3 MYTHS about HAWAII PRIVATE SCHOOLS You Shouldn’t Believe
Vložit
- čas přidán 9. 07. 2024
- When you live in Hawaii, where you attend school locally says a lot about you. Certain local schools have certain reputations. There's a cultural paradigm in Hawaii that private schools are always better and superior than public schools - that private school kids are smarter, more athletic, rich, and more successful than public school kids. But is that really how it is? Let's talk about some of these assumptions about Hawaii private schools (from the perspective of a Hawaii public school graduate).
I know a lot of Hawaii parents struggle with the decision on whether to send their kids to private school or public school. This video isn't about bashing private schools, or even a discussion about Hawaii private schools versus public schools. Instead, this video is meant to encourage public school kids and graduates and parents who feel so pressured to send their kid to private school.
If you're interested in this topic, I'd recommend reading Going Against the Grain by Ann Shea Bayer (University of Hawaii, Educational Psychology Department). It's an interesting book about the topic of private schools and public schools in Hawaii.
Hope you found this video helpful. Let me know if I missed anything in the comments below.
Intro - 0:00
Myth #1 - Private schools produce more talented kids - 1:22
Myth #2 - Private schools are only for rich kids - 5:45
Myth #2 - Private schools are the only way to success - 7:45
My Story - 11:26
#hellofromhawaii
#hawaiiprivateschools
#hawaii
Filmed using the Panasonic VX1.
📷 IG - / hello_from_hawaii
"Eh, wea you wen' grad?" (Hint: Go Tigers!)
I know the topic of private schools and public schools in Hawaii can be polarizing for some. Just hope that you watch the entire video before leaving a comment. I really like this discussion since it's something that I've talked to so many people about. I'm also starting to think about it more since my son is getting a little older (not quite ready for school yet).
If you are interested in this topic, I highly recommend Going Against the Grain by Ann Shea Bayer. It's an interesting book about her research on why some Hawaii professionals chose to send their kids to public school. 🤙
I went to private school, but it wasn't my choice. I didn't have a choice. I went to university on the mainland (mostly due to island fever), but sometimes wonder how things would have turned out if I went to UH.
I love that you responded, to what you overheard, in pidgin!
I went to both private and public schools.
Each is really what YOU choose to make of each.
I really think that you can get a good education at whatever school you go to, if you make of whatever school all that you can make of it.
McKinley High School is still little Japan.
@@BruceLortzHI I went to BOTH. I completely DISAGREE with you.
@@BruceLortzHI Your first sentence. Schools are what one chooses to make of them.
Here's my random thoughts of public and private schools in Hawaii. You can get a great education at ANY school if you want to. The STUDENT determines how good of an education they'll get. The TOP students at Hawaii public schools can easily hold their own with the top students at any private school in Hawaii. HOWEVER, the middle and bottom of the pack at public schools will be way behind the middle and bottom of the pack at the bigger private schools. Next, there is a myth that private schools have a lot of money. Besides Punahou, Iolani, Kamehameha, and possibly Mid-Pac, the remainder of the private schools in Hawaii struggle to stay afloat. They have to FUNDRAISE and be very careful on how they spend their money. They can't depend on state money every year like public schools do. Maryknoll doesn't even have their own cafeteria, nor do they have a field. They don't even have a patch of grass on their campus. Most private schools don't have their own track, football field, or baseball fields. Most public schools do. Next, there is a myth that private school parents and their kids are "rich" and "spoiled". I'll admit that some private school parents are, indeed, very rich; however, the many parents make great financial sacrifices just to send their kids to private school. Next, private school kids are held ACCOUNTABLE for their actions. There are severe consequences for fighting on campus at a private school, as well as for smoking, bringing weapons to school, etc. You'll probably get kicked out. Private school is more "real world" than public school. I went to public school. You get into a fight, maybe you get suspended a few days, then you return to school. At private school, if you start a fight, good chance you'd get expelled. In the work world, you start a fight, you get fired. At public school, you swear at a teacher, nothing happens. Maybe small kine detention. At private school, you swear at a teacher, you could get kicked out. In the work world, you swear at your boss, you'd probably get fired. Private school = "real world' consequences. Of course there are always exceptions to what I've said here, but, overall, I think what I've said is quite accurate.
Mahalo for sharing. I'm sure I'll have a lot more insight as my son gets older and figure out what school to send him.
As a person that graduated from Doogie Kamealoha's school (at least where they film a lot of it), and went to three Hawaii community colleges before graduating from UH, I think I'm pretty successful. I have told my kids, it doesn't matter where you go to college. The only thing your college does is set your starting pay (at least in STEM majors). Once you get into the "real" world, it's about your work ethic. I know a person that was my officemate (a lot younger) who went to Punahou and USC, but that person still came to the same profession that I did and is going to encounter the same pay grades as I am.
I didn't even do good in high school, mostly because I was bored. Cut classes to go to the beach, cut school to hang with the girlfriend, etc. Still worked out alright, with a high paying job, a house close to the beach, kids, etc.
Mahalo for the comment. Work ethic is key.
EXACTLY! I know a couple of kids that went to Ivy League Universities still working the grind.
Cheers from The Pacific Northwest. I've been enjoying your channel and hope it increases in popularity. I'll be visiting the island soon and look forward to seeing some of your recommended spots. Wishing you and your family all the best.
Mahalo. Glad you enjoy the content. Have a great trip. I'd make sure to visit non-touristy places. There's more to Hawaii than beaches and Waikiki.
