As someone who worked for 40+ years in the DOE, I think I can clarify a few things about GE, particularly high school. The number one reason and best way to obtain a GE is having your child enroll in a program at the target school that your home school does not offer. One of the top program reasons is music. Generally speaking, the "better" high schools offer orchestra which many schools do not. This is different from band which most schools have. So, if you're thinking ahead, from small kid time, get your child violin (viola, cello, bass) lessons! Another good reason is video production, though a lot of schools are starting to create them nowadays. Also, foreign language is a good way. Say your child wants to learn French, but home school only offers Japanese and Spanish (common in most HS). An interesting way is through ROTC. Many schools offer ROTC, but only a certain branch. So for example, if your child wants AIR FORCE, but the home school offers ARMY, that's another way. Finally, some schools have academies such as health care or culinary. Academies are a great way to obtain a GE. The school I was at was 20 miles away from home, but it was a good school compared to our home school. I could have used the staff excuse (which is technically not a good reason, but everyone does it), but I didn't want people "talking," so I got my kids GE's legitimately through orchestra. Yes, it was a little expensive for private lessons, but well worth it. I agree with those who said it doesn't matter which school your child attends as long as they have parents who truly care, but there is some difference in school climate and the other students your child will have to deal with where your wonderful caring means nothing if there's a lot of gang violence and/or bullying.
Love the video and you bringing light to this subject. I went to school in the 80s and dont remember GEs at all. I was raised in a notorious town on Oahu that was not known as a hotbed of educational excellence, but I felt (and still feel) a big part of a child’s success is their own desire to achieve; there are so many opportunities outside the geographic school your child “should” go to (especially now in the digital age) that a good, solid education is achievable for all. Regaring the public v. private issue, I had a friend who attended our local public high school (again, not a very sought-after or highly-regarded school) who did everything possible while there; academics, athletics, student government, community service; a totally, extremely well-rounded (gifted, even) teen. I’d match her schooling to that acquired at any private school (including my own alma matet) any day, any time. What matters most is what your child does with the opportunities available, whether they be opportunities their school can offer or those the student/their parents pursue outside of school. Great vid!
There was GE long ago but I think a lot was used for safety. We had a military family live near us and their son got into a fight on the first day of school because he didn’t fit in with the local students. Their family opted for GE to Radford which was a better fit for him and his siblings.
You mentioned about five educational factors (i.e. teachers, facilities, programs, etc...), and I'd like to add 'student'. My nephews attended schools through GE, and they turned out 'average'. Although their sister attended a high school that might be thought of as average, and she's the only college graduate out of the three. And in another example, I knew a girl that graduated from Kalani HS, and she ended up getting a scholarship to Harvard. So a big factor is the student, and how they apply themselves to their studies. Like I always believed, "gas is like knowledge, the more gas you have in your tank, the further you can go in life".
GE could also help schools in areas where there is a lack of younger children, ie. Hawaii Kai and Manoa, attract students from areas where there has been an explosive increase of younger children, ie. Ewa. That way, those school without a large base of students would be able to stay open while taking the pressure off of schools where there has been a sudden increase in the younger population.
GE are sometimes just a necessity. When my wife and I worked in town and we lived in Ewa Beach. There was no way we could have our kid go to an Ewa Beach school and be able to pick her up on time. I never had a GE when I was a kid, but it really helped me with my kid. And our education system here needs a lot of improvements. Go Tigers!
I have my daughter in Waikiki elementary school. This is her second year there. TBH I think Wai’alae charter is better, more sense of community and staff are more approachable, plus their academics and curriculum are nicer and their events are way better. I wish I can change her but she has made lot of friends and is closer to home. I have friends with their kids in Noelani and they said the school is great but traffic can be terrible when getting into Manoa. But if there’s a way I can get her to UH Lab I’ll definitely transfer her. Btw, with Trump in power next 🤮 and treating to end the DOE, how you think Hawai’i public schools will be affected?
This is a catch 22. It is more likely that smart school administrators listened to their parents and started to provide the requested services causing other parents to consolidate at those schools. Offer the services and the students will come. Forcing the other direction will only mean you have fights for specific housing that is already at a premium to be in district for a desired school.
