Education: A tough cookie.
I sat at a dinner table conversation with family and friends a few weeks ago, and the topic of private vs. public education came to the surface. In the spirit of full disclosure, my children attend a private Christian elementary school. But really, what was intriguing about the conversation wasn't my personal family choice, but rather a comment that was made regarding parents who choose a private school rather that a public school. The observation made was that 'parents who pay for education in a private school setting are usually less involved than parents who send their kids to public school' that when 'parents write the check, they seem to think with the additional cost of a private school, that also means the school has more responsibility to raise the child.'
I just love private vs. public school discussions.
I once heard it said that everyone considers themselves an expert in education, because it's one of the very few things we all experience. We all were students once, we all had to go to school. So we all think we know what's best. As I've started to navigate those choices with my own children, I couldn't agree more. Everyone has an opinion, a very personal opinion. And if you contradict that opinion, well, frankly all hell can break loose. You even see it among educators; many times you'll see them agree to disagree on curriculums, recess times, and classroom structure. When you enter into the public/private discussion it becomes even more contemptuous. Comments range from discussions about private school families thinking they are better than everyone else to public school teachers feeling slighted by families who make a decision to send their children elsewhere. I can honestly say, I didn't pay much attention to this when my children were not school age, what an eye opener it was when they entered school. Everyone judges, everyone finger points and everyone personalizes. Feels like a ripe old place to send your little one into, doesn't it? Just what I want for my six year old.
And when I thought I'd heard it all, I got to hear about how private school parents are more disengaged. Now, I won't argue, that there likely are folks out there who cut a check to a private school and walk away from their child's lives. Just like there are public school parents who send their kid to school, and never engage. But that has nothing to do with what school a child attends. That has everything to do with distracted parents, who for whatever reason cannot engage with their school aged child in their learning journey. Just because we have built a country that demands two person incomes in a household, that we have so glorified work, money, things and being busy that stepping out of that mix is detrimental financially and precipitates immense amount of guilt doesn't mean that we can pin point the issue of parent engagement down to whether the child goes to private or public school. Good grief that's complete generalization and over simplification. In fact, I'd go so far as to say, that's judging someone because you don't agree with the decision made. Parents are going to be as engaged with their child and school about as much as they make up their minds to be. End of story.
I am the child of a public school teacher. I watched her pour her heart and soul into adult education, she built a GED program from scratch. I am the product of public school and I am proud of my alma mater, I learned many things as a Nevada Tiger. I know the sacrifices teachers make. I know how they are the ultimate cheerleader, the forever glass half full optimist that works and works and works with students so they can succeed. There's not another person I'd want in my corner than a teacher. They see the good in every learner. I thank God everyday for teachers, all teachers, private, public or home.
There is one little tidbit I need to air out here, and we might have to agree to disagree. I believe you will find most parents who send their children to a private school believe in public education. Let me say that again, they BELIEVE in public education. I support education, all the way around. My personal decision to send my children to a Christian school has no bearing on my thoughts about public school. I picked the school that was best for my young children. I reflected on how I wanted my children to know the love of Christ, even during school hours. If you think a parent picks a school to spite a public school, I think you need to self reflect on your personal insecurities. Our world needs better and brighter young people to lead us through some of our most difficult times. You're sticking your head in the sand if you think we aren't facing difficult times in this world - and further more you're completely naive if you think the problems can be solved by only a certain set of young people. We need them all. Public education is financed by all of us. We all have a stake in it whether we send our children to private school - we still pay the tax that funds the public entity. Even those who do not have children or whose children are grown have a stake in public education. It's a community issue, not a school board, superintendent or teacher issue to address. The entire community needs to be involved. The bigger issue with public education is that we allowed bureaucrats to monopolize the conversation. The local influence, heck even the state influence, in public education has been whittled to nearly nothing. And that, folks, is how you strip away an education system that works to promote a child's learning, rather than fill a standard cut hole in a broken process. We try to politicize education, and it doesn't deserve that treatment. Both sides of the aisle are at fault with handling public education. Because it's too far away from the ground level. Federal decisions impact local outcomes and our children's lives, what a sad day of realization it was for me when I found out that I can have little to no influence over my child's education in a public school setting. I'm no control freak( well, ok I am a little bit of a control freak, just ask my husband), but who better knows their child than a parent? I can certainly say the government doesn't know my child better, but we keep allowing federal bureaucracy to dictate how we run our educational system.
I believe in education for all. In a process that upholds the best interest of a community and a child. I want public education to be academically rigorous. The decision to send a child to private school often has to do with the child's personal learning needs, and I'd kindly ask you to step away from making everything about you if you can't get over that fact. It's a learning journey for a student, not for the sake of filling in a circle on a standard exam, but for the sake of actual learning. The love of learning is what we should be looking to instill in children, not whether they check the box. Parent engagement or not, we've struggled with education to meet those needs. I want to hope that we are working to fix it, I grasp to the idea that I can make a difference. And so I do, two little people at a time. Not because I don't support public education or that I think a private school will raise my children for me. I do it because I have a limited time to shape my children, and during that precious time I will give it all I have to make a change in the world for the better. Whether our kids attend public or private school, we should be joining hands together, to make those positive impacts for all and not wasting our time analyzing who goes where.