I went to both public and private schools here in Hawaii. One thing that I noticed about private school kids, is that so many of them are under a lot of pressure by their parents to get good grades, that it is why it is rare to see private school kids frequently cutting school. Plus, as you know, a lot (if not all) private schools are religious schools, too. I went to a Catholic one and at grade 7, Latin class becomes a required course and also Religion class, too. Didn't have that in public school.
Not saying which schooling system has the smarter kids. But it does seemed to be that private schools puts more demands on their students to do well in school than public school. And if a student flunks in a private school, the private school will kick that student out. Public schools don't do that.
Agree that there seems to be a lot of pressure on private school kids. More at stake since the parents are paying for the education.
Good points, Kaleo!
Lots of issues raised, another great video! First, not all "public" schools are the same and are largely defined by their neighborhoods. There is a hierarchy within the public school system, and there used to be a way to get into the better schools by using the "district exception". I don't know if this still exists, or the justifications parents need to provide, but it's "school choice". Secondly, whether or not a child succeeds or not largely depends on the parents and if there is a culture that values education at home; this is more important to some ethnicities than others. Lastly, wealth and class are more important than one thinks, especially if one is outside this group. I recommend reading Ron Henderson's article in the New York Times. He is a Korean American foster child who had a horrendous childhood in working-class California, but wound up at Yale and is now at Cambridge pursuing a Ph.D. His writings about what it's like being around the elite seen from a lower class lens are very thought provoking and reveal a world you cannot imagine, which exists unknown to the bulk of the population.
Mahalo for the recommendation. I'll check out that article in the NY Times. I agree that parental influence is huge for a kid's education, which is why I'm hoping to be involved in my son's education.
Having kids that went to public elementary and then one graduated from Private and other went to private but will graduate from public, here’s my spiel.
I love public elementary schools! That community has so much heart and enthusiasm. They will get their share of rascal or mentally challenged kids but that’s part of the real world. Having all walks of life around them (hopefully)makes them more accepting towards different walks of life.
Intermediate/middle school scares me. Some kids look like big burly 180 lbs. gangsters and some are 70 lbs and 3 months removed from Sesame Street.
Parents of 13s (kids who are k-12 private) respects public school kids who get accepted into private as they had to earn their way in through testing and interviews.
Parents of 6th-7th grade entrance tend to be your average middle class that hopes private school will give their kids that edge in skills to get a good career.
Most kids in 6th-7th grade may be in for the shock of their life at their new private school. They were top dog in elementary and now they are average or slightly below average next to their 13ers peers. There will be some public school kids that are just downright genius level (they got accepted for that reason) but I think most incoming kids will need to swallow the humble pill that they are now average in intelligence.
Generalizations
Some kids will love the private school experience and feel extreme pride in their school and clubs and future connections with their peers. Some will feel extreme pride in their classmates success.
That background will help push them to try for the best colleges and work as hard as they can for a challenging career. Some will hate the private school atmosphere of everyone working their ass off at trying to be unique (for colleges) but becoming the exactly the same as their vanilla peer that they despise. Some will hate the pressure they that their peers will become doctors, lawyers, prominent business people or that some will just inherit success.
I know someone that had interest in medicine and took the hardest science classes in private school and did okay but was forever turned off by science because of the mind games the teacher played on the students and how rough the class was. Some teachers are not from a high school teaching background. They were chemist or college professors or engineers and they expect a 15-16 year old to figure stuff out at a college level. The hard thing is that I suppose for 60% of the class, maybe the teacher almost irrelevant because some of these kids are downright brilliant or has parents or resources that can make any advanced classes doable. The other 40% is sink or swim in the rough tides.
On the flip side I know former private school student that has an interest in medicine that is taking science classes in public school. Here the instructor is high school teacher first and science teacher second. He says the public school instructions and guidance is WAY better than private school as his public School teachers explain concepts better than his private school counterpart. He still has confidence in studying various sciences and although it might not be as tough as private school classes, his skill set and confidence might be enough for college. Hopefully, he’ll be able to handle college freshman science as an 18 year old as opposed to seeing if he can handle it as a 15 year old.
Mahalo for your comment. I appreciate the breakdown and generalizations. Glad that at least public elementary schools have so many positives. 🤙
Excellent discussion on topic subject !!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. In part, I have been saying the same things as you did for decades. And as I always say in response when people ask where did I attend school in Hawaii, "I am a public school kid, from kindergarten to graduate school." Keep up the great work.
I have a friend whom whenever we meet, he always talk about the merits of public universities and community colleges where his kids went. My only response to him was, "My kids went to Duke and Stanford", that's all, no other explanations necessary...my kids went to public high schools😉
Good one. I guess I'm a public school kid through graduate school too. 😁
Growing up here in Hawaii, I knew students from the four big private schools here in Hawaii. In my own opinion both are good. I seen a lot of private school kids succeed in life as well as public school students. You can learn as much as you like in a public school. If you want to learn more and get higher grades, this means you will have to work with your teacher to excel even more in your education as most teachers will help you if they see you want to learn more and apply yourself to work harder to get your grades up to the advanced student. My kids all went to public schools (2 went to McKinley and one went to Roosevelt). One that went to McKinley is in her early 30’s and bought a condo last month on her own and she has no college education and no help from family, she done it by herself. Work hard get into a good job which is hard unless the cards fall in your favor which is rare (they did for her).