What is your opinion on trumps Education plan? Correct me if I am wrong but he is advocating for ‘School Choice’ which I believe gets rid of GE? And what is your opinion on Trump wanting to get rid of the DOE? Thanks
I agree. Education is currently run by each state. That's why there are School Boards. The federal government just doles out tax money to the states. If parents had a choice there would be competition to be the best which makes or breaks a school.
Been there, done that. Feel bad that my kids high test scores were given to their GE school rather than their district school. I didn’t have any issues with our school district but first, their C- grade from Hawaii Pacific Business magazine made us check if we had other options. Second, we just lived too far for my daughter to walk to school and we didn’t know about the school bus but even if we knew about the school bus it was still scary to let my little kid wait at the remote dark bus stop in the morning or have her catch bus home by herself and wait until 6pm for the parents to get home. I think we got GE because first the kids had an aunty nearby the GE school should there be an emergency. Second, my work was near the school so I could get them when they needed to leave during school and after school. Third, probably most important is that I said I could help the school because of my work location and I put my money where my mouth was and volunteered a lot with school activities and fundraising. In hindsight a bunch of Hawaii public schools do offer a lot to students but I think it takes effort on the students to be aggressive in finding the educational opportunities and it takes will power for students to push themselves to achieve when 1/2 of the students are not disciplined to prepare themselves for college. Also,I think puberty in general plays major mind games on teenagers and I don’t know the solution on solving the teenager phase of rebellion and confusion. Before anyone complains about Hawaii public schools, my son’s classmate attended Waipahu High School and he got accepted into Harvard. WHS offered all the hard college classes and all the AP classes so they did offer all that is needed to get into any American university. It’s up to the students to take advantage of what is offered.
THANK YOU MAHOLO kids need Center of Interest of Information! SCIENCE, Math and THE also ENVIRONMENTAL ! ARGUING the Fact Agriculture Schools needs 2 in Hawaii!
I like your theory of hey what happen if all our kids go to the base home school if we can balance it out? Send your kids den😂 no really i hope your kids get into good schools. Just watching this is beinging me stressful memories.
Fortunately, GE is available. It's unfortunate that there are schools that's a big no for those able to see through the weeds. I was in public school throughout and did ok. And yes, it's what you put in that you get out of it. Parent support and involvement are critical, but sad to say there seems to be more...my child is right, and you teacher are wrong.
We left Hawaii so that our children could get a better education. For the most part, you need to go private in Hawaii. Hard to say you live in Paradise when life is so hard.
School is what the student, parents and faculty make of it. Leaving Hawaii solely for a child's education is a pretty expensive route to justify just for one child. I remember when I was a teen working part time at the supermarket, still in high school and I knew guys going to private school from work. It was a private school, they did not seem like they were at the academically top of the list at the school, one guy even mentioned that they were working to see who the worst in their class could be. I find it hard to justify relocating just for one or more kids' education. If it gave the parents an higher wage, better benefits, opportunities to rise and do career wise, as well as buying a home. All of those things are long term benefits for the family, whereas, if the child gets a good education but ends up doing what they choose in a career, any student in a public school could do or worse, then it seems, it was a move that wasn't beneficial to the family. I had a neighbor couple work in town, commute to Kailua, had 3 beautiful, smart, talented daughters who could easily, have gone to private school or one in town, but all three daughters, were top students, the first two might have been valedictorians, but at least National Merit students with high GPA. The third daughter while not top, but near to the top. All three had colleges on the mainland, two attended MIT. The parents were proud of all three daughters. Opportunity, individuality and perseverance is something that attending the best doesn't mean much, if they don't maximize the opportunity.
Same. You have to toughen your kids up for public schools. And the only way we got a geographic exception from Central to Washington was because we knew somebody. But even Washington Middle School was horrendous. We moved out of state ! Just for her education alone and to save her future
As someone who worked for 40+ years in the DOE, I think I can clarify a few things about GE, particularly high school. The number one reason and best way to obtain a GE is having your child enroll in a program at the target school that your home school does not offer.
