Butcher, now your talking about apples and oranges. by the way are you related to Abdullah.

Mr.I , you and I were thinking the exact same thing, that's funny.

I hadn't paid his sn any attention, but cracked up when I read that. I think ol' Abdullah is still rasslin...at age 496...or was that his weight...maybe both.

Munneymaker, Mr. I, and Rabid Wolverine, as I have read your messages I just have these simple questions 1. What have SCISA schools done to offend you because you seem to have a pure and unwarranted hatred of them...It seems that choosing in some cases a higher education angers you in a way I see as incomprehensible 2. Public Schools are better in sports mostly because they pull from a larger base of students therefore having better athletes to choose from but SCISA schools can beat public schools...for instance my team scrimmaged a 1a school and we demolished them 3. Mr. I your comments on recruiting are true sad as that is...many will come on here and claim that this isnt true but if you look as SCISA alot and i emphasize the alot(meaning not all) of the schools are starting to recruit in order to boost athletics to that of a public school. this is commonplace in the north and I fear the effecrs it might have on SCISA. For my last note I realize you have every right to come on here and bash SCISA and I'm sure you have great reasons to do so but please I beg of you for those who attend/attended/have kids at SCISA schools please stay off of our board.

You said you have 3 simple questions, you numbered to 3, but you only asked one question...is that how well that private education works (just kidding...had to rib a bit in return for one of your comments)? SCISA schools have done nothing to offend me, but some of the people who have posted in this thread have, because they have justified the moniker that Mr. I hung on them at the beginning. Before you comment on anything I say next, go back to page one and read my first post.

I'll just show a few and tell you what I think of them:

1. "Thats how we feel about public school kids coming to college." Hmmm, so we shouldn't go to college because we went to public schools? Public school kids shouldn't go to college? From my graduating class, we have an M.D., two college professors, (not including myself, as I have taught on the college level, as well), nurses, Lord knows how many teachers, engineers, and hospital executives. Those are just off the top of my head.

2. "Mr. I(diot), what is your occupation and college background if you don't mind sharing. If you want to compare apples to apples, let's do it." Someone tried to pull the "you're not educated enough to argue with us. Refer back to #1.

3. "go back to your trailer park and envy us..." That one was yours. I was a public school kid, and I assure you that I have no envy for anyone who would make such a bigotted comment. I didn't grow up in a trailer park, either.

4. "We don't "toe the line" for the government schools because we are intelligent enough to see them for what they are!" That's on page two. I addressed that one already, and am still awaiting a response as to exactly "what" they are.

5. Someone also said that, "by national standards, all our education is substandard." This one bugs me too, because it's the perception that has been CREATED by people who should know better (like politicians), and perpetuated by those who don't know better. That old opinion is based upon exit exam scores, state-mandated end of course tests, and such. Most rubrics used to "rate" education have so many flaws in them it's laughable. What people fail to realize is that those tests vary from state to state. It's easier to scream "FIRE!" in a movie theater than it is to convince someone that there is no fire. Which gets more people to watch the 11 o'clock news, "Education in SC is ranked at the bottom of the barrel," or "Don't worry, folks, our education system is getting the job done"? There are ALWAYS things that can improve, but that's true with everything.

Never once did I EVER bash a private/independent school on here. I did, however, defend public schools, and will continue to do so come Hell, high water, or an army of mothers-in-law to rival the population of China. On a side not, it's interesting that it's ok to bash public education, but many of those who do get their knickers in a twist when the tables are turned.

Bigotry and racism are NOT the same. Some of you need to look up those two terms and figure that out. I honestly thought that wouldn't be a problem since private "education is head and shoulders above most public schools." I'm starting to think Mr. I may have been right.