My middle son that went to McKinley works at a bank and has no college education and is working his way up with the banks classes and programs they provide so you can move up in the banking world if you take these incentives they offer (you get paid for your time). My youngest son had all of his credits except for ½ credits in 12th grade so he could qualify and get the free college courses that Roosevelt has to offer so he has that under his belt. It has a lot to do with how the student was raised and how much work they want to put into their future. Yes college education will help you a whole lot but in my kids cases, they didn’t want college and chose not but again they are surviving here in Hawaii and that’s the point I’m making. There are some private school kids that are raised with an attitude that they are better but it’s your work ethics, performance and socializing that’s just important that will move you up in the work place. Private school might get you the job easier but not necessary keep it. Other factors comes into play once you have the job as I seen myself many times that they had the book experience but not the hands downs experience. It depends on the job but at times, just the book experience isn’t enough and you need the working experience which comes over time. If you have an attitude that you are better, well that won’t last very long from the places where I worked. Yes I only have a public education myself and I’m proud of it and kept my money in my pockets and no student loans and I still live in Hawaii.
Mahalo for the comment. Awesome that your kids turned out great and found good jobs.
Very encouraging video Chris. Your videos have good balance. This video should be shown in Hawaii schools. Your videos are inspiring and you can hear the teacher in you. Hope you share your videos with your former teacher friends and they use them in their class and share with other teachers. Aloha
Mahalo for the comment. Hope to encourage local public school kids that they can accomplish great things too.
Good observations. My kids went to both public and private schools in the 70's. One of the biggest differences were the expectations from students at each type. I finally gave up on the public schools when the teachers became less and less competent. Not all of them of course. There were some wonderful teachers along the way. But their expectations were vastly different from mine. Another difference was the involvement of the parents. I'm sure things have changed over the years but that was my experience. I'm a huge believer in a public school education but only wish my experience had been more positive. It's a worthy conversation. Thanks. Last thought: my dermatologist is a Kalani grad.
Lots of great teachers in public school. Most of my teachers were great. 🤙
This is very educational!! Great info! Mahalo!
Mahalo for your wonderful insights and accurate commentary on the myths, beliefs and realities that students and their families face in Hawaii. You provided a well-rounded, sensitive, yet intriguing view of public vs. private education and how it is hitched to our identities and self-concept.
Having spent K-12 in one of the private schools mentioned in your video, my closest school buddies and I agree that to a degree, we had to de-program ourselves as adults to embrace humility. For instance, it took me by surprise to learn that having emerged from a "prestigious" private school, perhaps the greatest benefit was the confidence that identity provided, as well as the school resources made available to us by our parents. In other words, we were nothing special; instead, we were simply raised to value a certain lifestyle and were provided an abundance of resources to help us along a narrowly interpreted path to "success."
As a staff person in a mainland public school, I wince when I hear students engage in self-doubt, comparing themselves to very well-funded, high profile local private schools. They need to understand, like other viewers of your video have shared, that a good education depends more on the self-confidence, will and commitment of the individual to learn and to become somebody/something than the particular school they attend.
Well done, bruddah!
Mahalo for the plug for Hawaii public schools. As always, great topic, great input and personal perspective. I realize that only so much can be squeezed in, so focusing on just two private schools doesn't bother me. I had enough friends, relatives, co-workers attend some of the other private schools to know that the students had a great opportunity for education. As a public school alumni, public and private schools are just avenues of opportunity. I've known people who attended one or both (sometimes several) and there's good and bad stories either way. School is an opportunity, its up to the individual to take advantage of that opportunity and make the most of it. Some people flourish in school, others prefer the road less traveled. It depends on the individual and at a early transitional phase for most youth, sometimes, they aren't physically, emotionally or intellectually capable of being expected to function the way that the educational institution functions. I've known classmates who did well in public and private school and others who didn't at either. Are they less successful as others? Some do, some don't. Again, individual choices. Some that didn't in public school, choose paths and some decided later on to pursue something great and did very well. Others graduated in private, but they were satisfied with the careers that they choose, which might have been disappointing to others, but they were happy. I'm sure there are a lot of successful people from public schools here and abroad, they just don't carry it as an obligation for what was achieved as a adult. The beginning intro about the aunties talking about the private/public debate, I'm sure occurs in parts of the country with affluence and in some of the KIKU television shows about Japan education, where getting into the 'right' school will establish the student for life. Maybe the emphasis should be how the student is prepared emotionally, individually, independently and integrated into an ever changing fluid society. My old bud once made a statement decades ago about success and education. He said any jerk can wear nice clothes and look pretty. It still sits in the back of my head about what success means. Take care and good topic.
Mahalo for the comment. Great point that public and private schools are just avenues for opportunity. Still have to put in the work.
Great video and well said! This topic of discussion comes up frequently in my profession and you echoed what I share with people when it comes up!
Thanks. This topic is just one of those things that professionals usually talk about, especially when they move to Hawaii.
You are proof that the young still have a chance to succeed. Takes hard work and focus. Good job!
Mahalo! 🤙
I went to Iolani starting 7th grade when it was an all boys school. Iolani gave me determination and a strong work ethic that helped through college and Medical school. I am not especially smart but I learned how to work harder and smarter to compete with my fellow Iolani students. My parents worked hard to pay for my tuition, I was obligated to do my best. I don’t know if I would have been driven to succeed without the culture of success at Iolani.
That's great that you learned about working hard. I'm sure that helped in med school.
How many students in Medical School attended Private School Vs Public ? My wife went to UCLA Medical School she had gone to private school through undergrad. I remember her telling me how most of her classmates in Med school came from public schools. Honestly it's what's inside of you that leads to success my father went to the fourth grade only and my mother only went to High School on a Native American Indian Reservation I went to Chicago Public and grew up in a gang infested community lots of drugs. I was determined to escape and I was blessed with Athletic skills that took me to Indiana University and then Northwestern University GSB life is what you make of it.
I graduated from a public school but ended up at the same place with other private school graduates. The university that I went to had a lot of people who graduated from Punahou, Iolani, Mid Pac and Maryknoll.
Well, there you go 😁
The most valuable education anyone of any age receives, is self taught through a lot of reading and life experience.
