Public Schools

[SaraSara]

What you label "softening up" I consider "strengthening up". We seem to have very different values.

If you didn't get it, there's no sense in my trying to explain. Bye now.

 

[SaraSara]

I agree. Different values. Which is to be expected since we come from different cultures.

In Argentina people are content being mediocre but happy. And it works for them and I enjoy seeing it as a social study. But on a global scale it just doesn't fly if you want your country and it's people to dominate ( which is what I want for my country and my people ).

Sounds more like we come from different galaxies...! But that's exactly what makes this forum interesting for me.

 

[Alilou]

This is a discussion about the public schools in Argentina. Not a place to insult other forum members. I don't care if you think SaraSara is a hippie and thus her opinions are irrelevant. I care about what you know about the public schools and what you think about the public schools.

 

[SaraSara]

Thanks Alilou for coming to my defense - in my opinion, hippies are all right too.

Alex comes across as arrogant and almost insulting, but I think he's probably young and likes to show off a bit. That's not unusual.

He wrote that he wants his country and his people to "dominate". Well, I prefer just to live and let live - if in his book that makes me a "mediocre buy happy" Argentine hippie, so be it.

My husband was with a large international organization in Washington, D.C., and during our thirty years there I saw enough of the rat race to learn that even if you win it, you are still a rat. We both opted out of it long ago.

Now, a disclaimer: Please note that I'm not calling anyone a rat...! That is not my intention - I'm simply stating a personal opinion on rat races.

 

[AlexfromLA]

I was simply trying to say, our generation, not yours, but our ( my ) generation is slacking and it is going to catch up with us very soon. And I don't want to see this slacking continue onto the next generation. It was more than anything a self critique.

Sara. I am sorry if I offended you or anyone else on this forum. I am highly opinionated and sometimes that gets in the way of common sense and basic etiquette.

 

[SaraSara]

Why is it offensive to call someone "young"? It is simply a statement of fact. I don't mind being called old - I'm in my sixties, so it is also a statement of fact. It's no big deal, in either case.

For the life of me I can't understand why anyone would take offense at the galaxy thing, or at my cemetery comment, done tongue-in-cheek. Whatever happened to people's sense of humor?

When it comes to offensive comments, perhaps I should have felt insulted at Argentines being called "mediocre". I didn't because I believe people are entitled to their opinions, no matter how wrong I think they are.

Following Alex's shining example, let me offer a blanket apology to all members of this forum. No ifs or buts - just an all-encompassing apology.

 

[SaraSara]

Going back to the topic of this thread. Public schools in Buenos Aires have deteriorated badly, but one-room country schools in the interior can be great. Rural teachers earn a miserly salaries, but are supported by their communities and do an incredible job of educating kids. Many groups in Buenos Aires have "adopted" a school, and send along all the materials the children need.

Even in Buenos Aires, for every ten indifferent teachers there's an incredibly dedicated one who puts body and soul into her/his job, and makes the whole thing work. Same thing happens with the nurses in public hospitals.

 

[AlexfromLA]

I think for a country that espouses such Socialist morals and values it is a total tragedy and disservice to it's people that they don't spend the money and resources necessary to make their public education the envy of the world. But as you said you will always find a few diamonds in the rough.

I really hope whoever gets elected next doesn't forget the debt they have to this countries youth. There are some really smart and capable children in this country and they need the countries support. No country can succeed when they forget about their own children because it is those same children that the countries future is built upon.

 

[rihornos]

I have 3 nine year old kids and the main reason why I send them to a private school is because when teachers start a strike we don`t know what is going to happen, we live in Monserrat and we have a catholic school very near and is not expensive and the most important there are no strikes at all.

 

[Nicole_Ramirez]

I don't have kids yet but I'm curious... do anyone have their kids in public schools? Or would you consider putting your kids into public schools? I guess this question is specifically for those married to an Argentine or that plan on staying here permanently... I'm pro public school in general (I think it helps keep the level of education higher for all if everyone attends the same school system... then again, the same is true of health care and I'd never give up my OSDE cards and access to all the fancy private clinics... so I'm obviously being a hypocrite here)...but I'm not so sure what I think of the public school system here... mostly because I know nothing about it except that the kids wear cute little lab coats!

Well this is me..we moved here a year ago. My husband is Argentinian & I am American as are our 3 kids. We had no choice but to put our 2nd grader in public school because her ein Bariloche there is not much to chooose from & they were full already. I've never been so dissapointed in my life. I was in tears several times over his treatment. My husband said he teacher had a problem with him because he came from the States. See didn't help him at all. He also barely spoke spanish when we got here. If he didn't unserstand what to do because he didn't understand the spanish she would tell him to figure it out himself. SO we bought him a dictionary to look up words to figure it out himself & she told him he could not use it. She maed him go to summer school when he was one of the smartest kids in the class. It wasn't the work he didn't understand, just the language. He always went to public schools in the States with no problems. He will be going to a private school this year. BTW, the public school found a reason to close one day a week .. for sewer, heating, not paying the teachers, ect. Also here in Bariloche public school is only 4 hours a day. I don't know about BA.