Monthly Archives: June 2015

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Which School for MY Child?

School Choices

School Choices

Wow!  It’s summer and your baby will be starting Kindergarten in August/September.  Or maybe the educational choice your family originally made needs to be changed.  What is the BEST choice for your child?  Studying the different educational learning environments will help in making an informed decision.  So, here’s some information that may make all of that easier.

Let’s look at the choices in the surrounding areas in Texas.

  • Public School
  • Private School
  • Home School

 

Public School

The number one reason parents pick public schools is because it is a FREE education.  If you are fortunate enough to live in a great school district (and, yes, they differ!), then this could be a super choice for your child and your family.

Pros:

  • It’s free!  (Well, sort of.  Home and business owners help pay for the cost.)
  • Highly trained teachers
  • Cutting edge technology
  • Equal Opportunity for each Child to Excel
  • Special Education and Gifted and Talented Individualized Instruction
  • Access to Breakfast and Lunch
  • Physical Education, Music Education, Art Education
  • Social Services ~ Counselors, Social Workers, Communities in Schools
  • School Nurse
  • School Librarian
  • Exposure to the Real World and Real World Experience
  • Socialization with children from various backgrounds which may result in cultural exchanges

Cons:

  • Some school districts are not as effective as others
  • Intense pressure on the teachers for their students to pass standardized tests which may cause them to be too stressed to be effective
  • Teachers have varying degrees of classroom management skills ~ some environments are too busy for some children
  • Exposure to the Real World which can be harsh and negative
  • Intense pressure to perform well on TESTS
  • Teaching to the middle ~ Individualized instruction is often hard to manage in a real classroom
  • They can be so enormous in school size that your child gets lost “in the shuffle”
  • Socialization with children from various backgrounds which may result in exposure to very difficult family situations

Private Schools

Pros:

  • Small school size
  • Teacher Student Ratio
  • Children are not exposed as often to other children’s harsh realities
  • Specific Curriculum ~ Religious, College Prep, Etc…
  • Economically similar backgrounds
  • Freedom from state mandated testing
  • Teachers may be happier and less stressed, so the classroom experience is FUN and STIMULATING
  • Communication between parents and teachers is usually more often
  • Parents are usually more involved
  • Social Opportunities with Peers from similar backgrounds

Cons:

  • Cost
  • Fund Raising Events ~ Parents are expected to participate
  • Environment can be very “cliquish”
  • Sheltered and little exposure to real world experiences
  • Fine Arts and Physical Education experiences may be lacking
  • May have limited real time view of the world and other cultures (unless traveling abroad is part of the curriculum)
  • Teachers may not be certified in their teaching field
  • Limited Resources for Special Education

Home School

Pros:

  • Parents CHOOSE the curriculum
  • Learning occurs in a more natural way
  • Flexibility in the day and in the family
  • Children can move as quickly or slowly as they need to master the curriculum
  • Little exposure to other families and their issues
  • Relaxed learning environment
  • Parents are the teachers (unless a cooperative kind of home school is chosen)
  • Opportunities to join a home school Coop and share the load of teaching as well as giving the children socialization skills
  • Costs can be very low ~ depending on the type of curriculum chosen
  • No Standardized Testing ~ some testing can be done at the public library by a third party to ensure mastery and credit
  • Promotes a life long learning environment

Cons:

  • Requires boundaries and discipline on the part of the parent to set schedules and make sure the child is moving forward in learning
  • Mastery must be documented so that child gets credit in case he/she is moved to a school environment
  • Can be expensive
  • Requires access to technology
  • Can be limited if no instruction by a certified teacher in a certain subject area
  • Requires self-discipline on the part of the child
  • Limited socialization opportunities unless the parent provides those in other ways
  • May require joining a home school cooperative in order to ensure learning at the higher levels

Resources to help in your decision making:

Public School Online

Public School Online2

http://www.homeschoolreviews.com/

School Reviews

New Braunfels ISD

Comal ISD

Hays CISD

Seguin ISD

Navarro ISD

St. Peter and Paul Catholic School

New Braunfels Christian Academy

Calvary Baptist Academy

Cross Lutheran Church School

San Marcos Academy

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Passive ~ Aggressive ~ Assertive Behaviors

In life we meet people who are difficult to be around and work with because of the way they make us feel. Sometimes, we don’t really know why we don’t enjoy being with that person, or we just have a vague idea that what they are doing makes being around them difficult.

Let’s face it, difficult people, who are usually not aware of their own strengths and weaknesses, have a main goal in life and this is to get their needs met.  Depending on upbringing and unconditional love received as children, these needs can vary.  Acceptance, power, safety, control and manipulation are a few.  It is helpful if we can identify what kind of behavior they exhibit to meet their needs.

So, stop and think for a moment and identify in your mind someone who you consider difficult or makes you feel uncomfortable.  Which of the three responses in the title above do they show most often. Now, stop and think about yourself.  Which do you show most often? Passive?  Aggressive?  Assertive?

Here’s a simple way to think of the three:

  • Passive = doormat
  • Aggressive = bulldozer
  • Assertive = communicator

In terms of communicating needs, assertive people use the word “I” and aggressive people tend to say “you”. Passive people do NOT express their needs verbally, internalize their feelings, and often become ill (headaches and stomach problems, high blood pressure, etc…) due to this repressed communication.

Example: A person is asked by his/her coworker to stay late to help with a deadline and has important family plans for the evening.

Passive Response ~ *shrugs,rolls eyes and nods, may call family and whine about being late to the family event,  may slam drawers in office or curses quietly so no one else hears, says nothing about the plans and stays late ~ The need is NOT met.

Aggressive Response ~ “you have no right to ask me to do this, it’s because you are not doing your share, this is why we are behind, you will have to take care of this because I have done all I’m going to do, I have plans and am leaving on time.” ~ The need is met at the expense of another person’s feelings.

Assertive Response ~ ” I understand that this deadline is swiftly approaching.  However, I have a very important family event at 7p.m. tonight and cannot be late.  I can come early in the morning and I can help as much as possible until it is time to leave.” ~The need is met. The coworker has to decide how to proceed from this information and may respond passively, aggressively or assertively. Getting needs met assertively doesn’t always ensure that others won’t be upset.  It is taking the “emotion” out of the response and clearly stating the objective.

These are learned behaviors and can be unlearned.  But the FIRST thing that has to happen is, once again, going back to our Heavenly Father and asking for help….help accepting His unconditional love (which heals us and fills us), help in identifying what we are doing that is hurting others or ourselves, and help in learning new ways to communicate our feelings and needs.

An amazing product of accepting God’s unconditional love for us is that our needs change and become healthier.  We no longer operate out of fear of rejection or abandonment.  We no longer hunger for acceptance from people.  We walk in love and people’s hearts soften, relationships heal, and our communication is not guilt ridden or manipulative and controlling.  Thank You, Lord, for loving us “no matter what”!