Oh no ... if the offspring ever find out what we actually do for a living, we're doomed
Is Private School Worth It?
- Thread starter twobobsworth
- Start date
I dunno. One of my sisters is just one year younger than I am.
Raised by the same parents.
Lived in the same house.
Went to the same schools (all public, fwiw).
Yet, Lisa and I are two *incredibly* different people, who've taken two very different paths in life. Neither of us with any regrets.
Seriously? Dear god. I hate to think what happens to these kids when they get a job.
Yeah; it's pathetic.
God forbid we let them know that in real life, if you score a D,E, or F; you lose.
Kids need structure, boundaries and goals, rewards and incentives.
Otherwise they will just wander along and achieve bugger-all, and probably end up as under-achieving, lazy, welfare champions - still at home sponging off mum and dad when they're 30..
And heaven help those kids who might need extra support if they warrant it. There is no way that parents can identify how they are performing against their peers, and the Basic skills tests performed around Australia dont necessarily reflect the same curricula being taught in SA schools.
same with competency based training! I don't know about you guys but I don't want the merely competant doctor I want the one who got honours!!!
I think financial success is really from the parents, just because you can get a high paying job doesn't mean you know what to do with the cash.
I think financial success is really from the parents, just because you can get a high paying job doesn't mean you know what to do with the cash.
So true.
Well, look at some comments here;
I've heard many a SS poster say they want to buy homes - and first homes - well over the $600k price tag.
Now, they can obviously afford the repayments.
And, with this mentality usually goes the same for a car - they will saddle up for a $40k or more car etc.
They can afford that too. And good luck to them. Hopefully their super will save them.
But think about this; they have just locked themselves in to a PAYE job for at least the next 20 years in most cases by following this all-too-common pattern. Great if you want to work in PAYE forever.
But, most here are looking for something more than this, otherwise, why would they come on here with their high paying jobs looking for answers.
Answers to what? To how to get out of the rat-race, surely.
The answer is right in front of them; spend $300k on the first house, spend $10k on the car and put the difference into some income producing investments, and in 20 years they are free forever.
Still do the PAYE thing if they want - operative word being want, not need.
But private school can make a huge difference in year 11 and 12 for University entrance scores.
You know the scaling system that most states use. Well they scale for exams because with course work, one teacher could be an easier marker. Say the class averaged 80% in course work yet only averaged 50% in the exams, it could mean that the marker was more lenient.
So by going to a good school where majority of the students work hard and is quite bright, you have a higher chance of getting scaled up and therefore into the course than you want.
True story.
My friend is really smart and wanted to get into medicine. She went to a private school (but not a good one). She got like 2 points less than the required points for Med and that was also because she got scaled down in 2 subjects!! she was absolutely gutted. (you can get scaled up to 3 points up or down). She ended doing Physio for 4 years than went to Med school for another 4 or 5 years and sh's now a doctor.
Her brother also wanted to do Med. He's not as smart as she is. The parents realised that if he wants to get into bed he needs to go to a better school. Luckily he got into one of the elite boy schools. Anyway, his real marks were short of Med but he got scaled up for all subjects and for 1 subject he even got the maximum 3 points!! He became a doctor before her.
So it is good to get yourself into a good school for the years that count towards Uni if that's where you are headed.
You know the scaling system that most states use. Well they scale for exams because with course work, one teacher could be an easier marker. Say the class averaged 80% in course work yet only averaged 50% in the exams, it could mean that the marker was more lenient.
So by going to a good school where majority of the students work hard and is quite bright, you have a higher chance of getting scaled up and therefore into the course than you want.
True story.
My friend is really smart and wanted to get into medicine. She went to a private school (but not a good one). She got like 2 points less than the required points for Med and that was also because she got scaled down in 2 subjects!! she was absolutely gutted. (you can get scaled up to 3 points up or down). She ended doing Physio for 4 years than went to Med school for another 4 or 5 years and sh's now a doctor.
Her brother also wanted to do Med. He's not as smart as she is. The parents realised that if he wants to get into bed he needs to go to a better school. Luckily he got into one of the elite boy schools. Anyway, his real marks were short of Med but he got scaled up for all subjects and for 1 subject he even got the maximum 3 points!! He became a doctor before her.
So it is good to get yourself into a good school for the years that count towards Uni if that's where you are headed.
I was told by a boy at one of Brisbane's "best" that the "dumb" kids were told it was not important to sit the tests that the scores and averages are worked out from. I cannot remember what they are called, but with the "dumb" kids not sitting, the school average is higher (or something like that).
So don't let the school averages fool you, as they are easily manipulated apparently.
So don't let the school averages fool you, as they are easily manipulated apparently.
Wylie, I can remember that happening when I was at a PUBLIC school 25 years ago. Back then we had school subjects and board subjects and you only got a TE score if you did 5 or 6 board subjects. All the kids who did school subjects and wouldn't be eligible for a TE score anyway were given the day of the exams off.
