school that is…
“The early years are transcendentally the most important and if this nation wishes ultimately to achieve excellence, we will give greater priority and attention to the early years and start affirming elementary teachers instead of college professors as the centerpiece of learning.”–Ernst L. Boyer
As I go back and forth, I am reminded of the above. Private school is expensive and no all private schools are created equal. I cringe at the idea of spending more on a year of pre-school than I paid for my entire undergraduate degree. But I also balk at the idea of not giving my kids the best education available to them. The foundation of the rest of their educational life is early childhood and elementary education. It is so important to early on get kids interested in learning and to give them excellent opportunities for learning. Am I saying that there aren’t good public schools and awesome teachers at these public schools? No, I’m not. There is a different feel and atmosphere at public schools than there is at the private schools we are looking at.
We are beginning to tour schools and fill out applications–hard to believe–and it’s an unnerving task to be evaluated for pre-school when all I have to do is sign him up at our local school–which I wouldn’t consider doing for any reason–it’s not a good district and has many many issues. I want my kids to go to a school where the kids are put first–where the children are the main focus and where the goal is to educate the whole child and offer many different types of learning opportunities.
Where do your kids go? Why?
Embracing Imperfection 
We went through this same thing with our daughter, who forged the way for our son. It was a topic that dominated every conversation with friends and when we met someone for the first time our first question was ‘where do your kids go to school’ closely followed by ‘how do you like it’. Ultimately, we started at a school that was highly recommended only to really, really dislike it. We ended up at a very exclusive (and I’m sure over-priced) private school and we’re still there. Our daughter is in a very small class and has every opportunity to learn – and she loves it. Would she do as well at a public school? Possibly. I have friends whose opinions I value very highly and they love their public schools. I think the answer is that you have to do what is right for your family and your child and you may not like everything about a school (or a teacher) but it also isn’t a decision that is set in stone – we moved my daughter after pre-school and she was totally fine. If something at her current school changes, I feel like she will weather that because (a) she has parents who care and are involved, and (b) kids are resilient! I also feel that you will know the right school for you after you tour them and get a feel for what they are like – beware of the ‘open house’ – that is a school on its BEST behavior – make sure you ‘drop in’ and see what its really like on an average day.
One reason we didn’t want to go to public school (even the highly rated ones) was just the teaching philosophy – kids are tested constantly and most ‘conform’ to a learning style – whereas our private school really lets kids learn things in whichever way they learn best – not everyone learns the same way. Our private school also wants kids to fall in love with learning – then they put the pressure on in later grades.
So, am I long-winded or what! It shows that you care just by how much thought you are putting into it – just remember not to put too much pressure on yourself – kids with involved and educated parents will mostly likely do well regardless!
Oh, and ask everyone, but still do whats right for your family regardless of where your friends go! Good Luck! Sorry for the novelette!
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This is why we moved out to the county – for the school district – but I still wonder if we should move back to the city and go private. Or if we should stay here but go private in a more diverse neighborhood – that seems to be the major issue for us. Where are you looking? (You can tell me privately)
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Must go to raintree….check it out….you will not regret it. It is pretty far from you (you are in the city yes?) but it is AWESOME!!!!!
Mrs. Bakers last blog post..Best Quote Ever!!!
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My kids don’t go to preschool, they’re just home with me. My oldest is reading and doing simple math though, yay!
I’ll either homeschool or do public starting next year. I have a hard time with private schools–some of the mentality and of course the cost. Ultimately though I think that what you do at HOME will set the tone for your child in their love for learning, love of books, etc.
Good luck with your decision making!
Briannas last blog post..Random haps
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We’re lucky that we have a really good school system here (#1 in the state and top 10 in the country), but I still go back and forth, at least for preschool. Amelie is a smart kid and I want her to have every opportunity–she’s already learned so much in her daycare, which is set up like a private school. Pre-school at the public school starts next year. But then I think back to my fancy schmancy private college and think how many of my fellow students came from private schools (over 75%), and how many lovely habits they learned there–Ritalin to study for exams! How to be a better cheater! And on and on and on. Naive me from horrible public school in the middle of nowhere wasn’t sure what to do with herself–I’d never experienced anything like it. They got into a great college, but it’s not like they did any work there. But I also hate schools that teach for tests. It’s a toughie. You know schools better than most people, go with your gut for what feels right.
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Our kids attend an independent Christian school (private – although in Alberta we call them independant schools). We love it and don’t look back on our decision. The biggest draw for us is that the teachers and administration sign the same statement of faith that we as parents do. Our school is a parent operated private school serving parents from a variety of denominational backgrounds. Being parent operated means we get a say in what our kids are taught. We still follow the provincial standards and regulations (as our school receives partial funding), but make it our own. I sit on the Education Committee, which reviews policies, looks at the curriculum, and hires teachers.
Schooling of your children is your choice, some of my friends homeschool, others attend the Catholic School, and others go to the local public school. we all do it differently and look for different things, but we are happy with the choice we made.
Jodys last blog post..More Shopping
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Hi. Just reading your blog tonight. You might check out the Waldorf School in your area if you have one.
We homeschooled for 1 year after having my little one home with me from birth. We enrolled him in our local Waldorf school this year and we love it.
Good luck!
Dana
Danas last blog post..There Is No Me Without You
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One more thing. Waldorf does educate the whole child.
Check out http://www.awsna.org
or
whywaldorfworks.com
Danas last blog post..There Is No Me Without You
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Here is my condensed version of a very long story about schools. We lucked out and put our daughter in a Montessori preschool not knowing much about the philosophy but loved the feel and approach. She thrived there for 3 years. Then we bought a teeny house in the highest rated school district only to have her not want to go to school… now she is back in a private montessori and loving it. I am a former public school teacher so I really never thought we would go private. I can’t say enough good things about the montessori method. Let me know if you would like more info.
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Hey there. Of course I had to chime in on this (-:
On our homeschool to public school we hated back to homeschool to different public school we love… this is what I’ve learned. Class size is absolutely critical. The public school & preschools we love have capped class sizes, and it makes a HUGE difference. Also, go with your gut on the atmosphere of the place. You should feel at home there, you should feel comfortable with administrators and teachers, and you should have full access to your child whenever you want. Look for “open door” policies on classrooms and for teachers who welcome parents. Don’t base everything on test-scores, school scores, etc., or even on teacher qualifications. Some of our kids’ best teachers aren’t technically teachers by education – they are teaching on variances. Look for lots of heart, lots of commitment, and see if the teacher’s themselves have their own kids enrolled at the school.
As for pre-school, neither of our big guys did formal preschool, and both are excelling. I know teachers who don’t send their own kids to preschool either, and their kids are doing great, too. I recently read an article in one of hubby’s science journals that compared all the different influences on a child’s early education, and the factor with the most impact on the child’s educational success is their mother’s level of education. This was ranked beyond preschool programming, but preschool is something we as a society can control and provide for all kids to help them start out on equal footing; a kid pretty much gets the mom they get (-:
You’re so smart and you know what you want…be choosey and good luck! Sorry so long!
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hey, we should talk about this. did you go to the new city open house???
sarahs last blog post..In case you were wondering…
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