private institutions

While I fully intend on working in the public school system after I get my credential, I will be working with an independent (private) school for the next two years. At first, I was a little hesitant because it almost felt as though I was selling out. But, I feel very comfortable with my decision now because I know I'll learn a ton at CDS and will hopefully build a strong enough foundation to tackle other issues that face public schools.

The debate between private and public school is one that is much too big for this blog posting, but the following are some thoughts that have been rattling around in my brain:

• Private schools are probably a good representation of what public schools would look like if money was pumped into the public school system. But I have to believe that money is not going to be the end-all solution. We have to change how we think about education (ahem, constructivist learning theory), not use money as a crutch to excuse our education woes. Buy $10,000 speakers for your run-down car: it's still a lemon.
• Family support. Right now, school and home are often two separate worlds. People learn to act differently in each environment. This is a sure recipe for contradiction and confusion. If we could meld the two (and in reality, more than two of these worlds) so that it's under one overarching community bond, then the standards we hold up in a school would be held up outside and vice versa. Community, continuity, consistency...can you dig it? (and do you dig alliteration? I sure do)
• Reality. On my street, all the kids go to private school. Not one in public school! But the reality is that there are a lot of stellar private schools and a lot of not so stellar public schools. Do we wag our fingers at parents for not sucking it up and trusting the public school system, despite reputation? Do we picket in front of Arnold's mansion for putting aside money to help families pay for private school instead of putting it toward public schools? At the end of the day, families will do what is best for their kids and within their means. This might mean sending them to private school where their biggest worry is someone writing "I hate horses" in a bathroom stall, not gang violence or overcrowded classrooms. This might mean fleeing and leaving these problems for someone else to deal with. I don't look down at families for feeling this way. It's just a harsh reality we have to deal with.