Pro Public School by Veronica

August 10th, 2010 in Private Public Homeschool Series

Veronica blogs at Welcome to My Chaos and is one of the sweetest gals. This is her pictured with the Good Things Utah talk show gals. She is on the far left. Today she is helping me out by sharing why she is PRO Public School:

I’m the wife of a wonderful man and the mom of 5 great kids who love school, excel at sports & hate to clean their rooms.

I like where I live. I like my neighborhood, I like my city and I like our local public schools. This year I will have a child in high school, a child in junior high and 3 in elementary. I was raised in the public school system and I am raising my kids in public schools. We live a 5-7 minute walk from our local elementary. When the debate between public/private/home schools takes place it can get heated. There are always two (or more) sides to a story. I have the option to send my kids to a nearby charter school, which several of my neighbors choose to do. I also have the freedom to home school like one of the families in our neighborhood chooses to do. I am grateful to have each of these options available to me and I choose the public school system.

I have never been unhappy with the progress my kids have made. I believe that going to school helps my kids learn to be independent. I have a sister who homeschooled one of her children, 2 more sisters whose children attend their local charter school and a mother who is a strong/vocal supporter of choice in education. The opportunities for socialization that my kids get at school are important to me.

I want my kids to know there are good adults out there, other than Mom and Dad, who can be positive influences in their lives.

I am doing what I believe is best for my family and I made this choice carefully and prayerfully. I believe that every family must choose what is best for their circumstances. I feel blessed that so many options for education are available to my children, and if at some point I feel that their needs are not being met in public school I will not hesitate to make changes.

Parents can contribute to the success of their children’s education by taking an active role. Stay involved and informed about what is going on in your schools at the local and state level. I volunteer at the school and in the Parent Teacher groups at our schools. Not only does this keep me informed, but my kids notice. They know that I know their teachers and administrators. They know that I recognize their friends and classmates.

This year my youngest started kindergarten. (We have year round school, but that’s a whole other topic!) He attends the same school as his 2^nd & 6^th grade siblings, but is participating in the “Chinese Immersion Program.” This means he has 2 teachers and splits his day equally between them. For half of each day, all learning and communication takes place in Mandarin Chinese and the other half (with the other teacher) takes place in English. I could not have given him an opportunity like this without the immersion program at our school. Studies have shown that by the time he graduates 6^th grade, he will be fluently speaking and writing Chinese without any adverse affect on his English language and reading skills. Our junior high and high school offer Chinese as a foreign language elective so the children can continue to progress.

Certainly there are things our school system could do to improve. We have miles to go before we can meet the needs of each student in every situation. But the only way to make it better is to get involved! Learn the systems, seek to understand the programs and as Mahatma Gandhi said, “…be the change you want to see in the world.”