One of the top program reasons is music. Generally speaking, the "better" high schools offer orchestra which many schools do not. This is different from band which most schools have. So, if you're thinking ahead, from small kid time, get your child violin (viola, cello, bass) lessons! Another good reason is video production, though a lot of schools are starting to create them nowadays. Also, foreign language is a good way. Say your child wants to learn French, but home school only offers Japanese and Spanish (common in most HS). An interesting way is through ROTC. Many schools offer ROTC, but only a certain branch. So for example, if your child wants AIR FORCE, but the home school offers ARMY, that's another way. Finally, some schools have academies such as health care or culinary. Academies are a great way to obtain a GE.
The school I was at was 20 miles away from home, but it was a good school compared to our home school. I could have used the staff excuse (which is technically not a good reason, but everyone does it), but I didn't want people "talking," so I got my kids GE's legitimately through orchestra. Yes, it was a little expensive for private lessons, but well worth it. I agree with those who said it doesn't matter which school your child attends as long as they have parents who truly care, but there is some difference in school climate and the other students your child will have to deal with where your wonderful caring means nothing if there's a lot of gang violence and/or bullying.
Love the video and you bringing light to this subject. I went to school in the 80s and dont remember GEs at all. I was raised in a notorious town on Oahu that was not known as a hotbed of educational excellence, but I felt (and still feel) a big part of a child’s success is their own desire to achieve; there are so many opportunities outside the geographic school your child “should” go to (especially now in the digital age) that a good, solid education is achievable for all. Regaring the public v. private issue, I had a friend who attended our local public high school (again, not a very sought-after or highly-regarded school) who did everything possible while there; academics, athletics, student government, community service; a totally, extremely well-rounded (gifted, even) teen. I’d match her schooling to that acquired at any private school (including my own alma matet) any day, any time. What matters most is what your child does with the opportunities available, whether they be opportunities their school can offer or those the student/their parents pursue outside of school.
Great vid!
There was GE long ago but I think a lot was used for safety. We had a military family live near us and their son got into a fight on the first day of school because he didn’t fit in with the local students. Their family opted for GE to Radford which was a better fit for him and his siblings.
You mentioned about five educational factors (i.e. teachers, facilities, programs, etc...), and I'd like to add 'student'. My nephews attended schools through GE, and they turned out 'average'. Although their sister attended a high school that might be thought of as average, and she's the only college graduate out of the three. And in another example, I knew a girl that graduated from Kalani HS, and she ended up getting a scholarship to Harvard.
So a big factor is the student, and how they apply themselves to their studies. Like I always believed, "gas is like knowledge, the more gas you have in your tank, the further you can go in life".
GE could also help schools in areas where there is a lack of younger children, ie. Hawaii Kai and Manoa, attract students from areas where there has been an explosive increase of younger children, ie. Ewa. That way, those school without a large base of students would be able to stay open while taking the pressure off of schools where there has been a sudden increase in the younger population.
GE are sometimes just a necessity. When my wife and I worked in town and we lived in Ewa Beach. There was no way we could have our kid go to an Ewa Beach school and be able to pick her up on time. I never had a GE when I was a kid, but it really helped me with my kid. And our education system here needs a lot of improvements. Go Tigers!
Your sons will be fine wherever they go because they have caring and involved parents.
I have my daughter in Waikiki elementary school. This is her second year there. TBH I think Wai’alae charter is better, more sense of community and staff are more approachable, plus their academics and curriculum are nicer and their events are way better. I wish I can change her but she has made lot of friends and is closer to home. I have friends with their kids in Noelani and they said the school is great but traffic can be terrible when getting into Manoa. But if there’s a way I can get her to UH Lab I’ll definitely transfer her.
Btw, with Trump in power next 🤮 and treating to end the DOE, how you think Hawai’i public schools will be affected?
This is a catch 22. It is more likely that smart school administrators listened to their parents and started to provide the requested services causing other parents to consolidate at those schools. Offer the services and the students will come. Forcing the other direction will only mean you have fights for specific housing that is already at a premium to be in district for a desired school.
