The School Debate {What Works Best for Your Family}

For me, it is not a debate. I don’t argue about what we have chosen for our family. You would be surprised at how many conversations I have gotten into about school and what is best for my children.

I LOVE public school. There I said it. It is written for all to see. 

I love everything about public school. I love the amazing teachers in public school. I love the opportunities in public school. I love that my kids are exposed to all types of people in public school. I love that my kids learn words that they should not know in public school. I love that my kids are challenged in their faith in public school. I love that my kids are in an imperfect public school. I love that my kids have had teachers that are not my favorite in public school. I love that my kids get disciplined in public school. I love that my kids succeed in public school. I love that my kids fail in public school. I love all these things about public school because it provides me the opportunity to walk beside my child and help them navigate life and teach them how to grow and learn from every experience good and bad.

For our family, we choose public school for our boys. We have four grown children, all products of public school and they are thriving. Before you stop and think this is a post on why you should enroll your kids in public school, just wait.

I have been repeatedly asked what I think about homeschooling and I think it is great, even tried my hand at it over the pandemic and liked it more than I  thought I would. Some of my friends homeschool and do an amazing job. If you choose to homeschool your children, good for you, you’ll do great. Join some other mommas and seek help and support because it is a big task.

As a minister, I’m always asked about going the private/parochial school route. If you choose to send your child to a Catholic school or Christian school, fantastic, good for you, what a fantastic opportunity. If that is what is best for your family, go for it.

It boils down to what is best for your family and for your child/children.

All of the above reasons why I LOVE public school are the same reasons you might LOVE homeschooling or LOVE private school. No school is perfect. Kids in public school cuss, kids in Christian school cuss, homeschooled kids cuss. Kids in public school talk back to authority, kids in Christian school talk back to authority, homeschooled kids talk back to authority. School is school, an opportunity for your child to learn and grow, in whatever environment you choose, but not one of the options is the perfect school.

So why do we debate? Why don’t we support?

Over the course of my kids being in school, both my big kids and now my little ones, I’ve been told that if I REALLY loved my kids, I would take them out of the awful public school and homeschool them. I’ve been told that if I REALLY loved my kids, then I need to send them to a private Christian school.

Well, NEWSFLASH, I love my kids and we choose public school. It is what is best for our family and what we feel is best for our boys.

You do what is best for your kids and I’ll do what is best for mine. If our circumstances ever change or we feel like we need to change what is best for us, we will do that, just like I know you will.

So, mommas, the school debate shouldn’t be a debate. It should not be a “My kids are better than your kids” mentality. It should be a “Kids need to learn and we support each other in whatever that looks like for each of us” mentality.