choices, choices, choices:
PUBLIC SCHOOL
PRIVATE SCHOOL
CHARTER SCHOOL
CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
HOME SCHOOL
--------------------HELP!!!-------------------------
PUBLIC SCHOOL
PRIVATE SCHOOL
CHARTER SCHOOL
CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
HOME SCHOOL
--------------------HELP!!!-------------------------
40 years ago, there wasn't much discussion about school. It was public for the vast majority, and private for an elite few. Gradually things shifted, with a wave of Christian schools opening in the late 70's, early 80's. A brave handful of people started pioneering the home-school frontier, and finally charter schools started popping up. Along with all these options comes another decision for parents to wrestle with: which is best for my family? This page is dedicated to helping you sort through the maze and put resources at your fingertips. It cannot be exhaustive, but it will definitely be a great springboard for you.
Public schools: Times they are a-changing! Back when I was in the third grade (ok, I'll admit it--1975), my teacher read the Bible to us on our lunch break. At school. In the classroom. It was not a private or Christian school. It was public all the way. He had done this for years. My class was the one that had a parent complain about it, and it was stopped. Over the years, the Bible and religious freedoms for Christians in the public square have been squeezed out, pushed back, and squelched. Our society is becoming ever increasingly secular. Do we need strong Christians in the public schools? Absolutely. Do I believe God is asking me to send my girls there? Absolutely not. Do you believe God is asking you to send your child to a public school? That is a question only you and your spouse can answer. There are risks in every arena of life, and God's grace is enough for whatever He calls you to do. This is not something to take lightly; consider carefully before you decide. Children in public schools are being faced with more hard core filth at younger and younger ages than ever. How involved in your child's every day are you going to be? Will you be available to accompany the class on field trips? Voluteer in the classroom? Do you know the teachers? Are any of them born again, or will you need to be deprogramming your child because of rigorous social engineering? Do you know the philosophy of the people that will be surrogate parents to your child for 6-8 hours every day? Believe me, there are very few places left that are dedicated to merely teaching the three R's. Many have an agenda to secularize and liberalize your child. By far, most places of public education are leaving out huge chunks of history having to do with our Christian heritage and are force-feeding a half-baked hypothesis called evolution, passing it off as if it were a proven law. I am not trying to talk you out of public education, but you need to be very aware of the particular issues at your school and equip your child to win the war against his/her soul. It is not a skirmish; it is not a battle. It is WAR. Can children still come up through public education standing strong for Jesus? Yes. Is it going to be easy? No way! Many succumb to the intense peer pressure and ideas that are subtly planted in their minds. But God is able, and God is right. What is He saying to you? Pray, search His Word, and get godly counsel. If He sends your child to public school, my advice to you is dig your heels in, roll your sleeves up, pray fervently, be ready to really come alongside your child, and keep informed about what he or she is being exposed to. Be as involved as humanly possible. Keep them centered in the Scripture and in prayer. Make sure they understand that people can be deceived, and if someone is teaching something that does not agree with God's Word, they are wrong. Cultivate an attitude of compassion for the lost. Be willing to take on issues with which you disagree, defending truth intelligently and with love. Private schools: Secular, non public education is something to consider if your child is in need of a more specialized brand of education, such as a military type, or college preparatory school. If your child is exceptionally bright and is bored with the traditional public fare, and you can afford it, this may be something to consider. There will still be the same issues to deal with as mentioned in the public school section, but perhaps not as intense. It differs from school to school, of course. Know your school, your teachers, and their mission and philosophy. What kind of student base is there? Is it predominately used as a reform school for kids in trouble, or is there only an occassional troubled kid? Personally, I never valued the educational aspect of my child's experience over the social/spiritual aspect, but if your child is a leader, and has a strong constitution, his or her chances of survival will be better than one who is a follower/people-pleaser. Know your child. Charter Schools: "Charter Schools. What are they? Charter schools fit in a niche between private and public schools. They are funded with public money (except for their facilities) and they are an alternative to regular public schools systems. A private group of people can submit and get approved a charter to run their own school. Charter schools receive waivers from public school districts in exchange for promising better academic results. Charters are usually given for 3-5 years, where an eye is kept on academic performance. If academic performance lags behind comparable public schools, then the “charter” is pulled and the school is closed." (from http://www.publicschoolreview.com/articles/3 written by Grace Chen). The charter school concept developed in the late 1980's. If there is a charter school choice in your area, check into it and see if it offers anything better for your child than the other choices available. They are publicly funded, so they do not charge tuition. Christian Schools: This is an option for those who can afford the monthly payment. Advantages to a Christian school are: 1. Christian emphasis 2. Easier access to more opportunities than homeschool (music, art,drama, sports, foreign language, labs) 3. Social benefits; Christian friends Disadvantages are cost, smaller fewer opportunities to be a witness to un-churched people, and a damaged view of Christianity if your child has a bad overall experience. There are traditional classroom models, and others, such as ACE (accellerated Christian education) where a child learns on their own from booklets called PACEs, asking for help from a teacher or monitor when needed. I actually attended an ACE school for my last 7 years of grade school and loved it. I got out of my education exactly what I put into it, which would have been pretty much the same anywhere I went. What I loved was the field trips, regional and national music and sport competitions, having Christian friends, choir, and playing ball in the afternoon when our schoolwork was finished by 2:00. Student-led prayer after lunch was uplifting as well. My Christian school experience was very positive, thanks to some wonderful people who made a lot of sacrifices to make it all come together. Thanks to my parents and the Pilgrim Bible Academy. Many of the people who influenced me the most are no longer there, but it is great to know the work continues! Home School: this is the route I chose to take with all but three or four years of schooling with my own children--at least so far. I have six years to go, so our story is not finished yet. I do have one graduate who is doing very well with her first year of college. We started off with A BEKA books all through elementary, and switched to Christian school when their dad became a teacher there. They attended on and off for four years, then came back home. For middle school and high school, we started using Switched On Schoolhouse which has worked very well for all three of our girls. The lessons are planned out with a daily schedule to follow, and all the subjects are on separate disks. The disadvantage to this system is that if a disk is lost or scratched, you have to replace it (they are about $90.00 each). So far we have only had to replace one disk over 5 years. We bought each of the girls their own cd case to keep the school disks in, and it has worked out fine. We have been very happy with A Beka curriculum for elementary and Switched On Schoolhouse for middle/high school. You will find discounted courses if you type those curriculums into the CBD search box in the right column. There are many other options. I suggest the book "100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum", linked to the right. There is also a book that is very helpful for planning out curriculum from preschool through graduation. |
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