Are more parents looking at public schools as a day care and not a learning institute?
115177
i think so. as a student with a parent thast cares for my grades and me i look at others and wonder the same thing. nowadays more and more highschoolers are becomeing parents and then they drop out, find an hourly-pay job, and just hope that their child does better than them. they dont care because their parents were high school drop outs and didnt care about them.
118165
Years ago, inner-city public schools were fine institutions of learning and prepared their students for the working world.\n\nI think that current inner city public schools are an abomination and do not properly prepare the students for college or career.\n\nI find that suburban school districts, private schools and charter schools give our children an excellent education to prepare them for their futures.
154469
Absolutely! Look at the kids who grow up in daycares or with babysitters who are all stressed out from watching so many different kids through out the day, that they can't give the proper affection and attention that the child needs. Then look at the ones who are raised 100% by one of the parents (usually the mom) and get the proper affection, attention and discipline. (Positive discipline) The child learns proper manners, ways to handle lifes situations, how to talk to and address people, whats important in life etc.\nAll this of course being based on the parents being loving and properly raising their children.\n\nSo yes without a doubt, children are much better off having a stay at home parent. I believe it is far more important to have less material things and produce a child who will be a great person and example of how we are to be.
277960
I would have to contribute this partly to the parents.  These days, parents are not as involved in their children's education as they once were.  Also, there is a growing number of parents who condone WHATEVER it is that their child is doing (even if it is the wrong thing).  The parents will always come to the child's defense and blame everyone else.  Additionally, there is a lack of discipline in the homes because parents are afraid to firmly (spanking) discipline their children because of legal retort.  And last, I will have to say that the government is doing very little to support educators (teachers and instructors).
788519
I am not, I have a 4 year old son and another on the way.  I work both for financial reasons, as well as for personal preference.  I love my job.  AND I love my children.  I don't think that having him in school during the day is having someone else raise him.  I am with him every night after 5 and every morning.  We cook supper together, we play games, we learn, we cuddle, we have a great relationship.  On top of that, even though he is now an only child, he knows how to share his toys, interact with other kids, and because of his excellent school, is HIGHLY more developed than most children his age.\n\nI do not, however, see a single thing wrong with being a stay at home mom.  My sister in law is, and I can attest that she works much harder at home all day than I do managing my office!  I hand it to all of you ladies who choose to do this.\n\nI think that the thing that we have to remember is that is it a personal choice.  Going to work does not make me a bad mother, staying at home does not make her lazy.  It is what we have both chosen for our families and both of our families and our children most importantly, are very happy with our choices.  \n\nOur sisters and mothers did not work so hard in the women's movements of the 70s and 80s for us to stand here today and say that our way is the only way.  They worked so hard to give us a CHIOCE!
602487
Yes, several others have and it has proved better than just sending them to public school every day. Don't worry about them socializing, they'll have plenty of time to do that later in the day.
724465
Interesting article on the effects of daycare and Preschool\n\nhttp://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20051101/news_1n1earlyed.html
418652
Interesting question (I think it is a question.) Seems to me there is enough blame to go around...let's not stop with teachers. How about the students themselves? How about the parents? We have seen a huge dumbing down of students in the past 30 years...lowest common denominator effect, or "let no child be left behind." When students are pushed further into classes they cannot understand, when the quality of education is such that many students are left in the dark, when parents remain detached from their children and expect teachers to do it all, we have what we now have...a nation of illiterate kids graduating from high school Not all students are illiterate, but you don't have to look further than the questions/answers here to see that many kids cannot spell, cannot write a sentence, and cannot communicate clearly with written words. We have spawned a system where it is NOT cool to be educated, and certainly NOT cool to achieve anything in public schools. NERD is all but a curse word, isn't it? Yet it is the Nerds who inherit the jobs, the salaries, the world. Kids may think it is "cool" to be ignorant, but there comes a day when they must look around and wonder how they were left out ... of everything. IF I were to come home with a bad grade, IF I were to not do my homework, IF I were to mouth off to a teacher, I wouldn't sit for a week. So, to avoid the punishment, I did the work. Isn't it strange today that when a child misbehaves, the parents are up in the face of the teacher with accusations, threats, etc. Is it any wonder that teachers give up trying to educate a bunch of students who have no interest beyond text messaging? Teachers head into the career thinking they will make a difference. It doesn't take long for them to find out they are underpaid baby sitters of out-of-control thugs and brats. Unfortunatly, time has a way of evening things out. Sad to say, but I am glad I do not have to face the daily challenges of gangs, bullies, and "cool" people that students are surrounded by today.
