Saturday 9

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School Daze

1. Do you have children in school?

Just the one, in high school.

2. Did you go to public school? If you have children did/do they?

I did, and he does, and so did Beast. There was never any question, except for a couple of rough months in 5th grade when I was ready to either homeschool him or find some way of getting him out of a horrendous situation at school.

3. Are you currently in school or taking classes?

I'm an autodidact at this point in my life.

4. What level of education have you completed?

I have a Master's Degree. So does Beast. There are two other people in my extended family with them, and two others with doctorates. Everyone else my generation and younger has college degrees. Pretty good considering my parents never took a single college class.

5. Do you, or did you have loans out for your (or your children's) education?

I had loans for college, but they were paid back within about 6 years. I'm sure Sparky will have loans. I'm hoping for scholarships....

6. What are your thoughts on the cost of tuition for colleges and universities?

I try very hard not to think about it. I went to a small private school with what seemed like incredibly high costs. They have quadrupled since then.

7. Did school prepare you education wise for working in the real world?

In some ways, but what school can't really prepare you for is self-motivation over the long haul. Also, no one ever really tells you that middle school recurs on a regular basis at work.

8. Did school prepare you emotionally for what lay ahead?

Oops, I jumped ahead. Not really, but public school at least prepared me to deal with people who were on completely different life plans from me.

9. If you were to run a high school, what changes would you make?

There is a reason I don't work in the educational system: several relatives have been teachers. I knew early on that I didn't want to deal with the politics in teaching. If I could change anything I would get rid of tenure, and I'd also allow teachers to be in charge in their classrooms. Not parents, not kids, not politicians...teachers.