Children who have parents that give them valuable guidance and advice will always come out ahead no matter where they received their formal indoctrination.
I've found that the best education I've gotten has been through reading. I really enjoy reading about the lives of others (biography junkie here) 😊
I agree.
Reading; *good* Non-fiction.
Taught early college classes at Sacred Heart (private), taught early college at Waianae HS (public), some very smart kids in both schools, some students that struggled in both schools
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! 🙏🏻💫🌱
🤙
I think one factor overlooked is that there are some unavoidable elements at some public schools in Hawaii. For example, my daughter went to Kaimuki middle school, one of the highly-regarded “better” of the public schools on Honolulu district. More fights, more drugs, dealing on campus, more enabled kolohe-ness unchecked leading to an overall lower standard of achievement... then my daughter was accepted to Kamehameha. Overall, students have a higher degree of self- respect and for each other, there is an overall higher standard of conduct and less fights, drugs, and there is strict discipline. Granted, it’s possible to have great outcomes and success graduating from public school but temptations to do bad stuff to fit in is higher and it takes maturity and clear vision at a young age to steer away from those problems.
Mahalo for sharing your experience. 🤙
Excellent conversation! By the way, we went to the same college. Many, many years between us though. I am proud to say that I went there and after realizing that you did too, I'm even prouder!
That's awesome. Go Bears!
I went to a resume workshop at Stanford in 2013, I wasn’t a student just attended because I was working in the area and decided, why not… the instructor had a term “secret handshake schools,” which mostly applied to Ivy League colleges, but, he also listed a few secret handshake prep schools including specifically, that school who you booed. If you went there, you’re foolish to not put it on your resume, but just do so at the bottom because it was *just high school* but it can make a difference. Is it fair? No.
"Secret Handshake Schools" are def. a thing. The "prep" schools you go do like Andover and others like it ... your life is already made once you went to one of those... yeah it's not fair. Some, not all, not even most, Punahou people want to be that way, make it a secret handshake thing, it's disgusting. Eh, you soooo proud about going to Punahou, are you proud of how long it was whites-only? You proud of that? Better be a little more humble...
Private schools are feeders to top private universities because the parents have the money to sent their kids there. Private is private and if you want fairness thats a public school domain because its funded by the public.
Interesting that that was brought up. I guess that school holds a lot of weight on the mainland too.
Those that can do. Those that can't teach. This what I figured out at Northwestern University Graduate School of Business.
Spot on on the last comment that the biggest perk of graduating from private school is future networking. Everyone on the mainland that knows I’m from Hawaii always asks me this question. “So did you graduate from Punahou or Iolani?” Roosevelt! ;-)
lol. I guess they think only private school grads can make it on the mainland? 😁
Ahh, am an alumnus of the Educational Psychology Master's Program at UHM :) I briefly did a research on this matter in grad school; and based on the literature, (elite) private schools undoubtedly has more opportunities for its students. Producing smarter students, however, is a different focus area. Ultimately, there's a variety of ways one could measure academic success. I have a neighbor who is a product public schooling in the Philippines, but she was able to earn her doctoral degree in an elite university in the east coast.
That must have been fun research. 😁
Excellent video. You did a great job! Mahalo for you thorough analysis, candor and lack of political agenda. Brilliant!
Mahalo. Glad you enjoyed the video.
Great idea to bring up this distinction. I agree with your conclusion on networking. Private schools (and universities) aim to create self-confidence and unity among their students - giving them the confidence you saw in the 'Japan Bowl' competition and the networks that allow career advancement. Public schools (and universities) focus much more on information, providing far less less clubby unity and demanding a certain level of standardization from students. A teacher in a private school must be responsive to the child customer and the parents paying the bill (and will know that those parents could be strong-willed professionals who are used to get what they want, including by working for the teacher's removal).
We should remember that private and public schools are organized essentially the same and have essentially the same declared functions. However, in the US since about 1980 we have decided that the wealthier part of the society should not share their income with others to create great public institutions. However, if the existing majority of people wanted to give their children better schools, they could simply use the democratic process to do so. While "tax and spend" politics may well be inefficient, the current trend of dismantling the public sector could lead us back to the feudalistic world that existed throughout human history before the 20th century - one in which services must be purchased privately, and are available mainly to a privileged few.
Mahalo for the comment. I think that self-confidence is a huge advantage. I think I got a lot of that when I attended private school and none in public school.
For us, it was a question of religion and preparation for college. As Catholics, my father felt it was important to get a religious education. I got both types of education. In Catholic school the day started with prayer as well as the pledge to the flag. (I even imagined I wanted to be a nun someday.) Classes in high school were college preparatory but you could get the same in public if you chose to. I ended up in Farrington the last 2 years. FHS had more selection in classes and more extracurricular activities. What’s important is the level of commitment PARENTS have to their child’s education. How much time are they willing to participate in and be a part of the learning process and are THEY willing to guide their child to success? Sadly many kids are planted in school, both public and private, with the expectation the school is responsible for it all. It’s our job as parents to guide our offspring to becoming productive members of society.
Mahalo for the comment. I agree that parents have to be committed to their child's education. School can't be expected to teach them everything.
I feel like experiencing both private and public can be beneficial. I attended public till 7th grade and then did private, and I learned so much from both. Tbh I feel that I learned to have more fun/get street smarts in my younger years as a result, while being able to be more academically smart/network in hs. I also think that since a lot of kids in private schools come from really well off families, that really helps in getting connections that could help u in the future. But it can bring some insecurity because of how different other students’ regard of money was. As long as u make the most of what u have tho, u can be able to succeed no matter the school u go
Mahalo for sharing. Great to have experience in both public and private. Different school cultures.
