Going Public

I know that education can be a very personal decision. Often people have many different opinions about where to educate their children...what to teach them or what not to teach them. Things get personal quickly when you consider all the things that are out there for one to be able to learn. Our decision about where to educate our son has not come easily. I grew up in a small public school where test scores were high and the classroom size was always less than 20 students in any given class. It was a pretty ideal setting and the community was very involved. My last three years of Highschool were spent at home. My husband attended public school the majority of his life and spent his last few years of Highschool in a private education setting. Perhaps if money weren't an issue I would be sending my son to a private Christian school where he would learn mostly all of the things that we value as a people. But, as I have been thinking and reflecting lately about my walk of faith and the things I value and believe, I have come to the conclusion that we are to be in the world and not of the world. I value being a part of a community. In a lot of ways, I think I have done such a good job being a part of our community of faith that I have failed to be a part of our community at large. So as I think about education, I think it is wonderful and beautiful that we as a country provide education to so many. I think it's fabulous that we have freedoms to choose if we want to participate in a public education, a private education, or an education at home. This is unique that there are so many freedoms that we can choose even as far as an education goes. And concerning a public education, I am so glad that all the little kids who live in our low-income housing, will also be able to participate in an education. In any other day and age, perhaps our family, and other families at our socioeconomic level, would not be so privileged to be able to receive an education. If it were left up to each family to provide an education, I know that those same families that live near us would not educate their children and just think of where our country would be then? So as I reflect on our freedoms and our privileges of living in this country where education is provided to everyone regardless of income or race or gender, we as a family have made the choice to go public. And I make that choice with peace of mind and spirit. I look forward to our son participating with other children in our community on the great adventure of learning. I look forward to participating with him. And I hope that I will get to know our community at large a bit better in the process.