Fee-Paying Schools

[Radagast]

I was just thinking of this when I posted that I fenced for my House at Eton- what is the American view on exclusive schools that one must pass an exam to gain entry to and pay for? Eton is, of course, the premier such school of England I will defend it to the death but what is the view of Americans on such schools?

Floreat Etona (May Eton Flourish)!

[Twista]

I go to a private school - 'Stewarts Melville College'. Its just down the road from 'Fettes College' - where our grand old priminister went, Tony Blair.

There in Edinburgh btw lol

[Anglorfin]

There's a lot of private schools where I live. I went to one myself for high school as well as a grade school one. They weren't cheap (especially the high school) but they were ok. Nothing spectacular in my opinion though.

[Radagast]

Originally posted by Anglorfin
There's a lot of private schools where I live. I went to one myself for high school as well as a grade school one. They weren't cheap (especially the high school) but they were ok. Nothing spectacular in my opinion though.

Eton was £27,912 or $50,562.49 per year. On the other hand, of course, that was spectacular.

[Twista]

My school is £8000 a year, or $11860. Total waste o money if u ask me...

[Artanis]

Originally posted by Twista
My school is £8000 a year, or $11860. Total waste o money if u ask me...

So you don't think it's better than the public schools?

[Anglorfin]

I'd say overall my school fits well with what Twista said. It's good, but still a waste of money. If parents are looking to shelter their kids a little better by putting them into private schools so they get the best of everything then I'd tell you that it's a load of garbage.

Still, school is school so it's fun as long as you can avoid doing work.

[sun-star]

I went to a private primary school, and then a state grammar school, so one fee-paying and one exam-passing one The private school was definitely worth it, because the primary schools around here are terrible. My parents were a little uncomfortable about it ideologically, but in my view, if you can afford to give your children the best, why not? The question of course is whether private/public schools are always the best. Eton wouldn't work for everybody, I would imagine

Radagast, why are you asking for the American view in particular? Do you think Americans will have a different view from other nationalities? Just curious...

[Ruinel]

I went to a private Catholic school up until high school when my family moved to another state. It was a day school, there are no dorms there. It was coed. I was a cheerleader there and our rival school was across the river, another Catholic School. But we played other schools also.

I was a cheerleader mostly because I was small, nimble, could dance well, and I had no fear. I was always the one at the top of the pyramid, and even though I wasn't always caught when we came down, I still got up and did it again, regardless of the bruises (which healed pretty quick). And I never broke a bone, ever. I was unbreakable!

Would I defend my school? From what? And why would I care? I wouldn't even defend the high school or college I attended. People put too much of their own pride in things they have no control over, such as, sports, schools, towns, etc.

[gollum9630]

Originally posted by Ruinel
Would I defend my school? From what? And why would I care? I wouldn't even defend the high school or college I attended. People put too much of their own pride in things they have no control over, such as, sports, schools, towns, etc.

yah well here every catholic school is another catholic schools rival. we all hate each other Every year there is a catholic school championship (we just got fifth) and if you make one mistake the fans from the other team start laughing and shouting at you and they heckle you on your foul shots. Around here pride is everything at the tournament

[jerseydevil]

Originally posted by Ruinel
Would I defend my school? From what? And why would I care? I wouldn't even defend the high school or college I attended. People put too much of their own pride in things they have no control over, such as, sports, schools, towns, etc.

I don't get this - you seem to defend Texas AND America well enough - just like defend New Jersey. What's the difference in having pride for your school or your town?

That having been said - we have a lot of private schools here.

In my area there is - off the top of my head (this is not religious schools) - there are these private boarding schools (you don't have to necessarily board there though).

The Hun School of Princeton - Princeton NJ
Peddie School - Hightstown, NJ
Lawrenceville School - Lawrenceville, NJ
Rutgers Preparatory School - Somerset, NJ

Peddie, Hun and Lawrenceville are 10 minutes from me (Peddie to the southeast, Hun to the southwest and Lawrenceville just a little bit south of Hun). I was friends with people who went to Hun.

This is an example of Peddie - which I pass by whenever I go to Great Adventure, my cousins or the shore-

...Peddie serves 524 boarding and day students from 18 states and 26 countries in grades 8-12 and a postgraduate year...

Short info on Rutgers Prep -

Rutgers Preparatory School is an independent coeducational college preparatory day school whose campus borders the Raritan River just west of New Brunswick, New Jersey. The oldest independent school in New Jersey, Rutgers Prep was established in 1766 under the same charter which established Queens College, later Rutgers College and now Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. In 1957, the school reestablished itself as an institution independent of the University and moved to a 35 acre campus in Franklin Township. In 1993, Rutgers Prep was one of eight independent schools to be designated Blue Ribbon Schools by the US Department of Education.

The school's enrollment totals 712 students in the Lower (PK-4), Middle (5-8) and Upper (9-12) Schools. The Upper School has 305 students and a teaching faculty of 48. This year's senior class numbers 79.

