*Disclaimer* To anyone here who lives in Hawaii or is Hawaiian if my words offend you in any way just know that that is not my intention. My opinion is mine and mine alone. What I am about to say is on a topic that perhaps I do not fully understand being that I am just another white liberal democrat military Haole(sp)((i.e. non-Hawaiian)). Again if I offend anyone with my opinion know that I am truly sorry.**
Here in Hawaii there is a private school, those of you who have read some of my posts before I'm not a big fan of private schools but that was a different topic of discusion. Anyway this private school, the Kamehameha Schools has an admission policy. The policy is this... A student entering this school must not only meet academic standards but must also show proof of Hawaiian ancestory.
Recently a non-Hawaiian, whom applied twice before and was turned down because he had no Hawaiian ancestory, won a victory in the 9th circuit court of appeals. The court said the admissions policy went against the US Civil Rights Act.
Now a normal person would say... "Yeah that makes sence, no one should be discluded to anything based on race, religion, ect. ect." I am one of the people who believe this. Many, NOT ALL, but many native Hawaiians do not think this. They believe that the school has a right to exclude non-Hawaiians. Their reasons are varied but, in my opinion, the reasons still sound racist.
Now I'm from the south and if you opened a school that excluded anyone based on race that school would not be open long and all who ran it would be fired. I strongly believe that no one should be discluded based on race or ethnicity.
I can not understand why some people can not grasp the same thing. Many of the Hawaiians say that if a Haole is admitted to Kamehameha schools it will destroy their heritage and culture. I don't see it like that I believe that it could very well strengthen their heritage and culture by embracing those who truly want to learn.
Taht is my opinion on the issue. I encourage all who read this to do some research, go online and read the newspapers and local news affilates and form your own opinion.
Heheh. And people think Hawaii is so peaceful.
Trust me, this is not a new problem. Natives, Samoans, Japanese and Americans have been quietly going at it now for over a century. I can remember the stories my mom told me about how half of my dad's job as a CO (this being in 1980, mind you, during the era of Magmum PI) involved protecting his subordinates from the natives - especially when they took out the shotguns and began strafing the watchtowers at Barber's Point.
That, and the cost of living makes me wonder why people think Hawaii is such a utopian paradise. o__o
They could exclude non-Hawaiin's (sp?) if they could get a reservation and make it a tribal affair. However, I doubt the BIA is going to take up their case to set aside land for the natives since they could legally lay claim to the entire island chain, most of the present day reservations are the result of historic treaties.
Jimro
I've gone to private schools most of my life and I can tell you that the reason parents usually send their children to private school is because they want them to learn something that they would not get in the public schools. Around when I was in third grade, my parents transferred my from the local public school to the local Catholic school, because they wanted me to receive a Catholic education as opposed to a secular one.
Now I'm an outsider in this Hawaii situation. I don't know the curriculum of this school, or why they have a native Hawaiins(sp) policy. But just using logic as an outside it seems to me that such a school would exist because they want to educate the students in the ways of their native culture, something the public schools would not do.
If this is the case, why is a non-Hawaiin applying for admission in the school in the first place? The high school I went to stated in their brochure that they gave priority of admission to baptized Catholics, but that was rarely an issue because not many people who weren't baptized Catholics would send their kids to a Catholic school.
Again, I don't know the details of the case, and the details could be everything here, but from what you've told me it sounds to me like the government is interfering with the school in the name of multiculturalism, when it sounds to me like it's just a case of wrong place wrong time.
Again, is there more information here? Because it just seems to me from what I read that the fault is in the hands of the government for forcing itself on the school.
I've gone to private schools most of my life and I can tell you that the reason parents usually send their children to private school is because they want them to learn something that they would not get in the public schools. Around when I was in third grade, my parents transferred my from the local public school to the local Catholic school, because they wanted me to receive a Catholic education as opposed to a secular one.
Not necessarily true. Southpointe Academy in Tsawwassen (or as the locals so aptly call it, "T-Town") is just a private prep school that teaches the same curriculum as South Delta Secondary, the public school, only with uniforms and a higher standing on the right-wing Fraser Institute's annual list. The only reason people send their kids to Southpointe is because they're rich yuppies and because it's reportedly "a better school". Lies.
The truth about private schools is, they report higher grades than public schools because they have the right to kick underperformers out, while a public school doesn't. There's no special teaching method or deluxe curriculum.
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Not necessarily true. Southpointe Academy in Tsawwassen (or as the locals so aptly call it, "T-Town") is just a private prep school that teaches the same curriculum as South Delta Secondary, the public school, only with uniforms and a higher standing on the right-wing Fraser Institute's annual list.
