Academic Report Cards for 2005-2006 for Greater Cleveland and Northeast Ohio schools:
- Solon
- Chagrin Falls
- Hudson
- Aurora
- Beachwood
- Brecksville-Broadview Heights
- Rocky River
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Corporate frog race is the end result of public schooling.
Prize is student debt or not; corporate job or not and
a home and family in city or suburb and the cycle
starts again with the next generation. |
- Copley-Fairlawn
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Corporate schooling/filtration/sorting mechanism;
This pic should be labeled Our Schooling System because
its not an education system. |
- Revere
- Orange
It appears that all the above ten school systems provide, more or less, the same quantity and similar quality of schooling (not education). Quantity, school ranking is much more than quality. Curriculum is the same and teachers are more or less the same since they roll out of the same assembly line and teach in similar hierarchical factories.
So, what is schooling? Its training for corporate frog race. Schooling and education are different, as Mark Twain indicated, long time back. Its the parents that must educate assuming that most children have not developed the ability to self educate. Self education would be ideal and should be the goal. The factors that make the difference is parental guidance, quantity and quality of parental involvement.
When we say that Gandhi was educated, do we mean that he got a law degree from a university? Of course not. Mahatma Gandhi had faculty. He was not a babu with a law degree. There are many dumbo (outside their subject) professors with Ph.D's and the faculty members without faculty/wisdom in schools and universities. And parents pay good money to send their children to these retirement carrot loving donkeys for education.
Whats education? Read Swami Vivekananda; he got this aspect right. This is the kind of education that all children deserve and the schools ain't the place to get it, whether its here, in our country or in India.
Now, according to the grapevine, Asian Indians in Cleveland area have have been flocking to Menlo Park Academy. This is a good option for those who want private schools but do not want to pay the bucks.
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Teaching is a stable and financially attractive
profession at the school and university level and this is
why most get into this profession (there are exceptions).
These institutions school, parents must educate. |
The general rule of thumb is that the better education is available to the rich in private schools. No surprise there!!!. Middle class and the poor send their children to public schools.
We have the same system in Bharat too. If you have the money and the child is ready, definitely send your child to a private school in Northeast Ohio. At least, for a few years. Why? Because the student will probably receive some education in these expensive institutions rather than corporate schooling. The best education is free and its through your local library!
I have heard about Hawken School in Gates Mills which is a coeducational private school. University School is in Hunting Valley. Several well heeled Asian Indians in Cleveland area send their daughters to Hathaway Brown which is all girls private school in Shaker Heights. Sarah Johnson is the Director of All Admissions.
Whatever you do, do not take get on the debt treadmill so that the salaries and benefits of school and university administrators get paid. Would you feed your children canned food? Then why is it okay to consume canned education? Academic freedom is non existent in the structure of public schools and universities. The tongues of teachers and professors are on a leash. The leash is controlled by school and university administrators, legislatures and legislatures are controlled by paisa.
How can those who are mentally not free and scared of the chief executive officer (school superintendent or university chancellor) teach? One false move and the ceo/school suprintendent/university chancellor will bring out the whip. Not blaming the teachers at all, they are mere puppets on a string. If school teachers had the freedom to teach what they thought was the most important, without consequences, it would be a much better situation for your children.
Academic freedom is a myth at university level. Off the record, there are a few professors who make a difference. Self reliance with regard to education is the solution and it seems we Asians Indians are relatively better at this. Show me the evidence you say. Look at North South Foundation and National Spelling Bee winners of Asian Indian origin.
However, if you cannot educate your children (maybe you are not interested or too 'busy') here's one thing every Asian Indian parent can do. Limit the total time spent watching a screen (television, smartphone, computer.... etc.) by your children to 0 to 60 minutes per day. If you succeed in banning television/smartphones (replace these with a pet dog or cat) from your home, you can be proud of your parenting skills and as they grow up they will thank you for this.
There are two choices; either parents educate or let others miseducate (yep, thats a new word).
Consider home schooling if one of the parents can do this. Why should Asian Indians consider home schooling? One, because Asian Indian parents/mothers are good at it. Read about Tanishq Abraham and his home schooling by his mother. Then ask this, would he become what he is if went to public school?