I think there is nothigng wrong with private schools. I went to Catholic school all my life - except for 2 1/2 years. 1st grade and half of 5th and then 6th - I went to public school. NJ has a lot of other private schools though - including all girl and all boy schools.

Here is a listing of all the schools in NJ NJ School Directory

I have the feeling Radagast that you didn't think we had anything similar to Eton here in the US. Let me know if I was wrong.

[Anglorfin]

Originally posted by jerseydevil
I don't get this - you seem to defend Texas AND America well enough - just like defend New Jersey. What's the difference in having pride for your school or your town?

I have pride in my school but I'd never defend it. For one, private schools are very rarely democratic. In fact, there have been a large number of occasions where at my school the students or parents would be upset with something that they could do nothing about because the school was not part of any state or county system and therefor was not subject to many state laws governing schools. Which meant basically that it was harder to do things such as have a teacher's ability challenged or even file certain lawsuits. The administration in private school is from my experience very tight, and usually wants nothing to do with the state in itself. Whereas we are garuanteed a public education, private school consider it your privaledge to be schooled by them, but also exercise the right to remove you for any reason and other such ridiculous laws that by contract you must abide by if you want to attend.

[jerseydevil]

Originally posted by Anglorfin
I have pride in my school but I'd never defend it. For one, private schools are very rarely democratic. In fact, there have been a large number of occasions where at my school the students or parents would be upset with something that they could do nothing about because the school was not part of any state or county system and therefor was not subject to many state laws governing schools. Which meant basically that it was harder to do things such as have a teacher's ability challenged or even file certain lawsuits. The administration in private school is from my experience very tight, and usually wants nothing to do with the state in itself. Whereas we are garuanteed a public education, private school consider it your privaledge to be schooled by them, but also exercise the right to remove you for any reason and other such ridiculous laws that by contract you must abide by if you want to attend.

That's why they are private schools. They aren't controlled by the state. That is also why you need to take entrance exams to get into them. They can kick you out for any reason or deny you admission. That however does not mean that you would not necessarily have school pride.

If you have had problems with your school - I would assume you would leave - especially if they were bad enough. There are tons of private schools in NJ - and you are welcome to go to any of them. I had an hour bus ride to go to my school from Kendall Park to Piscataway (this included the stops to pick up students).

Why do you stay if you have had problems?

Also - my response to Ruinel was because she also said "towns, etc".

[Anglorfin]

Originally posted by jerseydevil
That's why they are private schools. They aren't controlled by the state. That is also why you need to take entrance exams to get into them. They can kick you out for any reason or deny you admission. That however does not mean that you would not necessarily have school pride.

If you have had problems with your school - I would assume you would leave - especially if they were bad enough. There are tons of private schools in NJ - and you are welcome to go to any of them. I had an hour bus ride to go to my school from Kendall Park to Piscataway (this included the stops to pick up students).

Why do you stay if you have had problems?

They are still viewed as somewhat prestigious, so they do offer some type of advantage. But when it boils down to it it's just like paying more to have a designer label on your shirt. Pride in my school only goes as far as it would help me in getting into a good college. just like you'd buy a nice shirt because you have pride in your image. I don't have pride for the type of thread or the way the buttons are sewn on just like I don't have pride for the the quality of the education I recieved or the atmosphere in which I recieved it.


[edit]I can't really address the town issue either. Except that it might just be an issue of getting the lowest property taxes, in which case people could give a damn about anything as long as they are paying less. But if you are an active participant in your town in some way then yes, you should be proud of it.

But that all depends. People could be stuck living there whether they like it or not. Same thing goes for state or country. They can't move every time something happens that they don't like.[edit]

[jerseydevil]

Originally posted by Anglorfin
They are still viewed as somewhat prestigious, so they do offer some type of advantage. But when it boils down to it it's just like paying more to have a designer label on your shirt. Pride in my school only goes as far as it would help me in getting into a good college. just like you'd buy a nice shirt because you have pride in your image. I don't have pride for the type of thread or the way the buttons are sewn on just like I don't have pride for the the quality of the education I recieved or the atmosphere in which I recieved it.

Yes - but they generally have smaller classes and generally you get a better education too. That is why colleges look more favorably on them. They have reputations. People from all over the world would not be going to Peddie if it didn't have a reputation of a good education.

[edit]I can't really address the town issue either. Except that it might just be an issue of getting the lowest property taxes, in which case people could give a damn about anything as long as they are paying less. But if you are an active participant in your town in some way then yes, you should be proud of it.

But that all depends. People could be stuck living there whether they like it or not. Same thing goes for state or country. They can't move every time something happens that they don't like.[edit]

yes - but you can have pride - even if everything isn't perfect. Is everything perfect in New Jersey? Of course not - but I fight to make the place better - and that's showing pride. If someone says New Joisey - I get pissed. If people erroneously state that we have hypodermic needles on our beaches - I will stick up for New Jersey and tell them the real truth - not the erroneous stereotypes they believe.

People don't have to have pride - but that doesn't mean it's stupid to have pride in something like your school or state or town.

