Private vs public schooling?

[sAsLEX]

Just to stir th9ings up a little, is the compulsion to drive on the left hand side of the road a bad thing?
Or the compulsion to wear seat belts in cars and helmets on bikes?
Or the compulsion to attend school?

Where do you stop?

You must only wear this brand of clothes
You may only be this religion
You may only have Blonde Hair and blue eyes


All non conformers to the showers please

[Ixion]

Just to stir th9ings up a little, is the compulsion to drive on the left hand side of the road a bad thing?
Or the compulsion to wear seat belts in cars and helmets on bikes?
Or the compulsion to attend school?

Compulsion is always bad, though sometimes necessary because the alternative is worse

In the first instance, the alternative clearly is worse
I've never agreed with compulsory seatbelts or helmets (though I wore them even before they were compulsory - by choice)
Schools ditto. And in reality the compulsion is pretty well ignored by those who can't be bothered anyway

[BuFfY]

Yes, "forcing" Maori culture is appropriate in NZ. Spend at least a year overseas and you'll be shocked at how much Maori culture is an integral part of your daily life in NZ.

It should be compulsory, it shouldn't be onerous. I haven't seen an argument that isn't couched in fearful terms. You'll lose nothing. You won't change sexuality. You'll gain a set of tools that allow you to learn another language, and another, and another. My Norwegian Sister-in-law is conversationally fluent in 3 Germanic languages and two romance languages, because it was compulsory during her schooling, and valid for the territory in which she lived. European languages have no immediate worth for Kiwis. Maori is an Asia-Pacific language and has more in common with SE-Asian languages. Surely that's an important building block in learning the regional languages of the region we live in?

I'm disgusted that young Kiwis are still ashamed of the cultural make up of NZ and see no Irony in continuing the bigoted practices of a Colonial power that collapsed in a heap in 1947.

So who has the greater content of Maori? Private or Public schools?

I'm sorry but please do not generalise just because Indy said he did not want to learn Maori and did not want his children to... we are not all like Indy (thank god!)

Being an individual studying to be a teacher I know the importance of highlighting the cultural background of ALL individuals in my classroom. This is not only restricted to Maori but also to Pasific Islanders and any other nationality in the community. Children should be exposed to all world views through out their education and I will make an extreme effort to ensure my students are world smart, not just book smart.

Last year I did a paper on how to teach Pasific Island students, I got A+... so don't class me with individuals such as Indy as I am highly educated and I will actually INFLUENCE a large amount of children in my life time. And god forbid if someone like Indy does

Edit: Oh and Maori is an official curriculum and HAS to be addressed, as do all other curriculums including the arts and technology. That is the reason for ERO, to ensure us teachers are doing our jobs

[BuFfY]

Oh and another point...

At the moment they are actually creating new curriculums so if you have a problem check out the web site and make a recommendation, rather than sit on a web site bitching about it

[750Y]

Now heres something a bit weird. We had an interview with Corran School about getting the girls in there and mentioned we were looking at sending them to Montesori in Mt Eden. The reaction we got was slightly negative...they had trouble adjusting to a more individual mode of learning. Too much hand-holding?

That's weird alright. I have to say that I have seen a slightly negative reaction toward Montessori from a few 'mainstream' teachers.
One comment i've heard is that it's too structured, another is that it's a trendy status symbol for the rich. i can tell you that it's a great experience for the kids & they DO NOT struggle to adapt. it's really disappointing to hear what they said, easy to knock the competition when they're not there to defend themselves. boy, i'm hack-ed off about that lol!

[Lias]

i can tell you that it's a great experience for the kids & they DO NOT struggle to adapt.

I'll have to disagree. Maria Montessori's philopsophy on education is precisely what I abhor the most about the curriculum in our schools today. In short her philospohy advocates the elimination of competition, and focuses on each child being an individual. To use the analogy of the square peg in a round hole, her idea is that each individual child is a different shaped peg, and you need to nurture that indvidiualism in them rather than teach them to become a round shaped peg to fit into society.

Our schools need to prepare children for the real world, and the real world doesnt accept square (or other shaped) pegs, it expects you to be a round peg. Life is full of competition, some people are better than others and there will always be winners and loosers. Even our state schools mollycoddle our children this way to some degree, but the montessori philosophy takes it to the extreme.

Bring back report cards that say "Your child is the 3rd best in the class at maths, the 14th best at english, etc". Bring back competition the the classroom, and prepare our children for the real world even if it means a few feelings get hurt.

[The_Dover]

I agree with Lias. Competition is good.

And bring back taking the piss out of the thick kids. Put some fun back into education.

[terbang]

"God of nations smell my feet. Smeel my toe-nails aren't they sweet. Only wash them once a week. God defend my smelly feet."

Like that one and I always chuckle at Australias one as well:
"Advance Australia Fair"
I guess, being the way aussies are,they are meaning skin colour when they use the word fair...

