I am sad why our public schools are like that.
By jazel_juan
@jazel_juan (15747)
Philippines
March 10, 2011 10:27pm CST
I am not being biased, but let us just say i am blaming the government right now. Last night i was thinking of where to put my 3 year old son to school. Since April is coming and usually that is the time to think where to enroll our children and May is enrollment time. But the thing is, since i have 3 wonderful kids, plus life is tough here, i have to budget money properly. And part of that is thinking where to invest schools.
My daughter is 6 and in grade one in a university that offers grade school program, i got her in since my huby works there but the sad part is that they removed their pre-school program! It is a state university and they have to remove it since the Board says it is against their regulations and by-laws blah blah. So here comes the problem for me and huby, where would we put our soon to be 4 year old son. He will be 4 this April.
So we were talking last night and we had this list of Private Schools that offers pre-school..but then all are expensive! very, one school offers 15,000 pesos per year and that does not include books!! and one offers 25,000.00 pesos per year exclusive of books. I am so appalled at the price! I mean we really could not afford such unless i will be given a raise next month ( which i am hoping).
Then we talked about public schools, how come our public school does not offer quality ones? no offense, but really, it does not offer quality education. Its like it is ok if the kid can recognize the ABCs and know numbers that is ok. It is like our educational system is ok with mediocrity which i am not. Kids share books! i mean cmon, you just cannot share it. like 1:5 that is the ratio of some schools with books, 1 book per 5 students! insane!! plus some children go to schools hungry and their clothes are ruffled. I came from a private school and i was able to see the difference, i was in grade 1 and i already knew how to read fast and learned how to write well by the time i was in grade 2. and i have the difference. 
I am not generalizing, there are students who were from public school that graduated and is now working and successful but as a mother, i want what is best for my child but also thinking budgeting. I am in a big dilemma. I really do not wnat to put my child in such schools where he will not be shaped well, since i know he is good. So we might really have to work our as*es off this summer so we could have that tuition for private schools.
I am hoping our president can do something about this, but with the corruption going on? i doubt.
I am not generalizing, there are students who were from public school that graduated and is now working and successful but as a mother, i want what is best for my child but also thinking budgeting. I am in a big dilemma. I really do not wnat to put my child in such schools where he will not be shaped well, since i know he is good. So we might really have to work our as*es off this summer so we could have that tuition for private schools.
I am hoping our president can do something about this, but with the corruption going on? i doubt. 3 people like this
6 responses
@Rainbowliselle (498)
• Philippines
11 Mar 11
As a parent we all want the best for our children that we enroll then in the best school if given the chance and the financial capability. I finished my elementary in a private school. Then I went to a public high school because I insisted that I should be enrolled there since one of my best friends was there. My mom could have enrolled me in a private high school. Anyway, luckily I landed in the first section. Surprisingly, most of my classmates who graduated from public schools were Valedictorian, Salutatorians and if not with honors. I, coming from a private school, would have been more advanced that they were. But ironically, they were more intellectual than I was. They were more vocal than I was and they stood out in our class. Our high school Salutotarian had finished his elementary years in a public school. He would have been the cream of the top had he joined more extra-curricular activities. And the most of our classmates who graduated with honors had also came from a public elementary school. This only goes to show that if a student is already that intelligent, wherever you'll enroll or place him/her, he/she will surely shine with the guidance of his/her parents. It only goes to show that public elementary school can be at par with students coming from private schools like me.
The funny thing too is, in high school there were 18 sections. As I have said, I belonged to the first section. For the past years, I saw batch mates coming from lower sections who are more than successful than I am in terms of finances. Good for them. The sad thing though is the fact that I have a few classmates and some batch mates who came from the first 5 sections whose lives are not good. Much more that some of them studied in private universities when we reached college. I wondered what happened.
Anyway, I realized then that good grades, good schools or excelling in class are not assurance of a good future. Luck, hardwork, right timing and "diskarte" play big roles in one's life. So don't be scared in enrolling your kids in public schools. Just don't depend much on the teachers and make extra effort to guide and teach your kids. My kids are in private school. The youngest is enrolled in one of the most popular private schools in our country and yet I don't like the way they teach. They are know for its high standard of teaching but ... well, another story to share. The bottom line is, if a kid is that intelligent, he will always be even if he'll be enrolled in a public school.
