ACE

I teach maths and IT at a k-12 private school and based on the results and reputation of my school I would say all of the above.

NKSK version 2

Yep.

But the problem is that there are some untouchables in that list.

Kim67

And many parents - especially on this site - seem to think that their child is an intellectual genius. In reality they're not. How many of them do you think will find a cure for cancer or man the first flight to Mars.

All I'm saying is that you should encourage your children to do the things that they enjoy and seem to have a talent for. Not push them to all be academics if they're not cut out for it.

My kids go to good schools and achieve good academic results, but they also have talents in other areas that I encourage and if they chose them over going to Uni, I would encourage it. There are good careers that are not necessarily in the academic arena.

ACE

You are absolutely right.

NKSK version 2

Absolutely. Parental choice has never been the point I've been trying to make. For me, academic is the number one. For others maybe not.

The key point that I'm unhappy about relates to you thinking that your school is apparently "good" and that your kids achieve "good academic results".

In your case this may be true - but when I hear parents saying that Carine SHS, Duncraig SHS etc are academically good schools and yet clearly they are not - they are average at best - I think that this is a worrying perception.

What does 'good' mean? Is a school "good" because your kids enjoy it? I've come across loads of kids who enjoy school - they will completely miss their potential in sport, music and academically - but they really enjoyed it. Is that 'good'?

I've also come across kids who have received great reports from teachers - doing really well - and yet have reached the external exam at the end of school - be it GCSE A level or TEE - and have totally flunked or dropped a couple of grades because the teacher has taught poorly (try and find out how many maths and science specialists are missing in WA schools) or in the most serious of circumstances have taught completely the wrong syllabus.

Parents like to think that all is well. It may well be but sometimes they are deluding themselves. Imagine, if they'd dragged their kids away from a perfectly good school in the UK to fulfill a long-held dream of living in the sun.....and the price was their child's education.

NKSK version 2

This is a complete red herring btw.

Secondary school provides a ticket to the next stage in a child's life.

All future employers/admissions tutors will be interested in how successful a child was at school. The better the results the more options.

It isn't - as I'm sure you know - about getting to Mars, it's about maximising options. Top 10% in sport at your school won't give you a ticket to the future.
Top 10% academically will.

Kim67

In my opinion a school IS "good" if my kids enjoy going there. Imagine picking up a miserable child every day.
In my opinion a school is also "good" if I feel the teachers keep me well informed of my child's progress - offer them academic support if they need it, or offer them accelerated learning if they feel it's warranted. Also if my kids form great relationships with their peers.

I've tried State, Private and Catholic schooling for my kids. We've tried all of these types of schooling because we do care about our kids education. But at the same time, we want them to be happy, well rounded individuals. They won't miss their potential because I'll choose schooling that suits them.

Samuel Spaniel

My thoughts exactly.

I went to an “academic” school, which is one of the best in the county, but I hated it, I was not academic and having dyslexia didn’t help either.

You can spend a fortune on sending your kids to the best private schools or moving into some poxie house in a suburb that will get your kids into a “good” state school, but its all a waste of money if your kids hate it.

NKSK seems to be on a one man/woman crusade to warn new immigrants to Perth how crap the schools are and if I was in the UK and reading this thread I would think that there are only 3 descent schools in Perth, that’s just not true.

I am a big believer that kids that enjoy school will do well whatever school they go to.

NKSK version 2

You hold an incorrect perception - for obvious reasons.

NKSK version 2

No, there are 5.

The very fact that BE people consistently raise concerns about education standards in Australia, suggests that it is hardly one man/woman.

There are none so blind...

Mikeyc

That’s all well and good, but come to the time when your child is looking for a job and can only offer skills in finger painting, then your child will be the miserable one!

But hey, if you’re child is happy now, why worry about the future? (need rolls eyes smiley)

Mikey

Kim67

Because my kids are happy and I want them to pursue something that interests them, makes you assume their dunderheads without a future? They have a few more skills than finger painting already. The girls are pretty good in the field of performing arts and my son loves nature and cooking. If they love something, they will do well at it - but if they are miserable - not so good.

By the way Mikey, I'd be interested to know your first hand experience about where your kids go to school and what extra curricular activities they are in to.

NKSK version 2

I've been trying to think of a way to express this without sounding insulting but it's giving me difficulty. Apologies in advance.

The view that if kids enjoy something then they will do well at it is a very limited and somewhat naive view of schools and the education process.

To a certain extent it IS true but ONLY to the extent that the institution facilitates kids being stretched to their limit - be it in sport, painting, acting or physics.

There are countless instances of kids enjoying something but acquiring very little of the knowledge , understanding and skills of their peers in other schools.

Can you not see that a teacher could provide fantastic activities for kids and yet they could learn little in terms of mental arithmetic, geometry, scientific investigation, grammar and punctuation? Or they could learn something but nothing at all comparable with their peers?

Enjoyment of school is not, I think, a problem for Australia (incidentally, I think it is a problem for the UK). The problem is that systemic faults allow a lack of measurement of your child against explicit standards in Maths, English and Science; a lack of comparability of teachers, schools and states and absent accountability of teachers and schools and the department.

Don't be lulled into a false sense of security provided by 'if they enjoy it then all is good'.

Kim67

As I've said before, I do place importance on academic results, but as I've also said, I don't think it's the be all and end all. Look my kids are probably more fortunate than a lot of kids because we can choose the type of school we send them to and can provide them with a lot of extra curricular activities. As I just said to Mikey, you seem to assume that because I want them to enjoy life that they will surely have no future. My girls have a ballet teacher who is 92 and still teaches five days a week - if she stops she will die - it's been her life and she's loved her life. Can't say that about most Bank Managers I know.

northernbird

I totally understand what you are saying but I just don't like the underlying inference (whether you mean it or not) that those of us that don't have an option but to send our kids to other schools (or in fact don't want to) will somehow end up with a no hoper of a school leaver. My eldest daughter isn't going to be a brain surgeon. She is a straight across the board B student in Grade 5. I think she would be out of her depth at a high flying school like Churchlands.