Enjoy your videos. Really gives a sense of Hawaii Culture. Is it really true a Lotta locals have to work everyday and got no time to enjoy beach time in Hawaii?
It doesn'tmatter if the child attends private or public school. If the child is lazy, they won't be motivated to learn as much as they can. I was fortunate my girls got into the gifted program in elementary and intermediate school. Then in high school they could take AP courses. I always stressed to them their job was to learn as much as they can and mom's and dad's job was to earn money to support them. We were actively involved in their lives and I guess we were lucky. They both graduated with honors, went away to college, did very well, got their Masters and are productive adults now.
I know several kids who attended private school and I don't consider them to be very successful based on their jobs. Kind of sad to see considering how much money their parents spent.
Totally agree with you, public school is fine and produces a lot of very smart kids.
As someone who volunteers for STEM activities, there are lot of public school students who do very well! I think the parents and teachers can be supportive and help students find just as much success at public schools as at the private schools. I've also heard that public school graduates work harder and don't have a chip on their shoulder compared to private school grads at their jobs. I don't know if this is really true, but managers seem to want to hire the public school grads over the private school grads lol.
Interesting observation about the chip on their shoulder. I figure that by the time you're a working professional, it's all about character and work ethic.
@@HelloFromHawaii Maybe it's because the private school kids see themselves in the same place as the public student kids and it makes them bitter? I know at my job we always tease the private school kids about it, but it's all in good fun.
Ho, braddah, you wen grad wit 2 Bachelor's degrees ah...so akamai yeah you. By the way, did you go back to Northern Colorado for graduate school or did you go to another university for your Master's degree? I really enjoy and love your channel; very insightful about life living in Hawai'i. I myself am a public school graduate, both high school and college. I graduated from Farrington High, and later on in life graduated from Montclair State Univ. in New Jersey with my Bachelor of Arts. I lived on the mainland (NJ, NY, FL, CA) for 27 years before relocating back to Honolulu last year.
A different point of view is to send your child to private school during middle school so they learn the study habits etc during those years then have them go to public school for high school years, that's what my daughter did and she is now a DPT
One of the biggest benefits of private school I believe is collage acceptance, it helps you stand out. I went to a private school and 16.7% of my class was accepted into Ivy League collages
That's pretty high. Is it so high because of SAT scores and college prep?
@@HelloFromHawaii I think that was part of it but I believe that a larger portion of it was because of the extra things the school had us do that helped us to stand out, like a lot of art classes and community project type stuff
I went to Kaiser, didnt do any homework and skipped all projects because too much work. They still let me go half day my senior year as long as i had a job(part time, really part time). That was in the early 80’s, it seems now that school is so much harder.
Anyone know how many private school grads don't go to college?
Hi there- what park is that in the beginning of this video??
Kakaako Waterfront
Another great video topic. As a product of the public school system and a parent of 2 more, I have to say that it really doesn’t matter. I have great parents that were involved in my educational journey. I am doing the same with my kids. My message to parents with young children: Be involved in their learning, regardless of where you send them to school. 🤙🏽
Great message. It's so easy to be involved in the extracurriculars, but not the education. Gotta remember that as my son gets older.
Awesome review…..Go Tigers!!!🤙🏼🤙🏼
🤙
The culture from private to public schools are very different. One is designed purposely to achieve life goals and the other isn't. Lot to think about.
Good, solid points.
As a public school grad, I also get very very offended when people bash public schools. Especially those who have no experience with them (local politicians who control but didn't go them and won't their own kids to them).
Public schools are one of the greatest ways to create a more equitable and just society. Private schools for the rich have always existed but even the idea of education open to everyone is revolutionary. I personally feel the whole "private schools are better" is a legacy of Hawaii's Racist/Colonial History starting with the missionaries and their children and it just never stopped from there.
I am proud of the mix and diversity of students whom I went to school. (We had a kids from all over the world with all kinds of smarts, not just book smarts, but we even had those, a kid got prefect SAT's and went to MIT, my friend grad Standford, and so on.) Maybe the emphasis wasn't so much on how smart we can be but most us did walk away learning to live with people who are so different from us but we can still be friends. A sense of how we all have a history and issues but we are all just people trying to make it. Not so insulated from the problems of everyday life.
The reason private schools students do better in monetary terms is because 1. their families measure success in terms of accumulation of things/money and put a lot of pressure on the kids, 2. the networking and scratching each other's backs and assumptions that someone from a private school is better educated, 3. private schools not caring or having to educate student with significant barriers to success from disabilities of every kind and social/economic/cultural issues (poverty, abuse, language, etc), 4. testing and pulling out the "smart" kids, and 5. level of involvement of parents.
And yes the private schools I met while nice in general do tend to give off an attitude that is off-putting sometimes. At Manoa, one of the freshman kids was acting like he was better than everyone 'cause he went Iolani, eventually my friend got irritated and told him then if he was smart how come he ended up at Manoa with us dummies and that he parents must have been pissed they wasted all that money.
Great observations about private schools. And great story about your friend at UH. 😆
I believe that success is not based on the school graduated but on the person's perspective in life and journey towards to his/ her goal.
🤙
Exactly! Some of the most educated people that have been hired turn out to be the worst employees! What they have on paper is almost always useless when deciding if they will be a strong person in the long run or not!
Chris you're so good and honest. I felt dumb going to that school. Total intimidation. Sport saved me.
You went private school?
@@HelloFromHawaii yep
you do have a lot of stereo types in Hawaii, such as sony, onkyo, JVC, Pioneer, etc.
Took me a while to get this joke 😁
Eh no forget da Realistic from da Radio Shack, is really Nakamichi but.
