I Enrolled My Personal Faculty Children in a Public Faculty; They’re Thriving

• I used to be raised in personal colleges, and I had my youngsters go to non-public colleges, too.
• Nonetheless, we could not afford a personal highschool, so that they have been pressured to attend a public faculty.
• Within the public highschool, they’ve wonderful alternatives and are higher set for school.

I grew up going to non-public colleges. For eight years, my each day uniform was a blue plaid jumper and shirt with a Peter Pan collar. Highschool loosened among the reins with solely a (comparatively strict) gown code to deal with: no denims, no shirts with slogans, and undoubtedly no quick skirts. My personal faculty training continued via my faculty years at my ivy-on-the-walls East Coast faculty and even into graduate faculty. I by no means knew something completely different.

Once I had youngsters, I assumed I might ship them to non-public colleges, too. It felt like the one selection, as that’s what I grew up with.

When our household moved to California, and my oldest was prepared to start out kindergarten, we did not even contemplate sending her to public faculty. As an alternative, we picked from amongst a number of personal colleges close to the place we might be residing. Uniforms made the morning hours straightforward, and I loved the supportive neighborhood we discovered at our small personal faculty.

I needed to change my interested by personal colleges when my youngsters entered highschool.

All the pieces modified with highschool approaching

As my oldest child reached eighth grade and it was time for us to contemplate highschool, personal faculty was now not an possibility. The schooling price was too excessive, and we could not afford $20,000+ a 12 months (plus books, lunch cash, exercise charges, and so forth.), particularly contemplating that we would ultimately have three youngsters in highschool without delay.

We registered our daughter for our native public highschool, realizing little or no about it. The months main as much as the beginning of college have been full of nervousness as most of her classmates and associates have been persevering with at personal excessive colleges. I used to be frightened she’d be beginning faculty with out realizing a single particular person.

Fortunately, our highschool had a summer season program that helped with the transition, and two of her former classmates ended up going to her faculty as nicely. All of this made the transition a bit simpler.

Public faculty was the appropriate path for my household

I now have two youngsters in our public highschool, and my third shall be becoming a member of them within the fall. Whereas I initially felt nervous in regards to the unknowns of public faculty, I can confidently say that public highschool was the perfect factor that would have occurred for us.

My son would probably say that the free lunches (together with brunch-time cinnamon rolls!) are the spotlight of public highschool, however I can see many extra advantages.

When signing up for electives, I realized that not solely did they provide conventional choices like artwork and music courses, however youngsters might additionally take woodworking, metalworking, or set-building courses. My son was proud to deliver dwelling the metallic toolbox he welded for his last metalworking venture. I like that these choices can be found.

When it got here time to decide on a science class, I used to be shocked to study that our faculty, positioned within the coronary heart of California’s Silicon Valley, has its personal on-site farm. The children can increase pigs, chickens, and different animals as a part of their coursework.

My youngsters raised a pig final 12 months and can do it once more this 12 months. In addition they participated in a neighborhood plant sale, and my son joined the college’s Milk and Cheese Tasting Crew, which competes at regional Future Farmers of America occasions.

Who would have thought these could be choices at our suburban highschool?

The general public highschool is setting my youngsters up for fulfillment in faculty

For her junior 12 months, my daughter was accepted into our highschool’s center faculty program. This enables juniors and seniors to take their courses full-time at the area people faculty, setting them as much as graduate from highschool with faculty credit and even their affiliate diploma if they’re particularly motivated. She has no Friday courses, which permits her to work and pay for gasoline and different bills.

I do know my different youngsters will observe in her footsteps, permitting them to be higher ready for his or her faculty years.

Whereas I by no means anticipated that my youngsters would go to public highschool, I now see it as a blessing in disguise, because it supplied packages we would not have had entry to at our native personal colleges.