School

[JustGeorge]

I think that a great many people who are now adults are too young to remember that

I think the internet was much better 25 years ago, before "social media"

I miss ICQ

I know it's still going but it's Russian owned and there is no way I would trust Russian software on my computer

I miss the AOL chatrooms and messenger.

 

[Eddi]

I miss the AOL chatrooms and messenger.

I never used AOL chat rooms but back in the day I loved chat rooms

I think they're a bit rubbish these days though

There is a UK television channel called Channel 4, they used to have some amazing forums on their website and a fantastic little chat room, it's all long gone now though, obviously too much trouble to maintain, it is evidently much cheaper to just use social media things

 

[Altfish]

I had a great time at school, no great problems. I was always near the top of the class, especially for maths, struggled a bit more at English but not that much.

 

[Koldo]

I'm assuming most of us here went to school as a kid. Whether it was public, private, home(or a mix), most places require some kind of education for children.

What was your experience with it? Positive, negative, both? Did you feel it was good quality, or did you learn more through other means?

If you're a parent, what was your opinion of the education your child received?

If you were/are a teacher, what is/was your opinion on education as it is(or was when you were teaching)?

For the purposes of this thread, I'm only interested in personal experiences and opinions regarding childhood education(as opposed to college education), and not what should/could be done about the education system.

It was alright-ish. Average in pretty much every aspect. Always had good grades, but few actual friends.

It might, or might not be, of interest to explain that here in Brazil, the vast majority of public schools are (very) crappy. The exceptions have an entry exam with very limited vacancies. In my case, my parents could only afford average schools and I got an average education out of it.

 

[JustGeorge]

I never used AOL chat rooms but back in the day I loved chat rooms

I think they're a bit rubbish these days though

There is a UK television channel called Channel 4, they used to have some amazing forums on their website and a fantastic little chat room, it's all long gone now though, obviously too much trouble to maintain, it is evidently much cheaper to just use social media things

I've tried some chatrooms since those days, and I agree, they're pretty rubbish.

 

[Eddi]

I've tried some chatrooms since those days, and I agree, they're pretty rubbish.

Discord is good though

And that's a kind of chatroom!

 

[Bthoth]

I'm assuming most of us here went to school as a kid. Whether it was public, private, home(or a mix), most places require some kind of education for children.

What was your experience with it? Positive, negative, both? Did you feel it was good quality, or did you learn more through other means?

If you're a parent, what was your opinion of the education your child received?

If you were/are a teacher, what is/was your opinion on education as it is(or was when you were teaching)?

For the purposes of this thread, I'm only interested in personal experiences and opinions regarding childhood education(as opposed to college education), and not what should/could be done about the education system.

i loved school for the most part. It was easy for me as soon as I learned how to read.

As for the kids, I am a tough pops when it comes to personal responsibility so my choice was private school and tough work schedule.

 

[Quagmire]

Discord is good though

And that's a kind of chatroom!

You know, RF has a Discord. . .

 

[Eddi]

You know, RF has a Discord. . .

I know! I'm on it!

When the pandemic was on I used it a bit, haven't even looked at it in months

 

[Stevicus]

I'm assuming most of us here went to school as a kid. Whether it was public, private, home(or a mix), most places require some kind of education for children.

What was your experience with it? Positive, negative, both? Did you feel it was good quality, or did you learn more through other means?

If you're a parent, what was your opinion of the education your child received?

If you were/are a teacher, what is/was your opinion on education as it is(or was when you were teaching)?

For the purposes of this thread, I'm only interested in personal experiences and opinions regarding childhood education(as opposed to college education), and not what should/could be done about the education system.

"Kindergarten, babies
First grade, snots
Second grade, angels
Third grade, pots
Fourth grade, peaches
Fifth grade, plums
And all the rest are dirty bums!" <-- My favorite poem in second grade. (My older brother was in sixth grade at the time, and he didn't like it.)

I hated K-6. Five different schools, moving around, unstable parents.

I also didn't care much for the structure of elementary school, where you pretty much had to stay with the same group of kids the whole day. It was better once I got to junior high school, as there were 8 periods and we moved to different classrooms and had a different group of kids each time (although some were the same).

This was before what they now call "middle school," which is 6th, 7th, and 8th grade, as I understand it. Junior high was 7th, 8th, and 9th grades. I always thought that 6th grade was too young to be going to the same school as 8th graders. Although when I was in elementary school, the 6th graders were the top dogs, the highest grade in the school. In middle school, the 6th graders are at the lowest rank.

When I was in junior high, 9th grade was the top grade in the school, but after my 9th grade, we moved to Arizona, and I started the high school there in 10th grade, although that was a four-year high school (where 9th graders were given a hard time, though I was spared that as a sophomore).

If I had known what I know now, I would have done much better in school.

 

[JustGeorge]

If I had known what I know now, I would have done much better in school.

What doors do you think would have opened if you had?

 

[Viker]

I attended mostly public schools. I actually didn't care for the private schools at all. I never had a learning disability it was more of a social disability. So, even my public school experience wasn't great either until I reached high school. I was tutored by my older sister until I was around 8/9. She turned me on to public libraries and I know I learned more that way. My sister wanted to become a teacher. She would have made an excellent one, but issues. High school was nearly a breeze for me. I went to one of the finest high schools in my area at the time (it has a couple well known members of it's alma mater).

