How do you feel about this preschool thru 8th program?
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We have the opportunity to send DS to a private, church-based school. Given that we've never been able to settle on one particular church since DH and I got married, we'd probably start attending this church if we sent our kids to the school even though it's not really a denomination that fits us 100%. I think we could deal with the differences in our beliefs vs. the church's beliefs there as well as we could anywhere we've tried before through conversations and education about our beliefs at home.
It's nice that the school is very, very small...125 or so students from K-8th with another 15-20 students in preschool (3 and 4 year olds). Beginning in 1st grade, classrooms are combined (1st and 2nd, 3rd and 4th, and so on), but no classroom has more than 20 students and are generally much smaller (as few as 9 in one combined classroom for 2010-2011).
Academically seems like a very thorough curriculum with TONS of 1:1 because of the very small classes. We actually learned about the school from a friend that transferred her son there b/c he was bored in the public schools and wasn't getting much 1:1 in the classroom. His zeal for school and learning skyrocketed after transferring into this program.
However, is there ever such a thing as TOO SMALL? They do have some middle school sports through the private school and partner with the public school for others that aren't feasible like football.
Should I be worried about the fact that it only goes to 8th grade (meaning that DS will HAVE to be the new kid in a small public school [graduating class of <30/yr] his freshman year of high school), or will his small cohort that will be transferring to the public school from the private school be enough of a safety net? (I guess he would have some familiarity with the public school kids through summer sports, 4-H, etc. though.)
Re: How do you feel about this preschool thru 8th program?
I just had this conversation with a 17 year old family member. We are going to send our boys to Catholic school once they are ready for Kinder (even though we live in a great public district) so I wanted her take on it. She attended the same Catholic school K-8 then transferred to a public high school. She said there are pluses and minuses of course. She mentioned that she liked the smaller class size when she was younger and like being with the same group of kids through the years. The draw backs included not having a lot of options in terms of classes. Small schools can only offer so much variety. Her school only offered one language (the parents were polled to see if they should offer Spanish or French) and higher level math and science were hard to come by because it's difficult to justify the cost for just a few students. She also liked that when she started high school she was exposed to different kinds of people with different family structures and beliefs.
DH is the product of Catholic school and he is a big believer in the academic rigor, instilling of values and expectation of college prep. He said that even though you may not have a ton of options in terms of classes you still get the level of instruction you need because of the small class size. When I told him what his cousin said about the higher level math and science he said he was part of a small group that met for trig instruction after school (in eigth grade). Completely voluntary and not graded but the instruction was available for those who wanted it. He went to Catholic high school as well so they did have the higher level math and science there.
So, I would say if you are comfortable with the curriculum and aware of the pros and cons, go for it. If it turns out not to be a good fit for your family you can always transfer your LO.
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Our only option for private school around here is a Catholic school, and DH refuses to even consider it an option. He was raised Catholic, and went to a Catholic school until his parents pulled him out (the refused to believe him when he had asthma attacks, and almost killed him on more than one occasion). I would be more than happy to put our children into private schools, but like I said, it isn't an option in DH's head.
How big of a difference is the ratios between public and private? Around here the class sizes are actually about the same, but we live in a very rural area. In the school I graduated from (which is one of two options when DD becomes school-aged), I graduated high school with 36 other students (class sizes are up to around 50 now, but that is still pretty small), and most of the elementary grades have 3-4 sections of kids, with a max of about 20 kids per class.
From a small school perspective, I wouldn't worry about k-8 curriculum being less diverse. You can supplement at home if you feel the need. I would most worry about the teachers you will be encountering. In my state, private school teachers get paid substantially less than public school teachers. Considering that the public school teachers get some of the worst pay in the entire nation, the private school teachers are basically working for peanuts. That leads to a very high turn-over rate, and generally hiring less experienced teachers. I, personally, would rather have more experienced teachers for my children, but that is just me.
