Some of the posters have admitted that they don't have kids, and don't know
too much about the schools here. I have a son who will be starting
kindergarten this fall. Because I could, I have spent the last year looking
at the mind-boggling assortment of educational institutions available in
this area, including both public and private schools. I have looked at
Blake, Breck, SPA, The International School, Solon Academy, The Classical
Academy, Minnehaha Academy, Christ the King, Waldorf and Lake Country. On
the public school side, I have looked at open, Montessori, magnet, community
and charter, including, but not limited to Emerson, Downtown, Jefferson,
Barton and Kenwood. Our community school is Kenwood and it is one and half
blocks away from our house. We applied to some, were accepted to some,
wait-listed for others and rejected by a few. We have chosen a private
school.
Our choice will have our son riding a bus, while his neighborhood school is
steps away. But our decision was based on a number of factors - and
frankly - given the quality of our neighborhood school, it was close. Some
strong factors for us were the variety of extra programs available, some of
the highest test scores in the state, parental involvement, and that
intangible "feel". The strongest negative factor for our community school
was a 7:40 start time - with morning kindergarten ending at 10:30 and
afternoon starting at around 11:00 after "lunch" at 10:30 or so. One aside
on the start time - we keep hearing about "child centered education", but
the school schedules are driven by bus schedules - how child centered is
that? We keep hearing from parents that they got "used to" getting their
kids up at 6:00 to be out of the house by 7:15, but why should anyone have
too!? Also - we spent five years walking by the school to the park, and
heard language on the school ground, at the bus stop and at the deli that I
don't even use - and I've been accused in the past of having a foul mouth.
Will my son hear this stuff at his private school? Probably, but most likely
sooner rather than later, and I anticipate having a little more control over
it. Last - we have been harassed walking by the bus stop and at the park by
some of the kids, even those supposedly being supervised by the park and rec
employees. Will we have bullies in private school? I expect so - but I
expect less tolerance.
Some of the public schools we looked at were just delightful, some totally
grim - peeling paint, dirty halls, no books in the library, classes there as
well because of a lack of space. What do public schools offer over private?
Fantastic support for special needs kids. A huge variety of electives for
high school kids - much more than private schools can offer. Often better
and more equipment - computers, AV, lab. Often more realistic career and
college counseling. Unbelievable diversity in race, sexual orientation,
ethnicity and religion - and we do consider that a value.
Are we uncomfortable with the privilege issues in private school? Yep.
We've heard all the stories and have to pay attention to our own family
values. We have to try to be diligent not to let our kid get sucked into
the vanity of money and birth. But we have to do that at home as well - and
in our own extended family.
Are we doing our part to support public schools? Well, we pay huge property
taxes that we will not personally benefit from, and we have always voted in
support of more money for schools. Do we owe our first and only born to the
cause? We don't think so. And our choice is just that - ours, and the best
we can make. We owe nothing to those who think we are racist, classist or
elitist, or whatever other "ists" writers can come up with.
The little secret of public schools? The "gifted" programs, the
International Baccalaureate program that some describe as a two track
school - or a school within a school - classes that the motivated kids
attend that take them away from less focussed, less motivated and perhaps
distracting kids. In other words - the better teachers, materials and
programs may be available to those kids who are willing to work for them -
even in public school. Right or wrong? Is it elitism based on ability?
Motivation? Parental involvement? You decide.
One question I never thought of was raised at some school meetings - how to
keep kids safe with friends outside of school. In other words - if a
community school kid is friends with a bussed kid and wants to go home for a
play date to a neighborhood with alot of street shootings, what do you do.
Current parents said it doesn't happen - kids still play with and are
friends with kids in their own neighborhood. So how much do disadvantaged
kids get from more privileged kids? I don't know.
Another point - believe me - many parents who can afford to want to send
their kids to private school and can't. They are going to public school by
default. The private schools are FULL. Like dozens of kids on wait lists.
Like 200+ applications for 20 openings. One mom - a transferee from NYC
whose kid was unable to get into the private schools of their choice said to
me "People better start looking at how full these schools are and their
admissions decisions based on legacy and sibling preference if they expect
corporations to be able to recruit families here. Who is going to want to
move here if their kids have no chance at getting into the schools of their
choice?" Her opinion is we need to be building more private schools since
the existing ones are over subscribed.
Finally - one of the posts mentioned that public school teachers might be
better motivated if they were paid as well as private. I understand from my
brother - an art teacher at a private school, that that isn't true. Public
school teachers in most cases are much better paid - I imagine because of
labor organization. Private school teachers choose private schools for
other reasons - like we parents do - not for the money.
D. Klein
Kenwood, Ward 7
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