Mega-churches VS the IRS

[fireheart17]

Originally Posted by Duelist925

They provide a necessary public service that practically everyone uses, and furthermore, public schools are tax funded--it'd be silly to tax them.

Over here, there's a common argument that private schools need to stop double-dipping in funding (that is, they get way too much funding per child). Taxed yes, funded minimally.
Unfortunately, this is a requirement of the state/country to ensure that every kid is actually learning the same thing more or less, and also to allow governments to track student progress. At the same time, it also flies in the face of the part in the Australian constitution that states that states shall not fund religion.

There are very few private schools in Aussieland that are not religious ones. The ones that aren't tend to either:

-Be for a specific group of students (at-risk kids, Aboriginal children, bilingual school, special school)
-Montessori.
-Steiner/Waldorf. (Some public schools will run streams in either program, when this happens, the schools are required to allow ALL students to receive the same opportunities if they wish ie they can't forbid students from learning a stringed instrument while the Steiner kids are required to do so)
-Run some other alternate program that I can't list here. (usually "progressive" education groups)
-Run a program that is NOT religious, but shows some elements of it. (For instance, there's one school where meditation is actively encouraged and is part of their day)

[Stitchwitch]

Originally Posted by fireheart17

-Steiner/Waldorf.

I read this as Statler/Waldorf and was wondering if they teach kids to sit in a balcony and heckle people.

[SongsOfDragons]

Originally Posted by Stitchwitch

I read this as Statler/Waldorf and was wondering if they teach kids to sit in a balcony and heckle people.

That would be awesome. Awesome and evil at the same time. It would make for great comedians, news readers, weather reporters...

DOHOHOHOHO!!! XD

Originally Posted by Rapscallion

Hmm, anyone else think that the thread title would make a great monster movie?

Rapscallion

A huge Transformer-Family Guy House Puppet-esque cathedral icks itself up and goes on a rampage, to be defeated by red tape?

WHERE CAN I BOOK TICKETS.

[Kristev]

I could see that. A couple of well-educated, knowledgable people sitting up there while Fox 'News' is taping, constantly heckling the idiocy and fact-free nonsense could be very useful.

[fireheart17]

Originally Posted by Stitchwitch

I read this as Statler/Waldorf and was wondering if they teach kids to sit in a balcony and heckle people.

Not quite. Rudolf Steiner founded the movement and sometimes the schools are called Waldorf schools because Steiner first started his movement in the Waldorf cigarette factory.

The Steiner/Waldorf system does branch into the artsy-fartsy-new-age-hippy kind of territory, but it does have some benefits to it.

Montessori is more self-directed, go-at-your-own pace, encouraging independence type thing. The difference is that unlike Steiner, Montessori doesn't have a set curriculum per se and as long as the topic fits into the curriculum, it will be covered.

ETA: to elaborate on my earlier post, quite a few schools are run on Montessori principles, but cannot call themselves truly Montessori for one reason or another. These sometimes are known as "progressive" schools.