So, you went to Honolulu High lka McKinley High School aka Tokyo High. So did my parents and my aunts and uncles on both sides of the family. I would agree that an education is what you make it regardless of public or private venue. However, the quality of the education wasn't always equal. When my parents attended high school back in the early 1930's, McKinley (1865) was the only public secondary option available on Oahu. Roosevelt, the only public, english-standard school, opened in 1932 as an alternative to Punahou. Farrington opened in 1936 and Benjamin Parker/Castle, in Kaneohe, in 1937. The private schools had been around since the mid-1800s: Punahou (1841), St. Louis (1845), and Iolani (1863). My paternal grandparents sent my father and my uncles to Iolani (when it was located in Nuuanu) in preparation for McKinley. Later, Roosevelt was favored if you had aspirations of attending the University of Hawaii. Though public, secondary institutions had expanded by the time my parents and their siblings started families in the 1940/1950s, I imagine old biases remained, and some preferred sending their children to private schools for perceived differences in quality of education and networking opportunities.
Mahalo for the history. I didn't know how old some of those schools were. Glad that access to higher ed is a little more accessible.
Interesting topic - Here in San Francisco, we have the same concerns. Both of my kids went to City public schools - they did well & went on to graduate from (public) universities, etc. People thought, "OMG, there are gangs, bad influences, horrible teachers," etc. Nope. I think the key is parenting and self motivation. Private schools here do better in sports simply because they draw from surrounding counties. In the end, I don't think it makes much of a difference. But I notice that private school kids here have parents that want to control their kids' social circles and avoid mingling with certain other kids or compete academically with others. BTW - one of my kids got accepted to UH but chose another school due to their ice hockey program. Just my thoughts.
Mahalo for sharing. Glad that they had a great experience in public schools. And yeah, UH isn't very strong in ice hockey 😆
I think schools are what you make it. My late husband & I are both private school graduates #GoOwls! But we wanted our kids to be with their friends. So they went to the local public schools.... We volunteered & had fun with it. I appreciate their experience! Lol ILH/OIA 😁
I homeschooled for years. But kids go to a public stem school here n we like the programs and opportunities they're given. So I totally agree, a lot has to do w what parents put in.
Awesome. How much did they interact with other kids in public school?
@@HelloFromHawaii so we had coops they were in daily and then they would finish right around the same time as the public/private school kids so they would all play together after school.
My dad worked at Sears & my mom was a Catholic school teacher. I worked & of course lol my grandparents! Love them & Go Na Alii!!
I went to both. Half & Half.
1st half Public, 2nd half Private.
The smartest, most intelligent, most classy, poised, stylish and cool students I ever met in my life through high school were some girls in the public school.
Straight 4.0 sistahs, and they were for real, man.
The private school I went to had a good number of borderline delinquents with no smarts at all. How they got through class without getting an F-fail grade issued is beyond me. And man, were they rude and disrespectful to the (very nice) teacher!
Then there were of course, great students in there (just like the Public schools, same thing going on).
Private schools have but one thing going extra; that is attendance is typically very high.
That's about it.
(During the period of time I was in high school in Hawai'i).
High School is only a stepping stone.
The real stuff begins in College. My opinion on this is that College far exceeds High School in the development of a Young Adult.
And then, of course, the Life Journey explodes beyond the High School and College.
Mahalo for sharing. Good point about the high attendance. Not sure it matters as much in public school. I was surprised so many people would cut class. Never occurred to me to do that. Wouldn't know what to do with my time.
@@HelloFromHawaii
Me too, while in Public school, I never ever cut classes.
Incidentally, the best single academic experience (a class) I had in school throughout the 4 years occurred in the public school.
I would add that there are generally more resources for extracurriculars for private schools, which encourage students to keep going in a certain field (like I really wanted to go into engineering because of our school's robotics program) and offer more AP classes so students can get ahead and pay less for college. It depends on who you hang out with, but I think there is more pressure to do well in school, which equips the students with learning skills that are useful later in life, especially in higher education.
But yeah, high school doesn't matter that much and neither does where you go for undergrad as long as you do well. What really matters for jobs is either getting into a good graduate program or having a lot of internship experiences.
You right on, brah!!
Very relatable. Always felt inferior to my friends in private school. Especially felt this at the high school level. Castle grad, class of 2000! I felt very behind my peers when I went to college in the mainland. Been trying to figure out how to afford to get my kids into private after they pau with elementary
So no chance of public school for your kids? King and then Castle?
@@HelloFromHawaii haha would never say no chance. We live Kailua now so its Kailua intermediate 🙈. Haven’t heard the best things about that school. Good thing the oldest is only in first grade so i got some time to get rich!
Thanks!
Mahalo for the Super Thanks. 🤙
Looks like it time for a trip to the Beauty School drop out . Remember what Elvis Costello sang Get yourself an Occupation.
Plumber, electrician, or carpenter.
🤙
I graduated from a public school but eventually realized I needed more so I went to LCC then UH-west Oahu to graduate with 3 degrees. I later became a police officer for 12 years. Now I run my own business. I believe no matter what school you are enrolled in you can make it happen or not. It doesn’t matter if you really want it you will work hard to be the best and move forward. In Hawaii the bottom line to moving up is who you know and your connections because of generations of locals controlling local businesses and government. I’ve seen many people not qualified for the promotion or position get promoted fast because of connections. Especially in government if you know the right people you can get ahead fast! On the flip side if you have all the education and experience but have no connections it will be super difficult to move up. ***So make choke connections and Kiss plenty okole if you want to get promoted🤙das why they put their high school on top da resume especially Punahoes
You didn't do your homework, such as checking out alumni from your alma mater. One alumnus was Sen. Daniel Inouye.
