ATAR Notes: Forum
National Education => General National Education Discussion => Topic started by: Snow Leopard on December 08, 2019, 09:59:18 pm
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Hey AN,
I was quite curious as to the diversity of students on AN and what type of school they go to.
If I've missed any other type of school please let me know and I'll add it.
P.S: I've allowed everyone to list 2 different schools as part of their vote in case they go to a Government School but also study another subject by distance ed etc.
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I went to a government school. Interesting thread idea!
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For high school, I have experience studying at a private catholic school, distance education, government school, and homeschool. It's a bit of a mess lmfao. Right now I am at a government school but doing 2 subjects through distance.
Wow! Which do you reckon was/is the best?
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Went to a government school as a student, now teach in a government school.
I've been tempted to switch to independent but have managed to resist so far purely because my intention to teach was to deliver high quality teaching to all regardless of socioeconomics but being on the other side, you see a lot of things and understand why the public system is in the shit. I grew up in a single parent household and with not much at all so I truly value the idea of public education.
Maybe i'll switch one day once I decide it's time for a change. Who knows.
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Wow! Which do you reckon was/is the best?
Kind of hard to say as it's so subjective not to mention there's still giant differences between different private schools and public schools. But if I were to remain as objective as I possibly can...
Private (Catholic) School: Really not that "glorified" as many people make it out to be. Most students are not posh or stuck-up, they do not flaunt their wealth, and some facilities are far from expensively top tier. The one I went to isn't that great academically but there was heavy focus on sport and creative/performing arts. Also despite being a Catholic school it was really inclusive of other religions. We had compulsory religious education but the Chaplain and religion teachers were all very understanding even if you outright challenge their beliefs.
Public/Govt school: In terms of extracurriculars it cannot compare with private schools. We don't have compulsory sport, art or music programs and most students don't seem interested in that anyway. I think they tried implementing one years back but it didn't work. Academic wise, it's average at best. But the school I go to is in the outer suburbs so it's no way representative of other public schools.
Distance education: urghhhhh I really hate distance ed. This year I did 1/2 specialist maths and 1/2 physics through DECV (as my school offers neither) and did not have the best experience. Everything is badly disorganised and you rarely get the opportunity to receive feedback. So when you study through DECV you must be really responsible for your own studies because there's nobody chasing you down.
Homeschool: This was an interesting experience! I was homeschooled for 2 years (2017-18) and went into it not knowing what to expect. I didn't want to be homeschooled but I was falling behind A LOT and failed most of my subjects in year 10. Contrary to popular belief you're not cut off from all social life just because you're homeschooled, and there's still expectations and a curriculum you have to follow. But it's slightly more relaxed than school and I used those two years to explore a lot of other options.
Overall I would rank it private>homeschool>public>distance.
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I go to a catholic school now, although I went to the same tiny independent ultra-religious Christian school from primary school to year eight before that. I agree with everything milanander said about Catholic schools; people aren't anywhere near as stuck up as I thought they'd be. There are some people who flaunt wealth and things around, but they're the minority (and easily avoided).
I left my old school on not the best terms, but I'd say that before my final year there, I enjoyed the community more than at my current school. People were nicer to each other. However, the academics and extracurricular options are far better at my current school so I don't think I'd move back.
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Tbh, I'm quite surprised by the poll thus far. I thought that the majority of students on AN attended Selective Schools and did not expect there to be so many students that attended Government Schools.
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Tbh, I'm quite surprised by the poll thus far. I thought that the majority of students on AN attended Selective Schools and did not expect there to be so many students that attended Government Schools.
Well just because were all part of a smart community doesn't mean we attended a selective school ;)
I remember I JUST missed selective and yeah it was because of my English score lol...
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Well just because were all part of a smart community doesn't mean we attended a selective school ;)
I remember I JUST missed selective and yeah it was because of my English score lol...
Lol, I didn't even know that selective schools existed till like Yr 10 and never even seriously considered trying out for any of them.
