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  Or maybe the educational choice your family originally made needs to be changed.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