Private vs Public School.
- Thread starter CheekyChick
- Start date
No girls!!
I think they started admitting girls a year or two after I left.
A funny story. The "Headmaster" we had was a Harvard grad. Really smart guy that was a pleasure to talk and listen to. There was an open shower room in the dorm. He used to come and ask me questions, while I was in the shower, because I was All Academy President. Didn't seem unusual to me. Turns out he was gay and no one ever new it til after graduation. I was so naive, thinking he just wanted to ask me a question while I was naked in the shower!!!
Yes it was (no girls). We always had dances with the other all girl schools. It was interesting and fun. I dated one of the "townie" high school cheerleaders. Townies didn't like the preppies. A few tense moments.SkyRider said:
I think they started admitting girls a year or two after I left.
A funny story. The "Headmaster" we had was a Harvard grad. Really smart guy that was a pleasure to talk and listen to. There was an open shower room in the dorm. He used to come and ask me questions, while I was in the shower, because I was All Academy President. Didn't seem unusual to me. Turns out he was gay and no one ever new it til after graduation. I was so naive, thinking he just wanted to ask me a question while I was naked in the shower!!!
I attended two of the better "Private" school in and around Toronto as well as had 3 or 4 as clients. Private school is very different from public and i think to me was worth it. But it is different and each has a different methodology for teaching, but must all meet the curriculum set by the Ministry... that being said i would be leery of any "recruiting" by a private school as any of the ones i attended or have worked with all have waiting lists.
One warning i will give you about the whole thing is that private school and public both have the same challenges ..... i know schools with unlimited budgets and i know school taking donated computer labs and hand me down equipment... the staff meet the exact same challenges.
One warning i will give you about the whole thing is that private school and public both have the same challenges ..... i know schools with unlimited budgets and i know school taking donated computer labs and hand me down equipment... the staff meet the exact same challenges.
Guess they thought it was safe to let the ladies in after the "shark" had left the tank.JEFF247 said:
Private. Always.
Just watch this documentary from beginning to end
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9069323583494421392
Just watch this documentary from beginning to end
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9069323583494421392
Much depends on what public school and what private school. The best public school in the area and the "Bible Belt Moslem Accademy" or a run of the mill public school and Upper Canada College or Pickering College.
lots of great input here
IMO make sure the school is co-ed first and foremost
private schools are 'bubbles' and offer very little exposure to the 'real' world
whether that is good or bad is up to you
most kids at private schools are spoiled brats and think money grows on trees
private schools are also BUSINESSES more so than educational institutions
in university I found that most of the successful students came from the public system and the one thing they all had in common was good parents and a disciplined household
your neighbourhood plays a huge role obviously - there are a lot of shit neighbourhoods with not so great demographics and so the local schools will reflect that
The best public schools I have seen have been the FRENCH schools - best of both worlds if you ask me
IMO make sure the school is co-ed first and foremost
private schools are 'bubbles' and offer very little exposure to the 'real' world
whether that is good or bad is up to you
most kids at private schools are spoiled brats and think money grows on trees
private schools are also BUSINESSES more so than educational institutions
in university I found that most of the successful students came from the public system and the one thing they all had in common was good parents and a disciplined household
your neighbourhood plays a huge role obviously - there are a lot of shit neighbourhoods with not so great demographics and so the local schools will reflect that
The best public schools I have seen have been the FRENCH schools - best of both worlds if you ask me
You can legally home school right through high school, many universities specifically recruit home schooled kids because they are interesting. There are lots of social opportunities with home-school events specifically for that purpose, but virtually all the families are mega-Christians, hippies or other kinds of freaks.SkyRider said:
My kid went to a good private school for a while, not at the UCC level, but decent. He found that the majority of the kids were misfits, they were at private school not just because the parents had money, but because they could not fit into the regular system. They were either too gay, too neurotic, too annoying, too immature, or something, so their parents put them in private school so they would not get picked on so much. Whereas in regular school he found that most of the kids were relatively normal.
