Area between Furrow St. and Bella Vista in OH

[misme]

I think the argument for diversity is not so much a racial thing (because of course, there are americanized immigrants of all racial backgrounds), but perhaps trying to avoid a school where there is a very heavy concentration of recent immigrants from only one or two countries. Once you get a critical mass, you can get issues with the kids clumping together, preferring to speak native tongue (instead of english if they arrived after a certain age), not fully integrating/assimilating into American culture. In essence, recreating a smaller version of their home nation. Its a valid concern, in my opinion.

 

[Kenkoko]

I am all for people having different opinions. To the OP (joke4real), the beauty of this country is you are free to do and believe what you want and not have to justify that to anyone.

This is a discussion forum. I hope we can debunk myths and seek truths. This will be to the benefits of everyone.

Bones, I agree that there are problems in youth sports and Irvine schools being too competitive. But labeling it an Asian baggage is going too far. Unless you have some hard data and show us some proof that next level tutoring is detrimental, this is strictly anecdotal at best.

I urge people to exercise caution when you label or single out a problem by race.

Myths spoken enough times becomes perceived as truths.

Look at what?s being said in this thread. People are suggesting avoiding Irvine schools and going to 85% - 90% white schools for more diversity? Seriously?

 

[bones]

Bones, I agree that there are problems in youth sports and Irvine schools being too competitive. But labeling it an Asian baggage is going too far. Unless you have some hard data and show us some proof that next level tutoring is detrimental, this is strictly anecdotal at best.

There's been non-fiction, well-researched books written about it.  "The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way" come to mind and to a certain extent, so does "Little Soldiers".

 

[Mety]

Looks like Irvine currently has that academic craziness where parents send their kids to extra 6+ hours of tutoring just like how some Asian countries are doing. Well, this is just one extreme example, but you can apply that to anything like sports, music, etc. Even with such environment where you might not agree, you still want to live in Irvine for what it has to offer.

Here are two choices.
1. Don't live in Irvine or any area that has such extreme cases.
2. Live in Irvine, but parent your kids the way you think is right.

I think most will choose #2 because you don't want to leave Irvine. Even with all these academic pressures and what everyone else is doing, you don't have to teach your kids to do the same. You can spend valuable time with your kids and family instead of keep telling them to go to Harvard or keep isolating them from playing Korean card/games. If your kids love Starcraft, then maybe find a way to support their hobby or who knows if it will be their real career someday? (BTW, Starcraft is not a Korean game, it's an American game developed right here in the city of Irvine, baby!) Don't follow what everyone else is doing. Help them find what they are good at or enjoy doing the most and help them develop in that area. My parents did that and I turned out pretty ok . If you are parenting your kids right, the environment is all secondary in my opinion.

 

[fortune11]

Many immigrants who come into the US and have school age kids have warped sense of what ?real America ? and ?real Americans ? is from watching 80s and 90s movies

Kind of like how TV ads show all white / blonde families on that fancy cruise or resort but reality is different

Look at demographics in schools today across the blue states ? states where your beloved child will end up making his or her living ? and it is a lot more diverse than that fantasy land you have been dreaming about

 

[Kenkoko]

There's been non-fiction, well-researched books written about it.  "The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way" come to mind and to a certain extent, so does "Little Soldiers".

The only Asian country Amanda Ripley talked about in the book was south Korea. South Korea is just one country and one foreign exchange student's experience hardly justify any blanket statement about an entire race or an entire continent.

 

[Mety]

I am all for people having different opinions. To the OP (joke4real), the beauty of this country is you are free to do and believe what you want and not have to justify that to anyone.

This is a discussion forum. I hope we can debunk myths and seek truths. This will be to the benefits of everyone.

Bones, I agree that there are problems in youth sports and Irvine schools being too competitive. But labeling it an Asian baggage is going too far. Unless you have some hard data and show us some proof that next level tutoring is detrimental, this is strictly anecdotal at best.