Chris, is there bussing in Hawai'i like there is stateside?
What is your opinion on trumps Education plan? Correct me if I am wrong but he is advocating for ‘School Choice’ which I believe gets rid of GE? And what is your opinion on Trump wanting to get rid of the DOE? Thanks
I agree. Education is currently run by each state. That's why there are School Boards. The federal government just doles out tax money to the states. If parents had a choice there would be competition to be the best which makes or breaks a school.
You could always use relatives addresses. No GE needed.
Been there, done that. Feel bad that my kids high test scores were given to their GE school rather than their district school. I didn’t have any issues with our school district but first, their C- grade from Hawaii Pacific Business magazine made us check if we had other options. Second, we just lived too far for my daughter to walk to school and we didn’t know about the school bus but even if we knew about the school bus it was still scary to let my little kid wait at the remote dark bus stop in the morning or have her catch bus home by herself and wait until 6pm for the parents to get home.
I think we got GE because first the kids had an aunty nearby the GE school should there be an emergency. Second, my work was near the school so I could get them when they needed to leave during school and after school. Third, probably most important is that I said I could help the school because of my work location and I put my money where my mouth was and volunteered a lot with school activities and fundraising.
In hindsight a bunch of Hawaii public schools do offer a lot to students but I think it takes effort on the students to be aggressive in finding the educational opportunities and it takes will power for students to push themselves to achieve when 1/2 of the students are not disciplined to prepare themselves for college. Also,I think puberty in general plays major mind games on teenagers and I don’t know the solution on solving the teenager phase of rebellion and confusion.
Before anyone complains about Hawaii public schools, my son’s classmate attended Waipahu High School and he got accepted into Harvard. WHS offered all the hard college classes and all the AP classes so they did offer all that is needed to get into any American university. It’s up to the students to take advantage of what is offered.
THANK YOU MAHOLO kids need Center of Interest of Information! SCIENCE, Math and THE also ENVIRONMENTAL ! ARGUING the Fact Agriculture Schools needs 2 in Hawaii!
I like your theory of hey what happen if all our kids go to the base home school if we can balance it out? Send your kids den😂 no really i hope your kids get into good schools. Just watching this is beinging me stressful memories.
Fortunately, GE is available. It's unfortunate that there are schools that's a big no for those able to see through the weeds. I was in public school throughout and did ok. And yes, it's what you put in that you get out of it. Parent support and involvement are critical, but sad to say there seems to be more...my child is right, and you teacher are wrong.
"GE" in Hawaii is only if you know the right people
We left Hawaii so that our children could get a better education. For the most part, you need to go private in Hawaii. Hard to say you live in Paradise when life is so hard.
School is what the student, parents and faculty make of it. Leaving Hawaii solely for a child's education is a pretty expensive route to justify just for one child. I remember when I was a teen working part time at the supermarket, still in high school and I knew guys going to private school from work. It was a private school, they did not seem like they were at the academically top of the list at the school, one guy even mentioned that they were working to see who the worst in their class could be. I find it hard to justify relocating just for one or more kids' education. If it gave the parents an higher wage, better benefits, opportunities to rise and do career wise, as well as buying a home. All of those things are long term benefits for the family, whereas, if the child gets a good education but ends up doing what they choose in a career, any student in a public school could do or worse, then it seems, it was a move that wasn't beneficial to the family. I had a neighbor couple work in town, commute to Kailua, had 3 beautiful, smart, talented daughters who could easily, have gone to private school or one in town, but all three daughters, were top students, the first two might have been valedictorians, but at least National Merit students with high GPA. The third daughter while not top, but near to the top. All three had colleges on the mainland, two attended MIT. The parents were proud of all three daughters. Opportunity, individuality and perseverance is something that attending the best doesn't mean much, if they don't maximize the opportunity.
Same. You have to toughen your kids up for public schools. And the only way we got a geographic exception from Central to Washington was because we knew somebody. But even Washington Middle School was horrendous. We moved out of state ! Just for her education alone and to save her future
Can you bribe the school officials with gifts???