In Defense Of Public Schools
Public or private? This seems to be a very hot topic nowadays. It’s easy to see why. We want our kids to have the best of the best, don’t we? We want them afforded every opportunity available to them so they grow into mature, responsible, HAPPY adults, right? That’s the goal!
My family and I are very fortunate to live in a great public school district where we know they’ll thrive, but the question of public or private honestly never came up in discussions about education when our kids were babies. After all, my husband and I both went through the public school system and had no solid complaints.
So here’s some reasons we LOVE our public schools, and maybe, just maybe, you’ll take these reasons into consideration too!
- No tuition :: This is a big DUH! You can’t put dollar signs on a child’s education but it definitely helps out when you’re listing pros and cons.
- Diversity :: Public schools typically have a larger student body. Which allows for more experiences and friendships with children of different backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives. I want this for my children. I want my children to have friends that are different from them, this is very important to me.
- Special Education Services :: Public schools are usually much more equipped to provide a wide range of special education services to children with different disabilities. So far, we’ve only needed to use these services when our oldest took speech from Pre-K up until 3rd grade but with two of our younger children having medical needs, this may be something we’ll need in the future. I’m glad it’s there.
- Religious Neutrality :: Secular education offers a more inclusive and tolerant environment where our children are less likely to be singled out for their religious beliefs. Again, super important to me.
- Community Involvement :: With one in high school now, this rings more true than ever. I mean, we’re in south Louisiana, have you been to a high school football game? The loyalty runs deep with our sports, our clubs, and our organizations all throughout the community. Go Big Blue!
These are just my top reasons but there are so many other reasons why we’ll continue to choose public over private for our kids. It’s a very personal decision and one that shouldn’t be taken likely. This has worked for us but may not work for others and that’s okay!
When making the decision for your family, don’t count public schools out! They’re full of loving, talented educators that want to see your children grow. The teachers, administration, and support personnel deserve all the praise in the world and I’ll keep on being a cheerleader for them.