I urge people to exercise caution when you label or single out a problem by race.

Myths spoken enough times becomes perceived as truths.

Look at what?s being said in this thread. People are suggesting avoiding Irvine schools and going to 85% - 90% white schools for more diversity? Seriously?

LOL. Preach it brotha! Hey guys, what about 90% black school? Try that for real America, baby! I used to live in Crenshaw blvd. If you don't know where that is, just google it or watch Boyz n the Hood.  ;D

 

[bones]

There's been non-fiction, well-researched books written about it.  "The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way" come to mind and to a certain extent, so does "Little Soldiers".

The only Asian country Amanda Ripley talked about in the book was south Korea. South Korea is just one country and one foreign exchange student's experience hardly justify any blanket statement about an entire race or an entire continent.

It doesn't matter what you or I think... the reality is people are actively looking to NOT send their kids to schools with a huge recent immigrant Asian population.  Whether you or I agree with that is moot.  It's their money, their thinking, their prerogative.  On the flip side, I'm sure there are plenty of parents who seek out these same schools because that's what they want. Hence all the home sales in SG, EW, etc.  These parents aren't being judged for wanting that...

 

[eyephone]

Maybe this is the crux of where we disagree... "getting an edge in school".    When I interview Irvine kids for college, I immediately know which kids get heavy tutoring.... the ones who have limited interests/hobbies and summers they can't tell me about.

So you disapprove of how some Asian family help their kids to gain an edge in school.

No, of course not only Asian kids get tutoring, but I've been in the education biz long enough to know that Asians tend to get "learn the next grade level stuff" tutoring.  Tutoring because you are struggling with math concepts at school is different than, oh my kid is in first grade and in her spare time, should be learning 3rd grade level math so let's sign her up for 3 hours of math tutoring a week.  And this leads to the baggage I was referencing earlier... if the majority of kids in a class are getting this type of outside tutoring, then it affects the teaching environment IN the classroom. And kids who don't get tutoring or can't afford tutoring suffer. 

Hey Bones .. you still haven't answered Ken's comment on why everyone loves when Athletes get next level training or focus so much on their sport but hates and looks down upon kids who study and spend time on their studies.  After all isn't the original purpose of School/College is Academics and not really life skills (kids/parents/other social stuff are there for it).

and why do you quickly guess/judge a student during an interview regarding tutoring.  Is it your place to rate someone down because you thought they got tutoring?  Some would argue this shows character/perseverance to do well in Academics and will bode well for research.

I did already address this.  Kids go to school for 6 hours a day then get more school help.  Kids DO NOT go to 6 hours of sports training school a day then get more after training.  Even Olympic level athletes don't get that much training per day.  The sports argument is always used but it's not apples to apples.  There isn't a free sports option (for the most part), you have to pay to play.

I don't judge or guess a kid's level of tutoring, but I'm required to ask them questions about extracurriculars, etc.  I mostly do that by asking them about how they spend their summers/off time.  There's been a few times when I've asked and the kids tell me, they mainly spend their summers at SAT bootcamps... 2 or three consecutive summers worth.  I don't rate them down because of this - I just add it to the report as they tell it to me.

I like reading the conversation between you and other folks about tutoring and afterschool activities. I am just getting to know how parents and student manage these things, mainly to achieve their goal for going to certain level of college.

Just telling you what I did in my country when I was in high school. School makes you come to school by 6:30 AM and stay until midnight. No exception, just follow the rule.

Reason why I move to US, especially in Irvine? I want my kids experience something difference, something better and fun.

You mean ultra competitive not fun.

Staying school for 17.5 hours per day is not fun. Different aspect from 'ultra competitive', I think.

Ultra competitive is like 'very hard to win', right? It more depends on your academic ability, not the time you stay in school until midnight..

I spoke to one representative in Padova last weekend and she told me " kids smart, then kids smart, not smart, then not smart. Doesn't matter whether he goes Tustin or Irvine or Laguna Beach."

