Besides, if you listen to Chris’ advice not to listen to advice, aren’t you listening to his advice?

I finished up at a public school in 2001, and instead of university, I went to what you Americans call ‘technical school’ or something like that. Essentially, you spend about $1000 a year, and you get certification in a chosen field. Four years, and you’ve got something that’s worth one year in a bachelor degree. I failed my second year and got a job instead. Four years later, I’m in a successful position in a multi-billion dollar company – Australia’s largest ISP. I’ve already been given a permanent position, and have been offered a chance to train up to be management.

Private schools only give you an edge because the stigma in the world is that private school kids are better educated. No, they’re not. They just have richer parents.

First, Patience is so important. Kids can be crazy and drive you up a wall, but they’re just kids. You can’t expect more from them. Also, if they’ve done something wrong its most likely because they didn’t know it was wrong. Its your job to correct them and explain in words they can understand the reason they were wrong.

Second, Your child is not the best, smartest, or best behaved. No matter what. And if someone tell you that your child did something wrong, they did. That person knows that you believe your child is better than others so they are already nervous telling you that something happened. They’re only trying to help… don’t just down their throat.

Third, be there for your kid. Kids need to feel secure. Tell the that them that they’re loved every day. And then tell them again. And again.

Fourth, be involved. Know their friends, their teachers, their role models.

Fifth, be aware of sibbling comparisons. Nothing can ruin a relationship with a family memeber more than a problem with a sister or brother.

Last, know when to say no. Even if it makes the kid mad. They won’t be mad for long, and it will benifit them in the end.

Also, public school can be the greatest thing ever. The kids come in contact with diverse groups of people, not just the rich kids from town.

thanks. and GOOD LUCK

Also, props to Larriann for saying the thing that does really matter in terms of schooling–parental involvement. I went to a vast myriad of wonderful and awful public schools–what was most important in my sucess was that my parents were always really supportive and encouraging of my desire to learn. They pushed me to do well, and I did. I go to an Ivy League school and know a lot of kids who went to top private and top public schools–they’re not any smarter, better prepared or more successful than those of us who went to the public schools you disparage. School vouchers don’t guarentee a good education any more than public schools do–even if kids are going to the best private school you can get them into, it won’t help at all if they’re not pushed to learn.

You are almost gauanteed to be barfed on, peed on, and pooped on.

Potentially all at once.

But be careful about laughing when it happens to your partner.

Yes, as I noted also, parents can be part of the problem (and solution). But “fixing” a school district is a VERY slow process, taking much longer than one’s children will ever be in school. If your schools suck, it is better for your kids sake to send them elsewhere from the start rather than trying to fight the system where you will be mostly jousting windmills. Even if you are somehow “remarkably successful”, results won’t manifest themselves until your kids have kids of their own. The system took years to get rotten and a lot of those living off it LIKE IT THAT WAY.

Very few government school districts make the teachers accountable for results. That’s a major crux of the problems that are endemic. My HS teacher friends (in different local Western NY districts) relate gobs of horror stories about other teachers wasting time frequently showing movies in class (‘Waterboy’, not ‘MacBeth’!), administrators permitting myriads of excused class absences (pep rallies, frequent field trips, photo club expeditions, etc.) and classrooms clogged with Special Ed kids being mainstreamed to the detriment of everyone else. Yes, your children may turn out great despite all this, but why should they have to *fight* to learn? Think how much higher they might reach if the academic standards and rigor were higher!