Live in S. Fl? Why don't you move? The pros and cons...

[Scuba_Jenny]

Schools. My kid loves her school, but it's more west, suburbia type than city or inner city. I really like the school she goes to also, but am wondering about her high school. UGH... got a D of the FCAT school rating and she is at an A school now.

Rick, the school system state wide uses a grading system. There is a standardized test every year that the kids take. Ranking their score is what gives the school a letter grade. Most (I included) feel that the teachers teach to take the test, not actually teach lessons. Not the teachers fault, they are pressured by the district to have the students get good scores, and thus that school gets more funding. Convoluted at best. I hear other states have a much better education system in place.

Also, the lottery was pushed through and voted by the tax payers as a way to help fund schooling. When it passed, they took education out of the budget and let the lottery pay for most of education. Nice. :sarcasm:
/end rant

 

[ScooterSouthFlorida]

Are there any native Floridians 'round here???

As a 3rd generation Floridian, I have to say... GET OUT!!!! ALL OF YOU!!!!! :mooner::mooner: Ok, Kidding.....

I have mixed feelings on this; I am well-aware of most non-Floridians who overdose on Jimmy Buffett music and feel the absolute need to move here, as well as those who have recently moved here and then go about calling everyone else who comes here 'tourons.' It's cute and good for a laugh.

As for what you want to do, just do it. Just show a lil' courtesy and the universe will keep on turning.

Myself, I couldn't live anywhere but, unless it was somewhere even lower in Latitude.

 

[trigfunctions]

Rick, the school system state wide uses a grading system. There is a standardized test every year that the kids take. Ranking their score is what gives the school a letter grade. Most (I included) feel that the teachers teach to take the test, not actually teach lessons. Not the teachers fault, they are pressured by the district to have the students get good scores, and thus that school gets more funding. Convoluted at best. I hear other states have a much better education system in place.

The FCAT and the general state of the education system here is the direct responsibility of the political party that has been in charge of Florida during this time period. That's another one of the BIG problems about living in South Florida.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

In theory, the FCAT is a great idea, but in practacilty, it sucks. FCAT is state wide, not just South Florida. I have friends that home school just so they will learn instead of this crowd control. The "No child left behind" is another example of a good idea, but bad implementation. Now teachers are required to teach to the lowest student.

 

[trigfunctions]

In theory, the FCAT is a great idea, but in practacilty, it sucks. FCAT is state wide, not just South Florida. I have friends that home school just so they will learn instead of this crowd control. The "No child left behind" is another example of a good idea, but bad implementation. Now teachers are required to teach to the lowest student.

It's not a coincidence that "No Child Left Behind" was promoted by the brother of the guy who pushed the FCAT. They share the same philosophy for public education, and they both knew exactly how it would be implemented because they saw how it was done in Texas.

They've both done a heckuva job. /end rant

 

[ONESPEED]

People will bitch about anything, the "foreigners" everyone complains about bring us some great non native cuisine, Who cares where they come from? As for non English speakers, how often are you in little Havana or Little Haiti? I almost never encounter non English speakers in Fort Lauderdale. The obnoxious transplants, how often do you really encounter them? In the grocery store, big deal. I choose my friends and the people I associate with, if someone is obnoxious that's their problem and I choose not to befriend them. The heat? look at summer temperatures in New York and Chicago, newsflash: MOST places get hot in the summer.

It's all good here, some people just love to complain.

Oh, that said, the drivers do kind of suck here but my commute to work is too short for me to care.

 

[ONESPEED]

In theory, the FCAT is a great idea, but in practacilty, it sucks. FCAT is state wide, not just South Florida. I have friends that home school just so they will learn instead of this crowd control. The "No child left behind" is another example of a good idea, but bad implementation. Now teachers are required to teach to the lowest student.

practacilty? Perhaps we should rethink the FCAT thing.:chuckle:

 

[KBeck]

People will bitch about anything, the "foreigners" everyone complains about bring us some great non native cuisine, Who cares where they come from? As for non English speakers, how often are you in little Havana or Little Haiti? I almost never encounter non English speakers in Fort Lauderdale. The obnoxious transplants, how often do you really encounter them? In the grocery store, big deal. I choose my friends and the people I associate with, if someone is obnoxious that's their problem and I choose not to befriend them. The heat? look at summer temperatures in New York and Chicago, newsflash: MOST places get hot in the summer.

It's all good here, some people just love to complain.

Oh, that said, the drivers do kind of suck here but my commute to work is too short for me to care.

And Chip gets right to the heart of it.

 

[trigfunctions]

The obnoxious transplants, how often do you really encounter them? In the grocery store, big deal. I choose my friends and the people I associate with, if someone is obnoxious that's their problem and I choose not to befriend them.

That really depends on what kind of work you do. I've actually been pretty lucky in that aspect. My gf has not - she routinely has to work with the most obnoxious people we have ever encountered. Picture George Costanza's parents, then imagine trying to do business with them day in and day out.

 

[mike_s]

, that said, the drivers do kind of suck here :

but that's to blame on all the "foreigners" and "obnoxious transplants"