New Move

ok. i understand that we are to be researching these schools. we use these message boards to gain knowledge from ppl who have exp, not feelings. i understand that if you came from a predominately Caucasian school system, in which the majority were to be of Caucasian color & were also on the continental US would feel that were the best system going. i am seeking info from ppl who have children who have exp with the public school system on the island. we have lived in a predominately Caucasian society & have poor education system even with all the glitz & glam. u can understand my pause in this situation because the inferences that are being made about this school system are coming from ppl who havent had children in this system. so, we need experience from ppl who have been in the system, not those just looking in & judging from the outside.

I had mine there at juanita gardine and they loved it. They were not the only white kids there. Their was another white child. They were and still are straight a students I get tired of posting my positive experience with the St. Croix school system and just having people on this board slam itt but since you asked I will tell you it was an unforgeetable cultural experience and the kids will be attending public school again when we move back.My wife is getting her nurse practioner license in the states then we will head back. I believe your child will get more out of the educational system in St. Croix than in the states good luck on your move

W.O.W!!!!!!!!!!..................Listen to the racism.

I do not have children in the public school system, but my husband and I both teach in the public school system. Feel free to read my posts (just search meowruff) or PM me with questions. My daughter is grown up now, but if we had moved here when she was younger, I would've placed her in the public school system.

Ashley
Ok I am really sorry for you , all of the post are very confusing to even me at 47 years old 4 kids two races and many schools and countries.
It's like this! ok if you move here you must know that this is a island that has alot of diffferent kinda of people , colors ok and IF a person wants to keep there kids out of the pool of colors then they should stay in Alaska or where ever . There is nothing wrong with the teacher's or students they have more manners than many stateside folks. It's what you make it , in Coral Bay on St John my baby was a very loved child in her class and she was much more fair skinned. If you have a open mind and you love all people you will be ok , embrace the West Indian culture and they will embrace your baby. Try what I told you to ask the private schools for scholarships they have them . no matter where one goes there will always be diversity and we should teach our kids to be lovin and kind to all . Nothing more beautiful than you child and a child of a different race playing on the beach .
Good luck ! which island ?
I have seen many white kids in Public school on STJohn/ StThomas all getting the same education .

Why would a person want to go to a island and then have to shut there eyes because sweet & cute little kids who are brown are in the schools? Really have you seen who our president is and what color his kids are?

Hey yolanda,

Hey Yolanda

Okay, I had to chime in. This is a really "intense/good/bad thread".......I want to know how many people who have also spoken on this topic,
1. DO ACTUALLY LIVE ON ISLAND
&
2. HAVE SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN
(excluding teachers)

We, (as people planning on relocating) need solid advise, not black/white scenarios that you think would be bad for our children. We as parents MAKE THAT DECISION!

I'm not sure who said it earlier on, but YES kids are way different nowadays than we were when we were kids, most kids don't see color...and if they do, well its probably because of an influential adult in their life (not saying just the parents, it could be another adult).

Linda J commented on one of my posts about home schooling (BTW, I was just looking into opptions & not excluding public schools)....but she said to move my kids and home school would be a recipe for disaster...... HA! I'm sorry but you do not know my children, they are young and still like "Play-Doe" (for lack of a better term). My 8 year old has plenty of "cultures" in her than most adults, yes she is "white", but her uncle is KOREAN (adopted), her two best friends are "Black" & "Arabian".....So you tell me, does she see color? Didn't think so.

So my question is this: My daughters are "White" girls, who TAN really dark, and if I don't comb their hair for a day they have dread locks. Will the local children know the difference? 😮

All kidding aside, you know your child and you should know what would best suit their needs (if they are old enough, they will tell you)....and if they are that young that they can't tell you (like my 2 year old), than they would never know the difference either way.

Don't let anyone stomp on your dreams, because if your happy so will be your kids.

Sorry Uri....didn't mean to bypass your subject, but "Coconut dream", kinda set the stage for kids being there..............BTW, I hope you find what you are looking for.......best wishes!

Imij,

How did your visit to STX go? Let us know what you thought, what you did, etc.

Dear Imij,

Part of the attitude you're experiencing is that this subject has been debated TO DEATH up here.
The "school issue" is a sore point for all islanders, public and private.

