Last week, while I stared longingly at a glass of wine fully knowing I would be behind the wheel of a car in the next five minutes my aunt sprung a school question on me, asking if we were going to enroll my son in a local private school for preschool.
I’m still not quite ready to answer that question the smartest way, even though I feel like an overachiever and he will be attending a small preschool twice a week in the fall- complete with sweet little ladies and crafts with glue. he’s really into glue right now.
Wonder Boy turns three in October and I wasn’t quite ready for the hassle preschool- and for that matter the next 16 years of schooling- can be.
Wonder Boy, I am not ashamed to brag, is a smart kid. And all of our choices so far in his not-even-three years of life have been with a public school education in mind. In California, the public school system is struggling, and with that brings even greater stress as my son gets closer to kindergarten age.
It seems teachers are always getting the raw end of the deal- a majority of the daylight hours means a majority of the education being passed on- including ethics, morality, discipline and nutrition along with reading, writing and math.
It’s such a big responsibility to be a teacher- how many of us remember that one teacher we loved most?
How frustrating it must be to be a teacher right now- working mostly toward testing goals instead of simple, pure educational and fulfilling goals? How many items do they have to check off of a list daily?
I’m already wondering what kind of classroom experience my son will have- yes, in my current conversations, my son’s future teachers are already a topic of discussion.
Beyond the fact that Wonder Boy has had peers in preschool for a year already, there is talk of redshirting and charter and private schools and… wow. There’s a lot to absorb.
Social events seem to have already moved on from potty training talk (which we’ve hardly started, don’t tell his preschool teacher) to preschool choices and kindergarten readiness.
Um, does PBS count?
I always knew I’d be involved with his education but I didn’t think it would start this early. I knew I’d be offering educational options at home, trips to places beyond school, and trying to push just a little more world view into his life.
I understand how much an adult’s role plays in a child’s education, and how much not only a parent’s support means to a student but also a teacher’s role means.
Mission Possible by Eva Moskowitz and Arin Lavinia is a guide to how the Success Academy schools have worked and succeeded, giving advice for how to keep students and teachers learning and growing.
One of the first ideas they talk about is how ‘it’s all about the adults’ and continues from there, showing their path to sucessful ‘scholars’ in their New York Success Academy Charter Schools.
I love that idea- take care of the adults and the children will follow.
It reminds me of our decision to always use normal language around my son- he understands a lot more than we think he does because he’s heard the words used so many times.
Kids need a strong lead to follow, right?
This is the kind of thoughts going through my head every time I see education cuts looking in our state’s budget.
If you’re like me, and am pondering my child’s education (or considering changing it) this is a read for you.
I have a copy of Mission Possible to give away!
To enter, just leave a comment on this post with a concern about the quality of your child’s (or future child, or anyone’s) education.
Entriers end August 9th, and I will announce the winner on August 10th, 2012, chosen randomly.
You can follow Success Academy Charter Schools founder Ava Moskowitz on Facebook and Twitter.
I was compensated and given a copy of the book to review and a copy to give away. All opinions are my own.
As a former LASUD teacher, I feel directly connected to the educational system in LA. I have taught at schools that are both low and high socio-economic areas and have enjoyed both experiences. I think that children in both group need the guidance of good teachers. We moved to the South Bay a few years ago because we wanted our children to be able to go to public schools, but were aware that (sadly) not all school districts are created equally. We now live in one of the top school districts in the state and relieved that at least the public vs private decision is behind us. However, this year we were faced with the decision about whether or not to send our daughter with a Fall birthday to Kindergarten or to give her one more year of preschool. These parenting decisions about education are difficult and I think I would be fooling myself if I thought they would get easier.
Luckily we know what our ultimate goal (happy, confident, positive self-efficacy, and enjoy learning) is for both our children and try to keep that in mind when making these and other tough decisions.
It’s ashamed that U.S has such a terrible education system, even Mexico (Private Schools) has better education!
Great Post! My niece is at “that age” where school is just around the corner and my sister is going through the painful process to decide public or private!
I’m already thinking about this for my son, who is only six months old. I am very nervous about the quality of public schools in Los Angeles (in the neighborhoods we can afford anyway) and I want my son to get the best education possible.
Exactly! I have an 18 month old son, and I worry every day about his future education. My father was a pblic school teacher before he retired and you could see over his career how much his love of teaching changed, it just got harder will all the requirements, harder to really conenct and teach what is important. Due to having an amazing teacher as a father, I always beleived in the public school system…but am beginning to have my doubts!
THe state of the schools can be discouraging. I think individually they are trying to make strides. Hopefully kids get teachers that care and a principal who knows how to make the best of what he/she has. My son starts kinder in a few weeks. Thankfully it is a decent school with an API over 900. We live on the boarder of two districts. I’ve subbed in the other one and yes, they do work making the most, I’m glad we are in the one we are in.