119613
Home schooling is *different* from institutional schooling and, like everything else, there is a wide range of variations in the quality of *both* kinds of education.\n\nJohn Taylor Gatto, New York's Teacher of the Year turned home schooling advocate, has written an extensive and illuminating history of institutional schooling's rise in the US.  It's available to read for free online, but I found a copy in my local library and was fascinated by the depth of it.  A real eye-opener.\n\nSome children are well-suited to institutional schooling (I know, I have one) and some are better suited to home schooling (I know, I have 2).  Likewise, some parents are far better suited to home schooling.\n\nFor parent/child combinations that enjoy home schooling, it works very well, resulting in the Spelling Bee wins and other academic successes you'll hear about wherever people are trying to "sell" folks on home schooling as a lifestyle choice.  For other families, home schooling is a disaster.  The very first article I ever read was written by an adult homeschooled as a child titled: "Why Not to Home School" (or something like that anyway).  The author was forced to stay home against his will and hated his "education".\n\nMany families homeschool for religious reasons, many to offer their children opportunities and freedom that public schools simply cannot provide and some because institutional schools have failed them and their children.  I don't think it's for everyone, but it's one of many options available to a free citizenry and I, for one, appreciate the ability to choose it if I care to.
956591
I am 36 years old, and I have never thought about my own schooling from that perspective.  However, I would have to say that my early elementary years were excellent, and I received that education from the public school system.  I had caring, hard working teachers that excelled at their jobs, but they also had the advantage of the "old" school system of class rules which were obeyed (such as no talking without permission), corporal punishment, and active parental involvement.  However, I moved to a different state in my junior high years, and in my opinion, that is where my education pretty much stopped.  That state and school district was exactly the opposite of my elementary years.  Therefore, to answer your question, I know that I would have learned more through homeschooling during my seventh through twelfth grades.  However, I would have only learned more than I did because I would have had more time to teach myself since I had to become a self-learner.  Thus, I believe that your intelligence is most affected by you, not the school that you attend.  In other words, the student has to apply him or herself in learning or the educational institution that they attend will really not matter.
1154958
Yes, your kids would be better off in public schools. Don't indoctrinate them before they have a chance to learn to think for themselves.\n\nChildren taught  in public schools have  better test scores anyway.
910448
I don't think the government needs to be in the business of telling people how to rear their children.....or educating them, for that matter.  I believe that is one reason our public (government run) schools are so bad today.  The other reason is that people do not know how to discipline their babies.  They either them them run wild or they yell at the to shut the f**k up. This is beginning to really get out of hand when children are having babies.  The fathers are many times no where around.   Who suffers?  The child.\n\nThe elderly pay into the medicare system their whole life and when they need help caring for themselves, we "shelve" them in a nursing home.  Some, but not all,  of these places are nasty and the staff is mean.  A senior either has to be wealthy and pay for private care, have excellent long term care insurance, or apply for medicare.  I have never understood why we treat our elderly worse than animals.\n\n\n\n\nArmygirl91--remember you will be old one day.
289577
Any pivate school which offers daycare is good, but try to avoid the public system. Religious schools are great too specially baptist ones, the catholic schools are very crouded. There's one very close to PUCOR don't remember the name but that one is great!
