I find myself between a rock and a hard place.
My daughter is a bright and talented kid. She is not exceptionally intelligent, but she is more
advanced than her classmates. And as a mother, I want the best for her. More than anything else,
I want her to be able to pursue any career she wants. I don’t care so much about how much she
will earn, but that she finds a path that gives her satisfaction and happiness. I will do anything to
help her accomplish this. Alas, this is where the dilemma comes in.
TeacherToni recently wrote about her frustration with Charter Schools. I completely understand
her. The charter schools are largely ununionized and lack supervision. They are often misused
and are magnets for corruption. Of the some 25 charter schools in my hometown, Oakland, CA,
almost all suck.
I did find one, however, that is doing really well. It is called the Oakland School for the Arts. It
ranks really high on the various stats and offers a place for all those weird, artistic, and smart kids
who just don’t fit into the dog eat dog world of public high school. My kid seems to be a good fit
for this school. I live in a poorer district so the public schools here suffer and while they are
doing the best they can, they are struggling. All the smart rich kids go to private school.
This got me to thinking about the place of charter schools versus regular public schools. I really
think charter schools can be a wonderful and unique way to look at education. Charter schools
usually offer something our public schools cannot…be it arts, Islamic studies, Montessori,
bi-lingual, or whatever. They offer a choice to the status quo and often work to address
particular learning styles or cultural barriers. For this, I applaud them.
On the other hand, charter schools do not have the same scrutiny that public schools go through.
So many give up on good education to focus on their particular mission. They do not have to
follow the same union rules as public schools and most do not even hire union workers. This is
very bad. What’s more is for every student that leaves the public school system for a charter
school, the district loses thousands of dollars. If you don’t know, a school is given a specific
amount for each student per day. So districts with chronic absenteeism get shafted on funds.
So, as a good Liberal, I find myself in a quandary. I have to do what is best for my kid and I want
to support public schools. So what do I do? Do I send my kid to a substandard school because it
is politically the correct thing to do? Or, do I swallow my ideals and send her to a charter school
because I know she would be better off in an environment full of like-minded kids who do not fit
into societal norms? I chose the latter, but not without some feelings of guilt.
So, what do you think about public schools and charter schools? Can charter schools change the
way public schools operate? Should we push for more accountability and unions in charter
schools, or should we push the public schools to offer more choices?
I have to admit that I like the idea of charter schools. I think parents want to be able to choose a
school that fits their ideals. But on the other hand, I want all kids to get a solid education.
I love the idea of public school and I want the US to
devote more energy and money to our schools. On the third hand, I don’t trust our government
to determine what constitutes a good school. Leave No Child Behind is a prime example of
governmental rhetoric.
I’m not a blogger and I don’t play one on TV. I’ve never done a diary before, but I really want to
know what y’all think about public vs. charter schools (and you can certainly throw in private
schools into the discussion).