[Anglorfin]

Originally posted by jerseydevil
Yes - but they generally have smaller classes and generally you get a better education too. That is why colleges look more favorably on them. They have reputations. People from all over the world would not be going to Peddie if it didn't have a reputation of a good education.


yes - but you can have pride - even if everything isn't perfect. Is everything perfect in New Jersey? Of course not - but I fight to make the place better - and that's showing pride. If someone says New Joisey - I get pissed. If people erroneously state that we have hypodermic needles on our beaches - I will stick up for New Jersey and tell them the real truth - not the erroneous stereotypes they believe.

People don't have to have pride - but that doesn't mean it's stupid to have pride in something like your school or state or town.

I never said that it was stupid, but pride has it's limits. Obviously when something goes wrong you aren't going to back that up. I guess I give so little pride because my town's public school is very good too. I don't live in a very rich town or anything, but we do get a good education here. And it's wrong to believe in the concept that just because you went to a private school that you are somehow smarter. That is taking pride too far, and it annoys me when a) people do that or b) people think I am something special for attending a private school.


On another point, did you see some special on Comedy Central where this one guy was bashing Jersey? The jokes were so bad I had to break something. He put on such a strained Jeresy accent that it didn't even sound like it came from Jeresy City. It made me think that people were just laughing at somebody on stage who had downs syndrome or autism.

[jerseydevil]

Originally posted by Anglorfin
I never said that it was stupid, but pride has it's limits.

I was saying why I was bringing up people who have pride being stupid - it seemed to be what Ruinel was saying.

Obviously when something goes wrong you aren't going to back that up. I guess I give so little pride because my town's public school is very good too. I don't live in a very rich town or anything, but we do get a good education here. And it's wrong to believe in the concept that just because you went to a private school that you are somehow smarter. That is taking pride too far, and it annoys me when a) people do that or b) people think I am something special for attending a private school.

But that isn't pride. You can have pride in things - without thinking they are better than everyone else. It's a matter of just whether if someone said - your school sucks - would you defend it? or would you just let it go and say - yeah - you're right it does? One shows pride, the other one doesn't. What would you do if someone said your school sucks or your sports teams suck?

On another point, did you see some special on Comedy Central where this one guy was bashing Jersey? The jokes were so bad I had to break something. He put on such a strained Jeresy accent that it didn't even sound like it came from Jeresy City. It made me think that people were just laughing at somebody on stage who had downs syndrome or autism.

I didn't. Actually most people laugh at that stuff because they have never been here and they don't realize that the accent is actually a New York accent. It's uphill battle defending New Jersey - but I will continue on.

[jerseydevil]

I know this is somewhat off topic - but I'll add this in here..

By the way Radagast this may also surprise you and many people inside and outside New Jersey, but New Jersey also has a long tradition of Fox Hunting.

Horses and hounds: fox hunting season begins
Hunt club enjoyed warm weather
on opening day

...The venerable Monmouth County Hunt Club celebrated its opening day hunt Nov. 2. Since it was established in 1885, the MCHC has had many foxhound masters, including Peter Collier, a publisher who owned an estate in Marlboro. Another noteworthy master is Amory Haskell, who was the National Horse Show’s president in 1938 and for whom the annual Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park Raceway in Oceanport is named....

There are several hunt clubs I believe in northern New Jersey.

[Anglorfin]

Well as the for the sports teams, I'd have to agree whether I took pride in them or not. But as for the school in general I'd defend it just because I think they are wrong. But I'd do that for any school depending if the statement was erroneous. For example, I do not consider myself a religious person even though I have been brought up as a christian, but if somebody said that Christianity or religion is useless I'd debate wtih them on why it is not.

I think that to begin with we have a different meaning for the word "pride". In general, I only take pride in things on a very individual level where I know that I am in control of every aspect. Once it widens out I have less and less pride because there are other branches that i do not have contact with and therefor if someone where to confront me on these issues I could not successfully answer for them. I still have some measure of pride but not as much because it would get easier and easier for somebody to lock me in a standoff or weave my own words around me.

[jerseydevil]

Originally posted by Anglorfin
I think that to begin with we have a different meaning for the word "pride". In general, I only take pride in things on a very individual level where I know that I am in control of every aspect. Once it widens out I have less and less pride because there are other branches that i do not have contact with and therefor if someone where to confront me on these issues I could not successfully answer for them. I still have some measure of pride but not as much because it would get easier and easier for somebody to lock me in a standoff or weave my own words around me.

Pride -

1 A sense of one's own proper dignity or value; self-respect.
2 Pleasure or satisfaction taken in an achievement, possession, or association: parental pride.
3 Arrogant or disdainful conduct or treatment; haughtiness.
4
1. A cause or source of pleasure or satisfaction; the best of a group or class: These soldiers were their country's pride.
2. The most successful or thriving condition; prime: the pride of youth.
5 An excessively high opinion of oneself; conceit.

it seems as if people either think that pride only is defined by definition 1 or definition 5. Definition 2 is what is used to define pride in a school, state, town, etc.