# What type of school did you go to? [POLL]



## LordBlackudder (Nov 13, 2010)

What type of school did you go to?

Comprehensive Schools are mostly unsuccessful.

Public School are very successful but are not an option for many.

Home Schooling is mostly successful.

Religious Schools are mostly unsuccessful.


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## Moira (Apr 1, 2012)

I went to the top government school in my city, one of the top ones in the country.  Parktown High School for Girls. It is an excellent one which has not, fortunately, been affected by the drop in educational standards (other than to produce more distinctions than ever before). This probably belongs in the "I"m better than you" thread going on under some name or other. My nieces have recently matriculated from the same school.


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

LordBlackudder said:


> Home Schooling is mostly successful..


Ha! Not so sure about that myself.

I went to a state comprehensive.


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## LordBlackudder (Nov 13, 2010)

Polednice said:


> Ha! Not so sure about that myself.
> 
> I went to a state comprehensive.


You get a personal teacher and tailor made education. You are pushed in a direction and can do very well. As opposed to do average at best and failing a lot by default.


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## Moira (Apr 1, 2012)

My father was home schooled for his primary schooling. He attended a good government high school - I suppose that is the 'comprehensive'. He was brilliantly educated. Both his parents were well educated, particularly his mother, a university sciences graduate in the days when few women went to university.

My mother attended a mediocre government high school and had no home educational opportunities as neither of her parents were educated people. 

My sister supplemented her children's government school education with private lessons in maths and science - a common trend here in South Africa.


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## LordBlackudder (Nov 13, 2010)

i would choose public or high goverment level over home school. but home school over comprehensive.


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

I'll point out that a comprehensive school is a public school in North America. I voted wrong.


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## Cnote11 (Jul 17, 2010)

Lord, I imagine you are from the United Kingdom. I voted prior to realising this. "Public School" here in the United States is "Comprehensive school" in United Kingdom. I went to "Public School" but you would say I went to "Comprehensive School". This may skew your poll a bit 

Now, back to the shadows with me.


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## Moira (Apr 1, 2012)

Public schools in England are private schools. Dreadful piece of inverted snobbery that.


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

Yes, using "Private School" would have been more internationally friendly - we use both "Public" and "Private" to mean the same thing in the UK.



LordBlackudder said:


> You get a personal teacher and tailor made education. You are pushed in a direction and can do very well. As opposed to do average at best and failing a lot by default.


The parent who wants home-schooling also often does it because of some awful agenda, and you are isolated from other children. State education is poor in many ways, but I would choose it over all the other options, both for myself, and for my own children, whose education I would supplement.


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## emiellucifuge (May 26, 2009)

I went to public (private) schools.


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

The public paid for most of my education. Even my court reporting schooling was through our local community college. So thanks, Uncle Sam!

My daughter was home-schooled from 1st grade to the 12th. She's not a whit behind anyone else. She had a group she met with regularly plus was raised in a strong church where all ages interacted, so she always related comfortably to anyone and didn't feel peer pressure. We tailored many vacations to her current studies. 

Many of the home schoolers she was with now have advanced degrees, so it didn't hurt them. In fact, they are independent thinkers - sometimes irritatingly independent - but that's what makes them valuable to their employers. 

Others may feel differently about home schooling, but my experience was very positive.


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

Cnote11 said:


> Lord, I imagine you are from the United Kingdom. I voted prior to realising this. "Public School" here in the United States is "Comprehensive school" in United Kingdom. I went to "Public School" but you would say I went to "Comprehensive School". This may skew your poll a bit
> 
> Now, back to the shadows with me.


Are you my echo?


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## jttoft (Apr 23, 2012)

For me, public school from 1st to 8th grade, private boarding school from 9th to 10th grade, then public gymnasium from 11th to 13th grade.


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## sheffmark (Apr 9, 2012)

Comprehensive school for me!


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

Sh**kicker school for me. Good for that purpose.


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

Moira said:


> Public schools in England are private schools. Dreadful piece of inverted snobbery that.


The reason is nothing to do wih inverted snobbery, British public schools actually originated as public schools and only became private latterly.
Also Lord Blackadder should have known the difference between American and British schools before starting the thread, he could have explained the situation at the outset.


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

LordBlackudder said:


> What type of school did you go to?
> 
> Comprehensive Schools are mostly unsuccessful.
> 
> ...


You've left no space for Grammar Schools, about the most successful schools in the UK.


