On My Mind...

So, I had an interesting conversation the other day. It involved schools, and charter schools in particular... apparently there's a bit of animosity out there toward them. On one hand it makes sense, but I guess I just think about things a little differently.

I look at charter schools as a way of providing a different education for those that desire that difference. The thing I like about them is they are public schools with private school rules. There are many reasons that people really don't like them, the main one being that they take students and money away from public schools. It does tend to put public schools in a difficult spot.

When you delve into the history of charter schools and why they were created in the first place, they really were and are a blessing to many people. I feel deep sorrow for people that live in areas where the charter schools are literally the only way their kids will get a decent education....if they can get their name drawn from the lottery.

Living in the area that we do, that's not a real problem. There are many schools, most of which have open enrollment and if you are willing to drive, your child can go to whatever school they want. Most of our schools are good. I'm comparing this to say, schools that have an extremely low graduation rate, versus our schools, and really, in reality, we are very lucky.

Okay, so here's what bugs me...there are many different ways to educate kids. Some kids do great in public school, some don't. Some kids thrive on homeschool, some don't. The same goes with charter schools. It's not a one size fits all, this is the ONLY way to do it.

Do we like the charter school our kids go to? YES. Am I just so glad and grateful that their names were drawn, you betcha. I am. I am glad, because my kids were NOT doing well in public school. Well, Harrison was, but Hazel was starting to struggle.

I love the fact that my kids can go to school and LOVE it. I love the fact that my son never comes home and tells me that he had to deal with the dork bully that he's had to deal with for the past 5-6 years. He would have had to if he'd gone to the other school. The other thing I love? He's learning something. He's being challenged.

Still, it bugs me when people act like their kids are better than other people's kids because they get to go to this school. Is it a great school? Sure, but that doesn't mean my kids are more awesome than yours. (Well, of course they are because they're mine...hehehe). And then, here's the word that bugs me the most...privileged.

If they were rich and going to a private school...yes, that's privileged. Going to a charter school? It's luck. You got your name drawn by a computer out of hundreds of other names. It's luck people. Luck.

Are they privileged to be getting the education they are? Sure. But so is every kid that goes to school and has a desire to learn. We live in a privileged area. There are definitely areas that aren't that way.

I guess it's the whole, "my kids are better off than yours" that bugs me, but then, I guess you get that anywhere...