Ozzidoc

I am sorry to hear about the problems you have faced.

However, the sentence I am quoting above is truly racist. I am hoping that you actually mean that the teachers were not able to speak (and read and write???) English to mother tongue standard.

DadAgain

Again this varies between schools - but most school will accept students from any background provided you say the right things at admission interview - i.e. "No we're not practicing , but grew up with a religious environment and would like my kids to have the same grounding" - whether you mean it or not!

Having said that, if (like me) you find the whole idea of religion-tainted education as a bit distasteful you might want to really consider whether a religious school is going to work for you. I've heard some absolute horror stories of kids (primary school age) coming home from religious schools with heads full of 'facts' and telling their parents that eternity in hell (or purgatory or wherever its supposed to be?!) awaits them because of their failure to believe.

Unfortunately state schools are not immune to this and many of them run 'scripture' classes that are taught by a local volunteer from a church, just to 'introduce' kids to religious concepts. These are said to be 'voluntary' - but any child opting out may be asked to just sit in the library on their own while all the other kids get their head filled with Christian rhetoric. I'm all for religious education and woudl be very supportive of a 'comparative religion' program tuaght by a qualified teacher, but I'm a bit perplexed as to why a state school (supposedly inclusive and supportive of all cultures) would run such a clearly one-eyed program as this! - Check with your school, you never know what your kids are going to get their heads filled with!!!!

kiwinow

Crocdileseamus, we have four kids too, so I think private will be out for us. The funny thing is I'd never considered private until I started listening in on some forum discussions. It's not that common here. I don't think you're doing your kids a disservice by sending them to State schools. Find a good one and your kids will do just as well.

My husband went to a private boarding school in NZ at great expense to his parents. He was unhappy, ran away several times, got into trouble with the law and was finally removed after doing poorly in exams despite being A streamed. Providing top knotch resources doesn't guarantee your child will do well and sending them to State doesn't mean they'll turn into bogans. I'd rather try and help them out at tertiary level, or after leaving school.

Nerine

oh get outta here!! my kids literally couldn't understand what some of their teachers were saying to them. Good communication is essential for effective teaching....ever tried to learn Science in English heavily accented with Russian?

rabsody

Wow, I could have written your post! The school I send my girls to (state) has some fervent god botherer from the church teaching them religion. I pull my kids out every year and they just read books. I said to the principal I did not understand the logic of a non-denominational school only teaching one "version" of religion. I would be fine if they learnt about all shades of religion and then could make an informed decision.

The last straw was when this "teacher" from the church told one of the kids she was a scientist and there was no evidence at all to support the big bang theory, no, god had made the world in 7 days. :curse: Disgusting.

rabsody

I support what you say. We had a lecturer from China (I think) last semester and her heavy accent, along with difficulty articulating, made it extremely difficult (and boring) to sit through one of her lectures. Nothing racist about it. She was a lovely lady.

Ozzidoc

You miss my point.

With very few exceptions, A Russian does not have have English as a first language. The same as a Chinese born person. The same as a Brazilian. (They may have English mother-tongue expat parents etc, but that's rare)

By saying "English as first language", you are effectively saying "if you are not from an English-speaking country, you are not an acceptable teacher".

I know several French people whose English is remarkably better than that of the majority of people who speak English as a first language.

Ozzidoc

I am not saying that such a person SHOULD or SHOULD not teach.

I am saying that ANYONE from ANY country whose first language may not be English may well be qualified and able.

I am not for one second doubting either of the opinions above.

I am stating that "English as a first language" = is a racist comment. Hence it is illegal to use this statement or its equivalent in Australian and European job advertisements. (I dont know about other countries)

If the teacher can't communicate effectively - English as 1st language or 18th language, then they do not have the competency to do the jobs described above.

inOz2008

Good point - so what does private education in the modern Australian society (comprised of so many different cultures) offer for non-Catholic kids or is the private education predominantly only meant for Catholics kids/kids with a Christian faith religious background?

I learn something new everyday!

minibelle

I would personally go for a state school, save the money and spend it with your kids during the holidays, travel the world with them, let them develop life skills and appreciation for other cultures through experience. Kids learn best from experiences and learning with their family. You also get to enjoy your hard earned money.

minibelle

rebnatoli

We are not religious but decided on a Catholic private school ($2K total a year for both kids) despite my UK view of Catholicism in particular not being positive. However a friend recommended the school and on a visit were very impressed with the school and the kids loved it. We did have to meet the priest but we didn't lie and pretend to be regular church goers. Religion does play a part but in a very modern way and not much more than their non-church state school in the UK. The pastoral care is excellent and I've been very impressed with how they manage behavioural problems. My children went to a small village state school in the UK and I don't think any of us at the time could have coped with the state schools in our area here in Redlands even though I think some of them are better from an academic point of view.

DadAgain

The largest section of private schools is the catholic sector...
the next largest sector would be Anglican/Lutheran.. (so still Christian)

I'm sure there are 1 or 2 Islamic and perhaps even Jewish schools around if you know where to look.

And there are a *few* private secular schools - BUT - these tend to be the 'top of the tree' in terms of costs - i.e. Brisbane Grammar@$15k/year

For us the ONLY high schools within a 1 hour commute that dont have a christian based program (assuming no stealthy 'scripture' program) would be 'The Gap State High School' (5minutes away - $0 per child) or 'Brisbane Girls Grammar' (30 minutes - $80k per child)...

Just remember - its all about CHOICE isnt it..

Nerine

No you're just putting your own spin on what I said and drawing inferences that aren't there.

There is such a shortage of teachers in NZ that many principals admit they appoint teachers that they are less than happy with: bums on seats is the goal. Poor English language skills was just one factor that affected the standard of teaching kids received. Generally low standards of education amongst the teachers was another.

Teacher training selection standards criticised

As for racism....well my daughter was racially abused by her English teacher in front of her classmates when she asked her to clarify something she didn't understand. So not only was DD the victim of racism and ridiculed in front of her peers, but also, more importantly she never had her question answered. There were similar occurences in other classes.

Quite a few parents were worried about the quality of education their kids were receiving, it wasn't just the school principals that had concerns

Principals worried at quality of teachers

I don't know if the standards are better or worse in Australia compared to New Zealand. We'd put our faith in the state system in NZ and were let down badly, we weren't prepared to take the risk with our kids' education when we moved here.

So far, it has been absolutely the correct decision to opt for private education.

rabsody

Agreed. We had other teachers for which English was not their first language and they were great teachers.

rabsody

There are some, but not many (in Brisbane anyway), that are non-denominational. I know both Brisbane Boys and Brisbane Girls Grammar are, I think all the other private schools has some form of religious alliance.