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

Wait, can someone explain to me what Comprehensive school means? I went to public school, as in, state run. I've never heard of the term Comprehensive school.

And well, if Comprehensive means what Public means to me, yes, there are a lot of really bad public schools around here. But where I live is some of the best public schooling in America.


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

Huilunsoittaja said:


> Wait, can someone explain to me what Comprehensive school means? I went to public school, as in, state run. I've never heard of the term Comprehensive school.
> 
> And well, if Comprehensive means what Public means to me, yes, there are a lot of really bad public schools around here. But where I live is some of the best public schooling in America.


Yeah, comprehensive is the same as public, it's just silly UK terminology.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

I go to a selective school for music students and dance students. For me I have half a day of academic classes and half a day of music classes.


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## Moira (Apr 1, 2012)

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I go to a selective school for music students and dance students. For me I have half a day of academic classes and half a day of music classes.


We have one of those here in Johannesburg. They seem to work exceptionally well.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

Right now, friend, this is only for those who speak 'British English.'

... In other words, for non British English users, comprehensively, it is incomprehensible.


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## sheffmark (Apr 9, 2012)

I also go to the school of life!


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## eorrific (May 14, 2011)

I had always been in a Christian school until I finished my A levels.  Considered to be one of the top schools where I live. There were quite a few non-Christians who went to my school, in fact.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

LordBlackudder said:


> ...
> Religious Schools are mostly unsuccessful.


I went to both public (government funded) schools and religious here, and the latter were better and more successful for me. The discipline system in them was better, you didn't have fights and stuff like that (well we did, but not a fraction as much). However, since my school days, the public education system has improved, governments realised it was being neglected and they put in more funding, better in-house training of teachers, better accreditation, built new classrooms and maintained the infrastructure, etc.

Public (state run) schools here are now getting more similar in management to religious schools. Government is reducing red tape and devolving bureaucratic structures. There is a move here to let principals of state schools hire and fire teachers, whereas up till now faceless bureaucrats who were in some city office and not on the ground at the school did that.

So in a word, I'd think the state schools here have learnt a thing or two from religious schools(but neither are perfect or "better," we have always had a mixed education system in this country, since colonisation).


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

I've done the lot - French village school with 60 kids in three year groups and one teacher, French convent school, English girls' boarding school in Switzerland, boys' "public" (ie private school) in UK.


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## Klavierspieler (Jul 16, 2011)

Fifteen years in the School of Hard Knocks. One of the best education systems around.


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

sheffmark said:


> I also go to the school of life!


Have you found it helpful?


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## regressivetransphobe (May 16, 2011)

One of America's many lovely public schools. Where fork-holes in "fresh" apples are evidence of "resourceful" cafeteria workers, and up-to-date textbooks only have a place under broken chair legs.

At least we had each other.

Actually that's a lie, faculty and students shared an aggressive disdain for each other and the process of education.


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## Badinerie (May 3, 2008)

I was educated ( Har har! ) mostly in Roman Catholic school until the last couple of years when my family and I moved to England From Scotland. Comprehensively useless for the last two years. I had to go to College to get my quallies.


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## sheffmark (Apr 9, 2012)

moody said:


> Have you found it helpful?


Absolutely!
I've learn't most things about "Life" after i left school!
In fact most teachers in school give you a narrow field of view about what to expect from life and its only after you've left school you learn what life is really like!


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

sheffmark said:


> Absolutely!
> I've learn't most things about "Life" after i left school!
> In fact most teachers in school give you a narrow field of view about what to expect from life and its only after you've left school you learn what life is really like!


So tell us then, how's life?


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## AlainB (Nov 20, 2011)

Living in the Netherlands, I went (and still go) to a public school, considering home schooling is pretty much rare here, and the others are pretty much the same thing... barely there. I'm currently on a school of level MBO, 3rd year.

The structure here is pretty much: _primary school -> secondary school -> MBO -> HBO -> University_.


Primary school is 8 years;
Secondary school is 4 to 6 years, dependent on your education level; if you follow VMBO-T, it's 4 years. Otherwise, it's either 6 (HAVO) or 3 years (VWO);
MBO is 4 years. If you followed VWO (3 years) on secondary school, you can skip MBO and go straight to HBO;
HBO is usually 4 years as well;
University varies from 4-6 years, AFAIK. Might take longer dependent on how successful you are and whether you are studying for Bachelor, Masters, etc.


