3.04.2009

Educating Ramona















Today is Wednesday, which traditionally is my day to recap the previous evening's "Real Housewives" and I intend to do just that.

Unfortunately I'm swamped right now, so I'm going to throw one topic out there and then do the full recap later.

Did you see the scene where the ladies went to lunch and discussed boarding schools? I thought it was interesting. LuAnn is all about boarding school and claims she sends her children there for their benefit. Obviously she thinks her children get the best possible education at boarding school, or so she says.

As obnoxious as Ramona is, I agree with her that I want my children at home...at least until they are 18. There are plenty of top notch private schools in Manhattan. Why do you need to send your 16 year old daughter 2 hours away? I wouldn't say that to LuAnn, but I'm saying it to you. I think Ramona should have kept her opinion to herself. LuAnn has her mind made up, who is Ramona to tell her how to raise her children?

Since this is MY blog, I'll tell you my opinion on boarding schools. They are fine for some people but even if I had big bucks, or my children were absolute geniuses who got a full ride at Choate, I wouldn't send them. Maybe when they're older, I'll change my mind, but for now, that's my feeling on the subject.

I have friends who went to boarding school, and they didn't like going. Even though the schools were the "best of the best" they felt that their parents sent them away.

What do you think? Did you go to boarding school? How about your children? If they go, do you send them because you feel that is the best thing for them?

Which opens up the whole private vs. public school debate. My daughters go to public school. One of the reason we live in our town, on a small lot, is for the schools. We could live in some other towns and have a bigger house with an acre of land, but the schools wouldn't measure up.

Some people I know wouldn't dream of sending their children to a public school, for whatever reason, even in a good school district.

Let's talk schools, and we'll talk housewives later.


19 comments:

Greens and Pinks said...

Exactly - I agree with Ramona but if one of my friends was set on sending her kid to boarding school, who am I to tell her how to educate her kid?

I am 100% pro public schools, which like you, is why we moved to our town. We could have a house twice (four times probably, really) the size of ours for what we paid in a different town, but where we are has a stellar public school system so here we are.

My husband didn't go to boarding school but he did go to private prep school (I went to public) and my siblings went to parochial school - and we all wound up pretty much in the same boat!

The Major's Wife said...

I'm not a fan of boarding schools and public vs private really depends on the area. I like the options of choosing.

The Major's Wife said...

I'm not a fan of boarding schools and public vs private really depends on the area. I like the options of choosing.

jenn said...

As a former public school teacher, I'm a huge supporter of public schools. We chose our little town based on its schools.

However, if we had stayed where we used to live (diff. state), the public schools were so bad that I would have either gone private or, failing that, homeschooled. Glad we moved the year before my oldest daughter's kindergarten year & dodged that bullet!

Formerly known as Frau said...

I have'nt ever thought about boarding school its not in my budget. I think it depends on your area, I did private because the public schools in Utah suck! Also wanted wanted Catholic education for my daughter, public schools in Utah are like private Mormon schools not enough segregation of church and state. Now in Germany still doing private because its the only English School.

I Am Who I Am said...

Boarding schools can only provide your children with an education. Of course, education is important and should be A priority...but not THE priority. (JMO) I want my kids home with me where I can instill the morals and values that I want them to have. I want to make sure my children have a positive self-image. I can't do that if they aren't with me. And most important to me is for my girls to know I love them and WANT to be with them. I want them to feel my love, not just hear the words.

I feel like boarding schools are for parents who choose not to make the time to raise their children themselves.

As far as whether or not I would tell my friend I felt they were wrong if they made that choice. Hell yeah I would. It takes a town to raise a child. Is it my business to speak up about how others raise their children. Sure is. I may not always be right but I will ALWAYS voice what I think is best for a child.

(BTW...private schools and boarding schools are two totally different things. I think it's fine as long as your children are sleeping under the same roof as their parents at the end of the day.)

CashmereLibrarian said...

I went to boarding school--on scholarship--and I LOVED it.

But both my sons went to public school. Mainly because of finances, but also because, although we moved frequently, we were fortunate enough to live in decent school districts.

I think it depends on the child, and the family. My older son was probably better off staying at home until college, but I think my younger son might have enjoyed boarding school, as I did.

Anonymous said...