So far most of the comments i have heard about private schools has not been reflective of what i have experienced both as an Old Boy and as a staff member.
At one of the all girl private schools i dealt with i found he girls to be extraordinary character and not the "spoiled rich kid" descriptions i see here... in fact at the one school they are expected to get 80 community hours every year from 9 until graduation. My daughter goes to Havergal and my son SAC ... both good schools.
At one of the all girl private schools i dealt with i found he girls to be extraordinary character and not the "spoiled rich kid" descriptions i see here... in fact at the one school they are expected to get 80 community hours every year from 9 until graduation. My daughter goes to Havergal and my son SAC ... both good schools.
Also there is something to be said educationally for same sex education, although there is a socialization value to elementary education presumably the educational value is the more important.
As some one new to Canada, in 1992, I had the ability to send my kids to UCC (Upper Canada College) of all,l and several other private schools.CheekyChick said:
A great friend advised to send my kids to public school, and I accepted that.
My kids have done well, teachers have supported them, and touch wood they have been to the Brighter Children's stream. I have also observed many other kids at the Public schools doing very good and going to universities, law, med school, and MBA etc.
The ratio of success for both the graduates form Private and Public schools is about the same. The kids form Public schools actually outnumber the kids of private schools just by the sheer size of population.
However in practical life as well as businesses, professions, and civil appointments, the kids from Private schools definitely edge out those form public because of the class-privilege and because of their families being the members of the same clubs, because of the WASP backgrounds, and because of their ability to create endowments, and influence through financial clout.
Cheers.
Heck when I was growing up in Toronto as a teen the ladies from Havergal, BSS, Branksome Hall, etc were some of the best lays I've ever had. Most of these ladies had parents who had no time for them, major insecurity issues, extraordinary looks and no street smarts....those were the days... thus, I've got to say that Private Schools beat Public Schools anyday when it comes to getting one's MACK on! : P
BTW, I did graduate from UCC but at the end of the day it's just another highschool. I am a firm believer that private schools are a total waste of money. I wouldn't have gone if I didn't receive a full scholarship (nor would my parents have sent me). In fact, I think I would have done just as well going to my local highschool.
The fact that you had a full scholarship/bursary is indicative of the fact that you have a lot of drive and academic intelligence. Given that, it is indeed likely that you would have also excelled in a public school, unless of course you had been one of those children who are unchallenged - hence bored and without any guidance end up dropping out of school or with discipline problems.addicted2whiskey said:
I went to a private high school in Toronto. I enjoyed it. Many of the students were bright, but the main difference was they weeded out the slackers and annoying kids/gang members/drug dealers but not inviting them back for the next year. So no gangs, groupies, etc at my school - they were either screened out before being enrolled or removed once discovered. Thus class was an intellectual experience with everyone at least trying their best and serious about learning and getting decent grades. I also liked the school uniforms which I thought were smart looking. I went to university and private school reminded me of my university classes in a way.
Hi. Wow! Thank you ALL for all your amazing points. I had to actually make a pro-con list with some of your advice. Something that came out a little bit from these posts was the recruitment practice of the school. They recruit because its an heavy music-focused school, academically they are also very good, and they have an emphasis on french language. Entrance takes place during the junior years of elementary school. I suppose the recruiters go around to the "normal" schools to search for candidates that would be able to shoulder the work. I am without a doubt NOT a wealthy person, so the added financial burden is a real problem, yet, I feel like its an opportunity to good to pass up. All your advice will help make the best decision. I can't thank you all enough. Thank you thank you thank you.
addicted2whiskey said:
now if your beliefs could only be tested in reality.
I went to both and liked them both. Hated school but liked the experience.
Fact is the education was superior in the Catholic school I attended.
You also have to consider transportation to and from the school. u said the current school was just down the street... i assume u were walking it. most public schools also have a school bus system in place. The private school might not. so u will have to drive or take the TTC to the school every day.
just my 2 cents
just my 2 cents
