Private education

Well, you are quite welcome to enjoy calling it “irony” but it is in fact just being purposefully obtuse… it would only count as “irony” if, say for example, in a couple of days time you find yourself needing to use word to spell-check one of your own posts. A lot of people misuse the term… not least Alanis Morissette.

Also this:

is not irony but unctuous sarcasm, as you had previously quoted me I was well aware you didn’t overlook it.

Always on hand to clarify!

The arrogance of the british in their insular approach to learning other languages and the bastardisation of their own is a very real problem though… It’s embarrassing when a teenager from practically any European country can speak proper english more ably than most of their respective age group in the UK… albeit usually with a very dodgy american accent.

Unfortunately the literacy in this country is not only bad but is in serious decline. This is not helped by the surge of mobile phones in the past 5 years, so now text message vocabulary has few words with more than 4 letters. This is only going to get worse in the coming years.

Personally I send quite a lot of text messages, at least I have in the past 3 months, and I always use full and correct grammar, even if it means spending a little more time doing it. I even try to maintain a reasonable level when using instant messaging programs, despite it taking longer.

It probably won't be long before people begin using text talk in real life, saying lol instead of laughing, writing Birthday and Christmas cards in it and basically using it whenever possible. I heard about some teenagers using it in their exams, and even the bible being re-written in this format to attract more teenagers.

It's just sad.

If the education offered a private school was better than what was offered in my home public school district, then I would send my child to private school. I went to a private school. There are advantages and disadvantages. I was more than ready for college, but my school didn't celebrate nonconformity. It was small and we didn't have a lot of extracurricular activities to choose from.

Becky

I sent all of my kids to private school in their younger years (through 8th grade in the US). The US public school system does not encourage any individuality or tolerate anyone different. For instance my first son was extremely bright and was reading regular newspapers in kindergarten. The local public school first grade teacher told me that he would have to learn to read "all over again" with the other kids because that what kids did in her class My kid would have been bored to tears by that. So I sent him somewhere that would let him learn ahead of his age group because that is what he needed. Perhaps some of you Europeans are familiar with Montessori schools? All three of my kids went to a Montessori school and then transferred into high school at the age of 13 or 14. Both of my older ones are out of college and my daughter is a sophomore in high school. They all learned a strong sense of self confidence before being thrown to the wolves so to speak. None of them seems to have had the peer pressure problems that so many kids that age do. I would recommend a Montessori school to anyone looking for an education that stresses independence and self confidence. The public schools (near me at least) teach kids to follow orders and not to question the teacher - ever.

Kathleen

Well until perhaps the last 2 years of high school I did'nt find the work challenging enough, but at the time didn't think anything other than I was bored by school. In primary school I always finished my work first and got high marks and such, but was also, and still am now, quite immature. In the second half of my time primary school I never paid attention in lessons as it was so boring and I often got in trouble for talking in lessons and in the last year was made to sit on my own facing out of the window I was so disruptive.

Looking back I probably would have preffered a private school, and maybe it would have been more beneficial, but it's too late for that now, so all I can do is use my experience to help in future if I have children and they end up in the same situation.

Yes as i said it was the best option for my son but we could not afford it, is it the same is US, is it something very expensive ? or an option most of the people can choose ?
Anyway, here, only kids of politician or "very important people" are in this montessori school, maybe it's because this one is the one in Chantilly, so it's very impressive to say your kid is in this school if you see what i mean.
When James was there to see if he was accepted we were the only "normal persons" ... the others was driven by a driver in huge expensive cars you see this sort of people, not my class.

But he was accepted

Thank you, but I know what irony means. What I was trying to say with the sentence was that you were the one person I thought would never need a spell-checker, but you using Word made me think you might not be as pedant as I thought you were. Damn, it's harder to explain it. Anyway, it was ironic to me.

Ice

No it is very different here Jess. Most Americans don't know anything about Montessori schools and therefore they are not very snobby or prestigious. They are much less expensive here than the prep schools, on the East Coast anyway. Most people here would not send their kids to this type of school unless they were familiar with Montessori principles as I was.

Kathleen

perhaps it was just the school i went to...and every other private school in the city. that school was HELL for me.

same here --- if you went to a private school then clearly not all chicks there are bitches lol