McKinley has great alumni. I'm familiar with Sen. Inouye.
Private school graduates usually don't need to pay tuition at UH. Many are offered 4-year free tuition and some even get free cash.
Really? I didn't know that. I assumed they took out loans like most students.
Most public schools are decent. Some are pretty good. Hell I went to Kahuku, and it had its downsides but there was a lot of cool stuff there. Like Band and learning about Hawaiian culture and going to school with kids who were totally FOB from all over the Pacific. Plus they taught aikido at the temple/dojo in the old neighborhood across Kam Highway from the school. OK that was not part of high school but it was part of the neighborhood/culture of the area.
Sounds like a great experience
It all depends on the drive of the student - private vs. public?!
Agree. Student drive and parental encouragement are important.
I have one daughter that graduated from Radford and another daughter that graduated from Kapolei and then UH. They did great and we thought the schools were as good or better than the private schools. Especially given the crazy prices for private schools, the level of education received from the private schools does not live up to the cost. 🤙
It's like do you want to join the Marines, the proud and the few, or the Army, Navy, Air Force, that's all.
That's great. Glad to hear some west side schools are doing good.
Good parents are the great equalizer. If a child has them, chances are that they will be successful, no matter where they attend school.
🤙
The question you should ask yourself is this: If money wasn't a problem, would you still send your kids to public school or do you send them to private school? I'm a proud public school grad, but if money wasn't an issue....I'd send them to the big 3 of private schools if they can get in.
Did you go to Punahou?
No, I didn't go to Punahou
Thank you for mentioning financial aid at Punahou and Iolani. My daughter attended Punahou on financial aid. If you want to attend theses two schools , do not let the cost discourage you.
Yeah apparently they have scholarships and such things. The oldest of us got to go to Punahou and sad to say she's a real snob about it - that's a reputation Punahou people have but truthfully, I've met a lot of people who went there who are just plain nice people and not snobby. The Punahou Carnival was always a blast and I got the neatest microscope there from their "White Elephant Sale". Good times.
🤙
I had a professor who had once been a recruiter for a big wall street firm in nyc. Of course they wanted to hire intelligent graduates. The #1 qualification was the firm wanted people who could get along with others. I couldn't believe that. But as I went along in my career, I found it was true. Private school or public, do your job with competency and DON'T get an attitude with others.
Great point. I think fitting in with the work culture is a big factor in employment
I go UH now & ask my friends who went private schools from k-12, why they not going brown or some other ivy league college
I'm a product of local public schools (Kapolei and McKinley ayyyeeee), it's always funny how often people assume I went to private school since I speak "good" English, have a college education, and have read a few books in my life. I feel that private school kids aren't overwhelmingly intelligent, like we've been led to believe, so much that people have this bizarre and unfounded impression that public school kids are incredibly stupid.
Also, I'm convinced that certain O'ahu public schools are just as good, if not better, than most private schools. McKinley had some incredible electives and extracurriculars, and Moanalua, Kaiser, Kapolei, and Mililani have very good reputations and if I ever move back on island, I'll happily save the $20k a year if I live in one of these school districts.
Mahalo for sharing. I was surprised to hear that McKinley was actually ranked in the top ten for public high schools. Go Tigers! 🤙
At that age friends r so important in your influence. In private schools there is a good chance that your kid will be surrounded by smart good kids. To me thats what is so important at that age, because your kid doesnt want to listen to their parents but they will follow their friends. Friends r more influential than parents in high school
Often public kula K, 1, 2, 3 ratio 20-30 haumana::1 kumu, like an octopus managing dif groups fo meet em at der levels. Private: 15-20 haumana::1 kumu + ed assistant & resource kumu fo kokua haumana at der dif levels fo reading & math. N lower grades, haumana vary developmentally, important fo opportunities to succeed at der dif paces fo get smart. Goal: b @ reading level starting 4th grade, if not gap continues to widen til dey grad. My mana'o. 🤔
Mahalo for sharing. Maybe charter schools can offer a better ratio.
@@HelloFromHawaii Ed assistant & resource kumu fo kokua dem at der levels in groups and keep haumana progressing makes da dif fo a good start. Educators know dis. Private and charter schools spend der $ fo dis academic success fo da keiki. DOE has a dif priority n da budget 🙄 & many haumana, 20-50% miss out on a higher academic success level 😔
I got to go to Kamehameha Schools
When we compare educational data, facts scream louder than opinion, look at Hawaii SAT math average scores (546) compared to national (523) and the private school you only referred to with colors (675). Average verbal: Hawaii (549), national (523), private (653). At least a student is more likely to have a better chance to be admitted to college. Public schools also offer cultural advantages missing in some private schools, it's all about putting your best effort toward the goals you love to achieve.
UC schools in California got rid of SAT scores for admission
I give you an A+
For truth 👍
Mahalo!
On the mainland no one cares where you went to high school but some people buy into the myth that fancy private colleges like Notre Dame or Stanford or the Ivys will get you a better education than maybe a Cal State. Much like the private high schools you describe, you get better connections but not necessarily a better education, especially if you value hands-on vs academic learning.
It would be great to get some real data to really see what the advantages or disadvantages are for both public and private schools. This would help in setting aside any myths vs. facts.
People connections will make or break them no matter who they are or where they come from
🤙
Aloha mai.
With 9 children and 26 moopuna i was a kumu for 28 years.
Wen an adult comes up and says hi to "kumu power ranger"
Or TutuMama i gatta look at them good and I ALWAYS ask wen u wen grad?
And I ask who they was classmate with from my 9 kids.
