How do you pick school?!
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My husband and I are struggling to decide where to send our 4 yo son to pre-K next year. There’s a public school right by our house. Ratings are pretty terrible and he would be the minority (both race and socioeconomically) which I’m not opposed to, but something I haven’t personally experienced. There’s two private schools we are considering but both faith based and we aren’t religious. Great ratings but very little diversity.
I want to give him a great education but also want him to be well rounded and know there’s a world outside his upper middle class white bubble.
Ughhh how do you decide what’s “right”?
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There’s no “right” answer and a lot of this stuff is whatever feels right for you, your family and kids. Personally, and I stress personally here because everyone is different, I would probably choose the best possible RATED school because education is critical to a lot of other success factors in life. It sounds like those happen to be parochial schools and like you, my family is also secular and interested in diversity…so I’d use your “extracurricular time” to model and teach your values (e.g., eating diverse foods, joining multicultural playgroups, taking other language courses, talking about other religious holidays and seeing if friends you know can help balance out different cultural points of view e.g., go to a Diwali festival etc.). I think introducing diversity of thought, culture, humility and gratitude is a little easier UNFORTUNATELY than some of the systemic issues schools with limited resources face. Your main issue with the public school sounded like poor ratings which means the teachers could be unpaid, they could be short staffed, lacking in funding, resources, or safety. You can verify this and make a decision based on why those ratings are what they are (actually you can see how money is allocated at both the public and private schools by asking the administrators for those details if it isn’t already publicly posted and see if it aligns to your values). You aren’t making entitled little buttholes by giving your children the best possible education and opportunities available…I do believe that is part of our responsibility as parents. I’m not an educator so I strive to give them the best educational opportunities I can. You CAN avoid making entitled little buttholes by showing them that you aren’t one and why you and your husband chose not to believe while still celebrating and respecting others, to be thankful they get to go to a great school but volunteer and give back, etc. Good luck. It’s a hard and personal decision and know whatever you choose will be right for YOU!!!
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Probably not the answer you're hoping for but a lot of trial and error. And what works for one kid may not be the best fit for the next. Nothing is permanent, take it year by year-hopefully that takes some pressure off!
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I would agree that there's no "right answer", I think it comes down to whatever gives you the least amount of anxiety. Having a faith based school vs. a school with terrible ratings. You could also transfer in to a better public school near by. I know enrollment has been low at all the Eanes elementary schools so the number of transfers they have taken in has been pretty high!!
