A friend of mine recently asked me my opinion on the whole schooling thing; homeschooling vs. public vs. private school. Actually, I shouldn't say "verses." It's not fair to pit these 3 different types of schooling against one another. It's not a competition. Neither is our children's education. All of these schooling methods can be great. If you've read anything in the "about me" section of my blog, you know we send our kids to public school. We LOVE the school our daughter goes to. My straight forward, no beating around the bush opinion about it all is, you gotta do what works best for your family. We moved to this particular area because we knew private school was not an option for us at the time and this area is known for it's top notch public schools. I considered homeschooling for about 3 seconds mainly because I didn't like the idea of becoming a slave to the school calendar. I wanted to maintain the sense of freedom that we had enjoyed for the first 5 years of my daughter's life. Besides, it takes a special person to be able to homeschool. I have several friends who do it and love it. I know it would not work for our family. I don't have the patience or desire to be organized and disciplined enough to homeschool. Plus, since I have experienced having 2 out of 3 kids in school, I can admit that I kinda like having that time of not so many kids. Don't get me wrong, I love having my kids around. I love when they are on a break from school and am sad when the break is over. I can, however, appreciate the times when they are in school and I am able to go to the grocery store unaccosted, or only have to have 1 kid in tow when I have a Dr.'s appointment. Anyway, you get my point. Homeschooling is great, just not for us.
So that left us with 2 options, Public or Private. Then we looked at how much private cost and that left us with one option, Public. And like I said, we really love the school Kristin goes to. She has had a great experience there. No, she does not receive a Christan education while at school. She gets that before school, after school, in the evenings, on the weekends....You get my point. She may not be getting an education from a Christan worldview from 7:50-2:20, but she is getting that from us. That is our job as her parents. No matter where they attend school. Our daughter is very aware that not everyone in her class loves Jesus or goes to church. And that pains her. She wants to tell people the truth. If only we all could be so bold and childlike in our faith!
Occasionally, we think of moving away, like maybe even to FL to be near my parents. (Don't get too excited, Mom. We just like to fantasize now and then.) One big thing that would hold me back from a move like that is the schooling situation. The public schools there don't hold a candle next to what we experience here. I think we've been spoiled. We most likely would go the private school route if we were to move there. However, going to a private, Christan school would not diminish our job to help our kids grow in the ways of the Lord or memorize Scripture or talk about ways to relate to others in a Christ like manner or how to share the gospel. My friend who was asking me my opinion on the subject finds herself in a similar situation only reverse. Her kids are in a private school that they love but may be moving soon and is unsure what to do about school. My quick answer is, it depends on where you move to. What are the public schools like where you are moving? I know of a website that is pretty good and tells you info on schools all around the country. It's http://www.greatschools.net/. They give schools an overall rating between 1 and 10 and then break it down in several categories. You can see things like test scores, teacher student ratio, even things the amount of kids on free and reduced lunch and ethnicity.
Having been a teacher myself (in not great schools, mind you. On the greatschools.net website, the first school I taught at got a 2 out of 10 rating and the second school a 3), one piece of advice I can give even if you find yourself having to send your kids to a school that is not your top choice, is to be involved. Make yourself known to your children's teachers, principal, any and everyone at school. Find ways to volunteer there as much as you can. Meet your child for lunch. Stay in constant contact with the teacher. Much of this contact, you may need to initiate. That's fine. Do it anyway. Stay on them. If your child's teacher knows you personally and knows how involved you are and knows that the lines of communication are completely open between you and the school, your child may be treated differently. Better. The first school I taught at was an inner city school. I never even met all my students' parents much less had any kind of relationship with them. There was one student, however, whose mom was very involved. As her teacher, I was very aware of this. I knew that whatever went on in the classroom was going to be reported back to this parent. I also knew if she had any questions or concerns, she would be at my classroom door. It made a difference to me as the teacher and I'm sure it was a positive thing for the child.
I have another friend who's kids were attending public school in this area, but then moved to a town known for not good schools and since private school was not an option for them either, decided to homeschool. As far as I know, it's working for them. I'm pretty sure she never before thought much of homeschooling her kids, but when left with no other options, they have made it work.
In the end, we are Christans. We are raising our kids to love and honor God. Our life is being a child of God. We can do nothing without behaving as so. Our life is entwined with being followers of Christ. It's part of who we are. It doesn't matter where our kids go to school. Public school does not change or alter this in us in the slightest. We live in a fallen world. Private school is part of that fallen world. It's not a safe haven. It is temporal.
We are fortunate enough to live in a wonderful school district. If we never move, our children will most likely always go to public school. It is our prayer, that where ever they go in life, that they be lights of Christ in an otherwise dark world.
I hope this helps, E!
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