Charter Verses Public School
My Personal Opinion
I heard all the arguments or debate from Monday night on public verses private schools and I will agree that Dr. Hewitt was the winner on factual data. But facts aren’t what makes a public school work; people make the public school work; diversity makes the public school work; heritage and history make the public school work. My community still trusts the public school and those who operate within its walls. They trust us to educate their child and give them what they need to succeed in the outside world. I could not work in public education and not send my children through the public education system. The public education system mirrors society. It is not always pretty or successful or the best, but it is realistic. Do we have bad teachers? Yes, we do, but that is why I am where I am--to make a difference and change what is wrong with public education-to help right the wrongs. The purpose of the public education was to provide an education for all students regardless of race, ethnicity, or socio-economic status. The purpose was that, but it has taken us a long time to get where we are and we are still working on it, but we are working on it together. We are not separating the haves from the have nots. We are choosing people to attend our school because they are poor to meet our quota. The public school takes everyone regardless of anything. We don’t ask questions; we just serve the children that come to us. The public school works harder than any charter school. Charter schools seem to have a targeted population and focus their curriculum on that target. In the public school, the target changes each year with each new and unique group of children. Nothing is ever the same. When we figure it out, something changes whether it be the curriculum or testing or new regulations. But even with all these changes, we still continue. We continue to take one day at a time and one child at a time. We look at individuals which is not the corporate model that a charter school mimics. One size does not fit all, but the public school does fit all. My children have attending school with a very diverse group of students. I am thankful for this. I believe the public school allows them to see what life after school holds. It also allows me to better understand society and attempt to change things that need to be changed. What do you think? What do you think about the future of public schools? I am one of those people who believe that teaching is a calling. You cannot really document the why it is; it just is. I believe the same is true of why public schools are the best plan for the majority of our students.