I attend a Catholic school and like _laura and milanander have mentioned the majority of students aren't really stuck up (the minority that are would be just as stuck up at any school that they'd go to, I reckon) . There are masses every term (roughly), retreats and we say prayer during homeroom etc (all students have to respectfully participate in these things) but there are a lot of kids that aren't catholic. As _laura said, teachers are quite understanding of all students regardless of whether they are catholic or follow another religion.
Academically, we aren't the best (although, you can definitely do well as long as you put the effort in). But, the co-curricular and leadership programs are quite good as you just need to put yourself out there in order to participate in them.
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Lol, I didn't even know that selective schools existed till like Yr 10 and never even seriously considered trying out for any of them.
I attend a Catholic school and like _laura and milanander have mentioned the majority of students aren't really stuck up (the minority that are would be just as stuck up at any school that they'd go to, I reckon) . There are masses every term (roughly), retreats and we say prayer during homeroom etc (all students have to respectfully participate in these things) but there are a lot of kids that aren't catholic. As _laura said, teachers are quite understanding of all students regardless of whether they are catholic or follow another religion.
I actually attended a Christian school from year 7 to 9 and I agree the teachers were really kind and accepting of me as an Atheist/Agnostic.
However the students were really unkind :\. Not hating on Christians, all of the Christians I met after have been amazing and kind =) but basically anyone who was colored, i.e. not 'white' experienced a LOT of 'racism' at that school. There weren't many of us I think only 2 or 3. I certainly experienced heaps of it and it ties into the fact of why I had no friends until my senior years of high school until I changed schools where people were really accepting. I'll be honest though the things they said to me really had no effect at all because I honestly did not care at all lol. I tolerated their bullying/racism for 3 years without ever getting hurt imao, and I think that's what they hated even more...
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I actually attended a Christian school from year 7 to 9 and I agree the teachers were really kind and accepting of me as an Atheist/Agnostic.
However the students were really unkind :\. Not hating on Christians, all of the Christians I met after have been amazing and kind =) but basically anyone who was colored, i.e. not 'white' experienced a LOT of 'racism' at that school. There weren't many of us I think only 2 or 3. I certainly experienced heaps of it and it ties into the fact of why I had no friends until my senior years of high school until I changed schools where people were really accepting. I'll be honest though the things they said to me really had no effect at all because I honestly did not care at all lol. I tolerated their bullying/racism for 3 years without ever getting hurt imao, and I think that's what they hated even more...
I thought Christian schools were strict with the entry of their students? I've never been to one but I do know the Christian schools in my area need an interview and also a letter from someone in the church you and the parents go to on a regular basis. Unless you switched faith during your junior years of high school? Sorry, I've never heard of an athiest/agnostic going to a Christian school before.
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I thought Christian schools were strict with the entry of their students? I've never been to one but I do know the Christian schools in my area need an interview and also a letter from someone in the church you and the parents go to on a regular basis. Unless you switched faith during your junior years of high school? Sorry, I've never heard of an athiest/agnostic going to a Christian school before.
Really? never heard of that. I was always an Atheist and I was able to attend the school. Maybe some are different? I didn't lie either and tell them I am Christian when I wasn't.
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I actually attended a Christian school from year 7 to 9 and I agree the teachers were really kind and accepting of me as an Atheist/Agnostic.
However the students were really unkind :\. Not hating on Christians, all of the Christians I met after have been amazing and kind =) but basically anyone who was colored, i.e. not 'white' experienced a LOT of 'racism' at that school. There weren't many of us I think only 2 or 3. I certainly experienced heaps of it and it ties into the fact of why I had no friends until my senior years of high school until I changed schools where people were really accepting.
Yeah, racism is definitely real tbh in Catholic schools. Although majority of the time people say that "it's a joke" etc, I still think that people shouldn't bully others whether it be because of their race or any other reason as it can be quite hurtful to some people.
I thought Christian schools were strict with the entry of their students? I've never been to one but I do know the Christian schools in my area need an interview and also a letter from someone in the church you and the parents go to on a regular basis. Unless you switched faith during your junior years of high school? Sorry, I've never heard of an athiest/agnostic going to a Christian school before.