TE = Tertiary Entrance Score HIghest was 990 and that got you into medicine.
TE = Tertiary Entrance Score HIghest was 990 and that got you into medicine.
Yep, I hate that too and have never done it.
omigosh who does that?! oh i think we may have to as Jeff's a staff and may need a sticker for parking.
Plenty of people do it. We have never put our sticker on, but there is another car around our suburb I see with the school sticker on. Their son once got into my car after soccer, looked at me, jumped straight back out
. Was rather funny.I don't really find them offensive, but we just don't want stickers all over our car.
HUbby and I both went to public schools... me to a very good girls school in Sydney and hubby to a poorer co-ed school in QLD. There were good and bad points about both of our experiences.
Our kids go to a private school.
We initially chose it because our son had some special needs... he had been temporarily deaf for several months because of blocked ears and it had a big impact on his behaviour, and he is extremely emotional anyway! We felt that the smaller classes and more "pastoral" approach of the private school we chose would be beneficial. This particular school also has a deliberate policy to try to employ male teachers in primary school, which we felt was important for our boy who found it hard to sit still (male teachers seem to be more able to cope with fidgets and scatterbrains than female teachers)
We have certainly had a very positive experience with him.... they were able to develop some very good techniques for getting the best out of him, helping him to get more organised etc. Now he is heading into teenage years as quite a settled boy, though still somewhat disorganised!
Our daughter is quite the opposite, she loves school and is performing above her peers. THe school has a good "Independent Learners" program, which she is really thriving in, without being pushy, or forcing them to do lots of extra work etc.
We have had some issues with the school over the years, but they have been very open to discuss the issues and come to a resolution. We've also had bullying issues, which were resolved immediately. The school has always had an "open door" policy in raising issues, which gives us more confidence.
In terms of fees, we are paying around $6000 pa. They go up considerably next year when my son enters year 7. We would probably only leave the school if we felt our children weren't getting a good education, or if one of us lost our job. My only other concern is whether they will have a sufficient range of subjects available in Year 11 and 12. But we'll address that when we are bit closer!!
So, as others have said, its really a personal decision, based on your children and the local schools. To be honest, we never even investigated the local school though. For us, the money paid has definitely been worth it, for the emotional and educational benefits for our kids.
Pen
Our kids go to a private school.
We initially chose it because our son had some special needs... he had been temporarily deaf for several months because of blocked ears and it had a big impact on his behaviour, and he is extremely emotional anyway! We felt that the smaller classes and more "pastoral" approach of the private school we chose would be beneficial. This particular school also has a deliberate policy to try to employ male teachers in primary school, which we felt was important for our boy who found it hard to sit still (male teachers seem to be more able to cope with fidgets and scatterbrains than female teachers)
We have certainly had a very positive experience with him.... they were able to develop some very good techniques for getting the best out of him, helping him to get more organised etc. Now he is heading into teenage years as quite a settled boy, though still somewhat disorganised!
Our daughter is quite the opposite, she loves school and is performing above her peers. THe school has a good "Independent Learners" program, which she is really thriving in, without being pushy, or forcing them to do lots of extra work etc.
We have had some issues with the school over the years, but they have been very open to discuss the issues and come to a resolution. We've also had bullying issues, which were resolved immediately. The school has always had an "open door" policy in raising issues, which gives us more confidence.
In terms of fees, we are paying around $6000 pa. They go up considerably next year when my son enters year 7. We would probably only leave the school if we felt our children weren't getting a good education, or if one of us lost our job. My only other concern is whether they will have a sufficient range of subjects available in Year 11 and 12. But we'll address that when we are bit closer!!
So, as others have said, its really a personal decision, based on your children and the local schools. To be honest, we never even investigated the local school though. For us, the money paid has definitely been worth it, for the emotional and educational benefits for our kids.
Pen
A guy I work with who drove around in a bit of a bomb (very faded Holden VN) up until recently had put an elite private schoool sticker on his car
.This same guy is a property investor too and owns some very nice realestate around Adelaide.
To be honest though I've seen this less and less the last few years. I wonder if some of those schools aren't printing them anymore?
Yes, we get more and more like the good ol' Us of A every day.
It won't be long until we've got loads of windcheaters with Uni emblems on them. Then baseball caps.
Half your personality is your U over there.....
The other half is your car.
Some private schools have a curriculum that focuses more on learning rather than teaching. We didn't have a preference for private or public when we interviewed schools for our children but looked for philosophies that were close to our own. A private school fit the bill so we went for that one.
Private and public were both on our interview list. The school we chose is not ideal but the best that we could find.
One of my larger goals in life (one I have amassed great wealth) is to create a school that recognises leadership and the entreprenurial spirit in children rather than just academic qualities.
Private and public were both on our interview list. The school we chose is not ideal but the best that we could find.
One of my larger goals in life (one I have amassed great wealth) is to create a school that recognises leadership and the entreprenurial spirit in children rather than just academic qualities.