Neither my ex, my husband nor I went to public schools- so it's just a matter of what's my comfort zone. It was never an issue that I would send my kid to a private school and I guess I'm thankful her dad agreed with me and never fought me in my choice of school for her. I just like the small community environment- it worked for me as a kid and it's good for my kid as well...

Melissa said...

I agree that Ramona needs to be quiet, but I agree about the boarding school thing. I don't have children yet, but when I do, I will never send them away to school until they're in college. I plan on doing what my parents did for my brothers and I and living in a town with an excellent public school system.

That being said, for some kids, it's a good thing. I work at a school that is a day school for some kids, and a 5 day boarding school for others. All the kids at the school are severely LD and have major social issues and the dorm life teaches them how to be more independent and work on their social skills. I've seen kids really grow from being in the dorm program. It really is a personal decision for each parent and what's good for one kid isn't good for another.

Bridget said...

No to boarding for us for a number of reasons but cost rules it out for us anyway. It's a non issue.

We have 4 kids, the younger three go to catholic/private and our oldest goes to public. We plan to move them all into the public system at 6th grade. We may even move our youngest into public for kindergarten. I think what's most important is what is right for EACH child individually. Schools aren't one size fits all unfortunately.

Unknown said...

My husband and his siblings went to boarding school. I think that his parents didn't have to deal with all the teenage drama but they also missed a very important part of their lives. The family is not close and I think being away at school had much to do with it.
Our kids have been in Catholic schools and it was the right choice for us. I think everyone should be able to decide what's best for their family. We tried public school for a couple of years for our two older ones and it just wasn't what we wanted.

justme said...

i never even knew about boarding schools (except for the facts of life) until i went to college. i didn't meet hubby till i was 32 and he went to a private school in NYC and i think he liked it BUT i think the pressure is just too much. he knows people who went to boarding schools and he just recalls them all being potheads. i know 1 woman i just meet who went to a boarding school.
i don't get boarding school unless you are super rich and you are "supposed to do it" or you are really good at sports and it will help you achieve more. I would never send my child away, heck i don't even want them to go to sleep away camp.
i too live in this area for the school system and can't even imagine spending $$$$$ for a private school when your public system is so good. there is just something about the PRIVATE school that gets me.......

Jersey Girl Cooks said...

Maybe if I send my kids to boarding school, I will have time to work out more and get facials so I can look like the real housewives. Seriously, unless there's dire circumstances, I think children should be raised in their own home.

Unknown said...

Both of my cousins went to boarding school. They played hockey and the intention was to have them there to further their chances of playing college and pro hockey. Neither of which happened.

It's interesting...both of my cousins had a major problems finishing college and work afterwards. They are both doing well now but it took quite some time to get settled.

It's definitely not for me or my children but how others raise their kids is up to them. I get upset when people tell me they could NEVER send their kids to daycare, I wouldn't want to make anyone else feel that way.

SouthernAspirational said...

I'm torn...I was a day student at a boarding school. It was rough and I definitely felt like an outsider. I ended up transferring to a different private day school and I thrived.

Conversely, the BF followed his family's tradition of entering a boarding school in VA his Sophomore year. From what I can tell, it shaped him into the independent, diligent and conscientious man he is today.

My younger brother went public school all the way and he could not have been happier.

I think so much depends on the personality of the child!

linda said...

I also, live in the town I do beacause of the excellent public school...anywhere else I could live wuld also be a bigger house, bigger lot etc , but it's worth it to me to be here......My husband 's brother went to an elite boarding school in New Hampshire, and he was so the pot head....no one aspired to anything but living off daddy's money while skiing in Gstaad.

Anonymous said...

Caffeine Court's use of the phrase "sent away" is on target. I'm biased. I went to an awful boarding school in NYC from first through third grade and am blogging about it at http://girlssentaway.wordpress.com. It was harrowing!

Karen said...

I went to private school my whole life. I grew up in NJ and went to boarding school in NH for 3 years. You just grow up differently when go to boarding school. You gain an independence and an ability to rely on your peers that you can never have developed at home.

I can see that it is not for every family, but see the benefits and I would consider it for my children.

Tickled Pink And Green said...

Every family is different and it may be right for some kids but not for others.

Ramona has a big mouth and she's just rude. You cannot say anything you want to say when you think it.

 
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