At my school, there are definitely people who aren't Catholic and are allowed to enrol. This might differ with other Catholic schools, but I've never heard of this happening
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At my school, there are definitely people who aren't Catholic and are allowed to enrol. This might differ with other Catholic schools, but I've never heard of this happening
I believe catholic schools are more secular friendly. I went to a catholic primary school from prep-yr6 and I was majority of the time agnostic. Christian schools, from what I gathered from my small time going to a Christian church in year 9, believe in creationism, whereas catholics are more open, hence non-catholics are able to enter more easily.
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I went to a government primary school and a partially selective government high school, in which I did one subject through distance education in Years 11 and 12 :)
Went to a government school as a student, now teach in a government school.
I've been tempted to switch to independent but have managed to resist so far purely because my intention to teach was to deliver high quality teaching to all regardless of socioeconomics but being on the other side, you see a lot of things and understand why the public system is in the shit. I grew up in a single parent household and with not much at all so I truly value the idea of public education.
Maybe i'll switch one day once I decide it's time for a change. Who knows.
I think this is an interesting point! Everyone I know personally who is in teaching (my aunty, my boyfriend's mum and my cousin) are all in private and Catholic schools (with two of them transferring from government schools) and they've said they all wouldn't go back to the public system. That being said, I have the same philosophy with teaching since I also came from the public system and believe that we need passionate teachers to combat the other factors that may challenge student success. I also had really strong teachers in my senior years and we still keep in contact (and they often just let me chill in the staffrooms when I'm not at uni or work) so from an education perspective, there are definitely hidden gems in the government system and while I may change my mind after doing prac or going out into the workforce, this is the belief I will hold firmly on.
I also found that being in a partially selective school and doing distance education shaped a lot of my understanding of educational advantages and disadvantages. The competitive environment I faced from Years 7-10 did push me to an extent to perform well but eventually I had a teacher who really showed me the value of education beyond superficial things like marks and ranks and I started to want to do my best because learning was a joy with him. That joy I felt was what sustained me through distance education which I won't go in depth with here but I did write an entry about it in my HSC journal if you're willing to hear me speel about it :)
Interested to hear more about everyone's school experiences ;D
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I go to a Catholic School, where school uniform and religion is taken more seriously than our grades :P
Edit: One of the best things about my school is student-teacher ratio. In particular this year I have fairly small methods and English class which is great!
This is also one of the reasons I chose to reject my offer from EBS, as I found that there is 1 teacher and about 80~ students in one lecture hall at EBS, where as at my school I have around 12 ~ 15 students in one class.
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some public school in the northern suburbs
pretty sure its ranked around 470~ out of 500 victorian schools that do vce
i think median ss is 22
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A public government school.
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Same with milander, I have had experience in three types of schools.
Government:
This was where I got most of my education from prep to year 9. As said above, the academic environment is quite lack luster and wasn't very great.... I struggled as I was a high achiever, so I was made fun of alot for that along with people getting frustrated at me when they didn't get a higher mark. Really weird.. I also found it harder in class because of all the noise and disruption! Many kids were rude to the teacher, very loud, doing stuff that could damage property or hurt students. So for the 70 minute periods, the only teaching that went on happened for about 15 minutes with the rest of the time waiting for the class to settle down. This was in the inner eastern suburbs.
Christian
I was only there for a semester but it was generally a great school. Not only did they accept that I'm an atheist, but they also made many accommodations for me. The teachers were great, and the facilities were really nice and up to date. The only downside was some of the kids. They could be quite rude and flat out ignore you. Not all of course, with some people being really nice and friendly, but there were just some that could be really mean. I found that there was less disruption in the classroom so it made it an easier environment to learn in. This did not mean that it was really that high achieving, but it was just a better environment for learning if you wanted it. They had more extracurricular and alot of interesting excursions that the government schools just didn't have.