1151847
educational psychologists prefer home school.because kids require the love, affection and attention of their parents
555515
As a teacher in the public school system, I see a direct correlation between proper parental involvement and student success. By proper I mean genuine concern and taking personal responsibility for helping their child succeed. I think too many parents are overworked and stressed, not home often enough, or are too busy keeping up with hyperactive schedules to spend the energy it takes to invest in their child's education and teach proper behaviors and habits. Many parents are also trying to be their kid's friend instead of an authority figure. All too often the parents that rant the loudest about the public school system's failures are the ones who refuse to see their child's faults. They blame the school, teachers, administrators and the government for not doing enough or for picking on their kid. Yet, as teachers, there is only so much we can do. I can teach, tutor, follow IEPs, use every resources I can find or create, teach good study habits, use multiple approaches to the topics, call parents, meet with councilors, be highly qualified, try to leave no child behind, and create a positive and stimulating environment, yet I cannot make a child learn. Students, with the help their parents, must take on the responsibility. \nAll of that being said, they are good parents and good teachers that are working together to help children succeed. Just the same as there are those who could do much more. \n\nTo those who invest the time and energy into the education of children, be it their own or other's, Thank you very much. Keep up the good work.
1067497
Should they? No. Will they? Yes. \n\nPoliticians are a breed of short term thinkers. They care about today, ignore the past, and are oblivious to the future. \n\nIf someone is going to wave a huge bundle of cash to a cash strapped government, then you'll see many things be privatized without consideration of the long term impacts.\n\nI work for a government agency, and there was talk of privatizing it. Nobody but the governor was in favor of the idea. Republicans and Democrats, conservatives and liberals, and many others in the community agreed that making the public service private would be worse for the community at large. \n\nThe governor has recanted his desire to privatize the institution. \n\nConsider for a moment what our lives would be like if every public service were privatized? We'd live in a very marginalized society with distinct differences between rich and poor. The middle class would be small, and almost non-existent. \n\nTake education. The GOP has been deliberately underfunding public schools so that they'll fail. As schools get worse, they begin to promote the idea of privatized schools. They'll sell us the notion that businesses are more efficient than government, and that businesses are not going to be pushed about by "liberal" politics. \n\nBottom line: they wish to create an expensive, class-based, tiered educational structure that panders to consumer interest at the expense of the public at large. \n\nProfit is the bottom line of businesses and private interests. Public welfare is no concern to the monied interests. \n\nJust image what kind of education poor Americans would receive if education was privatized. They'd get the McDonald's variant of education. Many middle income families would find themselves even further cash-strapped by having to pay for their child's education personally. \n\nNot to be rude, but there are things children need to learn away from the home beyond a watchful parent's eye. In particular, sex education. \n\nAs such, a privatized system would create a tailorized and custom made education instead of giving a broad and general education. \n\nSchools could teach their "preferred" method of teaching subjects like history, religion, and other humanities. \n\nWe'd lose cohesiveness and unity as a people if the system was privatized. \n\nLook at Indiana and other states that have privatized their tollway systems. Nobody is happy with the arrangements except the politicians that engineered the deal and the businesses that are raking in profits from the deal.\n\nPrivatization is basically a lose-lose situation for the public at large in a long-term context. It's a win-win for businesses and politicians of cash strapped governments. \n\nLastly, how do you hold a private business/group accountable. If they have millions of dollars and armies of lawyers and lobbyists, how do you compete with them if they do you or your community wrong? \n\nMoney corrupts. \n\nIt's our duty as citizens to safeguard our liberties. We need to stay informed, stay active, and keep our friends and family in the know. \n\nWe have to work against privatization if we wish to keep living in a free society.\n\nKeep in mind the purpose of having a government: to protect the public from each other, from private and secretive interests that have ambitions of power and control. \n\nGovernment is a tool that should provide protection of our civil liberties, our property, and our rights to pursue our own happiness. \n\nAs a tool, it's only as effective as the people running it. We need to put people in office that understand what government is, and how to use it. We need to stop putting people in government that use it for enhancing their business dealings and that have contempt for the government and its purpose. \n\nWe wouldn't hire a carpenter who hated tools. Why elect someone who hates government?
791038
I think grades are most affected by bad parents who do not instill good study habits on the children.  These are the same parents that blame teachers, blame society, blame everything in the world but themselves.  Studying is nothing more than a reflection of work ethic - if parents have none, then they don't foster it in their children, and the kids do badly.  That in turn is reflected in an inability to form critical thinking as an adult.  I think it has very little to do with location.  \n\nCase and point are those people who respond with such defensiveness that their post are totally illogical.  Talk about a lack of critical thinking skills.  You know who I'm talking about.