To this day I call all girls by their maiden name....oops!
But I bleed green...Kapaa High...🤙🏽
And not red or blue..
But as ok Kaua'i no ka 'oi...☝🏽
the difference is private school kids have more resources. and yes kindergarten ones are probably not the smartest. haha i know this cuz my son is also in private school and he got in during junior kindergarten, but the new kids in gr 4 and 6 and 9 are the smartest. the kindergarten kids looked as a whole as family strength. right now i really want my kindergartener to try the color you pointed out hahaha. its just less competitive here compared to socal.
Parents were prob trying to save mopney so the put their kid in publlic school thru elementary sch
I guess it’s a small island community makes people having unnecessary inferiority ? complex more perhaps…
I think the whole point of good education is to producing a free independent minded person who think of themselves in any circumstances and make wise decisions. Schools doesn’t provide that, the education is. Even home schooling can.
I haven't looked into homeschooling, but I know more locals have opted for that in the past couple of years. Curious to see how the students turn out.
I don't think school really matters, it's just the individual kid's abilities.
🤙
Kaiser, go Cougars!
😁
My final year of HS was there. I even got a political cartoon into the Daily Pinion. It was awful.
Maybe, your Auntie thought you were himakamaka, eh? You know da kine: They sweat perfume.
On the mainland or anywhere else in the world for that matter, if you put your HS on your resume, regardless of public or private, you will NOT be getting the job! Seriously this might need to be left out if anyone wants to be taken seriously. Having worked in human resources I can tell you, that resume would just be placed aside.
Put Boston Latin for your HS will help(first public school in America)
Depends on what you're applying for. If you're applying for internships in the first year of college, it makes sense to have a line where you put where went for high school, GPA, and what extracurriculars you did.
Beyond that though, it should be just about college stuff.
@@trawrtster6097 Agree, yes, I was hiring people past the usual college age and assumed to have degrees already so your point would certainly be a reason to include HS information in such cases.
Only in Hawaii 😆
Not all private school
attendees are successl
It's true school life at private school is better, but when it comes down to SAT & college admissions, they're about the same.
Do private schools have better college prep classes?
Going to private school was never about the quality of the education, it's about the connections you make while in school. And I'll be honest, my kid is in hanahouli and it's day and night vs a public school. The amount of hands on activities they are in vs just books in a public school, no comparison at all. The public school system started to fail when they adopted common core as a standard.
I wish I could talk about this shift in public education more. I noticed it when I was teaching in college. One year, I was teaching students who were prepared. Then all of a sudden, it was like the students couldn't think critically or write. Couldn't figure out what happened.
So my wife is class of 77 Kamehameha Oahu.
I'm a protégé of public schools. Lol
She is smarter than me. Lol 👍🤙💯👊
IMUA!!
lol
Do they still have KILL A HAOLE DAY? Or do they just bully haoles every day like before?
I'm not sure.
Mostly it was an excuse to skip school the final day. Or in those last day little parties with little squares of cake and you didn't get any. At some schools if you were spoiling for a fight you'd get one, but you just hele'd on and went about your day no boddah. Frankly I read about all the crazy stuff that happens in mainland schools and it seems "kill haole day" is pretty minor.
Get planny people succeed from public school. Unfortunately, I no stay one of dem
lol
Brah…. Networking is the key of private school
How’s It! Private schools are a scam. However, I did go to Chaminade.
Lol! I wouldn't call them a scam. 😁 How was Chaminade?
You did well, yet cant afford a house in Hawaii, nothing against u, more so about the biggest problem in Hawaii. Affordable housing for locals. Look at your credentials, still cant afford a house, imagine the average local, will never be able to afford a house. Love your vlog.
If you are rich, you got made! Paying into private school...
Can't afford private school🤙
Every time a kid switches to Private School, daily per pupil funding is lost. I feel it is very sad that our first black President came from Punahou. I think had he had public school experience he might have been a much better President. He sent his girls to a fancy private school, too. Public schools are our "commons". We all pay our taxes and we all benefit from a public outlay of our money. Instead of parents putting their energies into participating in making their public schools better. The one exception is the Punana Leo schools, which are private but imbue families in Hawaiian history, culture and most importantly their language. Thanks for discussing this topic. We are California teachers and former parents. We and our kids went through public school and even college in a public college. No loans needed, great educationn no need to payback loans into old age.
Locals send their kids to private school so they learn something more than match-no-match and playing trumps.
Playing trumps! 😁 I bid 4 low.
@@HelloFromHawaii LOL Had the best trumps games at Castle High. We used to play bloody knuckles too. Aloha🤙🏾
My son attended private schools k-12 got in Stanford here on the mainland. I went to public schools and did pretty good in life retired fully at 44yrs old. Let make this simple for everyone what percentage of millionaires went to public school vs private?. Steve Jobs and Bill Gates went to public schools as did Mark Zuckerberg. I REST MY CASE.
are asians hated in hawaii?
lol everyone's asian in hawaii
😂 LOL …Hawaii is Asian 😆
There's a lot of mixed people here. It doesn't mean that certain groups aren't looked at poorly, though.
in other words asian woman white men...lol....just like in california where im from
@@johnkim163: Which Mayors? There were actually quite a few:
1955 - 1969 Neal S. Blaisdell 8th
1969 - 1981 Frank F. Fasi 9th
1981 - 1985 Eileen R. Anderson 10th
1985 - 1994 Frank F. Fasi
1994 - 2004 Jeremy J. Harris 11th
2004 - 2010 Mufi Hannemann 12th
2010 - 2013 Peter B. Carlisle 13th
2013 - 2021 Kirk W. Caldwell 14th
2021 - 2025 Rick Blangiardi 15th