DECV
I have a love hate relationship with distance ed. Sometimes it was really good other times, not so much. You are really held accountable for yourself to make sure you have your work in on time, and that you actively seek out help if you want it, otherwise you are not going to get any. No matter what kind of teacher you have this is always the case. Some teachers are really helpful when you seek them out, others don't respond for weeks or barely give you any help. Same goes with feedback, it is a very mixed bag depending on the teachers. Physics, methods and food studies had barely ANY feedback what so ever, where as chemistry, biology and english had great feedback. There is also a matter of how it is taught. Sometimes the courses are awful (like physics), with unhelpful videos, confusing descriptions of theories, and formulas given with no explanation for their use. Other times the courses are really in depth and have great graphics and worded content to explain stuff. This makes it kind of unreliable.. DECV really isn't academic as well, most people in the classes are either, an athlete, model, actress/dance, have a medical problem, are too rural so they can't access a school, mental health issue, or like most people on the forms doing a subject not offered at their normal school. However, it suits me very well in terms of my circumstances, and it allows me ALOT of flexibility.
Private > DECV > Public
This year I did 1/2 specialist maths and 1/2 physics through DECV (as my school offers neither) and did not have the best experience.
I did 1/2 physics this year as well via distance, and I would have to agree that it was one of the worse experiences I have ever had....
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A public government school.
Same over here!
Pretty much have gone to a public government school my whole life (I'm at an all-girls school which has a completely different feel in terms of learning).
In my classes, they are very calm and we all sort of work together as a team to do our best. Most of the people in my classes want to bring out the best in themselves so our class-time goes down pretty efficiently. It is rare for a commotion to occur in class and if there is one, it would last about 5 min max. (Has only happened a few times out of all my classes this year. There is a lot of funny random events every once in a while though)
We all help each other out and sort of work like gears in a machine if that makes sense? (Especially my Physics class)
We have 75 minute periods and for pretty much the whole period (except the question of the day when we get our roll marked to become more familiar with our classmates) we work for the full 65-70 minutes ;D
Pretty much we all really want the high marks and are quite behaved during school. :D
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In my classes, they are very calm and we all sort of work together as a team to do our best. Most of the people in my classes want to bring out the best in themselves so our class-time goes down pretty efficiently.
Super jealous of your experience! That sounds like a great environment to work/learn in.
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I go to a Catholic School, where school uniform and religion is taken more seriously than our grades :P
Yeah, I agree with this, in Catholic Schools, uniform policies are enforced quite strictly.
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I actually attended a Christian school from year 7 to 9 and I agree the teachers were really kind and accepting of me as an Atheist/Agnostic.
However the students were really unkind :\. Not hating on Christians, all of the Christians I met after have been amazing and kind =) but basically anyone who was colored, i.e. not 'white' experienced a LOT of 'racism' at that school. There weren't many of us I think only 2 or 3. I certainly experienced heaps of it and it ties into the fact of why I had no friends until my senior years of high school until I changed schools where people were really accepting. I'll be honest though the things they said to me really had no effect at all because I honestly did not care at all lol. I tolerated their bullying/racism for 3 years without ever getting hurt imao, and I think that's what they hated even more...
I'm so sorry to hear that. I know that at my old school, sometimes people who were atheist would get into heated discussion with the super religious kids, but most of it was fairly respectful. The racism is really sad though. I went to a school that was 300 students (prep to year 12) and extremely Christian, but I was the only white person in my year level. In the year level above me there may have been a couple, but the majority of people were second or third-generation immigrants who still had grandparents living overseas. My best friends were from Greece, Singapore, Macedonia, China, Sri Lanka and Nigeria. It's such a shame that there wasn't such diversity at your school.
I thought Christian schools were strict with the entry of their students? I've never been to one but I do know the Christian schools in my area need an interview and also a letter from someone in the church you and the parents go to on a regular basis. Unless you switched faith during your junior years of high school? Sorry, I've never heard of an athiest/agnostic going to a Christian school before.
My old Christian school had that requirement (the interview + letter), however, if you couldn't provide that you just had to explain why. We had many kids who were atheists from Christian families, atheists from atheist families and Muslim.