"Your experience may vary" ...might be the best advice we can give you. Some schools, public and private, are better than others. Even in stateside public schools, the experience VARIES from year to year, teacher to teacher, school to school, AND from family to family, and kid to kid.

The issues of race and culture here are real. They also occur in the private schools which outnumber the public schools. It may surprise you to learn that MOST of the private schools here are very multi-cultural. Most of the private schools here are not "white" as is the case in many stateside communities.

No matter where you live, as your kids move up through the school system, issues of culture and race do get more challenging, in large part, because of the kids themselves. Teenagers tend to factionalize, and color -or which state or island you come from, are simply another thing for SOME of the kids (not all) to factionalize about. In my day we called them "cliques" and they could be brutal to one another. Some things never change, do they.

The best advice I can give you is this: Do any honest examination of the kind of person and student your own child is. If they have problems (learning or behavioral), or don't accommodate change very well, then you're simply going to want to BE SURE you have the financial means to put them in a different school SHOULD THE NEED ARISE.

-----

I heard on the radio the other day that one of the Senators wants to put forward a bill to create a Charter school system and offer School Vouchers so parents can choose. While in the states I wasn't a huge fan of that idea, but down here, it could be a great thing.

I haven't previously commented on this thread as I have no experience with the public schools. It was our intention to put our in Pearl B Larson public elementary school for kindergarten. Our decision to put him in private school instead was based on sanitary conditions of the public schools. Mold, lack of supplies ect. Nothing to do with race, or culture. We were surprised however, to find that his private school experience was much more multicultural than public school. His classmates are West Indian, East Indian, Hispanic, Asian, Arab and white. Many of the children are of mixed races. They do not segregate themselves by race. Personally I have found it delightful to learn and experience all these different cultures through our children.

I have not looked that deeply into the island's school systems as my boy is only 2 and at this point we are in NY during most of the school year. But I would think that there would be plenty of diversity in the private schools, so I would not think that it would be a race issue to make someone choose that option. But I have heard that there have been issues of poor maintenance and gang presence in the public schools, is this true? For us safety and quality of education are the items to look into before making a choice.

some of these posts are beyond belief ..maybe if your kids"freak out' if they don't see anglo face i am assuming you mean "white" face..maybe it is due time to expose them to new cultures and people...if not seeing a white face is a problem maybe you should REALLY exam if stx or the vi is the place for you or your family personally i have metMANY young adults on island who have attended public school here and have become succesful members of society .. drs lawyers etc.if that is indeed what one measures success on... this is a very global society we live in and to isolate your children from experiencing other"COLORS" or ethnic backgrounds is not only a disgrace but an appaling way to raise a child ithis day and age and especially in this culture together my husband and i have about 70 yearsexperience in education and have always been against home schooling for many reasons isolating a child is never never an education!!!!

lily, who are you talking to? Which posts are beyond belief? What makes you think that homeschooling = isolation?

Lily - It's sad that despite so many years of experience in education you use incorrect grammar, spelling and punctuation.

wow i knew it was onlhy a mater of time..befoe being callled on this issue I HAVE AN EXTREME LOVE OF GRAMMAR AN D VOCABULARY AS A MATTER OF FACT ALWAYS FOUGHT THE ISSUE THAT IT WAS NO LONGER TAUGHT DIRECTLY IN SOME SCHOOL CURRICULUMSeexcuuuuuuuu ME ... but my keyboardingskills are inadequate, i have add, and am to laxy to sometimes revise i just like to get my thoughts out so so sorry my kehyboarding skills offends god why are some posters so quick to judge in a mean way .guess what im not even going to revise this get a life ..don't judge people and be nice ps if others are offended by lack of revisi9ns please let me know and i will no longer post thank you

"ANGELA" interestingly enough i have never seen a post under your name....HAS ANYONE SEEN A POST BY:ANGELA" sorry i guess i broke my promise but i do wish you well

Lily - I'm not judging you. I'm pointing out that you are judging the educational choices of others, and claim some authority on the matter because of your many years in education, and yet are stating your perspective semi-illiterately. You're as welcome to post on this forum as anyone, but when you disparage the experiences of others you should expect an unfavorable response.

:S It is becoming difficult to know who is who on this message board anymore. "Someone" who posts under the name of "Angela" has been posting for the last 6 years lilly.