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

I don't suppose public school is supposed to teach you much about life, just patriotism and how to do arithmetic and basic reading/writing and follow a schedule, so that you'll be a competent soldier or employee. A few "gifted" students can be culled out and set on the path to something "elite" like engineering or medicine. But these days, at least in the US, we import a lot of our talent is imported.

If I had kids and the time, I would strongly prefer to home school them.


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

science said:


> I don't suppose public school is supposed to teach you much about life, just patriotism and how to do arithmetic and basic reading/writing and follow a schedule, so that you'll be a competent soldier or employee. A few "gifted" students can be culled out and set on the path to something "elite" like engineering or medicine. But these days, at least in the US, we import a lot of our talent is imported.
> 
> If I had kids and the time, I would strongly prefer to home school them.


No, No, as somebody has explained public schools in the UK are private schools like Eton and Harrow. They are hugely expensive and claim to prepare for life and the better things. The pupils then go on to become leaders in politics, diplomacy, big business and the armed forces. Members of royalty from around the world attend 
these establishments.
They do of course go to university after public school.


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

moody said:


> No, No, as somebody has explained public schools in the UK are private schools like Eton and Harrow. They are hugely expensive and claim to prepare for life and the better things. The pupils then go on to become leaders in politics, diplomacy, big business and the armed forces. Members of royalty from around the world attend
> these establishments.
> They do of course go to university after public school.


I almost wrote in something like "(in US terms)" after "public school" but I thought it'd be unnecessary because obvious from context.

Such a frustrating world. If someone can misunderstand something, they will. I will remember to clarify things next time.


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

science said:


> I almost wrote in something like "(in US terms)" after "public school" but I thought it'd be unnecessary because obvious from context.
> 
> Such a frustrating world. If someone can misunderstand something, they will. I will remember to clarify things next time.


That is quite unfair, I responded to what you posted.


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## dmg (Sep 13, 2009)

Couchie said:


> I'll point out that a comprehensive school is a public school in North America. I voted wrong.


Same. I voted too quickly, and before I looked up 'comprehensive school' as I didn't know what that meant.


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## cwarchc (Apr 28, 2012)

Mine was approved
(not sure if you will understand that outside the UK?)


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## Crudblud (Dec 29, 2011)

Comprehensive, although "go to" doesn't really describe the last two years that I was _supposed_ to be there.

All told it was a dreadful experience and I sort of wish I'd had the nerve to stop attending sooner than I did.


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## sheffmark (Apr 9, 2012)

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> So tell us then, how's life?


Crap!
But thanks for asking!!:lol:


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

I went to a public school from K-6th

I went to a Christian School (Lutheran) from 7th-10th

Then back to public school for 11th and 12th.


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

moody said:


> That is quite unfair, I responded to what you posted.


Yup. I suspect you knew what I meant as well. But whatever. I should have been explicit.


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## opus55 (Nov 9, 2010)

I voted wrong too - should've voted Comprehensive School


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## Turangalîla (Jan 29, 2012)

LordBlackudder said:


> Religious Schools are mostly unsuccessful.


Do you mean in an academic sense or a religious sense? Religious schools produce average academics (I attended one), but they fail to train the students in the religious ways (in general, of course). This is because most of them do not make it an integral part of their program.


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

CarterJohnsonPiano said:


> Do you mean in an academic sense or a religious sense? Religious schools produce average academics (I attended one), but they fail to train the students in the religious ways (in general, of course). This is because most of them do not make it an integral part of their program.


Depends who you talk to, but it certainly happens that people who graduate from religious schools never adopt the religion, but might even have a different belief (ex. Protestant student going to a Catholic school).


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## Turangalîla (Jan 29, 2012)

Huilunsoittaja said:


> Depends who you talk to, but it certainly happens that people who graduate from religious schools never adopt the religion, but might even have a different belief (ex. Protestant student going to a Catholic school).


My Protestant (chiefly Baptist) school accepts Protestanst, Catholics, and Seventh-Day Adventists alike-it makes it difficult because they cannot get into specific theology because of the conflicting denominations. Very few graduating students end up retaining their faith; it is quite sad.

PS. I love your signature


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## Lenfer (Aug 15, 2011)

I went to a private boarding school *Switzerland* and then to universities in *France* and *England*.

I was taught at home before going to boarding school so I am unsure where to cast my vote...


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## Lenfer (Aug 15, 2011)

CarterJohnsonPiano said:


> My Protestant (chiefly Baptist) school accepts Protestanst, Catholics, and Seventh-Day Adventists alike-it makes it difficult because they cannot get into specific theology because of the conflicting denominations. Very few graduating students end up retaining their faith; it is quite sad.
> 
> PS. I love your signature


I'm not strong on religious matters but I think *Seventh-Day Adventists* are a protestant denomination.


