementary, HS, Bachelors, Masters and Law School. n/t

[WritingIsMyReligion]

122. Public secondary, soon to be private postsecondary.

The public schools around here are above-average, but if they were not, I would not be going to them...there are good private options as well.

The problem with schooling today is that, as someone said above, it caters to the lowest common denominator, and screw the rest of us. Horrible, horrible practice.

[tinymontgomery]

123. Catholic school for 9 years

public school after that. Parents didn't see the catholic school doing anything for me so they pulled me instead of paying.

[cboy4]

124. Catholic school through 8th.

Public high school

[vanderBeth]

125. Public K-7, Homeschool 8-12, Private for College.

[Goblinmonger]

131. I attended a private high school

Boarding school actually (Catholic seminary). I now teach in public schools. Don't know what that makes me.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

132. I went to a Lutheran kindergarten and then to public school K-12

in two different communities. The first public school system (in a college town) was much better than the second one (in a sports-obsessed suburb).

[mainer]

133. Back during the post-Sputnik era, when public schools were GOOD

I attended public elementary school in California in the 60's. We had amazing science instruction (no whispers of creationism back then -- it was all about educating kids in science to compete with the Russians.) We also had a school orchestra AND a school band. All the elementary schools had orchestras. There was no reason to attend private schools, when the public schools were doing such a fine job.

Nowadays, it's hard to find a public school that includes string instrument instruction.

[SidneyCarton]

134. Public School.

1st-12th grades, University of California, Riverside for my BA, and I'm still there for my PhD.

[lisa58]

135. Catholic School 6 years / Public School 6 Years...

...they both had their strengths and weaknesses.

I definitly learned more in Catholic School - Public School was far more relaxed and so much more fun. I'm glad I went to Catholic School first, if I had gone to public school first it would have been harder to make the transition.

[BlooInBloo]

138. Public until 1st grad school, and then back to public for 2nd grad school...

At no point in my life did I care in the least - they're all about equally stupid. (The differences are like 2 short people arguing over who's "taller".)

[mnhtnbb]

139. Private school 1-3; Public school 4-8; Private 9-10; public 11-12; UCLA for BS, MPH

I went to private school when very young because I was sick a lot. When we moved to CA, I went to private school for first 2 years of HS because the local public high school was not very good. I was
able to get an inter-district transfer to public high school for grades 11 & 12--and that was 1967.

I loved UCLA. I still have friends from public grade school and high school--none from private school years.