Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Public, Private, Home.

: I spent seven years in private school.

: Six years in public school.

: And four years at a private college.

: I just ordered some homeschool curriculum for Cubbie and I to do together.

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What kind of school did you grow up in?

And will you do (or do you already do) the same for your child?

(It's okay if you're not sure yet.)

(I'm not.)

Have a lovely day!

12 comments:

  1. great public schools in my hometown, private for college (obviously!), public for grad school. Homeschooling is not for us as I hope to continue to work part-time after we have kids (gotta pay off that masters degree, lol) and I am seriously lacking in math/science skills.

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  2. Nothing freaks me out more than that question. Correction, birth control is tied with education. And I'm not even married yet. I went to public schools. That is not my favorite option. Homeschool is my LEAST favorite option but with my degree in education I could swing it. If I did we would have to have a room just for school, set up like a classroom and be in all those homeschool club things with other kids. I would just be so afriad I would let them start at noon and they would have a shock when they find out that the rest of the world starts life in the a.m. LOL. (However, I will tutor them in the summer. I think 3 months is way to long of a gap.) So that leaves me with private schools. I only know one that I wouldn't mind my kids going to school there. I'm sure I could find others so my final answer is a private Christain school.

    However, I do like homeschool structures for kids under five though. A child can learn so much at such a young age.

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  3. hey. good question. I went to public school for only one semester in 4th grade. the rest was private straight through university. i loved it. my brother hated it and went to public school after elementry. I think a lot depends on the kids personality.

    I know a lot of friends who loved/hated homeschooling, private school etc... I want to consider what is best for my child based on learning style, personality etc.. what works for one might not work for another.

    my ideal would be private, but it depends on money i suppose. and there may be gerat public schools where we live, who knows. I just really like the idea of christian learning with academics, things you cant get at a public school.

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  4. I grew up in pubic school, which I liked because it eventually became my mission field. I went to a private Christian college where I was astounded at how some "christians" acted. My little sister was homeschooled for 5 years, and she LOVED the experience. I've contemplated doing the same thing for Tucker, but Andy and I are still discussing it.
    I think it has a lot of benefits and allows your child(ren) to have so many more experiences than they might be able to have in a public school. I think it reinforces family and religious values.
    I'm excited to hear about how things go with your experience!!!

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  5. I had no idea I had such strong opinions about this topic until my then-fiancee, now-hubby and I started talking about it. We come from very different educational experiences and therefore have different ideas, etc. about how children should be education.

    We agree on one thing, and this is the most important thing for us/me: we are our children's primary educators and we are the people most responsible for their education. Their education goes beyond the bounds of science, math, English, history, and other conventional topics, and includes cultivating a love for learning, a home that encourages curiosity, etc.

    What we do not agree on: what this will actually look like for our family. We are talking about it, and thankfully we are only pregnant with our first. It's been a good process though.

    My educational background:

    kinder - grade 6: Filipino private school

    grade 7 - 12: American private Christian missionary kid school

    grade 3 & 11: Fayetteville, AR public schools

    University: private Christian

    Hubby is from Germany where the government dictates the curriculum for ALL schools, private or public (private schools can add to it, but not subtract) and homeschooling is illegal - yes, illegal, as in the government can (and does) take your kids away from you if you do homeschool underground.

    I tend to think very positively about homeschooling for kids up to grade 6 even though I was never homeschooled myself - and don't think it could have worked for the family I grew up in. I love the idea of my kids learning about history from field trips to historical sites in Europe instead of in a classroom or writing and acting their own plays or learning math and business from their brilliant dad - maybe setting up their own business.. instead of learning multiplication tables with 20 others and one teacher. In my mind it would be great for them to have the time to explore interests in arts, sports, anything really..

    Is this possible? Maybe in the ideal world where I am disciplined, organized, thorough, consistent, where I have children who thrive in this model and where I happen to be a great teacher of young children.

    I don't think this is the reality of my life though :).. so we will have to see.. Swiss public schools are good quality and are in French. Private schools here are a bit snobby/elitist, and homeschooling is legal.

    One thing is for certain - I refuse to hand my small children - emphasis on SMALL - over to someone who teaches them unBiblical things. It is probably a good thing for teenagers to encounter things that are false in culture and education system and learn to think about it for themselves.. but small kids need to be taught the truth.

    Thanks for asking the question, Katie..

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  6. We are already talking about this, and our first is due in July. My mother is a teacher, and some of the stuff that goes on in public schools worries me a little bit - like how a whole 9 weeks is devoted just to preparing for the end of the year achievement test. However, I don't want to deprive my children of interaction with people who are different from them. So we don't know.
    I was in public school all of my life, including college.

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  7. Good topic...you should have been at my house on Monday! ;) Russell and I both attended public school until college where we went to a private Christian university. Like you, we haven't decided, but we are already making life plans that include enough room in the budget to send the kiddos to private school if we decide that's the route we'll take. I taught public school for five years, and that in itself opens up all kinds of pros and cons from what I learned there. Or, I'll just pay you to home school my kids. How does that sound?!?! ;)

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  8. I went to a public school. It's not my intention to brag when saying this, but it's known as one of the top public schools in the nation, so I would venture to guess that my experience in public school wasn't the norm.

    My husband did public, private, and homeschool. He HATED being homeschooled with a passion, but mostly going back and forth between the three because they were all such different experiences.

    Our church (where my FIL is a pastor) runs a private school, so we sort of feel obligated to send our kids there, but I honestly have some trepidation--I need to look at the curriculum first.

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  9. I was homeschooled from K-12th... and then when to Public college :) hehe. Not sure if we're going to homeschool or public/private school yet with the kids. We haven't really dis`cussed it in detail...

    xo,
    Christen
    http://christenkrumm.blogspot.com

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  10. I went to public school, my husband was homeschooled from K-6th, and public from 7-12th. He then went to the Colorado School of Mines and I went to school to get my Early Childhood Education degree. Our oldest daughter has severe asthma, so we decided to homeschool so we can have her close to keep an eye on her. Which is something I NEVER thought I would do. We actually do an online program called K12 (go to K12.com to check it out), and it is INCREDIBLE! It's an online private school, and they send you all of the supplies, curriculum and even a personal computer for each child enrolled. As a parent, I am her learning coach, but we also have an actual homeroom teacher that we correspond with if we have any questions. It's been absolutely perfect for our family. I love the structure and that it is accredited. They have groups that get together and do field trips and play group stuff, too, so they still get a lot of social interaction. I couldn't be happier with it!

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  11. I went to public school K-12 and then to a private university. Jonathan and I are still up in the air, although I honestly can't see myself homeschooling for a variety of reasons (primarily because I haven't the faintest idea how to teach anyone other than college kids!). I heard a great philosophy for education decisions for our children that I think I'll end up sharing: "Depends on the kid, depends on the year!"

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