Ah, but aren't those reasons to send their children there? There was a high school on Long Island called Holy Trinity High School. I didn't go there, but rather to a rival school, but my sister did. They had a reputation of being "public school with uniforms". But that alone has a strong draw for many parents. I really don't know if uniforms make a difference or not in education, I attended both uniform and non-uniform schools in my life and really didn't think they made much of a difference one way or another, but there are many people out there who feel that they affect discipline strongly.
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The truth about private schools is, they report higher grades than public schools because they have the right to kick underperformers out, while a public school doesn't. There's no special teaching method or deluxe curriculum.
That may be true of select prep schools. But as someone who went to Catholic school for the majority of my life, I never saw anyone get expelled for academic reasons (discplinary is another story). My aunt is the director of admissions at a Christian high school, and she says the only reasons a child would ever be asked to leave for academic reasons is if they had special needs that would be better met at public schools, since they have more resources to handle learning disabilities.
I know in the area I grew up on Long Island, a middle class suburb of NYC, the Catholic elementary school I went to spent less per student than the local school district and still received better results. In addition, they went out of their way to accept all applicants irregardless of financial status. There's a whole group of families there that have basically had their tuition defferred indefinately (most of them are hispanic immigrants).
While I'm sure there are private schools out there that are the way you described, you are hardly equipped with the facts to make such a hasty generalization.
Perhaps I should have specified "prep schools" as opposed to just private schools in general, which include schools for people with disabilities and religious schools. The local catholic school doesn't expel students based on poor academic achievement, however, Southpointe and that other non-denom prep school in Ladner will boot anyone out if they're not getting 75% or higher by the end of the first semester.
I'm not a big fan of provate school, particularly in terms of my experience with them.
I have had several friends who went to our local private school, which was run by the Archdiocese of Syracuse. Now, the tuition was 3,000 dollars a year. Ok, fine. It's a private school.
Then again, you'd think that the school would pay for updated books, right? Wrong. I can still remember my jaw dropping when the girls win my Girl Scout troop who went to RCH (Rome Catholic High) showed up with their homework - complete with their tattered math textbooks from 1965 and science books from 1970. I remember that there was duct tape barely keeping the books together.
So, needless to say, my experience has been....shoddy at best. ^^;
Cooki, I was under the impression that New York State law says that local school districts have to provide both books and transportation to students irregardless of where they're going to school.
Maybe that's a Nassau county thing, I just know that I always got my textbooks and bussing from Massapequa School district. Maybe your school district was giving the Catholic school kids the crappy textbooks on purpose.
Again, I don't know, but I was always told New York state law provided books and busing for everyone.
Again, I don't know, but I was always told New York state law provided books and busing for everyone.
Actually, private schools don't fall under those provisions, as they are not state-funded. They have to take Regents, yes, but in terms of bussing and books, the owner of the school is the Archdiocese - not a state-owned institution, and therefore not under their supervision. Private Catholic schools are funded primarily by the Church, and by tuition.
As for why you got new books, bussing, etc. - let me simply say that Nassau County is not of the same caliber as Oneida County. Higher cost of living + richer community + a very large church community (Large Catholic population down there) + private Catholic school that is very prominent = cash cash cash x 1,000.
No one goes to this school to learn something uniquly Hawaiian. To my knowledge most regular and private schools in Hawaii teach some from of Hawaiian. The thing about the Kam. schools is that they are the best schools in Hawaii period. This kid want to go to this school for the quality of education given and the fact that it is also the cheapest private school in the islands.
Now concernign the other issue that was brought up the native Hawaiians are trying to become a nation of indiginouse peoples recognized by the U.S. government through a bill called the Akaka Bill. But that still wont give the Hawaiians the right to be racists. A fellow co-worker and very good friend of mine is a Cherokee and when he went to a school on the reservation he lived on he told me that they did not discriminate against anyone trying to go to school there.
Now I am all for the Hawaiians being recognized as an indiginouse people, infact I feel they deserve it considering we took their country from them. But getting to the point of all this, this gives them no right to discriminate against anyone trying to attend a private school. I can't stand the fact that they are getting all up in arms and swearing up and down that if a Haole goes to their private school it will ruin their culture down to its core.
Sorry I flew off the handel a bit their. But again this is all my own opinion and I am very very sorry if I have offended anyone. That was not my intention and I mean no disrespect to any Native Hawiian or any other indiginouse people of this great land.