I know that this is your DH's issue and not your issue, but if your kids have any health problems at all (ex. asthma), you'll have to watch this no matter where they go to school. I went to public school and my mom even taught at my school. This exact same thing happened to me continuously. They accused me of faking asthma attacks to get out of PE until my mom finally threatened to take it to the school board.
i went to a very small PUBLIC school... it went to 8th grade and then we all had to go to the high school in the next town over - so suddenly the 70 of us in the class were mixed in with hundreds of kids we didn't know in a huge school --- it was fine for us all... we all ended up sort of branching out and making new groups of friends - but still had each other that we knew.
sports can suck in a small school if you are really good --- because you can end up on teams that never win - like I did - all our teams sucked... but the benefit was that I was one of the best players always - so I stood out... if you were looking at a super athletic child - it would stand out even more- when head hunters for private schools are looking, etc. There are always teams on the weekends, etc, for being on winning teams.
private school teachers are often not even certified - so i would really check on what their criteria is for hiring teachers. Sometimes you get crappy ones --- but sometimes you get really good teachers, who are sick of the red tape of public schools - and have DH's who make good money - so they work private school just to have a teaching job they enjoy a lot- and don't care so much that they aren't making as much as they would in public school. (I used to be a teacher, and i have seen both situations - good and bad).
It depends on the school. I teach at a Catholic school.
I just wanted to respond to a PP. Yes, we are paid peanuts, but that doesn't mean we are less qualified. I would never teach in a public school even though the pay is much more. I think that says a lot about how devoted I am to teaching in a religious setting.
The teachers at my school have been there for YEARS and most of us have our Master's Degree or higher.
If I had to pick, I'd pick private over public. I know in my own classroom I am able to spend much more time with my students one on one. I'm also able to have lots of different projects going on based on the abiltiy of the child. I don't think a public school classroom, with 30+ students does that.
I taught public high school, had 150-160 students a year, and I was able to differentiate just fine. It is entirely dependent upon the teacher and not necessarily the school.
I think the school sounds great overall, but you need to consider the culture shock of going from an extremely small school to a large public school during adolescence. Even if the core group of friends all moves to the public school, they aren't guaranteed to be in the same classes.
This is one of my major concerns. I attended several high schools before I graduated, so I know exactly how tough it is to change schools at that point in your life. Fortunately, the public school he would transfer to is still pretty small (30-ish in each high school graduating class, 100-ish total), but that lends itself to other cultural issues too.
High school is a lot different than elementary. Were you able to sit with each kid one on one? I'm able to do this often and my very high needs kids sit with me every day....
I'm glad you like teaching in the private sector, and I know that it isn't always the case that private school teachers are less qualified, BUT in our area it seems to be the case, and I wanted to point out that it is something to be aware of.
Also, to the PP who mentioned that you have to be an advocate no matter where your child is, if they have health issues - I totally agree, and I am not saying that it wouldn't happen in a public school (I had issues with teachers listening to my parent's concerns about my health issues, and I was in a public school, but my issues weren't life threatening). I wasn't trying to paint an ill picture of private schools, just adding a bit of reasoning why his parents pulled him out of the school. FWIW, this particular school was HORRIBLE ... they even refused to let him call his mom during an asthma attack, because the principal decided he was faking it.
ETA: it posted before I was done writing
Well you don't have to follow the denomination of the private school. They will make sure you are aware religion will be taught so that there isn't conflict in messages from home, but you don't have to follow that religion often for the child to go there.
Academics in a small setting can be a real plus. We started DS in a private preschool that also has a program that goes to 8th grade, and it's been great for him. On the other hand I've also hear of some small private schools not being that great. I'd definitely do research on the school and talk to families that have their kids there.
They may not have some of the same sports opportunities through the school, but where we live there are lots of sports opportunities through the park and rec or city leagues. I also think it would be easier to transfer to a smaller public school than a huge school, but I could be wrong. I've never had to do it.
my niece goes to a school similar - though it does go to 12th (only with 2 or 3 kids). she is in 7th grade.
her last visit with me she brought her books - as i was going to help her with her study habits (learning to study so to speak)...and i was shocked at her history book. it was basically a religious history book....NOT what is taught in real schools. no offense intended but i could never put my kid in a school like that.
i am fine with church schools that have a faith based class but all other classes should be taught from a non-religious stand point.
When needed, yes, I worked with kids one on one--particularly when discussing essays or lab reports. During independent work time, I also spent significant amounts of time walking around helping individuals through whatever difficulties they were having. However, I tended to do things in small groups and differentiated between or within the groups themselves. I found that this generally worked the best, as I generally had quite a broad range of abilities within a single class. Individualized tasks within a small or large group activity allowed me to give the special ed and lower level students assignments that suited their abilities while also giving average and higher level students a challenge.
Noel - August 2010
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