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

I loved going to school. I loved learning. The classroom was wonderful, for me, the playground or playing fields and common rooms much more difficult. My favourite season is fall, because that's when I got to go back to school.

I remember nothing about my first years of school (I was a battered child, and struggling with surviving), but I remember from grade 3 onwards, when I was in a home for disturbed children in Ottawa. And then, the best, when I was sent to a boys boarding school for grades 8 and following. This was my best place (yes, the fact that it was all boys helped, but don't assume anything nasty). I could stay over holidays like Easter and Christmas (and all long weekends), and not have to go to foster families, which I hated.

Getting my new books every year! What a joy! I was guaranteed 9 months of absolute pleasure (though I read through most of them within the first 2 months, but revising is fun, too). A whole world of new things I didn't know -- but could, if I wanted.

Finally, there was the Glee Club and theatre group -- and I snagged decent roles in many musicals and plays during my school years, and that was better than anything!

Some things were not so good. I didn't socialize well in a world of straight boys, when I was anything but. The only TV was Hockey Night in Canada, which interested me about as much as being flayed alive. But that stuff could be ignored, and I ignored it.

All told, I still have wonderful memories of school.

 

[Stevicus]

What doors do you think would have opened if you had?

I'm not sure about what doors might have opened, but I might have been able to concentrate and focus better. I was kind of confused and mixed up in my younger days. I'm still confused and mixed up, but at least now I've been able to come to terms with it.

 

[Twilight Hue]

I'm assuming most of us here went to school as a kid. Whether it was public, private, home(or a mix), most places require some kind of education for children.

What was your experience with it? Positive, negative, both? Did you feel it was good quality, or did you learn more through other means?

If you're a parent, what was your opinion of the education your child received?

If you were/are a teacher, what is/was your opinion on education as it is(or was when you were teaching)?

For the purposes of this thread, I'm only interested in personal experiences and opinions regarding childhood education(as opposed to college education), and not what should/could be done about the education system.

Horrible I was bullied to no end.

 

[JustGeorge]

Horrible I was bullied to no end.

Sorry to hear that.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Sorry to hear that.

It was a neverending nightmare for sure , but it did bring out some very beautiful things at the same time. Especially when it comes to comrades in arms style friendships and fraternity and the very special memories I will take with me to the grave.

 

[Stevicus]

I was tormented by bullies in elementary school, although by the time I reached junior high, I realized that no one was going to stand up or fight for me, so I had to do it myself. Once you get into a few fights, people start to leave you alone. But it was only in self-defense. Of course, I had done more than a few rounds with my rage-filled older brother who was 3 and a half years older and a foot taller, and he was a tougher opponent than those who were my own age and size.

I think what confused me at first was that I would encounter people who wanted to pick a fight for no apparent reason. I thought there had to be a reason, but it took me a while to finally realize that there was no reason.

 

[JustGeorge]

I was tormented by bullies in elementary school, although by the time I reached junior high, I realized that no one was going to stand up or fight for me, so I had to do it myself. Once you get into a few fights, people start to leave you alone. But it was only in self-defense. Of course, I had done more than a few rounds with my rage-filled older brother who was 3 and a half years older and a foot taller, and he was a tougher opponent than those who were my own age and size.

I think what confused me at first was that I would encounter people who wanted to pick a fight for no apparent reason. I thought there had to be a reason, but it took me a while to finally realize that there was no reason.

Girls tend to bully differently(and boys don't generally beat up girls when they bully them). I didn't get into many fights, but I learned acting unpredictably, for some reason, embarrassed my 'opponent', so that worked out well for me.

I was very fortunate to go to a high school where bullying wasn't tolerated. By the kids. They simply wouldn't put up with it. It was really very unique, I think.

 

[Isabella Lecour]

I'm assuming most of us here went to school as a kid. Whether it was public, private, home(or a mix), most places require some kind of education for children.

What was your experience with it? Positive, negative, both? Did you feel it was good quality, or did you learn more through other means?

If you're a parent, what was your opinion of the education your child received?

If you were/are a teacher, what is/was your opinion on education as it is(or was when you were teaching)?

For the purposes of this thread, I'm only interested in personal experiences and opinions regarding childhood education(as opposed to college education), and not what should/could be done about the education system.

In public elementary school I was catching errors in the textbooks so what happened next shouldn't have caught the school by surprise. My hometown school district got embroiled in scandal after scandal over cheating on the mastery tests they had. I was one of a handful of students district wide that recognized what was going on right in front of everyone.

I found public education to be worthless. I learned more about how to deal with people and rules than anything of the subjects they claimed to teach. Thirteen years of education for what can be taught and mastered in less than four years is a massive waste of time. And then the pandemic opened up time for me to read up on the history of public education in the United States. It's a tragedy.

I am a parent and I had sent my kids off to public school. Being an active parent, doing the homework with them, making sure to go to the parent teacher conferences and the concerts and the events and everything else didn't prevent my kids from slipping between the cracks while their teacher says everything is fine to my face. I knew things were not fine but I had no idea how not fine it really was.

I'm homeschooling my kids. Now, they can read and they read for pleasure. Now, they can do math and do mental math and get the right answer. Now, they understand physics and engage in play. Now, they have a love of learning and curiosity that I hope they never lose. It was so close to being snuffed out when I pulled them out. It was happening before my eyes and I didn't understand what was going on.

My kids are like me. Teach us to read and then get out of the way. I have no love for public education. I consider it institutionalised child abuse.