I meant Ultra competitive in Irvine. Keep in mind it?s not only Irvine that it?s ultra competitive.

 

[misme]

There's been non-fiction, well-researched books written about it.  "The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way" come to mind and to a certain extent, so does "Little Soldiers".

The only Asian country Amanda Ripley talked about in the book was south Korea. South Korea is just one country and one foreign exchange student's experience hardly justify any blanket statement about an entire race or an entire continent.

It doesn't matter what you or I think... the reality is people are actively looking to NOT send their kids to schools with a huge recent immigrant Asian population.  Whether you or I agree with that is moot.  It's their money, their thinking, their prerogative.  On the flip side, I'm sure there are plenty of parents who seek out these same schools because that's what they want. Hence all the home sales in SG, EW, etc.  These parents aren't being judged for wanting that...

Its not necessarily even avoiding specific Asian immigrant thing either.  I would think twice about sending my kids to any school that was very concentrated monoculture of any type.

 

[irvinebullhousing]

I am all for people having different opinions. To the OP (joke4real), the beauty of this country is you are free to do and believe what you want and not have to justify that to anyone.

This is a discussion forum. I hope we can debunk myths and seek truths. This will be to the benefits of everyone.

Bones, I agree that there are problems in youth sports and Irvine schools being too competitive. But labeling it an Asian baggage is going too far. Unless you have some hard data and show us some proof that next level tutoring is detrimental, this is strictly anecdotal at best.

I urge people to exercise caution when you label or single out a problem by race.

Myths spoken enough times becomes perceived as truths.

Look at what?s being said in this thread. People are suggesting avoiding Irvine schools and going to 85% - 90% white schools for more diversity? Seriously?

LOL. Preach it brotha! Hey guys, what about 90% black school? Try that for real America, baby! I used to live in Crenshaw blvd. If you don't know where that is, just google it or watch Boyz n the Hood.  ;D

Mety, oh wow what a small world brotha. I lived there back in the 80?s went to Leuzinger high for 2 years before move to North high Torrance. A small world indeed.

 

[irvinebullhousing]

If diversification is on top of your list. West LA is where you want to buy. Believe me you will have all kinds of people from every walk of life and you will have a large diverse income level of all sorts from rich to the famous and average joe.

 

[joke4real]

I meant Ultra competitive in Irvine. Keep in mind it?s not only Irvine that it?s ultra competitive.
[/quote]

Aha, Competition in Irvine. Yes, I am aware of that.

I have one question. About activities, like sports and musical instruments, does student have an opportunity to experience and choose what activity he/she want to do? If so, and I believe it does, it is far better environment to my kids compared to my country (sad to say..) and this is what I expected.

Lot more things to say about having freedom to choose what you want to do for your activities in school age, also school system providing environment for that. I will write something later.

 

[Mety]

I am all for people having different opinions. To the OP (joke4real), the beauty of this country is you are free to do and believe what you want and not have to justify that to anyone.

This is a discussion forum. I hope we can debunk myths and seek truths. This will be to the benefits of everyone.

Bones, I agree that there are problems in youth sports and Irvine schools being too competitive. But labeling it an Asian baggage is going too far. Unless you have some hard data and show us some proof that next level tutoring is detrimental, this is strictly anecdotal at best.

I urge people to exercise caution when you label or single out a problem by race.

Myths spoken enough times becomes perceived as truths.

Look at what?s being said in this thread. People are suggesting avoiding Irvine schools and going to 85% - 90% white schools for more diversity? Seriously?

LOL. Preach it brotha! Hey guys, what about 90% black school? Try that for real America, baby! I used to live in Crenshaw blvd. If you don't know where that is, just google it or watch Boyz n the Hood.  ;D

Mety, oh wow what a small world brotha. I lived there back in the 80?s went to Leuzinger high for 2 years before move to North high Torrance. A small world indeed.

