Public, Private, Charter, Home????

This is the question of a lot of my friends these days.  We are in that time of our lives where are kids are starting school and what are we going to do?  Where are we going to send them?  What is the best choice?

Honestly, there isn't a good answer to the questions.  It all depends on where you live, who your child is, your own experiences, and life in general.  There are pros and cons to every choice.  My husband and I come from a background of public school.  We both excelled and did well and look now have become an architect and a teacher; a public school teacher at that. 

This year, we sent our son Jay to the public school, Bain, in our area.  We could not have asked for a better school, better teachers, better staff, and I could go on, especially since I went there.  Our decision was based on several things. 
     Our school system, although some may hate it, is one of the best. 
     The system can put tons of money into technology, books, resources, teachers, where the other choices can not.   
     Our kids can be exposed to others in the area around them where maybe in another setting they can not.
     We want to spend money on our kids college and not put all that money into grades K-12 when we have perfectly good, free schools.
     In public schools, most everyone is a certified teacher.  Although not everyone would agree, testing keeps teachers on track for what they are to be teaching in the classroom, whereas elsewhere that may not be the case and they can delete anything from the curriculum.

Being a public school teacher, I see the opportunities that are available in these schools that may not be available elsewhere.  Public schools can offer more advanced/AP classes later on down the line.  Or maybe your child is not as advanced.  Later on for our middle child who has down syndrome, we will be looking at Special Education classes, therapies and such to help him through school.  In other schools, these resources are very limited if they exist at all.

Public school isn't always the answer and most of the news everyone sees is the bad at the schools.  There are tons of bad kids, they've taken God out of school, and so on.  Honestly, it is all in how your child makes it out to be and you make it out to be.  Me as a teacher can not bring up the subject or subject your student to my religion, but if someone ask me a question, I can answer it.  Students can bring Bibles; we even have a Bible class taught at our school, (a plus is it is taught by a preacher).  We also have clubs associated with Christianity. Students can pray.  We haven't taken the pledge out of the school, we say it every day.  Jay's school had a moment of silence everyday where if they wanted, could pray.  As for bad kids, they are everywhere.  The only difference is, private and charter schools can kick them out.  (to be honest, is that the right thing to do or should we be helping them where they are).  We can't and we have to find alternative ways to deal with problems.  We can get creative as teachers.

Today, we see tons of charter schools and small private institutions pop up around us, but is this really the answer?  Some of them have little funds to put into the students textbooks, technology, and learning.  Their teachers may be qualified and are the best, but are we keeping our kids from certain things? 

However, we do have some private schools in the area that are excellent and have everything, but are you willing to pay the price?  The past nine summers I have taught at Providence Day school.  Although it isn't the full private school experience, I experience enough to know that this school and a few others do, do it right.  I not only teach their students, but others around the area from other schools, mainly other private schools.  Some students do well and are right on, while others seem behind in their math skills even though they may have made an awesome score at their school.  Some students seem really sheltered while others have experienced the world.

I just caution you to choose the best for you and your child as you start to look into schools.  Some things to consider and to look into when you are trying to decide:

1.  How much of the school day is school work and learning?  Or how much is play?  Sometimes schools look great because they go to this place and have this program and that, but is that program teaching your child something?  A lot of times I see half days at some schools.  Trust me, a half day is not always the most productive since kids know they are getting out early.

2.  How are YOU as a parent involved in your child's learning?  It doesn't matter what you choose, do you sit down and do homework with your child?  Are you asking them about their school day and interested in who they played with and talked to throughout the day?  Students need to learn at home as well.  Learning doesn't stop in the classroom.

3.  Does your child have time to interact with others?  This is a key component with kids.  This can be hard for home school parents, but are you involved with other families/churches/groups/sports teams where your child can play and interact?  All too often I see parents home school their child until 8th grade and all of a sudden in 9th grade they throw them into high school.  It is culture shock, unless they have had experiences outside of the home school experience.

4.  Is the curriculum challenging enough?  A lot of times smaller schools are not challenging enough for brighter learners or maybe they are not as equipped to handle the slower learners.  Decide for yourself who your child is.  Be honest with yourself, not everyone's child is the brightest and smartest.  Decide what school is the best fit for him/her.

5.  Realize summer isn't all fun and games and vacation. Please help your teachers out by working with your kids over the summer with their schooling.  This summer, Jay continues to read and expand his reading vocabulary.  I continue to make him write every so often in a journal as well as complete two books on reading and math.

Learning is an ongoing process.  Make sure you choose the best for your child and that you are apart of this process as well.  School isn't just about them, it is about you as a parent as well.