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Cincinnati Babies
F/U
So, what are the top schools in the Cincy Bumpie area?
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Re: F/U
These are schools I have heard talked about being "best"
public: wyoming, mason, walnut hills, anderson, turpin, lakota, indian hill, sycamore
private: st. x, moeller, ursuline, mt. notre dame
I don't know if what I hear is factual or not. I truly don't know. What do you hear? What are your top ranking?
Not to drive you nuts, but I have to answer your question with a few questions:
1. I want to have my kids learn the fundamentals but also learn to be inquisitive about things as well as having a sense of safety and stability in their school. I want them to have a sense of pride in their school. I want them to be able to have a lot of extracurriculars if they want (sports, band, etc). I want the school to be able to handle my child if she is uber brilliant or in need of extra help. I don't want her to be held back by others or hold back others in her class.
2. I want a sense of tradition but also an ability to adapt to the needs of what their generation will need as they age, not just things that we value now.
3. I want the teachers to truly care about the students. I do not want my child to be in a class where the entire grade is all at the status quo. I want her to be able to move ahead or get the extra attention she will need.
4. I want to shelter my children from the horror stories.... BJs on the school bus, rapings in the school (that happened at Northwest when I was in college).
5. I want them to know discipline, morality, religious learning, community, safety, traditions.
I want it all.
You do want it all. It's not going to happen. You will never find a school that shelters your kids from the horror stories. DH teaches rich white kids in the suburbs and still comes home with stories that make us cry. And ALL schools will teach them discipline, morality, community, and safety, even the lowest-rated ones-- but it has to be reinforced at home, which is all on you as a parent. And even in the worst schools, there are teachers who care about the students as invidividuals. I care very much about my students as individuals, but this is because of who I am and my decision to teach, not because I am at a school where it's easy to do that. I would be that way even if I were teaching in Dayton Public or something (and I have friends who teach in Dayton Public, and they care deeply about their students, as well-- test scores have nothing to do with this).
Some things can be measured. Are there schools where your kids will physically and statistically be safer? Yes, because of the neighborhoods that surround the school, and because of the situations that the kids come to school with. But if you are realistically comparing two good public school districts, it's a total toss-up. You could pick the smaller school, because your kids might have smaller classes, but they might also have fewer activities to be involved in. If you are realistically comparing, say, St. X and Elder and Moeller, or Ursula and Ursuline, or Roger Bacon and Purcell-Marian, I really think it's a toss-up and a total preference on what you want, location, family tradition, student body, school size, tuition, etc. Total toss-up, IMO.
BJ's on the school bus happens even in the nicest places.So do drugs, and alcohol, and sex.
Honestly, I feel more wary about my children being around spoiled, sheltered, entitled kids than the kids some parents want to avoid in public schools. But that's just me.
I never considered these things mutually exclusive. It disturbs me that these things happen at all in a school setting.
Some would say that the "spoiled" kids have better access to more expensive and hardcore drugs too.
That is the whole point of this discussion... pros and cons for each and every possible choice we are given.
Being a parent is hard. Trying to make informed decisions and plans is just hard.
Here's the reality: when things like BJs happen and other things like that, you're dealing with early adolescent and adolescents. They're curious. That's normal. I'm not excusing it, but that's the reality. Parents don't have eyes on their kids 24/7, nor do teachers and staff. They do their best to keep kids safe. The truth is that drugs, alcohol, sex, etc... is going to happen anywhere. The best thing you can do is teach your children right from wrong and help them grow up to be independent and able to think for themselves and not get stuck in "group think." Will your child still mess up? Probably. But good parenting can help minimize (but not eliminate) these issues.
My opinion is that you choose a community that suits you that has a school district you like. Do your research. I personally believe that Fairfield is a good place to be. Every school district currently has budget woes. Don't judge it on that. Judge it on a tradition of excellence, but realize that my opinion of an "excellent" school district is not determined by the State of Ohio or the Ohio Department of Education. For example, Mason is a great place for lots of people... but dh and I know it's not for us. That's just me. I personally don't want my kids to go to a school that big. I also don't want them to go to a tiny school either. I want a school district that has a history of successful graduates in a community that is safe. For me, the type of student the school district turns out after 12+ years is more important than the test scores. I want a medium sized school district. I want a school district that offers AP courses and a more traditional college prep track at the high school. I'm not a fan of block scheduling at the secondary level. It works great for science, not so much for math and foreign language. I want a school district that provides a wide array of opportunities for my kids to determine what they're interested in. That said, I don't need too many. I also want a school district that has a Board of Education with a tradition of common sense management (eg, sound financial decisions).
All that being said, schools change over time. What they offer now as you're looking for a district may be different in 10 years time.
IMO, there are tons of school districts in the area that are really good places to be. It all depends on what you want. There is no perfect school. You're dealing with people. You just have to figure out what you want.
Oh... and as for private vs public... I personally think most public schools have stronger teachers overall. If that's important to you, go public. On the flip side, there are some private schools that have cultures of excellence amongst their students that go unmatched.
Reasons for sending my kids to private school? Single sex education, religious compass, sense of community/excellence, ability to turn away students.
Reasons for sending my kids to public school? Money. Increased opportunities amongst academics, better sense of reality, and if my child has learning issues the staff in a public school is probably better equipped to handle it (unless you're going somewhere like Springer).
Again, all of this is just my opinion... take it for what it's worth.
Personally, when I talk about the advantage of children not being exposed to certain things at private schools, I'm not talking about sex, drugs and alcohol. Although I'd prefer right now not to think of my child being exposed to those things. And I guess that was an advantage of attending a single-sex high school: no BJs on the school bus.
What I am talking about is kids with severe emotional and behavioral problems. Violence is not something children should have to be exposed to in a classroom, IMO. Those things can be extremely disruptive and upsetting and have an impact on the time and attention other students get from a teacher in that classroom, even with an aide. And most private schools are not equipped to deal with those things, so those students aren't going to be in those schools. I will admit that that's one of the things that's most appealing to me about private schools.
But we will likely be sending our children to public schools, so I intend to be involved in their education and stay abreast of what's going on in their classrooms. I think that's the best bet.
And Buckeye, if I were choosing a school district in that area, I'd choose Ross. That's one of the several places we've considered moving. We would not move to Fairfield. Take that for what it's worth.
Photo by Melissa Nicole Photography