I might not have been even born in the 80s you talkin' about ;D jk. But yes, it is a small world indeed. Everyone knows everyone so don't you ever sin against each other lol. My parents moved us outta that area for my high school years in 90s.

 

[Mety]

I have one question. About activities, like sports and musical instruments, does student have an opportunity to experience and choose what activity he/she want to do? If so, and I believe it does, it is far better environment to my kids compared to my country (sad to say..) and this is what I expected.

Lot more things to say about having freedom to choose what you want to do for your activities in school age, also school system providing environment for that. I will write something later.

For sports, your kids can choose, but they will have to go to try-outs and be good enough to join the team. Some that doesn't require too much skills like field and track will have open door for anyone. For musical instruments, I think they offer lessons so it's a free deal for marching bands, but the kid has to know how to play the instrument to be in the orchestra. I didn't go to Irvine schools so it could be different. But the overall environment is pretty chill and welcoming compare to 16 hours of academic spartan style. As much as there are freedom though, there are other free stuff kids can get in contact with also if you know what I mean...

 

[UnderContract]

.

 

[joke4real]

Joke4Real - I usually don?t post on this forum because some people love Irvine so much that they get a little defensive when someone else has a differing viewpoint. I think I understand where you?re coming from. I will share my story and hopefully it will help alleviate some of your concerns.

We moved to the Woodbury community somewhat recently. It took us several months to narrow down where we wanted to live. Like you, I had a wish list of what I thought would be ideal, but ended up having to give up some things.

I am 3rd generation Asian American. When we were trying to decide where to live in Orange County, I was also concerned about the racial demographics of the Irvine schools. I thought if too many kids did not speak any English, there would be more disruptions (kids getting bored because they don?t understand what the teacher is saying) or the pace of the class would have to be slowed down to accommodate them. Fortunately this has not turned out to be the case. I volunteer in the classroom and only one child can?t communicate with me. The rest of the Asian children speak English with no accent. I can?t tell which kids are classified as English learners, although I could probably make a good guess based on whether or not they have Americanized first names.  A 50% Asian school does not necessarily mean that 50% of kids are immigrants who don?t speak any English. There is a reclassification process that kids have to go through to drop the English Learner label, it is not done automatically.

I ask my daughter what she does at recess. Her friends like to act out scenes from Disney movies. They invent their own games. Sometimes they just play on the playground. Typical American kid stuff.

Woodbury Elementary has 8/10 greatschools rating, which could be scaring off a lot of the super competitive parents who are chasing test scores. Also it is not a brand new community - the houses are around 10 years old.  I like this school, but have not lived here long enough for me to give you a recommendation. But so far, the diversity of the school has been a positive experience, not a negative one.

Good luck with your house search!

Woodbury has one another factor, it is year round school. I like WB, little bit older than other towns, but have more greens and trees. Also, nice floor plans too. Visited 5 or 6 open houses in WB so far, last one was really something I considered seriously, but not yet made my mind about year round school. Think too much, right? :-[

 

[misme]

Joke4Real - I usually don?t post on this forum because some people love Irvine so much that they get a little defensive when someone else has a differing viewpoint. I think I understand where you?re coming from. I will share my story and hopefully it will help alleviate some of your concerns.

We moved to the Woodbury community somewhat recently. It took us several months to narrow down where we wanted to live. Like you, I had a wish list of what I thought would be ideal, but ended up having to give up some things.

I am 3rd generation Asian American. When we were trying to decide where to live in Orange County, I was also concerned about the racial demographics of the Irvine schools. I thought if too many kids did not speak any English, there would be more disruptions (kids getting bored because they don?t understand what the teacher is saying) or the pace of the class would have to be slowed down to accommodate them. Fortunately this has not turned out to be the case. I volunteer in the classroom and only one child can?t communicate with me. The rest of the Asian children speak English with no accent. I can?t tell which kids are classified as English learners, although I could probably make a good guess based on whether or not they have Americanized first names.  A 50% Asian school does not necessarily mean that 50% of kids are immigrants who don?t speak any English. There is a reclassification process that kids have to go through to drop the English Learner label, it is not done automatically.

