<p>ZM, I’ve tried to tell that to myself but it’s just not about school issues and my profession was a public policy analyst and drafted legislation, so I would constantly be ballistic.</p>
<p>ballistic is not conducive to a restful retirement. Don’t be ballistic. I wish you all good luck in finding the perfect landing spot.</p>
<p>For me, I need to not commute anymore. I’m also Christian and the southern half of my denomination is based in North Carolina, so it would be less problematic for me.</p>
<p>When so many people criticize other states for their educational preferences, it makes me wonder how these states ended up with such highly ranked and regarded public universities. Isn’t UNC Chapel Hill one of the tops in the country? How could it be, if its students were poorly educated and raised?</p>
<p>I don’t know anything about NC public schools. They may be fabulous for all I know. Perhaps kids who go to these Christian school choose to go to predominately Christian colleges, also, and so are not behind the 8 ball when entering.</p>
<p>Also, it’s likely the majority of the faculty at UNC are not native Carolinian and tops in their respective fields.</p>
<p>UNC Chapel Hill only accepts the very tippy top state students. Some areas of the state are very affluent and those students are well educated and prepared for college. Property taxes that support public schools vary widely by locale - if I am understanding the situation correctly. I believe some districts have an additional “school tax” but I’m not positive that is true.</p>
<p>^^Maybe someone living in NC can confirm or deny?</p>
<p>Google NC education tax cuts or UNC budget cuts if you want information. It is, obviously, a political hot potato.</p>
<p>@Bay - there are many outstanding public schools in NC. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg system is one example where you have a number of great schools to choose from. For many years, NC has been a leader as far as Southern states in education, especially higher ed. But NC is a wildly economically diverse state, hard hit by the textile industries moving overseas, taking jobs from people who aren’t prepared to work in high tech. There are also many poor, rural areas in NC where education is not a priority, and many religious and home schoolers who value indoctrination over education. Our new state government is determined to cut costs for business by taking away from students (and, as another poster noted, is not too up on the Constitution, hence their trying to pass a state religion). Also realize that UNC-CH accepts only the very cream of the crop, the top students coming from the best schools who did get good educations. Competition to get into many of the state universities is fierce, not just UNC-CH. We have an incredibly strong, affordable college system - for now. I’m afraid the changes that are taking place will have negative repercussions for many years to come.</p>
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<p>And therein lies the problem. How can this even be legal?? I DO hope Islamic academies try to open under the same charters as the Christian schools that are having a chance to proselytize to new audiences.</p>
<p>The voucher schools may be a failing experiment anyway. In Louisiana, LEAP scores for third- through eighth-graders show only 40 percent of voucher students scored at or above grade level this past spring. (The state average for all students was 69 percent.)</p>
<p>
[Louisiana</a> voucher students score almost 30 points below average on LEAP tests | NOLA.com](<a href=“http://www.nola.com/education/index.ssf/2013/05/louisiana_voucher_students_sco.html]Louisiana”>Louisiana voucher students score almost 30 points below average on LEAP tests)</p>
<p>As an aside, the Conquering Word schools are under investigation for FEMA fraud.</p>
<p>If you think that only the private school teachers are talking about religion and their other beliefs in school then you are wrong. My kids have sat through plenty of classes from teachers over the years with teachers talking not about the subject they were supposed to be teaching but about their religious,atheist,liberal or conservative views depending on the teacher. When I was in school teachers kept their personal opinions to themselves now the kids are basically held hostage and have to listen it. The really bad part is that they have these kids every day so some kids end up believing what the teachers are selling even if is IMO a load of BS.</p>
<p>There’s a big difference between a school with a few teachers who occasionally bring their personal perspectives into the classroom (and might be reprimanded, or at least endure a lot of eye-rolls from students) and one that has a a stated mission to indoctrinate students into specific religious tenets–all while benefiting from public tax dollars.</p>
<p>My third grade teacher in the early 60s forced us all to recite the Lord’s Prayer every day, with the Protestant ending.</p>
<p>Never saw that kind of thing is S’s years in school.</p>
<p>I agree with sally305.</p>
<p>I recall getting a pretty healthy indoctrination back in my PS days. </p>
<p>Probably just speaking for myself here, but the fact it didn’t stick much would probably bring a tear to Ms. Mohon’s eye, if she was still around.</p>
<p>That didn’t even happen at son’s Catholic prep school. Even in his religion classes it was philosophical in nature and comparative, not dogma.</p>
<p>Haha…well, if it was just Ms. Mohon, that’s not too bad.</p>
<p>I am the product of a private evangelical high school where the indoctrination ran deep–in every class, every assembly, every sporting and cultural event. The message was constantly reinforced. Unfortunately for the school, it didn’t “take” with me and I greatly disappointed my teachers by going to a secular college.</p>
<p>I could have added some more names but didn’t see the point, sally.</p>
<p>All said and done, I’d prefer a kid to have to listen to something they’ll likely ignore, rather than be first hand witness to an assault, sexual or otherwise. Behavior in public schools isn’t what it was back when we were suffering through that religious indoctrination.</p>
<p>That’s a pretty gross generalization. My kids have attended public schools their whole lives and have witnessed only a handful of altercations between students–even at their extremely diverse high school of 2400 kids. Meanwhile at my tiny religious school at least two teachers were having affairs with underage students during the time I was there. (Speaking of hypocrisy, which was the original point of this thread…)</p>
<p>This is one devout Christian that is dead set against vouchers for private education. I don’t want my kid indoctrinated in public school, and I don’t want the state interfering in curriculum in private schools.</p>
<p>We all have things that rub us the wrong way but given the choice between seeing my kid off to: a public school Matt Damon finds ‘progressive’ enough, an inner-city public in a whole lot of cities, or a school where they’ll get a dose of religion everyday… I’ll choose number three.</p>
<p>we all make our choices, but there are more than those three choices…</p>
<p>never once in my NYC public school educational experience did a teacher talk at all about religion, nor did I,(or my three siblings) ever witness or experience assault of any kind. Same can be said for my three kids who attended 4 different elementary, one middle school and 2 high schools in two vastly different states. I guess I consider this lucky that the teachers respected these boundaries…while also managing lots of social issues and kids quite effectively. Shout out to all those hardworking teachers who need more appreciation than they get.</p>
<p>Just the end members, lindz – almost anything is possible in between.</p>
<p>I recognize the religious one came up only in relation to vouchers but; even after suffering Christian proselytizing as a youth in the south, I don’t see it as debilitating as what passes for a positive learning environment for those failing public school kids, the ones zoosermom asked what could be done for.</p>
<p>We’re all welcome to differ, though.</p>