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## HarpsichordConcerto (Jan 1, 2010)

LordBlackudder said:


> What type of school did you go to?
> 
> Comprehensive Schools are mostly unsuccessful.
> 
> ...


Never attended school. Self-taught.


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## Tero (Jun 2, 2012)

I went to 2 schools in Finland and 4 more schools in US. Three state universities. So mostly tax money.

I am a chemist and do not approve of home schooling in scieces. At least not at high school level.


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## Moira (Apr 1, 2012)

Lenfer said:


> I'm not strong on religious matters but I think *Seventh-Day Adventists* are a protestant denomination.


Seventh-Day Adventists are regarded as a sect by many, if not most religious bodies. I suspect, too, that they themselves do not buy into being "Protestant".


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## Lenfer (Aug 15, 2011)

I see thanks *Moira* although they'd still be a protestant sect? Not that it matters I wasn't trying to be clever I just found it strange the way it was written. I thought all *Christian* denomination were either *Catholic* (Roman, Orthodox, Coptic etc) or *Protestant* although I'm not sure where *Mormons* fit in I'd think they'd be *Protestant* no?


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## Harmonie (Mar 24, 2007)

Public school.

And I am very thankful for that. They had a good music program there which helped steer me in the direction of music. I'm also thankful I didn't go to a Christian school. I'm thinking either way I would have ended up being non-religious by my senior year, so I would have just hated it.


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## Moira (Apr 1, 2012)

Lenfer said:


> I see thanks *Moira* although they'd still be a protestant sect? Not that it matters I wasn't trying to be clever I just found it strange the way it was written. I thought all *Christian* denomination were either *Catholic* (Roman, Orthodox, Coptic etc) or *Protestant* although I'm not sure where *Mormons* fit in I'd think they'd be *Protestant* no?


Not at all. The various churches don't all recognise one another. For example the various Catholics (Roman and Orthodox, Coptic being a branch of the Coptic Church, like Greek Orthodox or Russian Orthodox) officially only acknowledge one another. Unofficially it is another story all together. Amongst the Protestant Churches, technically only those who broke away from the Catholic Church and their direct descendants are really "Protestant" Churches. A lot of the contemporary Charismatic churches are not technically Protestant, although they are not Catholic. And the sects are not Christian in the sense that they regard themselves as part of the "Church Universal". They exclude themselves, rather than are excluded by the rest of the Church Universal. They also fail to believe in some of the things that those of us who are Christian view as being central to Christianity, amongst which are the beliefs in one God, the life, death in atonement for sins on the cross, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, as the Son of God. That's about it as I understand it. Almost anything else is negotiable regardless of whether one group considers the beliefs of another heretical. But to be Christian there must be some common elements in the belief surrounding Christ.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Comprehensive (in the UK sense). My brother went to Grammar school but that was a result of the '11-plus' system which had largely been done away with in my area by the time I got to the relevant age.

I've no regrets for attending a school which, when seeing the annual performance figures, has been stuck in the lower-middle academic achievement/performance ratings since the day it was built - one advantage a comprehensive (UK) school tends to have is that in many cases its pupils are from all kinds of backgrounds and I think that helps as making friends from different walks of life can encourage a more rounded social worldview when entering adulthood.


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## MaestroViolinist (May 22, 2012)

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I go to a selective school for music students and dance students. For me I have half a day of academic classes and half a day of music classes.


Well, aren't you luck?!  But I do home schooling, which is I think, sometimes better. Why? Because you can all your school work in a couple of hours, and spend the rest of the day doing whatever you like (which is for me, practicing and reading  ).


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## Klavierspieler (Jul 16, 2011)

Lenfer said:


> ... I'm not sure where *Mormons* fit in I'd think they'd be *Protestant* no?


Mormons are recognized only by themselves.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

Klavierspieler said:


> Mormons are recognized only by themselves.


Mormons as in:

"Nine to seven,"
"Seven to five?"


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## myaskovsky2002 (Oct 3, 2010)

LordBlackudder said:


> What type of school did you go to?
> 
> Comprehensive Schools are mostly unsuccessful.
> 
> ...


I'm not sure I understood the meaning, I haven't voted yet. I went to a Scottish school from 8:00 to 5:00 PM, a bilingual private school. Not religious. Just boys. I liked it a lot.

Martin


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