I ask my daughter what she does at recess. Her friends like to act out scenes from Disney movies. They invent their own games. Sometimes they just play on the playground. Typical American kid stuff.

Woodbury Elementary has 8/10 greatschools rating, which could be scaring off a lot of the super competitive parents who are chasing test scores. Also it is not a brand new community - the houses are around 10 years old.  I like this school, but have not lived here long enough for me to give you a recommendation. But so far, the diversity of the school has been a positive experience, not a negative one.

Good luck with your house search!

Woodbury has one another factor, it is year round school. I like WB, little bit older than other towns, but have more greens and trees. Also, nice floor plans too. Visited 5 or 6 open houses in WB so far, last one was really something I considered seriously, but not yet made my mind about year round school. Think too much, right? :-[

its annoying if both parents work, because you have to find camps/child care that don't correspond to the bulk of summer/break schedules.

some people like it because it means that they can take family vacations during off peak seasons.

also if you have more than one kid at different schools (e.g. elementary and middle school age) , its a pain if one is on year round schedule, and the other is on traditional schedule

 

[Mety]

Joke4Real - I usually don?t post on this forum because some people love Irvine so much that they get a little defensive when someone else has a differing viewpoint. I think I understand where you?re coming from. I will share my story and hopefully it will help alleviate some of your concerns.

We moved to the Woodbury community somewhat recently. It took us several months to narrow down where we wanted to live. Like you, I had a wish list of what I thought would be ideal, but ended up having to give up some things.

I am 3rd generation Asian American. When we were trying to decide where to live in Orange County, I was also concerned about the racial demographics of the Irvine schools. I thought if too many kids did not speak any English, there would be more disruptions (kids getting bored because they don?t understand what the teacher is saying) or the pace of the class would have to be slowed down to accommodate them. Fortunately this has not turned out to be the case. I volunteer in the classroom and only one child can?t communicate with me. The rest of the Asian children speak English with no accent. I can?t tell which kids are classified as English learners, although I could probably make a good guess based on whether or not they have Americanized first names.  A 50% Asian school does not necessarily mean that 50% of kids are immigrants who don?t speak any English. There is a reclassification process that kids have to go through to drop the English Learner label, it is not done automatically.

I ask my daughter what she does at recess. Her friends like to act out scenes from Disney movies. They invent their own games. Sometimes they just play on the playground. Typical American kid stuff.

Woodbury Elementary has 8/10 greatschools rating, which could be scaring off a lot of the super competitive parents who are chasing test scores. Also it is not a brand new community - the houses are around 10 years old.  I like this school, but have not lived here long enough for me to give you a recommendation. But so far, the diversity of the school has been a positive experience, not a negative one.

Good luck with your house search!

Woodbury has one another factor, it is year round school. I like WB, little bit older than other towns, but have more greens and trees. Also, nice floor plans too. Visited 5 or 6 open houses in WB so far, last one was really something I considered seriously, but not yet made my mind about year round school. Think too much, right? :-[

Woodbury is a very good location in my opinion although I didn't find much good floor plans. If you found something good, I think that's golden.

Year-Round schools are actually known to be better for your kid's advantage.https://www.screenflex.com/reasons-why-year-round-school-is-a-good-idea/

But I believe you can always send them somewhere else if you prefer a traditional schedule.

 

[irvinehomeowner]

Year-Round schools are actually known to be better for your kid's advantage.https://www.screenflex.com/reasons-why-year-round-school-is-a-good-idea/

But I believe you can always send them somewhere else if you prefer a traditional schedule.

There seems to be some inaccuracies in that article but since it's from a company that is trying to sell partitions to schools, that should be expected.

We can continue this discussion about year-round school on this old thread:
https://www.talkirvine.com/index.php/topic,989.0.html