Thinking of moving to the VI

The schools in the USVI suck. They are the only unacreditted schools in the USA. They don't meet the acredation criteria. Private schools are the only option for an equivilent stateside education.

Regards
JET

Where did you go to school, Jetpilot?

unacreditted = unaccredited

acredation = accreditation

equivilent = equivalent

The schools in the USVI did lose their accreditation for a short time, but regained it about 1-1/2 years ago. The schools aren't perfect and certainly not the best out there, but it's no longer true to say they are not accredited.

Stateside schools have their own problems. Many have class sizes large enough to swallow small villages. Many have declining test scores. Many have issues with drugs and violence.

Sassysab - Many newcomers to the islands do opt not to put their children into the public schools here. The private schools are very good, but rather expensive (especially for THREE children). There is a growing trend to home school children when the price tag on a private school education doesn't fit a family's budget. If you search this site for past threads about home schooling, you will find information on how to contact the network about how to do this. Books and tracking materials are available and some families swap teaching duties in various subjects.

Dear sassysab,

Do research this forum from end to end. Read the moving stories, absorb the general information and google on key words for all the questions you have. This site is simply the best research source available for those such as yourself. The end result may be that you come away with the knowledge that island living really is for you and your family or that the enormous gap between vacationing and actually living here is too wide. Good luck!

I think that any schooling should be followed up with at home as well. If you can't afford to send your child to private school, send them to public school & follow up with them in regards to studying & take a look at what level they should be in. I live in California & had to move my son to another school using the no child left behind act---his first school had very low test scores, so I was able to move him to another school with better test scores---he still is not stellar by any means...but he is better.

I have just received a job offer in STT. How expensive are the private schools? My son will be starting high school= 9th. Also curious about yr round rentals=-- 2BR condo?? I will post it seperately. Thanks!!!!! Robert

I don't know about STT, but in STX the private schools are around 10,000 a year, not including anything besides tuition. I have twin girls and cannot afford that so I have started homeschooling my girls (Highschool) through an accredited Private Highschool.

Shelly, maybe Ill send my son over- he's cute kid... 🙂

WHATEVER YOU DO DO NOT SEND YOUR CHILDREN TO PUBLIC SCHOOL!!!
PLEASE!
I am a teacher in the system where it feels like 1950-the students are beaten, ridiculed and sit at their desks for hours doing dittos. It is as bad as youve heard. I am ready to walk out at any time on any given day to become a waitress.It makes the hair on the back of my neck stick up daily I am here solely to give my class some releif from it.

Please PM me.

Students are beaten?

This message:

WHATEVER YOU DO DO NOT SEND YOUR CHILDREN TO PUBLIC SCHOOL!!!
PLEASE!
I am a teacher in the system where it feels like 1950-the students are beaten, ridiculed and sit at their desks for hours doing dittos. It is as bad as youve heard. I am ready to walk out at any time on any given day to become a waitress.It makes the hair on the back of my neck stick up daily I am here solely to give my class some releif from it.

...is a TROLL, and a very bad one at that.

The person claims to be a schoolteacher but can't even spell, and writes things like "youve" and "releif"...one of the first things you teach is "i before e, except after c..."

The public schools have some serious problems, but beating of students is not one of them.

If your child attends public school, doesn't follow the bad company, does his/her homework diligently, and has parents who make themselves a part of the solution, the child can do just as well at public school as at a 10,000 dollar per year private school. And yes, there are Caucasian students AND teachers in the public school system.

I am a proud graduate of St. Croix Central High...and yes, I can spell.

Please Stop Beating The Children!

Please do teach them to look both ways before they cross the street or cross only at crosswalks.

I'm always so afraid to drive before 8:15 or after 2:30, it seems like they try to jump out in front of you.

What serious problems do you discern in the public schools?

Island Ed said:

" What serious problems do you discern in the public schools?"

The inability to properly utilize Federal funds, resulting in the return of said sums to the Federal government.

The lack of proper maintenance, which resulted in the closure of John Woodson and the institution of split schedules.

The lack of parental involvement in PTA.

The constant violations of uniform regulations, making the school day into a fashion show instead of a learning environment.

...for starters.

That is a nice 50,00 foot level description of what is wrong "for starters" in your discernment. Please continue and express more of what you see as things wrong, and include the low level issues... perhaps things a student may experience... as well.

Thanks,

Not sure who Native Son is....obviously he had a different experience in the PS system I AM IN NOW. NO, I am not a troll I am simply trying to help people who are thinking of moving here that public school education would NEVER be an option for my children. They are beaten by staff, assistants and administration daily.

Just 10 minutes ago I saw one beaten for singing in the hallway-this kills me. They carry yardsticks all around campus (I have personal knowledge of this at 3 schools on STT). I dont know how it is legal....(looking into this). But it is very much the norm here and it just seems that no one speaks of it.

I WITNESS IT EVERY DAY.

It is SOOOO different from public schools in the states. The honors kids here are the strugglers back in the states. It is a whole different level.

PLease, go ahead and see for yourself. Ask a teacher...ask a student....I warned you!

Until we get some competent Administrators in the head offices of the Education Dept. it will continue like this.

And by the way Native Son, you are correct I did misspell relief. I am at work and have to type very fast as there are people looking over my shoulder as we speak.

Congratulations on your graduation. I wish that for so many many more deserving students on these islands. I hope the education you received here will take you far.

public schoolteacher says:

"Until we get some competent Administrators in the head offices of the Education Dept. it will continue like this."

You can have all of the competent administrators you want, they will be circumvented by incompetent, non-involved parents.

Your current crop of high school students is a direct reflection of the parents who "raised" them. They have no manners, no sense of values, and no respect for their elders. They have been "taught" by society that age is a disgrace, that getting good grades is dumb (why, you can make millions playing basketball), and that the only thing that matters is how you look.

The main difference between public schools here and public schools in the States is our lack, so far, of Columbine-style incidents. American students on the whole lag behind the rest of the world scholastically. The curriculum has been "dumbed down."

The problems in the public school system are a societal problem, and will not be solved without the kind of intervention that would be a violation of your civil rights. It has to get much worse first, and it probably will. There is no ongoing effort to make ours into a kinder, gentler society where children are taught respect and good manners. Instead, they are mostly left to be raised by the mass media.

I apologize for picking on the spelling. It is very common to mis-type words on bulletin boards, and people, including myself, should not make a big deal of it. We can all gain much from spirited debate, and no, we will not always agree, but we can certainly show respect for each other.

I spent several years as a teacher at a private school. Some students actually expressed a desire to be in the public school system, undoubtedly because they knew that the standards were relaxed and also because of the more enjoyable social atmosphere.

Would I advise a newcomer to put their teenagers into the public school system? No, I wouldn't. I still believe that the kids who are already there can benefit from strong parental involvement. Not everyone can afford private schools, and not every parent agrees with home schooling. There are issues with the public schools that I believe are well known, and that I will not discuss due to their sensitive nature.

If your children are in school in the States, leave them there, unless you can afford private school or home schooling.

When I lived on STX, my daughter attended Country Day School. We found the cost was less than what we paid in yearly school taxes in upstate New York. We were very satisfied with the school and its staff. That was back in '89 and I don't know how much has changed since then.