[The Pastor]

I wish I had learnt maori at school. They are always muttering somthing about us whites.

[Indiana_Jones]

I agree with Lias. Competition is good.

And bring back taking the piss out of the thick kids. Put some fun back into education.

lol I third that motion

Fat kids need some motivation too

'Here's Johnathan, he used to be bullied terribly.'

'I aint surprised, Look at the size of him! HEY FATTY BOOM BOOM, HEY FATTY BOOM BOOM'

'oh! Want another cream cake?'

*Johnathan runs off crying*

'BOOOIING, BOOOIING.......what? he is well fat no?'

-Indy

[750Y]

I'll have to disagree. Maria Montessori's philopsophy on education is precisely what I abhor the most about the curriculum in our schools today. In short her philospohy advocates the elimination of competition, and focuses on each child being an individual. To use the analogy of the square peg in a round hole, her idea is that each individual child is a different shaped peg, and you need to nurture that indvidiualism in them rather than teach them to become a round shaped peg to fit into society.

Our schools need to prepare children for the real world, and the real world doesnt accept square (or other shaped) pegs, it expects you to be a round peg. Life is full of competition, some people are better than others and there will always be winners and loosers. Even our state schools mollycoddle our children this way to some degree, but the montessori philosophy takes it to the extreme.

Bring back report cards that say "Your child is the 3rd best in the class at maths, the 14th best at english, etc". Bring back competition the the classroom, and prepare our children for the real world even if it means a few feelings get hurt.

Sorry for the misunderstanding, I was addressing 1 issue raised in a previous comment. My reply was in the context of my personal experience with my own child with regard to the comment about how well kids adapt from montessori to mainstream. MY experience is as follows..One of the biggest things the teacher noted when my daughter joined primary school at the age of 5 in November was quote: "how well she slotted in, it was as if she'd been there all year". I took that as meaning she adapted well. that's the only point i was making. My child may well be an isolated case. i take on board your views, thanks for sharing. there is a saying that goes "Wisdom comes from having MANY perspectives".
one thing i want to say, is that, having taken into account Your concerns & beliefs, My wife & I are still extremely happy with our choice as parents.
Just aside, the Montessori which my kids attend/ed has horses & cats & acres of outdoor activities including beachwalks & riding, which is a really welcome addition to their preschool environment. That school is called Lily's Locker in Whitford Auckland.
I will raise your concerns with the director of that facility as I am very interested to hear her perspective on those points. If she has an unsatisfactory reply then I will review my son's educational plan & both childrens development plan. cheers for Your input
..Dave

[Lias]

Sorry for the misunderstanding, I was addressing 1 issue raised in a previous comment. My reply was in the context of my personal experience with my own child with regard to the comment about how well kids adapt from montessori to mainstream. MY experience is as follows..One of the biggest things the teacher noted when my daughter joined primary school at the age of 5 in November was quote: "how well she slotted in, it was as if she'd been there all year". I took that as meaning she adapted well. that's the only point i was making. My child may well be an isolated case. i take on board your views, thanks for sharing. there is a saying that goes "Wisdom comes from having MANY perspectives".
one thing i want to say, is that, having taken into account Your concerns & beliefs, My wife & I are still extremely happy with our choice as parents.
Just aside, the Montessori which my kids attend/ed has horses & cats & acres of outdoor activities including beachwalks & riding, which is a really welcome addition to their preschool environment. That school is called Lily's Locker in Whitford Auckland.
I will raise your concerns with the director of that facility as I am very interested to hear her perspective on those points. If she has an unsatisfactory reply then I will review my son's educational plan & both childrens development plan. cheers for Your input
..Dave

Sorry if I jumped down your throat abit.. Its just a subject that is one of my(many) pet peeves. All I can say is if montessori works for your kid, cool. Just remember to teach them to be competitive too :-) Sometimes it is all about the winning not the participating

[750Y]

that's no problem mate, one thing is obvious that we both share in a desire to serve the best interests of the kids (as do many of the posters on here who kept to the original thread's theme). i think it really shows how important this is to us & i give you big ups for that. i am serious too about raising your points. i don't know everything & i really want to know how she responds. if i make a mistake i'm not too big to admit it & any chance to review what i'm doing is the best i can offer my kids. if i need to make a change for the better i will do so.
safe riding 8-)

[avgas]

Teen are more safer in a private boarding school. They have no time to spend hanging out and experimenting with drugs and alcohol. They have mentors and first-class teachers to inspire and instruct. They have a full schedule of challenging sporting and study assignments. They are granted free time on weekends to attend church services or go into the local town. They are encouraged to keep in regular contact with their families but they are taught how to be self-reliant and to push hard for success.

Lemme guess. You have 2 daughters who attend a private boarding school.

Heh I guess they aren't as honest as you make them out.

[fuknKIWI]

I believe all the best British spies were educated at Eton.
Private school perhaps???

In a perverse English way it's called a PUBLIC school over there
I believe Bear Grylls was one of theirs.