Everyone deserves a choice for their child's education

I'm pretty impassioned about education. Especially my kids' education. But I think that all kids deserve an excellent education.

It seems, however, that most public schools fail to see that all kids deserve a great education. Not an equal education. An equal education is like telling a fish, an elephant, and monkey to climb a tree. That's what they have to do. Even though it's simply not going to work for them all.

An excellent education would cater to the child. It would allow them to get from point a to point b in a manner that best works for them. Because all kids do not learn alike. It's as simple as that. And all kids will not retain the same information or do well in the same classes. And that's totally fine! Because they're not all going to grow up to do the exact same thing.

There is a local charter school that is trying to come to fruition here in my town. It is Waldorf-inspired. I could write about fifty blog posts explaining the Waldorf philosophy and all the reasons it appeals to me, but it'd just be easier if you google it. Like all education philosophies, there are things I don't love about it, but as a whole, I'm very much in favor for it.

Since this school would be charter, they do have to participate in standardized tests, which is a huuuuge drawback for me. Otherwise though, it sounds amazing. It sounds like an environment my kids would thrive in. Yes, thrive.

So see, I'm not anti-school overall, but I am anti-school with our current options. And I do love the idea of spending each day with my kids because I truly enjoy being with them, and it makes me sad to think about sending them off for the bulk of their day every day.

I still feel pretty strongly about homeschooling. But as I've always said, nothing is 100% and I'll never say never. So if this Waldorf-inspired charter school comes to be, maybe my kiddos will go.

Maybe not.

But I like the idea of having that option.

Of other families in this awesome community having that option.

So this evening my friend S and I attended a public meeting in which the school was discussed and then the public was free to comment about the proposed school - in favor or not. All the ideas and thoughts would be taken into consideration as the powers that be diligently listen and use these comments to help them decide yay or nay.

I had no intention of speaking. I just wanted to hear more about this possible option. I like to keep my doors open.

I would say that the majority of people who showed up were in favor of this school, but there was a good handful of people, mostly those on the local school board, who were not in favor. Mostly they lamented how the school would take away from them and their programs.

I get it. I really do. Our public schools are drowning. Our education system doesn't know what the fuck is going on or how to fix it (hint: Maybe take a clue from Finland. They seem to have their shit together). As the school board members so eloquently put it, for each child in the schools, they receive $5,500. So if 200 of them go to a different school - this proposed PUBLIC charter school - they lose roughly 1 million dollars.

We'll just pretend we don't spend the most money per child in a first world country on education and yet have one of the worst education systems. Though my child being worth $5,500 each year to the schools was reiterated by every person who was against this school, that if I wasn't all ready turned off of our local schools, I really am now. They see nothing more than dollar signs when they see my kids.

And quite frankly, my kids are more than just a dollar sign. So a little upset and a lot impassioned I told them just that. In front of a few too many people and on local TV, I told them how my amazing kids love to learn. How they're little sponges who love to be involved in their learning, not simply taught at. I told them my 3.5 year old can read. And what would become of her in our local public school; a kindergartner in a class of 30 kids with one teacher and not even an aide! (And yes, I do realize that not all of our local elementary schools have these ratios, but they do in fact exist in many of our elementary schools).

Yes, yes, my sweet H would make straight A's no doubt. And in school, I guess that's the point. But I want her to be more than just one kid out of 30. More than just another A-student. I want her to thrive. I want her to be engaged in her learning process and love it. I want  her involved and challenged. I want her to be passionate.

All the things I never was in school.

But don't worry.

I made A's.

So I turned out fine.

But I want more than "fine" for my kids.

I feel very strongly about this school. Whether or not my kids even ever have the opportunity to attend it (it's charter, so lottery) I think it's an amazing opportunity for so many kids in this community. I think it's a great way to teach the whole child, and to teach them about the things that matter. Not just teach them to take a test. Because the real world isn't about taking tests. And I certainly hope their lives become something they're passionate about, not something repetitive and mundane because they weren't given the ability to find their passions in their youth because they were too busy taking tests.

It's fine if people don't love this option of schooling. It's fine if they choose something else for their kids. But I think that everyone at least deserves the opportunity to have options about schooling.

Whatever their choice be.