What Type of School is Right for Your Child?

There are different ways to obtain an education for school- age students. As parents we have to consider our choices and decide which is best for our children. One type of education may work for one child but not for another. I went to private school, then pubic school, and then I home-schooled. This article is from my opinion of educational choices. My parents had five children we all went to private school then to public school. I was the only one that home -schooled, and did so for my high school years.

Private school: Although there are different types of private school most of them are religious. There are Christian, Catholic, and Seventh Day Adventist, Mennonite, and Monastery, among others. The private school I went to was Christian, non- denominational. It provided an excellent education compared to public school. They strived for academic success and usually achieved it. Problems that arise with today's society concerning sex, drugs, and foul language were alien to the school. When I went, the parents had to sign a mandatory waiver allowing the principal to paddle your child as a method of discipline. Discipline issues arose minimal among students and your child was safer than in the public schools. My parents at the time made a good choice with our education. The cost had increased for private school and my parents could no longer afford to pay for five children to attend.

When my eldest son began his education I put him in private school. This turned out to not be a good choice. Private school use to exceed our expectations but years later this was not the case. The education was mediocre and his fellow peers had many issues. It turned out that most of the children were one extreme to another. They were either from a strong, religious, and self- centered family or they were attending private school because they were kicked out of public school for behavioral problems. If one family was not in the clique then your child was excluded from birthday parties and parents from field trips. The problem was so great that my son's teacher would not even pass out invitations to my son's birthday party. No one showed up, I later asked another parent and she told me the teacher didn't give anyone the invitations. When I asked the teacher she told me she did and she waved me off like I was a fly disturbing her. When my son had problems with another student we talked to the teachers and the principal. They dismissed our concern and the principal asked if he could talk to my son alone to see if he was lying. Of course, we said no. The child he was having problems with had severe issues with dishonesty and behavioral problems already being acknowledged by the school. My son has always had an honest and well-behaved disposition. The problem was never demolished and we withdrew him from that school.

Not all problems are the same with all private schools, but each school you're interested in needs to be closely monitored and analyzed.

Public school: At first I had nightmares about the thought of public school because of horror stories I had heard. I expected fights, shootings, drugs, sex, and a bad education. The stories were fairly true. I started going to public school in 5^th grade. I never heard my first curse word until public school. I got into my first fight my first year in public school. My private school education had put me advanced among the other students and the teachers couldn't accommodate my education. I was told to sit and read books and write book reports instead of participating in class. By junior high, gangs flooded the school, guns and knives were brought by students, and fights were a daily show. Drugs and sex were common lingo and acted out among the students as well. I transferred public schools before I even finished my first year in junior high. The second middle school I went to was better. It had a higher class of people. There were fewer fights, sex, drugs, and no guns and knives. The education was still poor. The teachers told me to pick up a dictionary and find my own spelling words in class because the work they had was too easy for me. I sat in the hall, every day, almost all day, finding my own class work. I got to a point that I realized if I were to continue with a public school education than I would have graduated with minimal knowledge. I decided to home-school for high school.

My children go to public school now and receive an excellent education, far better than I received in private school. They learn to associate with others and follow directions set by other adults. We have been lucky, because problems are monitored more so then when I was in public school. My children know swear words but also know it's not appropriate in our home and they are not to speak them anywhere. We have also discussed sex and drugs and they are important topics that even small children need to be aware of. Public school is a good choice for my children because they understand that even though our world is polluted with inappropriate behavior that is not a behavior we accept. My children love the involvement they have with other children and still feel academically challenged from day to day. When the day comes, that peer pressure is too much or their education is failing. Then we know there are other choices to consider.

Home-school: Making a major decision to home-school took time to organize and commitment on my part. My parents worked and therefore, I would have to continue to educate myself. I did, and finished my work in two years compared to the typical four. I wanted to start taking classes at the local college but back then, home-school was not accredited and the college would not allow me to take classes without a G.E.D. I took the college placement test before my G.E.D and scored entry college level. The same score most high school graduates get. I got my G.E.D. next. Now, high-school students can take college level classes while in high school. If that choice had been available to me than home-school would have been more effective. I enjoyed home-schooling during my high school years for many reasons. I could focus on the harder subjects and I had more time during the day to help my parents. I packed lunch for my dad and helped him remodel their house, I cooked dinner at night and cleaned the house, and I also worked a job. I had more time during the day to accommodate many things. When home-schooling yourself it takes hard work and motivation. You have to be committed to your education and stay focused. If you are home-schooling a small child it takes time, organization, and patience. The major problem with home-schooling is the lack of social life. Unless your child is involved in activities with one-on-one contact with similar aged children they miss out on learning how to work with others. High-school students who home- school have the ability to drive or take a city bus to other activities. I would go to the city library or the local college and do homework to stay involved with others who had the same interests. But when children are small they depend on their parents to keep them involved in the world. Sheltering children from world problems only enables your child to become a greater target to peer pressure or develop social problems when they are older and on their own. Another problem with home-schooling is the lack of opportunity to be involved in science labs such as biology. Most homes are unable to access microscopes and animals for dissection so the student is limited to books. Some parents also have lack of knowledge on certain subjects and are unable to help with homework. Since the student is home-schooled they are limited on academic assistance.

The choice of the education your child receives is determined by the parents and the student. Sometimes, parents are set on their decision but problems arise and another choice needs to be considered. Whatever your educational decisions are they are considered on what's best for your family. By that, your decision is usually the right one.