As my daughter and so many of my friends’ kids get ready to enter “big kid” school, A.K.A. Kindergarten, I’m finding that schools are a common topic of conversation. Do we send them to public or private school? Is one town better than another? Do we pack up and move to another district that is known to have better schools? Ugh. There are so many questions. For every question, there are a handful of different answers that don’t make the decision any easier. As in any discussion everyone has an opinion and not everyone agrees. I kinda miss the days when our discussions revolved around “90210”. But we’re growing up and so are our kids.
When the subject comes around, I always say a child can be in the “best” school district and still be a bad student. They can have every resource available to them, but if there is not the drive to learn and the reinforcement at home, I do not believe they will succeed. With that said, you can have a child in an average or below average school excel because he or she wants to learn and has parents who support the cause. I’ve had many people tell me that is not the case.
I’ve done my research and have found that many schools are designated as “great” because of their test scores. Well, we all know not everyone does well on tests. I think that is an unfair assessment of a school and its students. I think you need to take other things into consideration such as the quality of the teachers, student involvement, parent involvement, and activities.
As with anything that deals with children, I believe everything starts at home. With that said I think parents need to make it their job to help their kids with schoolwork at home. Learning shouldn’t stop just because a child gets off the bus.
My daughter starts Kindergarten in two weeks. She will be going to the public school in our district. Is it the best school in the district according to test scores and the “Great Schools” rating online? No. Is it still a good school? I have to say yes because I have talked to several parents whose children went there and those who still have children enrolled and I have not heard one bad word. I’m not saying it’s perfect, but when I mention the school, the first response I’ve gotten has always been a positive one. The principal and teachers also left a great first impression during orientation. I also like the uniform policy as well as the security that is in place. Those are the factors we based our decision on.
So, if you ask me if a child can learn at any school, I will have to say “yes” as long as they have the drive to learn and the support at home. What do you think?
Interesting post! I think they can learn at any school within reason. I think they may excel more at one school than another though. Parental involvement is very important and I think one of the key determining factors in how well a school will score overall. I hope you have a wonderful kindergarten year! Exciting times! #shinebloghop
Honestly, I agree with you that a lot of your child’s success is dependent on support at home (for younger grades), but I also think a lot of it depends on the teacher. If you are in a really great school, but your child has a bad teacher than they are not going to do as well as they could with a better teacher. I do think once you get to high school (even maybe middle school) students in “better” schools have the upper hand on children in not so great schools. Colleges are more likely to give children a chance if they know the high school they go to is a good school. I don’t think it’s really fair since children who may not have as much money have to work harder. Good topic!
Thank u!
Super interesting post! I would have to agree, and I support your decision to do what is right for your family. I homeschool so I don’t have much experience with public schools. However, I studied elementary/middle level education in college and you are so right about home life being so essential to success in school. And hearing from other moms with kids in the public schools, I hear more complaints about other parents and students than about the teachers. I hope your daughter has a great year!!
#ShineBlogHop
Thank u & thanks for reading!
There is no option other than public for us, well, religious school, but as we aren’t religious that isn’t an option for my daughter.
I think the best schools tend to be smaller schools where the students aren’t just a number but are a person and they are able to get more one-on-one.
Love this post! I agree with you that it all starts at home, and that tests scores should not be a measurement factor for the greatness of a school. All this coming from a former public high school math teacher.
Thank u!
Very interesting post and thoughts. I homeschool my kids and I’m thankful I don’t have to make the “which school to select decision”. I do agree that parents need to be involved in their children’s education. learning is continuous!
Thanks for sharing (and for linking up to the #SHINEbloghop).
Wishing you a lovely weekend.
xoxo