Wolverine i'll take the rap for #3. What i plainly meant was that we all live in a state where our education is supposed to be bad so why is Mr. I condemning the private sector. They are not the ones being tested for these rankings. And i'll be the first to say that public education can be tremendous at some schools. The reason most of these kids get on here and talk about the quality of their respective school's education is because at most of these schools the public schools in their towmns are graded unsatisfactory. Now i'm speaking of the lower part of the state.(The home of SCISA is Orangeburg.) When someone like Mr. I gets on here and picks on these kids about not being"real" football they know they can't compete on a yearly basis with a public school so the only thing they can talk about is what they feel comfortable with and that is the quality of their schooling.(relatively speaking of course) Guys like Mr. I pop up on the SCISA board monthly with a jab about how bad SCISA is and i can say it is very frustrating. If you really believe that why bother to lower yourself and even get on the board. Stay in whatever respective classification you belong and just scan the others for good news. I don't think you'll ever see a SCISA kid on the 4A board trying to tell someone from Gaffney how to do anything. Like i sais earlier most SCISA kids look up to their counterparts and frequently go watch them when they can. Heck at an allstar game last year one of their activities was to go to WB and watch the games. Ithink SCISA people have a tremendous amount respect for public school sports. It's a shame that people like Mr.I can't return the favor or have enough class to keep his comments to himself. And i have been associated with SCISA for a ggod while but am a product of the public school system. In my time i have seen little or no racism or bigotry around. That is a myth that is perpetuated by ignorant people. Go live in Estill for a while and you'll quickly see why those that can afford it go to Thomas Heyward. It just so happens that most thhat can afford it in that economically depressed area are white so they get accused of wanting to go to the "white school." Meanwhile African American children go there also. Don't let lack of knowledge on private schools sway your opinion. Know that most have no choice. And know that there are those that go for the wrong reasons. Also know that we are all South Carolinians so how different can we possibly be.

Rabid Wolverine - I wasn't going to post any more messages on this thread because it seemed as though Mr. I and others were not interested in the "other side" but it seems as though you are. You asked "other than a group of schools who willingly take in, work with, and try to educate all children, regardless of disabilities, personal problems, and how much money Mom and Dad are able to pay, all thw while being attacked and insulted from all angles by politicians, parents, and self-appointed "experts", exactly what would "they" be? You have just described Augusta Christian.

ACS prides itself on the diversity of the student body. ACS has Talent Development, a school for students with learning disabilities. Some of the students in "TD" attend all classes within the "TD" school, while others main stream some of their classes. The vast majority of these students are transfers from public schools which have failed these kids. Most of these students have "mild" disabilities and they don't qualify for help in the public school system. If they remain in public school they are sent along the "VoTech" path with no hope of attending college. Many of these students drop out of school unless they get some type of help.

I'm not sure what type of "personal problems" you are referring to. Students who have been suspended from their present school are not admitted to ACS until they have completed a semester at their "alternative school". Even after completing the semester some are not admitted. Augusta Christian is just that, a Christian school educating students from a biblical view. Not all students with "personal problems" want a Christian education regardless of how much their parents want them to attend. In interviewing prospective students it is very obvious who wants this Christian education. ACS is not a reform school, their are military academies for that.

The tuition at ACS is $6000.00, about half that of Augusta Prep and Westminster Prep, two private schools in the Augusta area. ACS also offers financial assistance to those who lack the funds to attend. To qualify parents send their 1040 to a group in Missouri who splits the "pie up". $100,000.00 is set aside for this assistance and families can qualify for up to a 40% reduction. This would lower the tuition to approx. $3600.00. I ask you, how much does the state and federal government spend of OUR money per student?

ACS, along with other private schools, are constantly attacked and insulted from all angles. Mr. I is a great example of this. Either we are weak and can't compete, we are racists or bigots, we are rich and "too good" for the public schools, or we are "slow learners" and could not cut it in public schools. Politicans don't know squat about education but yet they take OUR money and spend it however they see fit. We can talk until we are blue in the face but you can't convince me that this isn't wrong. What makes them the expert with my money? Who earned my money?

I'm happy for you that you are satisfied with public education. However, not everyone is as giddy as you when it comes to public education and this is the reason for "independent schools". Come to think of it, wasn't there a war in the 1770's that had something to do with "independence"?

Yes Rabid Wolverine I'm glad you see both sides I just hate my league and schools being ridiculed. Unless I see another reason too this is my last post on this thread