With school getting ready to start, the arguments for public, private and home schooling abound. And I do have an opinion on this. There's a real shocker.
My strongest belief on this matter is that every student is different and anyone who advocates a type of school over a particular school has lost my vote.
My kids have primarily been at parochial schools. The main reason is Hubby's and I firm belief that religion isn't something you practice on Sundays. Being in an environment where God is referred to, turned to and given reverence is reinforcing what lessons are being taught at home. Some parochial schools do this better than others, which is why we transferred our kids out of one into another. Too often I hear the argument for academics as a reason for parochial school. In reality, the public schools in my area offer much more in the area of academics with gifted programs throughout elementary schools and an almost limitless selection of AP and dual enrollment courses, not to mention the vast electives offered, in high school. But our goal of parenting has never been to 'churn out' the brightest, best educated child. Our goal is to raise people who know and will serve God. Success to us is not the amount of money one makes. Obviously we wish our children to be able to support themselves. But I'd much rather them struggle to make ends meet in a job that does not encourage cheating, and dishonesty than making millions is a job that requires unethical corner-cutting. We want our girls to have a personal relationship with God and to be able to turn to Him for all their needs. But most parochial schools have a least some basic similarities.
Once you start talking public schools, it is hard to find similarities that are true for all of them across the board. The county the school is in determines a great deal about the school, but the principal and teachers make a school. A good principal will make a school a real community of support for the students. That is a hit or miss proposition, even in a system known for excellence. Hillsborough county is the 8th largest school district in the country. There is some awesome educating going on in this county. There is also some terrible things being done. The school and the individual class your child ends up in, makes a huge difference. We sent the Imp to the IB program because we feared boredom at the Catholic high school. But, boredom, is not the worst thing to happen to a student. In addition to the academic requirements being too vigorous for the Imp, the atmosphere was definitely anti-Catholic. Teachers and students, through comments and facial expressions, let the Imp know that her beliefs were seen as antiquated and ridiculously naive. Especially on the issue of abortion, where preventing a mother's 'right to choose" to kill her baby was seen as comparable to preventing women the right to vote or own property. I've taught in public schools, not all are like this. And the argument that you can't mention God in public schools is not true. I mentioned God as a teacher. I was careful to present things as my belief and always included that this was why I loved the USA because I could believe differently than my president, etc. But my students knew I was Christian.
Homeschooling was something I never really considered when my kids were little. There are definite advantages to this. But again, each situation, child, parent, means this is not the best schooling for everyone. I always liked being my child's advocate. After a day at school, the home was their haven. I liked my children seeing different expectations from different teachers, yet all being Christian. I think a drawback of parochial/private schools is an elitist attitude: n attitude that all public school kids are heathens or juvenile delinquents. I've worked to prevent that idea, but it is an uphill battle. I think home schooled kids, have an even stronger pull to see the world as us versus them. And the us group is very, very small and the them is most of the world. Again, I'm not making a universal statement for all homeschoolers, but an observation of an easy pitfall. Different parents are better able to teach their own children. Even as a teacher, I'm not sure I'm the one to be school teacher for my kids. I've taught my girls lots, and often taught them a great deal while helping with homework. But that's still a very different role than teacher of all things. If you look around, each choice [public, private/parochial or home school] has graduates that are bright, articulate, kind people and each has maladjusted criminals. Parenting will always have a stronger impact than schooling and so much more than an educational system forms a child.
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