1 person likes this
@jazel_juan (15747)
• Philippines
12 Mar 11
I do accept that fact that it all depends on the student, regardless of what school, it is up to the child if she will excel or not. But what i am more concerned of is the way they teach, the way they nurture the child, the way my child is taken cared of. The school for me will be their second home, they will be there more rather than at home. i want my child to be comfortable and i want his learning to be enjoyable. I do not want him cramped in one room with so many sweating children, plus the fact that he has bronchitis, i am also concerned of his health.
I like you went to private schools and well, i did excel most of it, with honors but i do have friends who are in public school who are now very successful.. but my kid is just 4 years old and there are raelly public pre schools that are not so good in teaching the basics, i want his basics to be the best.
@jaiho2009 (39142)
• Philippines
11 Mar 11
hello jazel,
It's true that some public schools are lacking of books and the teaching is poor compared to other private schools (other private schools,becoz not all private schools also teaches very good)
My 3 kids are all having their education in a public school,but are doing well.(maybe depends on the public school and the city's education program)
There are also other private pre-schools that gives good education and teaches well just half the price of 15,000php.
Back to poor education from public schools,sometimes we can not blame the teachers for many reasons,not to mention their salary.
Books are common problem,but here in Metro cities public schools are trying to compete with the MAKATI CITY education program (free school things and complete books,plus workbooks given free to each and every students)
Hope you can find a cheaper pre-school to enroll your pre-schooler soon.
Have a great day
@dainy1313 (2370)
• Leon, Mexico
12 Mar 11
Hello Jazel, was you talking about my country? Did you come to live here? Oh sorry I apologize, I thought you were talking about my country (joke). I do understand you. I know what you are feeling, and I know the sadness this can carry to you. I just know we have to be strong enough to give to our child-angels, the BEST we can give them. Our stron love to them will be all that matters at the end. Blessings!... Dainy
@lynnemg (4529)
• United States
12 Mar 11
I am a firm believer that regardless of what school a child goes to, whether it be public or private, the schools and teachers should all do their absolute best to educate the students and the students should do their absolute best to learn. When the student isn't doing his/her best, as parents, it is our job to encourage them to do better. When it is the school that is not doing their best, it is our job as the parent to teach our child and help them get ahead. It is noce when we can send our kids to school for an education and know that they are getting the books that they need and the help from teachers who really care. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, and as parents, if we truly want the best for our kids educationally, we cannot rely solely on a school to teach them; we have to help teach them ourselves.
If you cannot afford to put your son in a private pre-school, then my suggestion would be to go ahead and put him in public schoo, but make time each day to sit down and wrok with him yourself.
@jazel_juan (15747)
• Philippines
12 Mar 11
I can see your point lynnemg, but as a parent i want what is best for my child even if it means i would work my as* off to provide what is best for him. I, as a mom every night, devotedly sit down with him and teach him all the stuff that i know about school, but of course he needs to go to school and learn but if i would send him to school where he wont be comfortable, where he would be sharing a book with other students that would not entail him to be able to read well, where he would be stting down perspired and use urinals that are dirty and unclean, as a mother, i would be so bothered i wont be at peace. If only those public schools we have here could provide such environment where i know my child is protected, his health and welfare then that wont be a problem. But the problem is our government cannot make sure public schools here are that clean and safe..so that means i need to work my as* off to provide for my child well. And yes, i do sit down with 3 of my kids every night, for them to learn their ABC's, to learn their 123s, for them to know their syllables and even their simple arithmetics. I have done all of that..so i believe it is now part of the school and teachers to do that part provided their environment will not harm my child.
@Cutie18f (9551)
• Philippines
11 Mar 11
There are many reasons why our public schools could not offer quality education. First is the problem of "palakasan" or nepotism. Those holding the power to hire teachers choose blood more than the capability of teachers in hiring. There are so many incapable teachers out there who are teaching the poor grade schoolers a lot of wrong stuff. Then there is the lack of classroom as well as the lack of teachers or is this one way of controlling the budget, by squeezing 50 or more students in one classroom? What learning will the students get there? Then I notice that in public schools teachers tend to imitate each other, so they more or less do the same things and like the same things, etc. If one teacher is bringing food, she will call all the others to escape to the canteen and let the students copy from the board so many pages from the book while they are busy eating or doing other things. That's so sad.
