I have a few questions for our dear readership:
As I am sure is common with many parents, since Adie's birth, I have contemplated the education options our children have and have wondered what will be the best for them. For over 4 years I have read and contemplated about different education options: public school, charter school, home school, private school or some sort of hybrid of these choices. I feel do blessed we have so many options, but each one's pros and cons make me nervous about making the right choice for each child. Next fall, Adie will enter Kindergarten, which means we need to start really nailing down what we want so that, if we need to, we can get on waiting lists, attend open houses, etc, in the ensuing months. I have heard mostly good things about the public school, at least for the younger kids, that we live near. We also have a couple of charter school options nearby and I have always considered home school a very viable option. Adie requests that she get to go to the "bus school", AKA the local public school, mostly because she wants to ride a bus to school. For now, I am feeling relatively comfortable with this, although I do have my concerns. Now, when our kids reach much past the 3rd grade, I am a little more wary of the options we have available to us in our little town here. What, dear reader, are your thoughts on public schools, charter schools, home schooling, etc? I would love to get a discussion going on the merits / disadvantages of each.
Now, if we had schools more like the ones found in Finland, featured in the following video, I think I might feel a little better about sending my children off to the local public school. Have any of you ever seen, read or heard about the Finnish education system? If you have or watch the video below, what are your initial impressions? I don't think we'll be moving to Finland any time soon so I obviously don't consider this an option, but I do think it's interesting to look at how different locations handle the upbringing and education of their children. I would be really interested in sending my children to a school that was set up more like those featured in this video.
5 comments:
I have so much to say--I had to take notes while watching the video! So I'm going to start with my reactions to the video:
1. Is it too casual? As many Americans would probably be, I was thrown off by the idea of no shoes and first names. I'm not sure I'd like that. On the other hand, I would let this one student who had a propensity to wander around my classroom to sit on top of his desk in the back of the room as an agreement for him staying in his desk. Not conventional, for sure, and probably would be frowned upon by other teachers. But as long as he was learning and not distracting others, I didn't see the harm in it. So maybe I wouldn't mind. I know from experience no shoes can get stinky though!
2. Not sure if I'd want to teach the same kids for so long or not. There are advantages--you really get to know those students' strengths and weaknesses. At the same time, everyone tends to get sick of each other by December and then again in June, so change can be good. I'm sure there's a middle-ground solution to that though.
3. In the US, we put all levels together in the same classes, something they were really talking up in the video.
4. 3 teachers in one room! So cool!
5. I don't know that extra degrees are necessary, especially on the elementary level. I really feel like college was useless except I have to have a diploma to get a job. It's all about experience. If there was less lecture time and more classroom mentoring time, then I could get behind that idea.
6. Competition--heck yes! I tend to be the anti-teacher teacher in some of my core beliefs, and this is one of them.
7. They mentioned being free from politicians toward the end of the video. I have one word for that: heaven!
Now, as far as Adie goes, I can only tell you that it is honestly my professional opinion (with a little of the religious thrown in), I truly believe the course of education is something that has to be decided on a individual basis by the the parties involved along with fasting and prayer. I know several families here that both homeschool and public school within the family because it is what is best for that particular child.
I have taught in public schools and in one charter school, and to be honest, I personally didn't see much of a difference. Now that can depend on the charter, but in this case they were pretty much the same with their own pros and cons but nothing that pushed one over the other.
The more I teach, the more I come home screaming "homeschool!" for any kids we may have, but when it comes down it, I just know that's a decision I'd have to make at that time. Not much help, probably, but that is how I feel about it. And of course, you don't have to feel locked into any one choice. If you do one thing but then feel another would be best, don't be afraid to change! If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me! (Sorry this is so long!)
~Amanda
I enjoyed the video, and I agree with what Amanda has to say, especially about the part of fasting and prayer. Many of the decisions I've made were counter to what experts said to do, but I felt right about the decisions and I'm glad I made them.
Adie sounds like me, this year when I thought I might be riding the bus to school I was super excited haha, just because I've never rode the bus to school growing up. But then I ended up moving close enough to school that I didn't have to ride the bus. Other than that I really don't have an opinion on different schools. You'll do what's best for your kids. :)
I'm sure I'm the least educated or qualified of all the people here to be offering up my opinion, but since you asked...
I've never been a huge fan of the home school idea. Every child that I grew up with who had been home schooled were woefully unprepared to enter the "real" world. I would also have questions as to whether or not I knew enough about anything to teach them much at all. I think it would also depend on the temperament of your child-kids who are naturally driven would do better in that setting, I believe, while the more free spirited ones would struggle.
All I know about Charter schools and Private schools I have learned from my aunt who is a teacher in the public school system. She told me that the teachers don't have to be qualified when you are in those settings because you don't have the government overseeing things (not that that gives me much comfort either). She didn't feel like most charter/private schools were worth the money, though there is one in the Pleasant Grove/Lindon area that is rumored to be excellent with 95% of students graduating with full ride scholarships to ivy league schools.
I guess my overall feeling is that while the public education system in the US is not ideal, I believe that it has more to do with the individual than anything. My Jon is highly intelligent and succeeded in public school even when he was denied some educational opportunities that might have been beneficial to him later on. I succeeded in public school and pursued any advanced educational courses offered and graduated high school with my Associates degree. My brother, who is highly intelligent, flunked out of college and almost didn't graduate high school because he wasn't willing to put forth the effort that is required to succeed. I really believe that it all comes down to the individual.
There's my 5 cents :)
Hard decision. We've been discussing the same thing in regards to Emma. We've loved having our girls in two years of preschool before kindergarten, but now Emma is honestly bored in kindergarten. A lot of that is just having to sit still at a desk, but that is part of school in the US. I would love it if our public schools could teach based on kids' levels.
My biggest concern with pulling her out and putting her in a different school situation is the socialization aspect. Even with my college students, it is often clear than my home schooled students don't know how to function socially. They usually have strengths in one or more areas, but are awkward with others.
Bottom line. Your kids have a HUGE advantage over most kids out there. You care. You will help them along the way. In the long run, they will get good educations because they will be encouraged from home.
In last month's or the month before that, there was an article in Smithsonian Magazine about education in Finland. Fascinating, isn't it.
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